the world is quiet here

she daydreams about fields of flowers, about being loved, she daydreams about sweet whispers and almost tender kisses. but it’s only a daydream. she is second best, last choice and overlooked. she is perfected smiles and held back tears. she is forgotten valentines and leftover roses. she is self dates and buy her own chocolates. she is a collection of romance novels, the proud romantic. she writes her own love letters and addresses them to herself. she knows her worth and each time someone breaks her she repairs herself with gold.

he is rainy days. he is splash in puddles and run barefoot through the mud. they are drag you by the hand twirl you as lightening cracks or was that their laugh? they are talk to plants and dance to the music in their head, wood floor creaking under wool socks. he is desperate admiration, shaking calloused hands reaching for his moment, always just out of grasp and he tries again. he smells like pine and petrichor, his fingers stained with ink and dirt. if you see them among the ashes, among the dirt, do not ask him what he buried, do not inquire about his insecurities and fears they no longer belong to him.

               Neal  smiled  warmly  at  the  two  of  them.  He’d  gone  so  long  believing  that  he  had  no  family  at  all,  thanks  to  whatever  curse  was  put  on  them,  and  to  finally  have  his  family  back…  It  was  the  best  feeling  in  the  world.  “  I  promise  I’ll  be  right  here  in  the  morning,  okay?  It’s  time  for  bed.  ”  He  smiled,  taking  Abby  by  the  hand  and  letting  her  lead  him  to  her  bedroom.  She  crawled  into  bed,  and  he  pulled  the  covers  up  over  her.  “  Goodnight,  sweetheart.  ”  He  smiled.

She let Neal tuck in Abby and when he was done she then went to place a kiss on her forehead. “ You never gave up, you knew we’d always have a happy ending. You’re amazing. Goodnight, Abby.” Backing up she took Neal’s hand again so they could leave the room. “I think we’ve got to do some catching up.”

               Neal  couldn’t  help  but  chuckle  at  Abby’s  question.  Shaking  his  head,  he  ran  a  hand  through  her  hair,  playfully  messing  it  up.  “  Yeah,  she’s  pretty  special.  ”  He  grinned.  He  should  have  known  better  than  to  doubt  any  kid  in  their  family.  “  Tomorrow’s  a  family  day  for  the  Nolans.  I  think  we’ve  earned  it.  ”

Alex squeezed Neal’s hand and smiled at the two of them. “I like the sound of that. Family day. Well earned.” she looked down at Abby again. “Okay but now it’s really time for bed, you don’t want to be all tired tomorrow for our day of fun. And you can tell...you can tell Daddy everything. Everything you said you wanted to tell him.” She exhaled as her eyes filled with happy tears. “Come on lets get you snuggled in again.” Looking up at Neal she titled her head, “Come on.”

he is the descendant of men who survived the siren’s call, who heeded the warning of the water. he is folktale,  the charming grin that swaggers across the deck, the weathered hands and dark eyes filled with horrors and delights. he is the sea, crashing and chaotic, volatile and glimmering. he is wild waves and storms upon shores. beckoning, calling and pulling you in with his unhinged beauty. he is the battered rocks, standing against the raging water, never faltering. he is the summer day, blazing a warmth that seeps into the soul, dancing upon the skin and burns with need. 

(tw: death, abuse )

he is the golden hour, his smile bright and dreamy. he is cascading shadows hidden among the sun, hiding from fears and false hopes. he is the rays of that seep through the trees, trying to catch him is impossible, he is always too distant too fleeting. his eyes are drenched in neon lights, the bright glare covering up everything he does not wish to reveal. Wherever there is light his shadows follow, and in desperation he makes himself brighter, radiating those around him with his sadness. 

with his backwards schedule, casey sometimes found it hard to keep up with friends. luckily he knew a few other nocturnal people, eliora being one of them. it’d be a lie to say he didn’t have a slight crush on her. but he also just liked spending time with her in general. so of course he agreed to hang out and made his way over. texting her when he got there casey met her at the door, returning her smile with one of his own. “hey, how are you?” he asks as he steps inside. 

“well, you do a great job. every time.” noah tells her with a soft smile. his siblings are all very talented. in different ways, but talented nonetheless. when he had the time, he loved listening to eliora’s podcast. any way he could show support for the things his family did, he tried to do it. at her question he sucks in a quick breath, shaking his head. “just the normal stuff. work and stuff – millie’s moving in so i’ve been moving shit around.” he explained. “how are you doing? anything new with you?” 

               He  sat  there  a  moment  longer,  just  relishing  his  moment  with  his  daughter.  All  the  times  he’d  thought  she  was  just  an  imaginative  little  girl,  trying  to  find  her  dad  and  fixating  on  a  stranger…  When  it  turned  out  that  she  was  just  being  her  usual  brilliant  self.  “  I  am  so  proud  of  you.  ”  He  muttered,  pulling  back  to  take  a  look  at  Abby  and  wipe  tears  from  her  cheeks.  Turning  back  to  Alex,  he  held  out  a  hand  to  her.  “  And  nothing  is  ever  going  to  separate  us  again.  ”

Taking his hand and standing next to him, their family was together again and that was all that she could ask for. Abby looked up at her and smiled, “Does this mean I have to go to school tomorrow?” Brushing stray hair out of her face and looking at Neal she shook head. “No my love. I think tomorrow you don’t have to go. We can do whatever you want tomorrow. We’re all together again, all because of you. We have a pretty great kid.”

