I had almost forgotten about the spoiler of doom in light of several revelations from 3×12: Emma confirmed she moved to NYC, Neal’s hometown, because of a fire. Henry talked about how his dad had abandoned him and Emma. Emma’s good dream is her normal, happy life in Manhattan. Rumple scarified himself to save his son to give him another chance at happiness, just not with him. Neal’s story is all about second chances. Belle reassured Neal he’s going to see Emma and Henry again, mirroring what he told them about it not being over. Those are not coincidences. There is no way Neal is going to drop dead while Henry doesn’t even remember him and Rumple is presumed dead! What kind of ending would that be? Plus, Neal’s story is just getting started! He and Belle teaming up to save Rumple in order to get back to his family is the sort of stand-alone, meaty plot for Neal and Belle that we’ve all been waiting for! There’s a reason Emma and Neal keep saying they love each other: it’s because they really do! And as we know, true love can break any curse.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy