I'm not going to let you go

Neal knew that his papa and Belle had returned to Storybrooke a couple of days ago, and he had been working up his thoughts of whether to go and find him or not. His feelings towards his father were still confusing, while he knew that he loved him, he just wasn't sure how his papa would react to seeing him alive. He knew there was only one real way to find out, he already lost someone due to not going after them the first opportunity he had, or not trying. Neal didn't want to risk losing his father again, he had only just gotten him back, before losing him again the first time. 

After getting himself breakfast from Granny's, Neal went looking for his father. He assumed he'd be at the house he had in this land, the home that almost became his as well, before everything that happened with Pan. Neal knew he hadn't stopped by the store, so that was his only other thoughts of where he would be, besides he thought he'd heard someone telling him he was hiding out in there.

Soon, he reached his papa's mansion, and he slowly walked up the path to his papa's front door. Placing his hands in his pockets, he bounced up and down on his toes, taking a soft deep sigh before gently knocking on the door. Hearing his papa's voice inside the house, he was about to walk away, when he heard the door starting to open.

He raised his eyebrows as he saw the look on his papa's face, hoping that he wouldn't react the same way Emma did, or slam the door in his face. However, Neal found himself smiling softly as he heard his papa say his name sadly. So he had missed him. "Papa" Neal said, smiling softly. "I don't know."

Neal awaited a reaction from his papa and smiled as he was pulled into a hug, wrapping his arms around his papa as he just rested his head on his papa's shoulder. He felt the tears fall from his eyes, as he enjoyed his papa's touch around him again. Neal didn't even realise how much he had missed his papa until right at this moment when he was in his papa's arms again. As his papa pulled away and looked at him, he just smiled at him in return. Gently tilting his head, he let his cheek rest on his papa's hand as he caressed his face. Hearing his papa say it didn't matter, Neal smiled and nodded "I told you I'd always come home papa" Neal said before looking at his papa "Will do papa" Neal said, making his way inside his papa's house as his papa stepped aside. Looking around his papa's house, Neal was finally getting the chance to see what his papa's living situation was like here during the curse. Deep down he still had a twang in his heart as he thought of the fact that his papa had lived like this, while he had been forced to live the way he had before being found in New York. No, Neal wasn't going to let that get to him again. He was back with his father, and he had his whole family back. Entering the main living room, he sat in front of the fireplace enjoying the warmth of it. Looking up, Neal smiled as he saw his papa smiling back at him.

For the first time in so many years, every smile Neal gave his father was actually genuine, and the one he gave his papa as he made his way into his papa's house was no exception. Neal placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he continued to sit by the fire on his papa's couch. Looking around and then staring into the flames, Neal saw flashes of so much going through his head. Mainly the 'homes' he'd been forced to have in his life up until this point. This just made this house of his fathers start to feel like a home, rather then a house or just a place to stay.

Hearing his papa speak as he entered the room brought him out of his thoughts. “Really, you don't remember? As a kid, I always got you to put extra honey in my tea. I guess it's just been a while.” Neal said, smiling softly. “I mean thank you papa.” Neal said not letting the pain of that part affect him again.

“I'm glad to be back. And I just hope that this magic won't come with a price this time.” Neal said, before sighing softly and thinking over the last part of his papa's words. So many of the foster homes, he'd just wanted to have his father come and take him out of it, take him to a real home somewhere. Now here was that offer for the second time to allow him just this. “I'd like that papa. We can't be a family if we're seperated right? There is somewhere for Henry isn't there?” Neal asked, knowing that Henry would need somewhere to stay when he came to him instead of his mothers or grandparents. Neal picked up the honey off of the tray, and added it to his tea as he looked at his papa. “That's great papa. I like Belle. I'm glad she can make you so happy, and I can tell you guys love each other” Neal said, before noticing his papa continuously looking out of the room. He didn't know what his papa kept looking at, but, he worried about whether it was bad. A small smile grew on Neal's face as he turned back towards him, “It's fine papa. I get that. Work is work.” Neal said, wondering what kind of work his papa had right now.

Looking at his papa's face, Neal could tell that he now realised that he had forgotten how he always used to have his tea. Neal knew that it had been a long time since he'd had tea with his papa, and he smiled softly as his papa seemed to scan the cart. This was something he'd been looking for his whole life, his papa back in his life. A family.

"It's fine papa. I get it, you don't have to apologise, it's just been a long time." Neal said. Even though he had made the teas the same way in the foster system. It hadn't been the same without his papa there with him. "I know papa. I asked you to let me go. I know you do, but, I didn't want that. You would've used most of your magic on me, and it had to have been saved for Zelena." Neal said, choking back the current tears in his throat.

"Well, I am glad you stopped by it. I didn't want that papa, you would've been much more useful then I would've ever been. I was just normal, and they needed someone like you. Powerful and not as normal." Neal said, blinking back the tears that were coming to his eyes. He was just worried about what the price of magic would be this time. "Glad to hear that papa. Henry's family too, and that would allow us to be a full one." Neal had been through so much to get back to Henry, and he wasn't going to let him go again. "She seems special. Yeah, after..." Neal said, pausing and lowering his head, knowing what that meant. "You do papa?" Neal asked, as he stirred the tea in his hands. Lowering his head gently, Neal felt the tears coming to his eyes again. "Sorry, I just... I haven't been called important in years".