Greetings! Welcome to my brand new two-part fic!

A couple of things before you begin:

First, this story, as a whole, is based on MINOR season 3 spoilers, but nothing you couldn't glean from the TV promos, I made sure of that. But if you're trying to stay 100% spoiler free, I suggest you save this one for later. :)

Second, the first part of this fic is similar in concept to one of my other fics, "Powerful," but I assure you this one has a completely different direction. Just wanted to point that out though so you know that I copy only myself. :D

Third, ah, well, there isn't really a third. So read on!


Three women trudged through the jungle.

One woman kept herself walking between the other two, constantly trying to avoid any more fights, while her heart beat for only one purpose: find her son.

The second woman was all alert concentration, her ears straining to hear any hint of danger, her bow at the ready, wishing she could reach out her soul and complete her single goal: find her grandson.

The third woman walked before the other two, but did not really lead the way as only that obnoxious second woman knew what the hell she was doing. Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only: find her son.


Those Lost Boys were sneaky little bastards. And the word "boys" was used very loosely, as most of them were nearly men yet ruthless in the way only children could be.

Emma had been surrounded by children from the worst kinds of backgrounds for her entire childhood, so she knew well that a child could be crueler than any adult. So even though her mother hesitated to shoot them with her handy bow, Emma wouldn't blink, not if they intended to kill them. Not if it meant the difference between her life and theirs, or more importantly Henry's life.

Besides, Gold had warned them that even the younger boys, while still clinging to their youth, were older than any of them and in many ways, it showed.

Fairytales got everything wrong.

So not only were they callous, brain-washed minions of a being darker than the Dark One, they were smart. They had hundreds of years of being sneaky little bastards under their belt, and they used it.

It resulted in the separation of their group. Gold had already gone off on whatever errand he needed to do, and now David and Hook were God knew where and Emma, Snow and Regina were together, trying their damnedest to work together and not get killed.

Or not kill each other.

"Don't you have some kind of lover's intuition?" Emma asked Snow irritably. "Some kind of 'I will always find you' meter that can lead us to David and Hook?" Regina glared over her shoulder at them and rolled her eyes.

Snow, for her part, chuckled. "I'm afraid not. Our time spent 'finding' each other was usually done with old fashioned looking. Except for the time Charming used this," she held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers to indicate her emerald ring. "To find me. But I think the magic's all used up."

"Can you do it?" Emma spoke a little louder to reach Regina, who was several paces ahead. "Regina, can you make her ring so that it can find David?"

Regina glanced back dubiously. "I would need my book, or a potion."

Emma growled. "I hate being separated. Those Lost Bastards are up to something."

Snow nodded in agreement before stumbling on a root, flashing Emma an appreciative smile when she reached out to steady her. "I hate it too. But I would feel it if Charming were in danger. Right now the best thing we can do is focus on finding a safe place to camp for the night."

It was only then that Emma realized that it had gotten completely dark. The moon was out, casting a ghostly light, illuminating their way so at least they weren't fumbling in the dark.

"I don't think it's safe to stop," Regina said, slowing a little until the others caught up to her. "We should keep going."

"We can't keep moving without rest, Regina," Snow said patiently. "We've been moving all day, and Emma still has that cut that needs tended to."

"I'm fine," Emma said. Half of her strongly agreed with Regina, that they needed to keep moving, and not stop until they'd found Henry. But the other half, the more practical half, knew that Snow was right, and that they couldn't go forever without rest. She'd be useless to Henry if she was about to drop from exhaustion or infection from her superficial wound on her shoulder inflicted by a boy earlier.

"All the same," Snow said, her tone taking on that kind of annoying, kind of reassuring maternal tone that she lapsed into only occasionally. It wasn't even unique to Snow. Mary Margaret did it too. "I need to clean your wound, Emma, and we need to rest for a couple of hours. We'll take turns keeping watch, so we won't be snuck up on."

"You don't get to make the decisions!" Regina snapped. "You are not princess here."

Snow leveled Regina with a look that bordered on a glare, but not quite getting there. She spoke coolly and without temper. "Neither are you queen. I'm just as worried, just as anxious to keep searching for Henry as you are. But we're worthless to him if we don't take a moment to collect ourselves!"

"Perhaps you need rest," Regina sneered. "But I need to find my son. And I will not rest until I do! I will not be slowed by your weakness!"

"She's not weak," Emma said, lowly and with no little bit of warning. "She's the only one of us keeping things in perspective. And she's also right. We're only wasting time arguing. We'll stop for a couple of hours, regroup, and then get moving again."

Seeing she was outnumbered, and not liking it one bit, Regina relented grudgingly. Emma really didn't blame her, she was chomping at the bit too, but she'd learned the hard way to listen to her mother about things like this. In matters of wilderness survival, Snow White was truly the authority. And though Regina was fuming, Emma knew she wouldn't dare go out on her own, so they kept moving, looking for a place Snow thought would be safe enough.

"High ground," Snow murmured. "High ground is what's best. Harder to ambush that way."

Emma nodded and trotted a little ahead, scoping for higher ground.

"Maybe that way?" Emma said, pointing to where the damp jungle became a rocky hillside and there was a steady slope upward.

Snow nodded, her eyes praising Emma, and Emma tried not to be pleased about that.

