Chapter 1
Neverland Waters
As they came out the portal they heard a horrible screaming noise coming from below deck. Mr Gold went down to investigate and a moment after the noise stopped and before coming back up he called "you're not going to like this Mrs Swan-Cassidy".
He came up holding Tally's hand Emma cried "Tally what are you doing here"?
She whimpered "I just wanted to help".
Emma said "I told you this was dangerous, well I can't take you back now, so stick to me like glue unless I say otherwise or so help me... I can't think of anything worse than what might happen if you do disobey me. And it starts now".
Tally slowly walked up to Emma. It was clear Emma was on a short fuse so nobody said anything to her in fear for a while in fear of setting her off.
Eventually David and Mary-Margaret came up to her. Mary-Margaret said "what happened to Neal, and Henry, it's not your fault, you can't blame yourself".
Emma replied "oh I don't, I blame you.
Tally said "they didn't do anything mommy".
Emma faced Tally said "but all this happened because I listened to them". She looked back at Mary-Margaret and David "you say good always wins, it doesn't. I didn't grow up in some fairy-tale land, my experience is different and that's all I can go on".
Mary-Margaret replied "and all we can go on is ours, so if you would just let us share our wisdom"...
Emma cut her off "wisdom, I appreciate you trying to be parents, but we're the same age, we have equal amounts of wisdom. And I want Henry back. I never should have broken the curse, I should have just taken Henry and..."
Mary-Margaret said "you're right, then you'd be together. We missed you growing up Emma, and it haunts us everyday".
David said "we don't want you to go through the same thing and you won't. We are going to get out family back".
Emma cried "how can you two be so infuriating optimistic"?
David replied "it's who we are".
"Why"? Emma cried. "Ever since you got your memories back, ever since you remembered you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives, they've been awful".
David said "no, we found you".
Emma replied "and lost Henry, and Neal"...
Tally said "and Graham"
"Yes and Graham" said Emma "and countless other people".
Mary-Margaret added "Emma, the minute I let go of the belief that things will get better is the minute I know they won't". David put a hand on Mary-Margaret's shoulder "I promise you we will find Henry".
"No you won't" said Mr Gold. He was now wearing his Rumplstilskin trademark crocodile skin coat.
Hook said "well, that's a great use of our time, a wardrobe change".
Emma held up a lantern and Tally asked "Grandpa Gold, what are you wearing"?
Mr Gold said "if I'm going to be taken seriously here I need to be the Dark One so I decided to dress accordingly. I'm going to go get Henry".
Regina said "we agreed to do this together".
Mr Gold replied "actually we made no such agreement".
Emma asked "why are you doing this"?
Mr Gold answered "because I want to succeed".
Emma asked "what makes you think I'm going to fail"?
He asked "how could you not"...
Tally said "but you said not to bet against her when she got back home from the enchanted forest".
Mr Gold said "that was the Enchanted Forest, this is Neverland, big difference. Your mother doesn't believe in her parents, or in magic, I doubt she even believes in herself, and this place thrives on belief".
Emma said "I slayed a dragon, I think I believe".
Mr Gold said "only what was shown to you. When was the last time you took a real leap of faith? You know the kind where there's no proof? I've known you for some time Mrs Swan-Cassidy and sadly despite all you've been through you're still that bail bonds person looking for evidence." He said bail bonds person as if it was an insult. "Well dearie, I'm afraid that's not going to work in Neverland".
Emma said "I'll do whatever it takes".
Mr Gold said "or you just need someone to tell you what that is. Sorry dearie, but out foe is too fearsome for handholding. Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild and sadly yours doesn't". He started spinning his cane and instantly vanished leaving his cane behind.
Below deck Emma was doing some pull-ups which wasn't easy with the rocking of the ship while Tally sat on the other side of the room playing with Roseberry who had been in her backpack. She heard someone enter the room and stopped. Hook said "aww, don't stop on my account".
"Wouldn't think of it" replied Emma as she resumed.
"What are you doing"?
"Getting ready for a fight".
Hook said "I've never known you to have to get ready for a fight, I thought it was a natural state". Noticing she was tense he added "don't let Rumplstilskin get you down love".
Emma stopped again and looked at him "did you come down here for something".
Holding up a key he replied "to give you something". Emma sat down and Hook told her "you know Baelfire and I once spent some time together".
"He was always Neal to me and yes I know. He told me he spent time with his step-father".
Hook replied "well actually Milah and I were never actually married, but I guess that was close enough". He handed her a cutlass "this was his".
"I didn't know you were sentimental".
Hook replied "I'm not. I just thought you could use it where we're going, to fight" he gave her a cup and poured her a drink from a flask before poring himself a cup. "To Neal".
They clinked cups as she repeated "to Neal"
Tally asked "can I have some"?
Hook nearly spat it out and said "I don't think so sweetheart, this is rum, it's not for little girls".
Tally moaned "why not"?
Emma said "this is strong stuff that only grown-ups stomachs can handle, and even then it should only be taken in small amounts. If children drink it, it can make them sick, and we don't want that".
Suddenly something hard rocked the ship and rushed up on deck to see David and Mary-Margaret struggling with the wheel.
Regina asked "what are you two doing"?
Mary-Margaret answered "trying to keep it steady".
Hook knew exactly what was going on "prepare for attack".
Regina said "be more specific"?
He replied "if you have a weapon grab it".
As Tally climbed on deck Emma got worried the hard rocking of the boat could cause Tally to go overboard. "Tally stay below deck"
"But..." Tally started.
Emma said "don't argue, stay below deck where it's safer".
Once Tally went back below deck Emma went to the side of the ship and asked "what's out there, a shark, a whale"?
Going over to the side with Mary-Margaret David asked "a kraken"?
"Worse" said Hook. There was a squealing noise and they could see a feminine human like image under the water "Mermaids".
The mermaids started hitting the ship "mermaids" repeated Emma.
Hook replied "yeah, and they're quite unpleasant".
Regina commented "you think".
"I'll try to out run them" said Hook.
Emma asked "how many are there" as she saw more and more mermaids tossing the boat.
David finally said "I will not be capsized by fish". He went to the top of the ship grabbed a harpoon and put it in a cannon.
Mary-Margaret took Emma and grabbed a net. Confused Emma asked "what are you doing"?
Mary-Margaret answered "fishing".
David shot the cannon and Mary-Margaret and Emma let down the net. David shot the cannon again and this time one of the mermaids got caught in the net. Mary-Margaret called "we caught one".
Regina asked "one? There's dozens out there".
David shot into the water again finally Regina said "enough of this" and threw a fireball into the water. This time all the mermaids fled. "There, they're gone".
Mary-Margaret said "not all of them as she and Emma tried to pull the caught mermaid on board. Regina used her magic and teleported the mermaid on deck.
Hook yelled "get that thing off my ship".
Regina answered "no, now we have a hostage"
Tally coming back on deck asked "what's a hodage"?
Emma said "Tally, it's not really important".
Tally saw the mermaid and ran up saying "wow, a mermaid".
David cried "Tally be careful, these things just tried to kill us. Maybe we should toss the mermaid overboard".
Regina said "you just said they tried to kill us, perhaps we should find out why"?
Mary-Margaret asked "how? By torturing her"?
Regina said "if need be".
Emma didn't like where this was going "Tally maybe you should go back below deck".
Tally clung onto Emma's legs whimpering "I don't want to go back down there all alone".
The sound of her whimper made Emma give in and let Tally stay and held her. "Fine, but do exactly what I say".
The mermaid blew her conch shell".
Emma asked "what was that"?
The mermaid replied smugly "a warning, let me go or die".
Tally said "you're not nice". The mermaid didn't all that bothered whether or not a human child thought she was nice.
David held the conch and yelled "what is this, what did you do"?
The mermaid said "let me go".
Regina said "not until you tell us, or we make you tell us".
Mary-Margaret mentioned "threatening her is not the way to motivate her".
Regina replied "well, I'm all out of fish food".
Hook called not moved from the helm "it doesn't matter if you get her to talk, you can't trust mermaids, they're lairs".
Emma commented "of course they are".
Mary-Margaret said "maybe they're just scared of Pan, if we let her go maybe they'll be on our side".
Regina said "or maybe she and her friends will come right back to kill us".
The mermaid mentioned "I don't need my friends to kill you, you'll kill yourselves. Now let me go".
Suddenly a storm started making Tally cling onto Emma tightly shaking in fear. Tally had always been afraid of thunder and lightning but before now Neal had always made her feel better by holding her and telling her a happy light-hearted story to take her attention off the storm. This time however she just had her mother and would have to endure the storm without him. Hook stated "the storm she called it. Don't let her go, she'll swim off and leave us all to die. At least with her we have leverage".
David grabbed a sword and pointed it at the mermaid. Emma turned Tally around so she wouldn't see in case things got messy. David said "call off the storm, then we let you go".
The mermaid smiled smugly with no intention to do any such thing. David quickly pressed the sword against her throat. Regina said "that's more like it Charming, gut the fish".
Hearing it put like that made David change his mind. He took the sword back "no, we're not barbarians".
Regina argued "what we're going to be is dead".
The storm worsened and Tally screamed Emma picked her up and bounced her like when she was a baby which calmed Tally down enough to stop screaming. Hook called "hold on, I'm going to turn her around. I've outrun many a storm".
Regina threatened "make it stop or die".
Mary-Margaret yelled "we're not killers".
The mermaid said "yes you are, and you brought this death upon yourselves".
Mary-Margaret reasoned "this is why we should free her".
Regina replied "that feel-good nonsense Snow might play in the enchanted forest, but this, this is Neverland".
The ship took a sudden turn David called "keep your grip pirate"
Hook called back "it wasn't me mate, it's the ship, we're taking on water".
Regina asked "now may I resume killing her"?
David and Mary-Margaret answered simultaneously "NO"!
Mary-Margaret added "if you kill her then her kind has a personal vendetta against us".
Hook said "the Queen has a point, they've already tried killing us once".
Emma cried "that's enough, we have to think this through".
Regina decided "I already have" and she used her magic to turn the mermaid into wood. "There that should stop the storm". Suddenly they were facing a wall of water. Emma got a rope and tied one end around Tally's waist and the other around her own and held onto another rope as the ship sailed through.
Emma went to the steering wheel seeing Hook needed help "I thought you said you could outrun a storm".
Hook said "this isn't a storm, it's complete damnation".
Mary-Margaret yelled at Regina "why would you do this"?
Regina asked "you're going to blame me"?
Mary-Margaret said "you turned the mermaid into wood".
Regina replied "I did something about it which is more than what you can say".
Mary-Margaret said "undo your spell, bring back the mermaid".
Regina asked "and what? You'll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers"?
Mary-Margaret said "considering your plan failed at least we could try"?
Regina yelled "you're such a naive princess". Mary-Margaret slapped her and Regina asked "is the best you've got"?
Mary-Margaret yelled "not even close, I am so tired of you ruining my life".
Regina asked "I ruined your life"?
David went to help Mary-Margaret Hook said "let the woman go. I need you at the mast".
David turned around and hit Hook in the face. They started fighting too and Emma noticed each time they fought harder the storm got stronger. "This is what she meant, the mermaid said we'd destroy ourselves. She didn't cause this storm we did, we got angry the moment she blew that conch. This is what it did". She yelled "stop it. If you don't stop we'll gonna die. Don't you see we're causing this storm".
Tally suddenly slipped and fell overboard. With her being tied to her mother she screamed as she dangled over the side of the ship. Emma pulled her back on board and hugged her in relief. "Mommy, I was so scared".
Emma admitted "so was I sweetheart. I almost lost you, every parent's worst nightmare. It's their natural instincts to protect their child and...that's it. That's how we'll stop the storm".
She went down to the mast and untied the rope around her waist and tied it around the mast. She bent down and said "don't untie the rope. I don't want to worry about you falling overboard again".
"Yes mommy" Tally said.
Emma climbed onto the bow and yelled "stop, you need to listen to me". She saw her words had no effect everyone just kept fighting. She had to take that leap of faith and trust her plan would work. She jumped overboard, and that got David and Mary-Margaret's attention as she'd hoped. Everyone but Tally ran to the side of the ship where she'd jumped. Unfortunately a part of the ship broke off and hit Emma in the head underwater.
Mary-Margaret said "Regina get her up here".
Regina replied "I can't, not in this storm, I can't even see her".
David got ready to jump in after her Hook said "stop".
David said "she'll drown".
Hook replied "so will you".
Tally asked "what about this"? holding the rope around her waist. "Mommy put it on me to stop me from falling off".
Hook untied the rope and took it off Tally to put on David.
David jumped in as Mary-Margaret and Regina held onto the rope. David saw Emma and swam over to her and took her back up to the surface. When they saw David had her they all pulled them back onto board. David put Emma down. At first it looked like David might have been too late. Tally whispered "no".
Suddenly Emma started spitting up water and coughing and as she looked up at the sky she saw the storm clouds departing revealing a gentle moon. She said "I told you". Tally immediately flew her arms around Emma.
The Jolly Roger was too badly damaged by the storm so they couldn't sail to the far side of the island as Hook had planned. They sailed as close as they could and rowed to the island. Emma was ready to trek into the treacherous jungle. Regina said "we don't have to do it this way. I can fix the Jolly Roger, my magic is powerful enough. We can execute the pirates plan".
Emma replied "a sneak attack, let's not be naive, save your magic, we'll need it later cause Pan knows we're here. It's time we stop running. Gold is right, this place is built on belief. We've been too busy being at each other's throats to be believers. I was as wrong as anyone else. It's time for all of us to start believing, not in magic but in each other".
Regina asked "you want to be friends? After everything that's happened between all of us".
Emma said "I don't want or expect that. I know there's a lot of history here and a lot of hate".
Hook commented "actually I quite fancy you from time to time when you're not yelling at me".
Emma continued "we don't have to be friends. All we need to know the only way to get Henry back is co-operation".
David asked "with her, with him"? gesturing to Regina and Hook. "No, we can do this the right way".
Emma replied "No, we just need to succeed, and the way we do that is just by being who we are, a hero, a villain, a pirate. It doesn't matter which because we're going to need all of those skills whether we can stomach them or not".
Regina asked "and what's your skill, Saviour"?
Emma answered "I'm a mother, but now I'm also your leader, so either help me get my son back or get out of the way". With that she marched into the Jungle holding Tally's hand and everyone followed.