This island was a hot, crappy mess.
Emma gritted her teeth and pushed forward through all the stupid plants. Okay, so she was a hot, crappy mess. There was too much worry about Henry, and too much family breathing down her neck. There were too many memories and too much loss. There were too many men.
Henry, Neal, David, Pan, Hook. The names reverberated as she stomped her way back to their camp. Get Henry and get out. Sounded simple. It was a nightmare. Her son was missing, Neal was dead, David was hovering and Hook – Hook was…
"Emma." Mary Margaret's soft touch brushed against the back of her bare arm, and Emma closed her eyes in frustration and stopped her march.
"Are you really going to make me talk about this stuff right now? I've had enough, okay? I had my breakdown in that cave and that didn't help me find Henry, so just let it go."
Her mother drew up alongside her and gave her one of her patented hopeful smiles. "I was actually hoping that I could talk with you about David." Some of the glow faded from her eyes, replaced by worry. "I know when he's keeping something from me and I don't want to push him. I thought you might know what it is."
David? David was being weird? She hadn't even noticed, but the idea of listening to somebody else's man troubles so that she didn't have to focus on her own turmoil actually sounded appealing. She reached out to squeeze Mary Margaret's hand. "Tell me."
Back at camp, they had made some tentative plans for the next day. Somehow Regina and Hook had scavenged up some food for dinner. Cake? Where the hell had Hook found cake? They'd accused Regina of doing a spell, but she reminded them dourly that she didn't like cake and instead produced apples, bananas and some canned meat she'd flicked her hand for and brought over from the ship. It tasted terrible, but the cake was pretty good.
Finally, exhausted, they all retired to their corners of the campsite and prepared for bed, with Hook volunteering to take first watch. Since he didn't have magic, Emma knew there wouldn't be much he could do if the Lost Boys decided to make an appearance, but then again, he'd survived here for over a hundred years. Yawn. A hundred years? That was nuts. Emma stretched out on her bedroll and pulled the light blanket over her, knowing she would be asleep in about five seconds, she was so tired.
Emma sighed and allowed herself a small groan, so as not to disturb the others. Sleep decided to play its elusive game as soon as she had closed her eyes, and her previously fatigued mind and found its second wind. She felt… hell, she didn't know what she felt. It was probably grief and worry. Neal was gone and what did that mean? Henry might be hurting or scared or maybe he didn't even know that they were here for him. She knew all too well what that felt like, and the idea of Henry going through any of that filled her with a roiling sickness. She wanted him back, she wanted a home to take him to, and she wanted a life with love. It was a stupid thought, because that was something not meant for her.
The ground was hard, in spite of the thickness of the sleeping mat that had served as her bed since they had arrived at Neverland, and Emma shifted for the forty-eighth time, trying to find a place where the uneven surface of their campsite would accommodate the angles of her back. She sighed, acknowledging that such a spot didn't exist, and so she rolled over onto her side, punching the bedroll under her head in an effort to pummel it into a semblance of softness and pretended that the rock poking into her shoulder really didn't bother her all that much.
When they had launched out on their journey, they hadn't had any time to plan for a long stay. Hell, she figured they would have found Henry right way and been back to Storybrooke days ago. Hook's ship had been stocked with the gear they needed, and now she had some regrets about all the grief they had given him when he suggested that they carry along the extra bags.
Neverland wasn't especially hot in the daytime or cold at night, but it wasn't soft or cushy either. She glanced over to the others, who didn't seem to be having the same issues she did. Regina slept quietly on her back under a small lean-to she had conjured up with a purple poof and some cooperative trees and vines. Her parents were cradled against each other, peaceful, probably dreaming about how nothing else mattered when you had your true love in your arms. No, that wasn't fair, and she made a decision to not react to any of those jealous pangs that attacked from time to time. They had suffered, and they deserved to be happy now.
