Title: Our Choices Seal Our Fate
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairings: Emma Swan/Neal Cassidy | Baelfire
Characters: Emma Swan, Neal Cassidy | Baelfire, August Booth | Pinocchio
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2,126 words
Content Notes: Swearing and Adult concepts
Author Notes: Fork in the road AU that diverges from the flashback in 2x06
Summary: Neal makes a different decision about his future with Emma.



Neal called Emma fifteen minutes before they were supposed to meet.
“Change of plans. Meet me where we found the dreamcatcher.” Neal said.
“The same room?” Emma asked. The worry in her voice was obvious to him.
“Nah, room twelve. Do our secret knock.”
“Okay, I’ll be there.” Emma said.
“I love you” Neal ended the call.

“For the record, I think this is a bad idea.” August said from the other side of the room.
“No one cares what you think puppet boy.” Neal started pacing. He had been feeling agitated ever since being jumped by Pinocchio. The Pinocchio thing wasn’t the only problem. It was what he wanted Neal to do. He wanted him to leave Emma. No, Scratch that, he had suggested that he send Emma to jail in his place. That just wasn’t going to happen. He may be scared of his father, but he wasn’t a coward like him.

“Emma’s my friend. I only want what’s best for her.” August was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest.

“You wanted to send her to jail.” Neal stopped his pacing to face the other man.
“She’d do a little time and when she gets out, she’ll get her life back on track.”
“You seriously believe that? How long have you even been in this world?” Neal shook his head. He just did not understand this guy’s logic.
“Since I was a boy.”
“Right, so whoever turned you into a real boy didn’t actually give you any brains?”
“Prison will get her straight.”
“Says you. I don’t know what afternoon specials you’ve been watching kid, but Prison just makes people into bigger criminals. When they do get out, they have a record and they can’t get regular jobs and then they turn back to crime. Often with the new skills they learned. In prison. From other prisoners.” Neal continued pacing.

“If you really loved her-” Neal interrupted August. “Don’t, just don’t.” He wanted to punch the other man but instead went to the window to see if Emma was out there yet. No one. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take being in the same room with August before one of them ended up with a black eye. Or worse.

Several minutes later there was a knock on the door. Neal stopped his pacing and checked the window again. It was her. It was Emma. His Emma. She knocked the secret knock and he opened the door and ushered her in. She wrapped her arms around him, then she saw the other man. She pulled away from him. A worried look crossed her face.
“What’s going on? Who is this?” she asked.
Neal gave the other man a look. So much for them having been friends.
“He claims to be a friend of yours” he said.
Emma shook her head. “No. I’ve never seen him before in my life”

August stood up straight. “Emma, we were placed together when you were a baby.”
“You expect me to remember you from when I was a baby? What the hell is this?”
“I’m supposed to look after you. You’re on the wrong path here.” August said.
“He wanted me to call the cops on you.” Neal said. August shot him a look.
“You need to change your path.”
“In Prison?” Emma said.
“There’s a prophecy. On your twenty-eighth birthday you will break the curse and finally be reunited with your parents.” August said. Neal had to hand it to him, he really did seem sincere.  
Emma stepped away from Neal and put her hands on her hips.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you really expect me to buy this crap?”

August started in on the same speech he had given Neal earlier. The one about The Dark Curse and the destiny of Emma Swan.
Neal groaned. He was going to have to listen to this loser explain it all to Emma. He so didn’t want to be here for this. He couldn’t let Emma go through this alone though. He started to pace again. He tried to tune it out. He had already heard the whole spiel from August earlier. He really didn’t need to hear it again.

It felt like a punch to the gut when he learned that Emma was from the same world he was. That his father had something to do with her being here in this world made it even worse. He hated the idea of fate, but it was hard not to wonder if it was all leading somewhere when these sorts of things happened. What were the odds that she would pick the car he had been sleeping in to steal? Had his father planned this too? Did he want the two of them to meet? Neal shook his head. No, that didn’t seem right. If he had wanted this, then August didn’t need to be here to warm him away from Emma.

He sat down on the bed. His father was here, in this world. Was he here for Neal? He had to be, there was no other reason for him to come to a world without magic. It was hard to wrap his head around. It had been so long since he had seen the man. He had still been a boy. A boy who still needed his father. He wasn’t that boy anymore. He didn’t want to see him. Didn’t want to face him. Not now, and not in ten years either. Not even in a hundred. He was scared. He watched Emma arguing with August. She was fierce. It brought a smile to his face. He loved this girl. He couldn’t let her face his father alone. He wouldn’t.

“This is bullshit” Emma yelled. Neal smiled. His girl had quite the stubborn streak. He liked it.

“It’s true. On your twenty-eighth birthday you’ll break the curse.” August looked so serious. He really had no idea what he was in for, getting into an argument with Emma.

“Says who?”
“The prophecy.” August said.
“You wanted me to spend the next ten years in prison because of some prophecy?”
“You’re a minor, you wouldn’t do much more than a year, tops.”
Neal shook his head. Did August really think this line argument was going to win her over? The man really was an idiot.

“You don’t know that. Are you a lawyer?” Emma’s hands were shaking. Neal got up and went to her. “He’s Pinocchio” he said.

