long story | unvarnished

[stolenwatches]

[ Neal had been hopeful.

He still loved her, he knew that much, and he knew there was still a small part of her that reciprocated that. He'd done a lot to hurt her, but he wanted so badly a second chance, with both her and their son together. Even Hook had backed off, at least for the time being. It was all up to Emma.

Sitting alone in a booth at Granny's, a good half hour after noon, he was starting to admit to himself that she probably wasn't coming.

Neal sighed as he played with his cup, determined to wait a bit longer. Just in case. ]

Comments

[unvarnished]

[well, isn't this a familiar scene. August strolls into Granny's, looking to just get a bite to eat when he sees Neal sitting alone. It takes him a few seconds to take in the scene and make his decision.

He invites himself into the empty seat across from his friend]

She stand you up?

[stolenwatches]

[ For a second, Neal got a bit excited that someone's coming to his table, but the moment he sees it's just August, he slumps back into his seat. ]

Maybe. What're you doing here?

[unvarnished]

I was hungry. [he flashes Ruby a smile as she comes over offering him coffee. An offer he happily takes]

She's probably just running late. I'll keep the seat warm for her.

[stolenwatches]

Yeah, I'm sure she'll appreciate that. [ He says it dryly, though he appreciates his friend's optimism. As Ruby pours the coffee for August, Neal pretends not to notice the look she shoots him before she leaves. He forgot how being in a small town meant everyone knew everyone else's business. ]

What's up, man? How've things been here?

[unvarnished]

[August is an eternal optimist. He puts some cream and sugar in his coffee before addressing Neal's question]

Ariel showed up, and so did John and Michael Darling. Otherwise it's been pretty quiet. I've gotten to reconnect with my father and Archie.

[as for his mother, August always had an awkward relationship with her. He figures it's better left alone]

[stolenwatches]

Yeah, they met us at the harbour.

[ Neal smiles at that, remembering how elated they'd been to see Wendy again. ]

That's good, about your father and Archie. It's been a long time.

[unvarnished]

[he smiles, too. He's imagining that reunion. Not just with Wendy and her brothers, but with Neal too]

Yeah. I know magic always comes at a price, but it brought our families back together, too. It's a pretty happy ending, wouldn't you say?

[stolenwatches]

[ Neal gives a huff of laughter before giving August a pointed look about just what Neal was doing before he showed up. ]

Yeah, well, still working on mine. S'why I'm here.

[unvarnished]

Emma's your happy ending. [he phrases it like a statement more than a question] Good luck with that one. She can be pretty stubborn.

[stolenwatches]

Her and Henry.

[ he has no doubt Emma would let him see Henry and be a dad to him, but he wants nothing more than both of them. together, as a family. ]

I kind of shot myself in the foot with what I did to her. All I'm trying to do now is make up for it.

[unvarnished]

[August knows he played a big part in messing everything up for them. All he can really do is try to fix it. Because in his mind, they're as much his family as his father and Archie. Maybe even more so, since the three of them share the bond of growing up here in this world]

Give it time. She has a lot to work through... I think she likes keeping her guard up.

[stolenwatches]

[ Neal winces at that. He knows August was probably only trying to be optimistic, but he pretty much hit the nail on the head on why Emma might have issues trusting him again. ]

Three guesses why.

[unvarnished]

[he doesn't need to guess. He just sips his coffee]

I'd say it's the same reason you and I have trust issues, too. We've all had to grow up depending only on ourselves. I love my papa but I still have trouble with it, you know?

[he smiles, a little sadly. Trying to be selfless, brave and true is hard when the whole town knows you as a selfish, cowardly liar]

[stolenwatches]

You've got me there. Definitely didn't help, though.

[ Neal sighs as he wraps his hands around his cup to warm them up. It's clear the topic is bringing both their moods down, so he changes it. ]

Man, this is too depressing for my second day back from hell.

[unvarnished]

Maybe I can take your mind off it. I was thinking of doing something for Emma's birthday. You think she'd go for it?

[stolenwatches]

[ For a moment, Neal freezes, and then he adopts a vaguely guilty air. ]

I can't believe I forgot.

She always used to hate making a big deal out of her birthday, but she didn't mind doing something small for it. What are you thinking of?

[unvarnished]

I don't know. I do know it can't be anything we have to talk her into, and she'd probably hate surprise parties.