She had been in worse places than this, and without any family around. That thought eased some of her discomfort. There was an actual family in her life now, one that loved her. Loved her. They came with her to this unknown place to help her, and the thought was overwhelming. She wasn't ready for the wave of emotion that threatened to push the tears out, and so she shifted yet again, over to her other side, readjusting her arms and moving her hips to a place that felt okay. Now that Mary Margaret and David weren't in her line of sight, she could switch her mental meanderings to something else, like Henry. Yes, they were here to save her son, and she needed to be rested so she could make better decisions. Tomorrow she could wake up and work with the others on some new ideas. They had magic and they had Emma Swan – people finder by trade. It was doable.
She closed her eyes again and pretended that she hadn't seen the pirate, awake in his small clearing and leaning against a tree with his gaze trained on her. He had offered to keep early watch, as he had since they'd arrived. So far, after that first skirmish, the inhabitants of the island had stayed away, but that was no reason for any of them to let their guards down. Hook was alert. She wasn't fooled by the devil-may-care attitude he projected, and she didn't miss how his hand rested on the handle of his sword.
His scrutiny should have bothered her, but it didn't. She shifted one more time and closed her eyes again, and this time they remained closed. A slight chill in the air gave her a momentary shudder, but then, distantly, a warmth settled around her and a familiar scent filled her senses. Her sleep-calmed mind wandered to a familiar place, a place she'd found comfort in for twenty-eight years, where she imagined that she had someone there who would wrap his arms around her and hold her while she slept. The difference was that tonight it felt a little more real, and she drifted off, thinking of leather and the sea.
Why did her parents have to be so dead set against her plan? "It will work!" she asserted.
Snow worried at her lip. "Emma, you can't seriously think that kidnapping a boy will turn out to be a good thing."
She rolled her eyes. "It's not like we are going to keep him."
David move closer to his wife and laid his arm across her shoulders, gently caressing her shoulder. "Hey," he said, "we just know that these things don't always work out the way we think they will. What if something happens to the boy? Could you live with yourself?"
This was exasperating. "Nothing is going to happen! We lure him over, show him that we are not the bad guys, and maybe we get a spy. Even if that doesn't happen, we can at least find out if Henry is okay and get a clue about where they might be keeping him. What do we have to lose?"
"The lass is right," Hook added, moving over to join the group. "You can be assured that Pan has eyes and ears out for us, and doubtless he knows every move we've made since arriving on this cursed island."
"Can we just agree to do this and move on?" Regina said. "This barrier I've placed around our campsite is not going to last forever. We might have ten more minutes."
David scowled at Regina and Hook. "Somehow I'm not comforted by the idea of the Evil Queen and Captain Hook championing this cause."
"Hey!" Hook said.
Regina just sneered.
"David – Dad," Emma said. She waited a moment while David gathered himself and turned his attention to her. "Look, I promise this will be okay. We need everyone in on this. Regina's magic and Hook's knowledge of the island and these boys have been good for all of us. We are all in this together."
"Maybe," David said. His features softened as he looked down at her. "Since when did you become the idealistic one?"
Emma shrugged and offered up a tight smile to him, and walked away while her parents went off to gather the vines they'd need to make some rope, seeming to finally be on board with the scheme. At the sound of a twig breaking behind her, she whipped around, grabbing for the blade she kept with her at all times.
"Whoa!" Hook said.
She blew out the quick breath she'd unknowingly held. "What do you want?"
He took his time answering her, seeming to study her before replying. "I'm just here to tell you, love, that your plan is sound. You make a fine leader."
The man should grate on her nerves, but somehow his words helped her regain some equilibrium in this crazy place. She couldn't suppress the grin that played around the corners of her lips. "Is this your new way to get me to let down my guard with you?"
He flashed those very nice teeth of his. "I don't know – is it working?"
She shook her head. "Not a chance."
It was totally working.
Emma watched the men leave, and spared a glance over to the dark-haired woman who was sorting through the vines collected around her feet. "What's the deal with David? He's cranky." Her father hadn't returned with the vines in any better mood than when he had left. Remembering Snow's words from the previous night, she knew her mother hadn't been imagining that something was wrong.
