The Monster Within

Chapter 42

Neal comes into the room and stands there for a few moments, locking eyes with Emma. His mind goes back to when he saw her like this, only seventeen years old, him twenty-four, her cradling their newborn son. How terrified he was about what was to come, and he could see the fear in her green eyes too. Her face looked exhausted and full of uncertainty. What he had done at that moment was to try and be supportive in any way that he could. He smiled at her, went to her side and said that he loved her. It was partially impulsive, but it was something that he meant. He admired little Henry, asleep in his girlfriend's arms, and some of that anxiety subsided. Of all the dishonest things that both he and Emma had done, this was not one of them. The tiny infant was a surprise, never a mistake. He let Henry grab his finger and he kissed it gently. He then looked at Emma, tired, skinny, and scared, he kissed her and then spoke these words;

"No matter what happens after this, I promise that I will always look after you and Henry. I love you, Emma."

Emma tries to smile, but she's still afraid. Her mind is reeling from the past year with Neal, how exhilarating it was and how she felt so in love with him now... She did love him, but she was nervous that he would leave her as so many foster families had done before. Her trust had been broken so many times, it was hard to put the pieces back together and yet, looking at Neal and then her son, who looked a lot like his father, she felt that she believed Neal, she was reassured despite how unsure she was about their future. She took a deep breath;

"I love you too. I think that for Henry to have his best chance in life, something that we never got, we don't repeat the past,"

"I agree," Neal nods and kisses her again.

Now, flashing to the present, they are no longer together, that promise long since broken. They were different people now, they were adults and not as afraid of their futures as they once were. Emma had certainly moved on, created the best life possible for herself, Henry, Killian, and their new baby. It took a lot of risks, but Neal couldn't help but approve of her decisions. While he hated his own, he was happy Emma had made something of herself, found love again and managed to bring new life into the world.

He steps a bit closer, still holding a package in his hand. He peeks over to see the face behind the blanket.

"She's beautiful," he says, giving a warm smile. "She looks just like you."

"Everyone keeps saying that, I still see Killian in there."

"He most definitely is, but she takes after you in beauty."

Emma's cheeks turn red. Neal takes another step closer, afraid that the new mother might snap at him or spring like a poisonous snake. He'd been there the first time she had given birth and that was not pleasant. He knew better than to try and annoy a mother with her child.

"It's okay," the blonde says. "I'm not going to bite."

"Try telling that to when you nearly bit off my head in the delivery room with Henry."

"Yeah, I nearly took a piece of medical equipment and bashed you upside the head with it," Emma smiles. "But I've learned from my mistakes."

"I'm sure Killian has a different story to tell," Neal says. He gets a few steps closer and looks at the baby and then at her mother.

"What's her name?"

"Sophie Milah Hope Swan-Jones,"

"That's quite a mouthful," he jokes.

She smiles and gazes lovingly at her daughter again.

"I like the name Sophie, we never tossed that name around did we?"