"Regina," Snow said as they started up the incline. "You try and get some sleep while I tend Emma's cut, then I'll take the first watch and let both of you get some rest. I'll wake you after an hour, and then you'll wake Emma after another hour, does that sound okay?"

"I'll just stay up," Regina said tersely. "I won't be able to rest let alone sleep."

"Try, Regina," Snow insisted. "I know you're worried, believe me, I know…"

"And just how would you know?" Regina asked. "You know nothing of what it is to be a mother!"

Snow was stunned into silence, but Emma almost saw red. "Watch it, Regina!" she hissed.

Regina smirked. "It's true. No sense denying it."

"And whose fault is that?" Snow asked quietly, without malice, and then sped up to walk ahead.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Emma growled when Snow was out of earshot. "This is hardly the time or place for your stupid, petty games! My mother is trying to help. She knows more about this, about being in the wilderness, about finding people than either of us! You just get a sick satisfaction in seeing her hurt, don't you?"

Regina didn't flinch during Emma tirade, only walked on smoothly. "As a matter of fact I do."

Emma was about to open her mouth to say something else, or to maybe take the flat of her sword to Regina's head, but her mother's shout and a sudden burst of activity ahead sucked even the air from her and she shot ahead as fast as her tired legs would carry her.

The Lost Boys had found them, and Snow was valiantly fighting off two with mainly her fists and feet, since at the close range her arrows did little good.

Emma drew her sword and launched herself at one of the boys attacking Snow, slicing his leg and then kicking him in the chest to get him away from her mother. Regardless of what she'd thought earlier about killing them without a second thought, in actual practice she couldn't bring herself to deliver a fatal blow to a boy who by all appearances looked only a little older than Henry.

Regina was doing her best to repel attackers with her magic, but they were adept at deflecting it and she wasn't physically strong enough to fight these tough boys with her hands.

All of a sudden, the boys stopped attacking, and as one took a step back. Emma held her sword at the ready, and she felt Snow draw her bow beside her. Emma was shaking from exertion, even though the fight had barely begun, and she was really seeing the merit in Snow insistence that they rest.

Another boy, one taller and a little older than the rest, emerged from the shadows. Felix, he'd said his name was, and just the sight of him gave Emma shivers. Though he looked no older than fifteen, his eyes betrayed his true age, and were filled with lifetimes of knowledge, anger, and not a trace of compassion.

"What the hell do you want?" Emma demanded, raising her sword toward him.

"You can't have the boy back," Felix said calmly, with just a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's really better for all of you if you just get on your little boat and go home."

Emma lowered her sword, though she didn't loosen her grip, and approached the boy, ignoring Snow's gasp of dismay. "Listen you little prick," she spat. "If you think we're gonna walk away without our kid, you got another thing coming. You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Neither do you," Felix said, and Emma wanted so badly to beat that smirk off his face. "You're sure you won't take us up on our offer? Neverland has no use for grown-ups, and you'll either leave the hard way or the easy way, depending on you."

"Go to hell!"

Felix shrugged. "Have it your way."

It happened so fast. One minute the boy was standing there passively with his empty hands clasped in front of him, and the next he held a long knife, and was jabbing it up toward her abdomen.

There wasn't time to react, and Emma still couldn't move when she found herself being shoved violently to the side.

She sat up, dazed and lacking agonizing pain she felt she be there, and looked up to try to understand the scene before her.

Snow was standing before Felix, where she'd been standing a split second ago. And there was knife sticking through one end of her ribcage…and out the other.

Felix drew his knife out with a harsh tug, and Snow lurched, crumbling to the ground.

It all happened in the span of mere seconds, but to Emma it happened in slow motion.

"NO!" Emma sobbed, scrambled on her hands and knees to Snow's side. Her vision swam at the sight of the blood, gushing out in impossible quantities from just under her left breast and pooling beneath her.

She pressed her hand tightly against the wound, trying in wild desperation to staunch the flow.

Snow lifted her head, wheezing wetly, choking for breath. "Em…ma…"

"Hang on!" Emma couldn't breathe either, could barely make her voice work. "H…hang on, Mom. You're gonna be okay, I've got you!"

Regina was standing to the side, watching with wide eyes.

Snow's eyes were fluttering. She was straining to keep them open, keep them focused on Emma's face. Blood was dripping from the corner of her lips. "I…love…you…"

"Mom!" Emma cried. "Please, Mama…"

"Let this be a warning," Felix said, unmoved from the same spot, wiping his blade clean on another boy's cloak, a bored expression on his face. "Get off our island."

Emma looked up, having only just realized that they were still there. Something boiled up inside her, something like the power that surged in her veins when she helped Regina diffuse the trigger. Only this was stronger, and it carried a black stain that clouded her vision and ignited her blood.

She locked eyes with Felix when she screamed, a blood-curdling, anguished, hate-filled shriek that had all the boys, even the uncaring Felix backed away in fear.

The power that built up in her body to the point of pain erupted, reaching out from her hands to the creatures who would take her mother away. Who would try to stop her from saving her son. She heard screaming, and not only her own, before all was dark.

To be continued...


Next time we take a peek into Regina's POV. Will Regina let her arch nemesis die? Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion to find out!

Don't forget to review! Part two will be up soon! (Well before the premiere, I promise.)