Mary Margaret looked over at the clearing where the men had stood just moments before, and shrugged. "I don't know, Emma. He pretends that he's just concerned, but I know something is up that he won't share with me." She dropped the rope she was working on and stood up, stretching and then walking over to sit beside Emma. "I do know that he's noticed how Hook looks at you. And then there's the part where he…"
"He's upset about a look?" Emma hadn't wanted to talk about the man last night, but things seemed a little different today.
"Well, there have been quite a lot of them since we arrived here – and even before." The tone was placating, but Emma knew the words were true.
"You've been around him enough by now to know that he flirts with everyone," Emma said.
Snow regarded her intently. "Not lately."
Emma realized her mother was right. He hadn't even showed much of a reaction to Tinkerbell, apart from obvious discomfort. Realizing that they must have spent lots of time here, even years, caused a pang of something that felt completely disagreeable, and so she decided a change of subject was in order. She stood and prepared to head out for some time away from her mother's perceptive presence. So a man looked at her. That was something she had become accustomed to a long time ago, and Emma could handle it; she always had in the past.
"Where are you going?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Just… out. I can pick up some more vines or some firewood. I need to stretch my legs."
"Mmm hmm."
"Seriously?" Emma turned, immediately defensive, but couldn't seem to stop herself. "What is up with the 'mmm hmm' business? The man can look all he wants to, and it doesn't mean a damn thing. I've handled plenty of men.
Mary Margaret tilted her head and fixed those understanding eyes of hers on Emma, taking in her posture and her undoubtedly red face. Great, now there would be more probing questions. Instead the woman smiled at her. "You talk like he's just another man."
Emma forced her shoulders down gave her best dismissive head toss. "He is. Legs, hair, hands – hand, ego."
"But you forget, he's also a…"
"Pirate?"
The other woman frowned for just an instant. "Oh, what is that word David used?" Her expression cleared as she remembered, and she beamed over at Emma. "Scalawag!"
At the word, she was overcome with laughter, all the tension seeping away. "You really just said that. Out loud."
Snow looked pleased with herself. "Technically, it's David's word."
Parents! There were some bright spots to having them around.
The men returned, no vines in hand. David was breathing hard and Hook was giving away nothing with his expression. Her father had probably been giving him the 'stay away from my daughter' spiel, as if she were sixteen and the legendary pirate was the dropout from the wrong side of town.
Her parents were debating this new venture into the island, with Snow looking worried again. Did families always cause this much drama? Hook, as always, was standing outside the group keeping his own counsel. She plodded over.
"What are you two cooking up?"
He tucked his thumb into his belt, fingers splayed across the buckle, and gave her that infuriating chin up, eyes lowered look that told her she would get no information from him.
"What about the boys and the poisoned arrows?"
"I've handled them in the past," he breezed.
He had a way of bringing out petty side of her, and she couldn't stop herself. "Like you've handled other things on this island?" Oh, god, she'd just said that out loud. Somehow, she was back to thinking about Tinkerbell again.
Lucky for her, he only looked confused, and then the men were gone after some serious kissing on the part of Snow White and her Prince Charming. Could this get any worse?
Regina had been keeping to herself, but she seemed to be feeling as irritable as Emma. "Are we ready to set our plan into motion, or do we have more familial bonding that takes priority over rescuing my son?"
"I'm all set," Snow said. "Emma, you ready?"
"Ready."
"And the pig is in place?" Snow asked.
Regina sent a steady glare her way. "Of course."
"Then let's go."
It felt like a thousand pounds had lifted from Emma's shoulders. Henry was okay! He knew they were here for him and that he wasn't alone. They might not have him back yet, but they were closer now. Her mother hadn't agreed with everything they had done, but the boy had gone back to the camp and done exactly what they needed him to.
"Thank you, Regina," Emma said. "I know, I mean Henry told me, that you have been trying to stay away from using magic, and it seems like that's all we keep asking you to do."
"I will do whatever I can for Henry," Regina replied.
