Krista N, just keep telling yourself Neal lived. There are tons of ways that could work.

First, let's suppose that Neal's soul is now bound in the Vault of the Dark One and can be rescued by someone willing to sacrifice his or her life or (ahem) being tricked into it (not in favor, just saying).

Or let's assume Rumple can find a way to get a soul out of the vault without having to have someone else imprisoned in his place.

Or assume that the year Rumple and Bae were bound gave Rumple the opportunity to do something--or Bae the opportunity to do something (when Bae dies, still doesn't have his memories back of the missing year) that left some spark of him alive.

Or maybe Walsh or Glinda or Dorothy did something (it would be great if Neal had known Dorothy at some point, although the time lines get a little tricky to work with). Maybe Dorothy got to Neverland at some point?

Maybe there was something left from Pan. Maybe there's something in the link that made it so only Rumple could kill his father but only if he died along with him that creates a link between him and Bae.

And I'm still betting on Rumple being somehow connected to the three fates, so his DNA could do all sorts of unexpected things with magic.

Oh, hey, you know hot the fates and triple goddess types generally function in groups of three? The youngest is the maiden, symbol of new life; the second is the mother, giver/preserver of life; the third is the crone, representative of destiny and death.

Rumple understood destiny and tried to shape it. He was the one who could kill Pan and is the most deadly of the Stiltskin clan.

Henry also had an understanding of destiny, as when he went to get Emma to break the curse. He had the power to renew Pan's life or life in general.

So, Neal should be the second aspect, preserver and nurturer of life.

I wouldn't go back either.

I don't buy that you can have one more than one true love.

Would you want to, if you were MRJ?

I wouldn't go back if I were MRJ. The show treated his character horribly in favor of pandering.

At least A/E left it open that you can have more than one True Love. with the necklace, the only thing form our world that made it back to the EF I truly believe that A/E intend to say the SF was TL too.

Hardly a compensation I know.