Synopsis: Takes place after 2x21 when Tamara (I know. It has been a while) throws the magic bean at Emma. Instead of Neal falling into the portal though, Emma does. Only this portal sends Emma back in time. To get back to Storybrooke won't be as simple as she thought, especially when she gets stuck in the past and only has Killian to rely on. Captain Swan. A different take on the whole time travel idea.

Disclaimer: All characters are properly owned by ABC and Once Upon a Time

A/N: I've recently been obsessed with Once Upon a Time and am a huge Captain Swan shipper. I don't know if I'll be able to get through this season without fulfilling my shipper heart. I know the whole time portal idea has been done before, but this is my take on it. Takes place at the end of season two, before Tamara and Greg kidnapped Henry. Rating will probably change.

Forgetting Neverland

"We were written in the stars, my love. All that separated us was time, the time it took to read the map which was placed within our hearts to find our way back to one another." ~Unknown

Chapter 1

"It's over."

"No. It's not."

It's the things you can't see coming that are strong enough to kill you. But that's the thing about a crisis. When you're in the middle of one, time often seems to slow to a crawl and you're hyperaware of everything around you. Like one of those out-of-body experiences in which you're detached from your emotions and all you can do is watch yourself drown. Then when everything does finally catch up to you, the situation seems to fast-forward and you literally can't remember what happened between start and finish.

At least, that was how Emma Swan saw it anyway. When Tamara threw the magic bean between her feet, the ground caved way and crumbled around her. She stumbled slightly, startled by the vortex threatening to swallow her whole. Reacting on pure instinct, she jumped, barely managing to latch onto the cheap piece of steel above her. The pipe was no match for the strength of the portal though, and for one heart-stopping moment, the pipe nearly snapped in half, bringing her closer to her impending doom. She held on as if her life depended on it.

Her life did depend on it.

She knew nothing good could come from a screaming green vortex of doom. Despite her determination, her fingers slipped. She screamed for Neal, who shouted something she didn't quite catch over the howl of the wind. She wouldn't let go. She couldn't let go. Not now. Not after she had finally started to believe. Not after she had finally found her home, her family—a family who loved her, accepted her for all her flaws and imperfections.

Their faces all flashed before her eyes. Snow. Charming. Henry… Even Neal. She couldn't leave them and yet, her fingers slipped all the same and the strength of the portal sucked her down.

She couldn't leave them.

"Emma!" she heard Neal scream but it was too late.

And then suddenly, she was falling.

Falling.

Falling down the rabbit hole, to only God knew where. The vortex was unlike anything she experienced before. Something that almost sounded like thunder roared around her and the lightening that followed rocked her to the very core. Some kind of ringing noise filled her head as her bones twisted and turned. She didn't know what was up and what was down.

Then everything went black.

When she woke up sometime later, she could hear the birds chirping happily around her. She groaned and brought a hand to her head. The headache pulsating through her temples would surely be the death of her. She rolled over, hoping to grasp the comfort of her sheets but she only felt stone.

Her eyes snapped open

She saw the stars first, which were breathtakingly beautiful and so close to her that she felt like she could reach up and pluck one from the sky. It was the moons though—five to be exact—that brought her to her feet.

Terrible decision, really. Blood rushed to her head and for one startling moment, she fell back to her knees. She cradled her head in her hands and wondered how hard she had fallen. It felt unbearably heavy, like someone had filled her head with sand. In fact, everything hurt. She couldn't focus, she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. Her stomach trembled beneath her skin and then with a gasp, she hunched over to empty the contents of it.

When she was done, she managed to open her eyes and groaned at the sight. Like she said, it was the things you couldn't see coming that were strong enough to kill you. Even though she couldn't remember exactly where she was supposed to be, she certainly knew it wasn't here…wherever the hell that was. As far as she could tell, she was in the middle of some forest. With the strange noises and tropical terrain, she had absolutely no idea where the portal had taken her, only knowing that she definitely wasn't in Storybrooke anymore

Despite the humidity in the air, she pulled her black pea coat closer around her. Her haze finally seemed to lift, and as her gaze came into focus, she remembered.

She remembered the fight with that stupid bitch, Tamara, and of course, Neal. She tried not to let panic seize her, but it was difficult to keep it at bay, especially considering Tamara had shot Neal…and she had just left him there. What if…

No.

She would not go there. Neal was a fighter and so were her parents. They had dealt with villains before and they would deal with them again. Her family would figure this out. They would protect Henry for her until she found a way back to them.

But it wasn't enough to calm her state of mind.

At that moment, all she felt was pain and she fought the urge to cry out. Panic threatened to overwhelm her sanity. But she could fight this. If she could just keep breathing, everything would turn out alright. If she just kept fighting, she would get back to her family. But she was tired, so utterly tired. If she could only keep the darkness, which threatened to swallow her whole, at a distance, then perhaps she could make it through this.

She stood up very slowly, doing her best to avoid the blood rushing back to her head again. The last thing she needed was to pass out.

She needed to get back.