[he frowns, thinking. He's missed so much and he wants to make up for it, somehow. That's where he's going with all this]

[stolenwatches]

Family and friends, nothing too fancy.

[ Even as he says that, Neal has a moment of doubt. It's been what, 11 years? For all he knew, she could love surprise parties and big, fancy gatherings now. ] I think.

[unvarnished]

Sounds about right. I think she'd appreciate something thoughtful over a huge party. Just letting her know you're there without crowding in her space.

[stolenwatches]

You sound pretty on top of it. How long've you been thinking about it?

[unvarnished]

For a while. I had to find something to occupy myself with while you guys were gone.

[stolenwatches]

How long were we gone, anyway?

[ Neverland wasn't exactly the best indicator of time passing. ]

[unvarnished]

It felt like weeks. But you know, we all did pretty good. Just going about our business as usual. If there were problems, people went to the Blue Fairy.

[stolenwatches]

[ Neal nods, though admittedly, he finds himself curious about one thing. ]

Not bored of Storybrooke yet? I mean, it's no New York.

[unvarnished]

Are you kidding me? There's always something going on around here. Doctor Frankenstein's monster running loose, John and Michael Darling holding Belle and Ariel captive, Peter Pan's Lost Boys arriving... There are always new stories being made here.

It's enough to fill another book. [his eyes sparkle excitedly at the idea of that]

[stolenwatches]

[ Okay, he's just going to give August a funny look now. ]

Business as usual? That's one hell of an understatement.

[unvarnished]

We're a town full of fairy tale creatures, and Doctor Frankenstein. You can't expect things to be too dull.

[stolenwatches]

You know, maybe you should write another book.

I can think of one fan who'd love to read it.

[unvarnished]

Yeah? Well, in that case I'd love to write another book. Wouldn't want to disappoint my fans.

[stolenwatches]

What would you call it? Just 'Storybrooke'? Doesn't really have the same ring 'Once Upon a Time' does.

[unvarnished]

True. [he gives it a measure of thought] I guess I'll think about it once I actually start writing it.

[stolenwatches]

Too bad there's no publishers in Storybrooke. You could make a fortune off of children's books.

[ what's this, actual business savvy Neal Cassidy? ]

[unvarnished]

Probably, but I'd never put the stories out into the world, anyway. They're just for us.

[he pauses, noticing that a certain blonde is still not showing up] You going to sit here all day waiting for her?

[stolenwatches]

[ and that brings him back to the original reason he was sitting here, and he sighs. even he had to admit it at this point. ]

She's not coming. I don't know, maybe it was too early. Too much pressure.

[unvarnished]

Maybe. But at least you can still spend more time with Henry.

[stolenwatches]

[ August you always know what to say

Neal perks up slightly at the reminder about his great son. ]

He's a great kid. I'll drop by Regina's place later and see if he wants to play swords with his old man. I mean, sword fight. [ he cracks a grin at that because Henry definitely got the heroics from his mom's side of the family.

as he talks, Neal searches his pockets for some change for the coffee. ] You got anything else to do today?

[unvarnished]

[he smiles. He and Neal both know what it's like to spend their childhoods without their fathers, so of course they're on the same page when it comes to Henry]

I was going to help Papa in his workshop later. Other than that, I'm pretty much free.

[stolenwatches]

I need to clear out some stuff.

[ namely, Tamara's stuff... which he'd tried hard not to think about all throughout Neverland, but after walking back into his room at Granny's and seeing her stuff mixed in with his, he couldn't keep avoiding it.

but he really doesn't know if he can handle it alone. after all those years and an engagement, she shot him and left him for dead. it's not easy to forget. ]

Could use an extra hand, if you've got it.

[unvarnished]

[August nods his agreement. He knows exactly what Neal is asking him]

Of course. I've got two, as it happens.

[stolenwatches]

I appreciate it, man.

[ he'll get up and leave a fiver on the table. tipping had never been a thing for him before (ex-thief and all) but something told him stiffing Ruby would be a bad idea all around.

after, he leads August up to his room. once inside, it's a pretty simple living area, but there's noticeably a woman's touch around the place in the small things. ]

I haven't really done anything to the place since coming back.

[unvarnished]

I think some furniture might help. Show that you want to stick around. [August being an expert on that subject] I can carve you a table or something if you want.