               Neal  couldn’t  remember  the  last  time  that  he’d  felt  like  this.  Pure,  unadulterated  happiness,  here  with  the  woman  he  loves.  He  finally  had  his  family  back,  and  he  wasn’t  going  to  let  anyone  take  it  away  from  him  again.  “  No,  it’s…  It’s  not  your  fault,  Alex.  None  of  this  is  your  fault.  ”  He  muttered,  shaking  his  head.  A  familiar  third  voice  caused  his  eyes  to  widen:  a  little  girl  practically  whispering  ‘  Dad?  ’  This  time  the  tears  did  fall  as  he  pulled  away  from  Alex  to  see  Abby,  who’d  come  out  of  her  bedroom  and  was  now  standing  a  few  feet  away.  “  Abby…  ”  He  practically  ran  over  to  her,  scooping  her  up  in  a  tight  hug.  “  Baby,  I’m  so,  so  sorry,  I’m  here.  ”

Alexandra knew this wasn’t anyone’s fault, except the curse bringer but their was still apart of her that felt like she had let Neal down. But that thought quickly melted away the moment Abby stepped out. She started crying softly watching her husband and daughter reunite. She felt like she was holding her breath without realizing it and in this moment could breathe again. She looked down at the pictures, the memories Abby held tightly to and smiled, their daughter was brilliant. But she wanted them to have their moment, Abby had been so desperately searching and now that the search was over Alex knew she deserved her time.

               Neal’s  mind  had  never  felt  clearer  than  it  did  the  moment  he  kissed  Alex.  It  was  like  a  shockwave  went  through  his  entire  body  and  suddenly  he  remembered  everything.  His  parents,  his  sister,  Storybrooke…  But  most  importantly,  Alex  and  Abby.  He  kissed  her  a  moment  longer,  hand  moving  up  to  cup  her  cheek  before  he  pulled  away,  staring  into  her  eyes  as  tears  welled  up  in  his  own.  “  Alex…  ”  He  smiled,  letting  out  something  that  was  between  a  sob  and  a  chuckle.  “  You  found  me.  ”  Was  it  a  bit  cheesy  of  him  to  steal  his  parents’  line?  Sure,  but  it  felt  right  in  the  moment.

She placed her hand on top of his and nodded with the happiest smile. Blue eyes welled up with joyful tears and she whispered “Neal...” Leaning her forehead against his Alex heaved a smile and nodded. “Did you doubt.” For the first time since she somehow been sucked into this godforsaken place she felt safe and at home. Neal had always been that for her though and remembering it was all the sweeter. “True loves kiss always breaks the spell. I’m so sorry I forgot who you were, Neal.”

               If  you’d  asked  Neal  a  week  ago  whether  he  believed  in  curses,  or  true  love’s  kiss,  he  would’ve  said  you  were  crazy  and  laughed  it  off,  but  now…  Now  he  was  questioning  everything  he’d  ever  known  about  himself.  If  it  was  true,  and  somehow  he  was  a  prince…  He  had  to  know.  “  Okay,  then.  ”  He  nodded  smiling  softly  as  a  hand  was  placed  on  his  cheek.  Letting  out  a  breath  as  if  to  build  up  courage,  he  leaned  in  and  placed  his  lips  on  hers.

Alexandra before all this could not tell you where her first kiss happened but the moment she kissed him, she could tell you exactly how it felt. Just like this moment. She saw stars and felt dizzy, her face felt warm and her heart raced. This was her Neal. This was the man she married, the man she fell in love with when they were children,  the father of her child and true love. But it also meant they were cursed, someone wanted to keep them apart. It didn’t matter right now, it didn’t have to matter, all that mattered was that she remembered everything. 

               Neal  had  grown  up  alone.  No  family,  barely  any  friends  until  he’d  settled  down  in  Ivywood,  and  no  hope  that  he’d  ever  have  a  family  of  his  own.  So,  he  was  more  determined  than  ever  to  see  if  it  was  even  a  possibility.  “  Yeah,  she  seems  really  special.  ”  He  nodded,  eyes  trailing  down  to  the  floor.  The  things  he’d  been  seeing  in  his  dreams,  paired  with  everything  that  Abby  had  been  saying…  It  couldn’t  just  be  a  coincidence.  “  I  guess  there’s  one  way  to  find  out,  huh?  ”

Ever since arriving in this place she had been heartbroken, Abby was her only guiding star. But if this was a curse, then if their was one thing her mother taught her it was that it could be broken, that there was always a way to break the spell. She had to try, had to try for that happy ending. She nodded in agreement. “We only have everything to gain. We lose nothing. And those odds don’t scare me.” Alexandra reached out and placed a hand on his cheek, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Was it so wrong to hope this would work.

               Neal  looked  at  the  mess  of  crayons  and  paper  strewn  about  the  living  room,  and  couldn’t  help  but  smile  fondly.  “  Hey,  it’s  okay.  ”  He  smiled  softly,  taking  a  seat  on  the  couch  as  Alex  brought  over  a  picture.  Looking  at  the  drawing,  he  couldn’t  help  but  smile  warmly  as  his  eyes  scanned  the  drawing.  He  felt  a  sense  of  pride  as  he  took  in  the  image,  and  honestly  it  nearly  brought  tears  to  his  eyes.  “  Wow.  She’s  quite  the  storyteller.  ”

She looked over the picture once more, wondering if that was a memory or if it was simply a story her daughter made up. Looking up Alex watched his face for a moment, his reaction only confusing her more. Was this man the love of her life? Exhaling and placing the picture between them she nodded. “She really is. She’s a great kid, smart and brave and so sweet.” Looking up Alex shook her head. “I know my daughter, I know she’s got an active imagination and that she loves fairytales. And anyone else would dismiss what she’s saying. But part of me believes my daughter when she says she knows who her father is.”