Still, given her current state, this would probably be more difficult than she hoped. She leaned against the tree to support her weight. Now all she had to do was figure out where the hell she was. Damn headache. She wanted nothing more than to just lie back down and let the darkness take her. Perhaps this was nothing more than a nightmare, a side effect of whatever magic had overcome her. Perhaps if she laid back down and closed her eyes…

A branch snapped behind her and she whirled around, eyes wide open and prepared to fight.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" an all too familiar voice spoke.

Even though she couldn't see him, she knew that cocky voice anywhere. Never did she think she'd be so happy to see the pirate. "Hook!" she breathed, relief washing over her. Not even bothering to think about the logic of him being there, she made her way towards him.

He stepped out of the clearing, hook and leather jacket in all. "Ah! So you've heard of me!" His whole face lit up but the dark look in his eyes brought her to a halt.

Everything about him was too familiar—his blue eyes, his voice, and that sinful smirk of his as he eyed her up and down. However, there were differences too. For starters, his eyeliner seemed heavier, darker and he had on more jewelry than she was used to seeing him wear. If anything, he seemed more like a, well, pirate. Then her eyes landed on his red vest and that was when she began to panic.

This wasn't the Hook she knew. This wasn't her Hook, which could only mean one thing….

No.

Hadn't Gold said time travel was impossible? Wouldn't the whole universe implode or something? Magic beans were supposed to take you to another realm, not to another time. Still, she couldn't deny what was right in front of her.

Great, not only did she have to worry about finding a way back home but she now had to worry about not ruining the course of the future.

Then she began to panic. Running into Hook would certainly have its consequences, wouldn't it? Perhaps if she ran now, he would forget this little encounter. Surely he wouldn't remember her however many centuries they meet later…right?"

She took a slow step back. A branch snapped under her weight. The darkness swept in once more, and yet again, she pushed it back.

"What's the rush, love?"

She opened her eyes. When had she closed them? Perhaps she took a harder fall than she originally thought. Killian—Hook—was standing way too close to her now. She could smell him. It made her dizzy. It made her want to lie down. Damn headache. But she needed to focus. She needed to get out of here and find her way back. Still, she found herself having a difficult time doing so as the ringing in her ears just wouldn't stop.

"Now…Just where do you think you're going?" He asked, and caught her wrist in his hand. "Surely, a woman as pretty as yourself shouldn't go running through the forest alone without a noble steed to guide her."

A searing pain rushed through her temples, followed by a flash of white light. Hook ignored her clear discomfort; instead, he gently tugged on her wrist and pulled her closer to him. The sudden motion brought the white back to her eyes and she rather stumbled into his arms. He caught her against his chest with a content sigh, and when she looked up at him, she saw his lips tugging upwards into that annoying smirk of his. As much as that stupid smirk annoyed her, she couldn't help but find comfort in his arms. While she would never admit it to him, his presence made her feel safe, even if this wasn't her Hook. Perhaps that was why she let her eyes drift shut.

"Well that's more like it," he said smugly as her head fell heavily onto his chest. She could feel the darkness creeping in, which was making it rather difficult to remember why she had felt so panicked before. Her legs gave out from under her then, but he pulled her right back up.

"Easy there, love." Then more serious, he said, "It appears you've been injured."

His hand graced the back of her head and that was enough to snap her out of her daze. She pushed away from him and stumbled backwards into the tree behind her. A weight rested on her shoulders and she feared if she let go, she would lose herself to the darkness that threatened to drown her. But then an image of Henry flashed in the back of her mind.

She had to get back.

She also needed to get away from him, Hook, before she could affect the future. His future, really. She hated to think of the world imploding because she had gone and got herself literally stuck in the past. Still, when she glanced over at Hook and saw double of him, she didn't think she would make it very far if she tried to run.

Huh. Was the world swaying or was that just her?

"You've hit your head, love," he stated. "Let me help you."

She had a weird sense of déjà vu then and her mind flashed to an image of them at the top of the beanstalk. "What?" she forced out, desperately trying to remain focused on the task at hand.

She couldn't let him see how much pain she was really in or how nauseous she felt. However, judging from the look on his face, she figured she was doing an incredibly poor job at convincing him otherwise.

He pointed to her head and on impulse her hand went up to touch it. She wasn't terribly surprised to find her hand smeared with blood. Well, that would explain the headache and nausea. She probably had a concussion.

Great. Just great.

"Killian…" She said softly.

His face paled, like he'd seen a ghost. It took her awhile to catch her mistake. Killian. She had called him Killian. Judging by the looks of it, that was not a name he went by here. Before she could even offer an explanation, he had her pressed up against the tree with his hook pressed into her throat.

"He sent you, didn't he?" he sneered. When she didn't answer him, he shouted again and pressed his hook a tad deeper into her skin. "Tell me who sent you!"

In reality, she probably should have been much more scared of him. The way his eyes dilated into thin black slits told her he would not hesitate to slit her throat if he saw fit. After all, in this world—whatever, wherever that was—he was a true pirate. Finally, she saw him as the villain he claimed to be and still, she did not fear him.

She didn't know if she was merely brave or stupid. Perhaps a little of both.