"Yeah," Emma said, "me too." She turned to Snow. "Are you gonna be okay with this?"
Snow nodded. "What is our plan for giving that boy his heart again?"
Yes, she had a good point. Once again, they hadn't really thought through the exit plan. "We will. As long as Regina has it, we can tell him to come to us so we can give it back."
"We have to be careful with our timing," Regina added. "Once it's returned, we can't stop him from telling Pan what happened."
Snow wasn't happy, and Emma understood. If anyone ever did something like that to Henry, Emma would kill to protect him if she had to. "We will get it back to him. I promise."
Her mother nodded. "I know." She looked toward the woods, and that worried look took over her expression again. "I wonder why the men aren't back yet. It's been hours."
"That pirate probably got them lost, or walked them into a trap," Regina said.
"Oh, Regina, please," Emma said. "Hook has been nothing but helpful since we got here, same as you."
Regina studied her. "You seem quick to come to his defense."
Emma searched for a response for why she trusted Hook after everything; after he'd helped Cora and stolen the bean. She'd held a grudge against perps in the past for doing a lot less than that. "He didn't have to come back with the bean, or offer us his ship."
"That's right," Snow said. "If I've learned anything, it's that people can change."
"So, you don't think he's doing this to ingratiate himself to Emma?" Regina asked.
"Well, yes, he does seem to want to, um, impress her, but…"
"I am standing right here!" Emma exclaimed. "I am here for Henry. He is here for Henry. We are all here for Henry, and once this is over, Hook will probably go on his happy pirate way." Once the words were out, Emma wondered why her spirits took a dip at the prospect. The man didn't belong in Storybrooke and he hadn't been any part of the curse. He probably had lots of ports he would rather visit that the quiet little town, and he probably had plenty of conquests at those ports.
"Don't look so sad, Emma," Snow said, "I know this has been hard and you haven't had time to deal with losing Neal."
Neal?
Oh yeah, Neal.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Right on cue there was a rustling behind them, and the dense undergrowth of the island parted to reveal her father, with the objection of her thoughts close behind. David swept past them all, grabbing up his wife and kissing her as though he thought he would never see her again. His story about what had happened sent her Truth-O-Meter pinging, but she couldn't figure out why they would lie about those events.
Hook, well Hook just looked uncomfortable. This was a new look on him, and Emma was intrigued.
"You really save his life?"
"That surprise you?"
He was still uncomfortable. She stalked toward him, liking how this new side of him looked. "Well, you and David aren't exactly, how do you say it, mates." Her accent was terrible, but he relaxed a bit.
"Doesn't mean I'd leave your father to perish on this island."
Her lie detector didn't even budge. He was telling the truth. She looked into his eyes. "Thank you," she said.
And now he regained some of his swagger. "Perhaps gratitude is in order, now," he said, and his finger brushed against his lips in a blatant request for a kiss.
Emma couldn't stop her grin. "Yeah, that's what the 'thank you' was for." And for the first time in five days, she realized was having fun, and she hoped he wouldn't back away.
He didn't disappoint. "Is that all your father's life is worth to you?"
She felt her smile grow bigger. His mojo was back and now she had hers. "Please, you couldn't handle it." It had been a long time since she had used her wiles on a man, and she had always been able to keep the upper hand. A long history of mistrust kept her heart from ruling her head, and like she'd reminded herself of over and over the past few days, he was just a man.
He grinned, confident, and his eyes flashed blue and flirtatious. "Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it."
As if.
She grabbed him by the lapels of his long coat and dug her fingers into the leather, gathering leverage as she mashed her lips to his. After a few seconds of surprise at her aggression, he returned her passion kiss for kiss, angling his head to gain closer access to her mouth, deepening their contact more as her senses were filled with hot, lusty pirate. She pulled away, gasped a quick breath, and dove back in, this time not trying to gain the upper hand, but needing to keep on kissing him, like she needed to breathe. He tasted good, like the berries that grew on this island and the rum that they had both sipped before this started, and he smelled of leather and that soap he kept stocked on his ship. It was completely delicious and intoxicating and Emma knew she had to stop.
