A new story. One filled with action, adventure, and of course…love! I will continue to write for "This Changes Everything" but I needed to write something with less fluff for a little. Haha.

This is AU, meaning the show…it didn't happen. In fact, this is so AU it would be called uber in the Xena-verse. So, most that you know about our favorite characters, it never happened. So, if someone seems OOC, don't worry, there is a reason for it.

Back story for the characters are coming. But it'll be slow. But no worries, you'll understand more as you read.

I don't own OUAT.

Thanks to Laura. As per usual!

The majestic ship gently glided through the water, gracefully cutting through the ocean like a hot knife through butter. The port town ahead of the ship bustled with activity as sailors scrambled to prepare to dock the ship.

The captain stood at the rail, studying the small town they were nearing. It was quaint and full of interesting people, providing entertainment for the captain and the crew. It didn't, however, have many bars. But with a name like Storybrooke, one wouldn't expect too many in the first place.

"How long are we staying?"

The captain looked over at the first mate and then back at Storybrooke. "A couple of days at most. The Royal Navy is out looking for us so we need to try to keep ahead of them."

The first mate nodded. It was just as well. None of the crew had family in Storybrooke anymore. That was the reason why most of them left in the first place.

"Alright," the captain said loudly, getting the crew's attention. "Have fun tonight. Spend your shares wisely." A chuckle went through the crew at that. "Or not. But whatever you do, don't get arrested. I'm not looking to spend my night rescuing any of you."

"Emma!" her first mate chastised.

"What?" the captain asked with a smirk. "I don't! I plan to spend the night in The Rabbit Hole drowning my sorrows in rum."

Her first mate rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I swear, Emma. You need a lover or a social life of some kind."

Emma snorted. "I have a social life. You and the crew keep me on my toes."

"Please, like Snow could keep anyone on their toes," the helmsman shouted.

"Red!" Snow (nicknamed for her pale white skin) shouted. "Don't make me come up there!"

Red laughed, her white teeth gleaming. She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and smirked. The red bandanna that was her trademark kept her hair out of her face but she loved the effect throwing her hair over her shoulder had.

Emma grinned at Snow and eyed the sword on the woman's left hip and the pistol on the other.

"Aye, Ruby," Emma shouted. "You don't want little Miss Snow to beat you up."

Snow crossed her arms over her chest and opened her mouth to snap back at Emma when two arms wrapped around her waist. She looked over her shoulder and grinned when she noticed her lover, nicknamed Charming because of his charming personality even when looting.

"Emma," the blonde man said with a grin. "Don't tease her. She knows your weakness."

The blonde captain laughed and grabbed her coat that was draped over a barrel. Its red color was one of the things that made her stand out. She was known as one of the most vicious pirates sailing the sea. But while she attacked Royal Navy ships as if she were the devil himself, she never touched freelance ships. And her crew was the only group of people that knew why.

The ship finally docked and the crew bounded down the gangplank, excited for a couple of days on land.

"Red!" Emma shouted as she followed the crew.

The brunette looked over at her captain from the galley door.

"Tell Granny to get better food than she did last time."

"I heard that," a voice said from behind Red. An older woman appeared, her hands on her hips. "And if you're smart, you'll be careful how you talk about the woman who cooks your food."

Emma just grinned and threw a wink at the two women. "Hurry up, ladies. We only have a little while to relax before we go back out to the open sea!" She swaggered down the gangplank with Red and Granny's laughter following her.

It was nice to be on solid ground for a little. But she hated Storybrooke. Too many memories. Too much pain. But it was a safe haven for them. The town wasn't owned by the Navy. So she and her crew weren't as high on the wanted list here. But she still had to be careful. The Royal Dogs had eyes everywhere. And her head was worth way too many pieces of silver for her to let her guard down completely.

She hadn't gotten far out of the harbor when a small figure ran into her legs. She muttered a curse and stumbled back, her green eyes studying whoever ran into her.

It was a small boy, his brown hair was mussed as if he had been running and his nice upper-class clothes were disheveled and dirtied.

Emma grabbed the boy by the shoulders and glanced over him, looking for injuries. "Whoa, kid," she said softly. "You okay?"

He just nodded, his eyes growing wide.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You seem kinda dazed."

"Are you Captain Swan?" he asked, his voice soft and full of awe.

She smirked and stood straighter. "The one and only."

"Wow!" he muttered. "I was hoping you would dock today."

"Really?" She put her hands on her hips. "Why?"

"I need you to rescue my mom and I."

Emma Swan, the ruthless pirate that had killed many, felt her mouth fall open. "Wait…what?"

"I need you to take my mom and me away from Storybrooke."

"Kid, we aren't a passenger ship. I'm a pirate. I kill people."

"Only people of the Royal Navy."

"But people, none-the-less."

"Well, the people we're running from are pretty important to the Royal Navy."

Emma felt her interest peak but she refused to let it show on her face. "Who?"

"Cora Mills."

If Emma had been drinking, it would have been spit out of her mouth in no time flat. Thankfully, no liquids were involved so the kid stayed dry.

"Cora," Emma whispered. She blinked. "Why do you and your mom need rescuing from her."

"She's my grandmother."

Again, it's a very good thing liquids were not involved.

"She horrible to my mom and is actually trying to marry her off to a man very close to the king."

"How is she horrible to your mom?"

"She killed her fiancée right in front of her, for one."

And Emma's heart broke. She knew what that was like. She knew what it was like to lose everything you loved. A piece of Royal Navy scum had taken everything from her and started the legacy of Captain Swan.

"You have until sundown, kid," Emma stated, making eye contact with the boy. "What's your name?"

"Henry."

"Alright, Henry. Get your mom and yourself back here by sundown. I have to gather the crew."

The smile that spread across Henry's face lit up the day and Emma's soul. She smiled back and watched him scamper off. She then sighed. She was dreading having to tell her crew that they were leaving earlier than expected.

Emma slowly climbed the stairs to the inn, heading towards her first mate's usual room. She was dreading this meeting the most. Granny and Red were okay with leaving, as long as they got their food supplies before they left. Most of the rest of the crew were at the pub. All Emma had to do was tell Grumpy to have everyone back at the ship by sundown as sober as possible and he would get it done. Grumbling would be involved but everyone would be there.

Now she was doing the hard part. Whenever the ship docked, be it in Storybrooke or elsewhere, Snow and Charming went to the nearest inn for "alone time". Emma still chuckled when Snow refused to use any other term but that.

As she reached the door numbered 119, she took a fortifying breath. "Here goes nothing," she muttered as she gave a quick knock.

The growled "what" that came from the other side of the door surprised the blonde, mainly because it came from Snow and not Charming.

"It's Emma," the captain said meekly.

The door was suddenly thrown open, revealing Emma's best friend with a scowl across her face and a large shirt (obviously Charming's) being the only thing to cover her.

"Really, Emma? You know this is our only time to be completely alone."

"I know," Emma said hastily, giving Charming an apologetic smile over Snow's shoulder. He answered it with a smile of his own and slowly stood up, pulling his pants up as he did.

"So, why are you here?" Snow asked, the scowl still on her face.

Emma shrugged and looked down. "We need to leave Storybrooke at sundown."

"What?!" Snow poked Emma in the chest. "You had better have a good explanation for this, young lady!"

Emma swatted Snow's finger away and rubbed her chest, suddenly feeling like a chastised child. "I do."

Snow just crossed her arms across her chest. "Well? The reason?"

Emma felt a blush flare up on her cheeks.

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Charming teased from behind Snow.

Emma glared at him but then looked back at Snow, her glare quickly falling again.

"Emma!" Snow said impatiently.

The blonde jerked in surprise. "I'm rescuing a damsel in distress?" she said quietly and making it sound like a question.

Charming burst out laughing while Snow just gaped at her.

"Seriously, Emma?" Snow asked. "You interrupted us because you want to get in some woman's pants?"

"No!" Emma protested. "No! She and her kid need help!"

"Her kid?" Snow's eyes softened.

Emma nodded. "He's probably about ten-years- old."

"Oh, Emma," Snow began.

Emma cut her off. "His grandmother is Cora Mills."

Silence fell over the trio until Snow grabbed Emma's arm, pulled her into the room and shut the door.

"Explain," she demanded as she pulled her pants back on. Charming quickly began gathering their stuff.

The captain started her explanation while her two closest friends finished getting dressed. And when she finished, Snow sat beside her on the bed and put an arm around her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "I know this brings back memories."

Emma nodded. "I want Henry to stay with his mom, not be ripped from her arms by that bitch."

"It makes me wonder why and how he is still with her," Charming muttered as he slipped on his boots.

"Me, too," Emma said. "But honestly, I'm more worried about how they are doing. I feel like we need to get them out of there as soon as possible."

Snow studied Emma's face. The worry in those green eyes was very evident. And the pale woman knew that her friend didn't like to show her emotions, at least not the kind of emotions that were seen as weak. Emma was worried about these people but she was also living through some pretty bad memories. And while Snow knew the story, had in fact witnessed most of it, she also knew that it was the right thing to do. Cora Mills was a bitch. And whoever was in her sights was in grave danger.

"Then let's get going," Snow said with a firm nod. "Is everyone else aware of what's going on?"

Emma nodded. "They are making their way back to the ship. We need to be ready to leave as soon as the kid and his mom get there."

The trio trouped down the stairs, Snow barely remembering to pay the surprised innkeeper before they left.

"But this doesn't make sense!"

Grumpy just shoved his brother up the gangplank. "Dopey, nothing makes sense to you," he growled. "And besides, I'm just following orders. The captain said to get back to the ship. So, I'm getting you idiots back to the ship."

"But we just got here!" Happy whined, his face unusually long.

"I agree with Dopey," the ships doctor, Doc, said. He watched as his brothers all started getting the ship ready to sail. "It doesn't make sense. The captain usually gives us at least a day or two."

"Something has come up," Red said as she stepped onto the ship. "She seemed worried and rushed when she found us."

She and Granny were loaded down with food supplies. Sneezy and Sleepy rushed to help them.

"Well, whatever the case is," Bashful said softly. "We still need to do what she says."

"He's right," Granny said with a nod as her two helpers scampered off to put the supplies in the galley. "Captain Swan will fill us in once we are on our way. Until then, let's be as ready as we can be."

The ship came alive with the crew readying the ship for sailing. Not another word was spoken. This was a dedicated crew. They loved their captain and their fellow crewmembers. Every heart on the ship was full of goodness. But every heart had been broken in some way. Each crewmember had their own story to tell. And most of them centered on the Royal Navy.

"Alright, ya slags," Emma said with a grin as she, Snow and Charming boarded. "Let's prepare to cast off."

"Aye," the seven brothers that made up the majority of the crew said firmly.

"Where are we going, Captain?" Red asked with a wink.

"Just away from here for right now," Emma answered, her eyes scanning the harbor. "Once we hit open sea, we'll decide where to go."

"Aye," Red said with a sharp salute before she hurried to the helm.

"Where are they?" Snow asked, her eyes looking up at the darkening sky.

"There!" Charming said, pointing towards the end of the harbor.

Two figures could be seen hurrying towards them, one obviously a kid and the other a woman with flowing skirts.

"Charming," Emma started.

"Got it," he muttered, running down the gangplank and meeting the figures. He grabbed their two bags and ushered them up to the ship.

"A woman?" Red staged whispered to Emma. "We are hauling ass like this for a woman?"

"Shut it, Ruby Lucas!" Emma ordered.

"Wow," Snow whispered to Emma as the woman and Henry got closer. "She's a looker, Emma."

"Snow!" Emma growled.

"What?" the first mate asked with a grin. "She is!"

Charming finally had them on board and with a grin gestured around him. "Welcome noble friends," he said with a teasing grin. "To the Swan Queen."

To be continued…

I may actually start posting little snippets of this on tumblr. Or little snippets of back story that won't be posted here. So check it out!

And review! Review! I wanna know what you think!