Maybe if she could think straight, she would have feared this Hook. Maybe if she hadn't hit her head, she wouldn't have even ended up int this predicament. Before she could answer him, the ringing in her ears grew so loud that tiny black dots began to form at the corner of her eyes.

"Answer me damn it!"

But she couldn't because the darkness had won and she found herself falling. Falling. Falling once more down the rabbit hole. This time though, there was no thunder or flashes of color. This time there was only darkness.

-x-

Killian did not know what to do about the blond beauty in his arms. Braver men than he had cowered from his hook, yet she hardly batted an eye. He supposed her lack of fear had more to do with her head wound than anything else. She wasn't in the right state of mind, he told himself. When she woke, she was going to fear him. He'd make sure of that.

But she had known his name and that terrified the living daylights out of him.

Killian

The way she said it had bothered him too.

Killian

Like she knew him.

Killian

Like she cared.

He shook his head. That was impossible for he had never seen her before in his life. At least, he didn't think so. He had come across many bar wenches in his days but he had never given them his real name—no matter how much rum was involved. Not many called him by his given name anymore, not since, well, Milah.

The blond woman in his arms stirred. Her scent intoxicated him. It made him dizzy. He felt desire pool in his trousers at the thought of all the things they could do together. In fact, he could not remember the last time he had been with a woman and suddenly, the very thought was overwhelming.

"Seven hells!" he cursed.

This was exactly what Pan wanted. Why else would such a beautiful young maiden wander through the forest alone? He should have just left her there and let Neverland take her. He had honestly thought about it, though in the end he decided against it. If Pan really had sent her then he could use her as leverage and get some answers. Perhaps she was the way to finally destroying that wretched boy. Still, he couldn't stop the unsettling feeling in the back of his mind. If Pan had truly wanted to destroy him, then why hadn't he sent this creature in the form of Milah instead?

Not that there weren't any women on Neverland. There was of course, Tiger Lily and her people. That selfish fairy, Tink. The mermaids as well, though he didn't particularly count them and he shuddered at the thought. Terrible creatures, no matter how beautiful they appeared to be. On Neverland it was mostly just the pirates and the Lost Boys, so you could imagine the cheers he received when he carried the unconscious woman, bridal style, onto his ship.

"No one touches her, that's an order." They answered him with dumb stares. Naturally, he added, "Do not let her beauty fool you, mates. She's in the works with Pan."

He didn't know if that was exactly true or not. It worked though. He took pleasure at seeing the fear swell within his crewmates' eyes. Yes, he wouldn't have to tell them twice…well, at least not all of them anyway. He held his gaze just a tad bit longer on Lester, daring the ugliest of his crew to challenge him. Like always, though, he won and Lester took a defeated step back.

"Captain!" A short man with a red cap rushed to his side. "Do you really think it's a good idea to have her on board the ship?" Smee casted a skeptical look at the woman passed out in his arms.

"Are you questioning the Captain's orders, Smee?" he said louder than necessary.

Smee pulled off his cap and hung his head in shame. "No Captain! Not at all. Please forgive me… I was just worried—"

"Worry elsewhere, Smee. I don't have time for this. Go get the young lad for me."

"Eh…yes! Captain. I do apologize. I'll go fetch him for you."

Killian carried the woman far below the decks to the holding cell and placed her on the cot. He didn't need to touch her to know that she was burning up, for he could see how flushed she had become. A thin line of sweat had formed on her skin and her hairline had grown damp. He caressed her forehead anyway and frowned at the heat pulsating off from her. He wondered why the bloody hell she would wear something so warm. He pealed the jacket off her, pleasantly surprised (and slightly disappointed) to find her wearing some weird shirt with the thinnest sleeves he had ever seen. In fact, he thought her whole outfit strange. He wondered what realm she even hailed from.

Using his hook, he examined the gash on the back of her head. She would have a terrible headache tomorrow, but she would live he decided. He debated whether he should clean the wound out or not. He eventually decided that she would be no use to him dead.

"Bloody waste," he hissed as he dumped the remainder of his rum onto his scarf.

He cleaned her cut until the blood unmatted from her hair and turned his scarf red. He had to admit, she had beautiful hair, with long and beautiful golden locks…He had a strange sense to run his hand through them and…

"Captain?" a small voice spoke from behind him.

Killian stood abruptly at the sound of the small voice. If it had been anyone else he would have barked out orders until he saw fear in their eyes, but it was only the young lad. Killian took one last look at his prisoner before locking her in the cell.

"You were looking for me?" the boy said.

"Ah, yes. I want you to watch over her and come get me when she wakes."

The kid looked skeptically at her. "…But you said she's working for Pan."

"Don't worry, lad. She's behind bars. You'll watch her?"

The kid stood up straighter then, eager to please the Captain no doubt. "Aye! Of course."

Killian grinned. "That's the spirit!" Then he ruffled the kid's curls before heading towards the stairs.

"Oh and Baelfire?"

The boy turned back to him, wide-eyed and full of so much hope.

"No one but you or I come near her. You understand?"

"Aye! Yes, Captain."