Their lips were no longer connected but she couldn't bring herself to let go, still clutching at his coat.
"That was…"
"A one-time thing," she said, and she forced herself to let go of him. They were both gasping, and she grappled with her desire to drag him off into the bushes. She turned away in a weak attempt to conceal her longing from him, and to avoid seeing that same need in his face. She told him to leave, and gather stuff. Whatever. She didn't even know what she was saying, only that she had to put some space between them.
"As you wish," he said.
His words followed her out of the clearing and lingered with her, feeling like a promise – one that slipped through a tiny crack in that barrier she'd spent so many years putting into place. A little trace of warmth curled into her stomach and down into her toes.
She had never, never, experienced a kiss like that, and he had been right. She was the one who couldn't handle it.
She rejoined her family, feeling as though something in her life had just shifted, and she was sure everyone would see it, but they were all doing their evening things around the camp. She would put this behind her. After all, it was only a kiss, and he was only a man. Nothing had really changed and they still had to get to Henry and get home.
"Emma."
Stealing herself against her mother's perception, Emma exhaled and forced her features to relax so she could maybe pull off that her world hadn't just been rocked. "Yeah?"
"Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret looked her over. "You didn't come back with us right away."
"I just," Emma searched for how to put it, she licked her lips, Hook's taste lingering there. "I just wanted to give you and David some time. You seemed to be having quite a reunion."
Mary Margaret grinned. "He was so happy – more like himself, don't you think?" Her smile grew. "You know, Emma, there are a world of hurts that can be fixed with a really, really good kiss!"
She bit the inside of her lip, trying to keep a straight face. "You don't say." And she found herself engulfed in one of her mother's patented Happy Princess Hugs.
"Emma, one of these days, you will open your heart to love again. Losing Neal doesn't mean…"
Emma briefly returned the embrace, and stepped back. Neal. Of course, her mother thought this was about him, and Emma did realize that, in part, it was. "You know, Mary Margaret, one thing I do know after all this, after Neal fell through that portal and Henry was taken, is that we have to make the best of the time we have. And maybe I need to grab my chances when I can." That sounded good. It might almost explain why the previous night she had been melting down over the disaster that was her relationship with Neal, only to find herself kissing the living hell out of another man less than a day later.
"I hope you can do that, Emma. I hope you can find love and hold on tight."
Well, she had the holding tight part down for sure. "Thanks." As her mother walked away, she felt like she had just wriggled out of a close one.
Unrolling her sleeping cot, and topping it with her thin blanket, she knew without a doubt that this was going to be another sleepless night. That fantasy of being held was usually a comfort to her, but tonight it seemed too close to reality. For ten years she had avoided any kind of actual romantic entanglement, and here she was stuck on an island with a man she found she didn't want to get away from. In fact, all she wanted to do right now was drag him back onto that path and tear that leather coat off of him. She could still feel it there in her hands, it's tough smoothness. She could smell it there too, on her hands.
Gasping in realization, she looked at her bunk and the over at the man, who was back now and in an intense discussion with her parents. Her bed, his coat – the scent and the heavy comfort of it. He had covered her, and her body had accepted it, embraced it. No wonder David was concerned. She should be concerned.
The pirate could be a gentleman. He was a mass of contradictions, and in spite of all the reasons she wanted to push him away, she had to admit she was drawn to him in a way that was new to her. That look in his eyes when he'd told her that he knew loss too – he hadn't been lying to her. She had shrugged him off and moved away because that was what she did. Trust no one and you don't get hurt. Love them and leave them. Pick the ones that won't stick around. This time her instincts were telling her to trust him, to get to know him, to let him in, and it terrified her.
"A one-time thing," she had told him. Yes, that was smart. She had kissed him and her curiosity was satisfied and she could move on, because it would be safer and easier. Absolutely. Yes. None of it mattered, and she really didn't care.
That inner alarm of hers sounded, her built in lie detector, and she knew for certain it was in full working order.
She was the liar.