“Excuse me?” Emma turned to him. She did not look happy at his interruption.

“You know, the story of the wooden puppet that became a real boy?” Neal smiled.
“The one whose nose grew every time he told a lie?” Emma asked.
“That’s the one.”
“What the hell is going on here? Are you in on this?” Emma threw her hands up in the air.
“Emma.” Neal had no idea how he was going to get her to believe them. He wasn’t even sure he wanted her to believe. He thought about telling her that this August guy was crazy. It would make things easier. Maybe not in the long run, but for the moment. He didn’t want to lie to her though.

“I would never do that to you.” Neal said.
“Are you saying all this fairy tale crap is true?”
Neal sighed. “I don’t know if August is telling the truth about your parents or the curse, but yeah, the rest of it’s true.”
He took her hand in his and said, “I wouldn’t lie to you Emma.”
Emma started to pull her hand from his. He held on. “Look me in the eyes and tell me if I’m lying.”
Emma always said she could tell if someone was lying. That it was her super power. He wasn’t sure he believed that, but he did believe in her.
She looked at him in silence. He would give her all the time she needed.
Several minutes later she turned away from him.
“Well?” he asked.
“It’s impossible.” she said. Neal shrugged.
“You’re both crazy” she shook her head. Neal could see the tears threatening to escape.
“I’m not. He might be, he did used to be made of wood.” Neal said, trying to lighten the mood. Emma gave a soft laugh and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Magic is real?” She sounded amazed. He almost wished he could feel that way about magic, unfortunately he knew better.
“Yeah, but it kind of sucks.” he told her.
“How can magic suck?” Emma sniffled.
“People use it for all kinds of bad things. Like this curse that August is talking about. And even when you use it for good, there’s always a catch. Magic always comes with a price.”

“So, you don’t come from a magical Neverland?”
“Ugh, don’t mention Neverland.” Neal groaned.
“Neverland is real?” There was so much wonder in Emma’s eyes. He hated to be the one to crush it.
“Yeah, it’s real, but not like the stories. It sucks. You don’t age there though, that much is true. But it’s more like Hell than some magical wonderland.” Neal said.

“Wonderland is real” August chimed in. Neal had almost forgotten about him.
“Have you been?” she asked.
“No, I was just a boy when I came to this world with you.” August said. Neal shook his head. He had never been to Wonderland either.

“Did you know my parents?” she was looking at Neal. He shook his head.
“I’m pretty sure they weren’t even born yet when I left.” he said.
Confusion clouded Emma’s eyes. “How?”
“Neverland, remember?” he said.
“So, how old are you?” Neal grimaced. He wasn’t sure how to answer that question.
August answered for him. “He’s at least a century, maybe more than two.”
Emma shook her head, but she didn’t object this time. She didn’t seem repulsed either, that was something. She looked over to August.
“Who are my parents, why did they abandon me?” she asked.
“Snow White and Prince Charming is how they’re known back in the Enchanted forest. They didn’t want to leave you, but the portal to this world only had enough magic for two people. They couldn’t have you trapped inside the curse with them?”

“Why not?” Neal hated the pain he saw in her eyes. He understood the pain of abandonment all too well.
“Inside the curse, time stands still and no one but the Evil Queen have their own memories.” August said.
“What about The Dark One?” Neal had to ask. He needed to know.
August shook his head. “I don’t think he has his memories either, but you can never be sure with him.” Neal nodded.

“Who’s the Dark One?” Emma asked.
“He’s an evil wizard.” August said. Emma’s eyebrows went up. Neal sighed.
“He’s also my father.”
“Seriously?” Emma said.
“Yeah, what I told you about him before was the truth, minus the details.”
“Which I probably wouldn’t have believed at the time anyways.” Emma let him wrap her in his arms. “Exactly” he said. He kissed her. He felt so grateful that she wasn’t running away from all this. That she wasn’t running away from him.

After a few minutes August cleared his throat.
“So, do you two have a plan?” he asked.
“I’m not going to prison.” Emma said firmly.
“Your destiny…”
“Fuck destiny, fuck fate. Even if it is my destiny to break this dark curse, even you said it won’t be for another ten years, almost eleven. I have time to get my life on track on my own terms.In my own time.”
“I guess…” August still seemed unsure.

“I don’t think fate needs your help Pinocchio” Neal said. He yawned. It had been a long night.
“Dude, it’ll be fine. I will break the curse when the time comes, I promise.”
“And I promise to go with her. She won’t have to face this alone.” Emma kissed him and once again he forgot that the other man was in the room.
“I guess that’s my cue to leave.” August said and headed for the door.
“Drop us a postcard to remind us if it makes you feel better” Neal said as August let himself out.
“I’ll do that.” he said. “You two take care of each other.” Then he was gone.
“I thought he’d never leave.” he said. Emma giggled.
“Are we really staying here tonight?” she asked. Neal nodded.
“In the morning we’ll head out and get some of those errands done, get our new paperwork and then Canada.” He kissed her. Her smile lit up her eyes. He loved seeing Emma happy.
“Home.” she said.
“Tallahassee” he said.
Whatever happened next, they’d face it together.