Emma's Choice

One

•Emma's POV•

It was a crisp fall morning and I was walking to Granny's Diner for a cup of coffee.

Since the curse had been broken and we'd all made it back to Storybrooke safe and sound, everything was back to normal.

The bell above the door jingled as I walked inside the diner and took a seat at the bar. I ordered a coffee from Ruby, the head waitress, and waited while she made it.

As I was waiting, the bell jingled again and in walked Neal Cassidy. I looked away immediately, feeling nervous. Neal was my ex-boyfriend. We hadn't went out in over ten years, but I still missed him. I hoped he wouldn't notice me sitting at the bar.

But of course, he did.

"Emma," said Neal as he approached the bar.

I glanced at him ever-so-casually. "Neal, hi."

"How are you?"

"Good." I paused, then remembered proper protocol. "You?"

"I'm doing well. Mind if I have a seat?"

Yes. Yes I do, I thought to myself. But the words that came out of my mouth were "no, go ahead."

Neal smiled and sat down on the barstool beside mine. Ruby came over with my coffee; then she took Neal's order.

"So what's new, Emma?" Neal asked.

"Well besides the fact that the curse is broken and Regina's not trying to take my son away...nothing much."

He laughed easily and said, "That's good. And what do you mean she tried to take your son away?"

I sighed. "Yeah, um...she's his adoptive mother. When I first got here, she wanted nothing to do with me and she hardly let me see Henry."

"That's awful! I do wish I could spend some time with the boy myself, though."

"Couldn't hurt." After all, Neal was Henry's father.

We made plans for him to see Henry, and by that time, we were both finished with our coffees. "See you around, Emma," Neal said.

"See ya." I watched him leave, wondering what had just happened. I'd made plans for him to hang out with Henry. I'd have to see him again! Oh, why did I do that?

Sure, Henry was his son; he deserved to see him. But I could barely get two words out without feeling hurt and confused around him. He'd broken up with me, and now he was back, wanting to rekindle whatever we had and get to know our son. I didn't know if I could do that. But, for Henry, I'd do anything-and I guess this counted as "anything."

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Author's Note: Hey! So here's the first chapter... I hope you guys liked it, and will continue reading it. I'm open to suggestions and any ideas you might have of what to do with this story. Thanks for reading!