Title: How Far I'll Go
In this story, everything happened up until season 3 episode 12. Emma and Henry crossed the town line… only things didn't go as planned. Definitely CS, and most expected shipping's, with quite a few additions! I own nothing.
There will be some violence and mature content in this fic. Hope you enjoy, and reviews are always welcome!
Chapter 1:
'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems
In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.
For the story that you are about to be told
Began with the fairy tale worlds of old.
Now, you've probably wondered where fairy tales come from.
If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun.
For fairy tales are the result of much fuss
And hard work for the worlds that create them for us.
Well, you see now, quite simply that's all that they do-
Making one unique fairy tale, especially for you.
But once, a calamity ever so great occurred
When multiple realms met by mistake.
"Oh look, another glorious morning." The witch groaned and rolled her eyes before slamming the window's shutters. "Makes me sick! Sisters!"
"Yes Winnie," Sarah called out from her perch.
"Coming Winnie." Mary waddled over towards her two sisters, joining them around the large, black cauldron. The cauldron gleamed menacingly in the light of the fire. A magic aura seemed to surround it as the contents within bubbled and frothed. "Right away, sorry."
"We don't have much time, sisters. The imp only gave us mere moments to succeed." Moving towards a cupboard, Winifred threw open the doors with a flick of her wrist. An old, weathered, leather book lay atop a pile of magical scarves, each providing a layer of protection. "My darling, my little book…" An eye on the front of the book slowly creaked open at her voice. It stared lazily at her before its vision sharpened. Its pupil grew large and ominous. "Wake up. Wake up, darling!" At the sound of her voice, the book turned its attention to Winifred. "Yes, well come along!"
The book snapped to attention and started to float in the air, the scarves falling away, unlocking their grasp of the ancient text. Free of its protection, the book levitated towards Winifred, landing carefully on a table before her. Her fingers dragged slowly over it, enjoying the feel of the human skin beneath her own decrepit hand. Eyes filled with longing surveyed the still fresh, almost youthful, flesh of the book before returning to her own. Winifred pushed those thoughts away, reminding herself that soon she too would be young and beautiful again.
Only this time, forever.
Immortality. It was one thing to suck the youth from children, but the thought of immortality drove her forward with this scheme. Normally the sisters never sunk to such lows as to mess with the childish imp.
Rumpelstiltskin.
A fraud. A sham. A coward. Too scared to do anything unless he had his useless dagger.
He didn't know what real magic was. While he claimed to be all powerful, the sisters knew even he had limitations. Which was why he needed their help.
"Good morning, my darling book." She again stroked the book with such love and attention even Mary and Sarah grew a little jealous.
"I noticed Sarah isn't helping," Mary whined, throwing a dark look at her fair and beautiful sister. Winifred's attention snapped up towards her two sisters.
"I lured the children," Sarah retorted.
Winifred acted quickly, grabbing Mary by the ear and dragging her away from Sarah. In her absence, Sarah left the children and wandered toward the book, her hand outstretched, ready to just feel the skin of the book. The power seemed to buzz all around it and she could feel it slowly filling her senses the closer she drew.
"Leave her be, she has done her chore," Winifred countered darkly before returning her attention to the book. Sarah recoiled quickly, but not quickly enough. "And what, my dear, were you doing?"
"Nothing sister. You're right, I'm wrong." Sarah knew better than to pick a fight with Winifred.
"All right! 'Tis time." As if it knew what she was talking about, the book opened and flipped itself to a certain page. "Ah, yes. There it is…" Her eyes gave a cursory glance at the words before her attention was returned to the cauldron. "Bring to a full rolling bubble. Add two drops of oil of boil."
Mary acted quickly and handed Winifred the oil of boil.
"I got it. It's heavy, dear sister. You do that, I'll do this." Mary added the oil of boil to the cauldron.
"Six, but the hour with the herb that's red. Turn three times, pluck a hair from thy head." The three sisters did as was told by the spell. "Add a dash of fox and a dead man's toe. Oh! A dead man's toe, and make it a fresh one!"
Sarah quickly grabbed a large bowl of toes as she bounced about the room back towards Winifred.
"Dead man's toe! Dead man's toe!" Sarah's voice came out in a sing-song lilt as she plucked her way through the toes, looking for the best and freshest. Before she could pick one, Mary yanked the bowl away, sticking her tongue out as she brought the bowl towards her nose. Taking a long, deep sniff, she honed in on the freshest one and yanked it from within the bowels of the bowl.
"Fresh one!" Mary tossed the toe into the cauldron. With Winifred's back turned, Mary threw a toe at Sarah, only for Sarah to retaliate. She grabbed a handful and threw them at her sister, ducking behind the child before Mary could attack again.
"Will you two stop that! I need to concentrate and time is running out!"
"Sorry," Mary stated, all the while smiling cockily at Sarah. "She needs to concentrate, sister."
"Newt saliva…" Winifred gave the cauldron a stir with the large wooden ladle and inhaled deeply. "Hah! Sisters gather round. One thing more and all is done. Add a bit of thine own tongue!"
Each sister immediately chomped down on their own tongue and spit it in the cauldron. The large, black pot boiled, bubbled and started to froth. Ripples began to form in the air causing the sisters to cackle.
"Oh Winnie, thou art divine!" Mary gasped as the ripples grew larger. The house and surrounding grounds began to shake and rumble. A fog slowly started to seep from the concoction, however, it quickly filled up the small space and began to filter outside.
In the surrounding villages, the people of the land started to wake from the growing quake. They ran to their windows and watched in dismay as a light seemed to glow ominously from one home. The shaking grew more violent. The animals in the pastures protested, trying to steer clear of the fog that was growing denser with each passing moment. The men of the closest town congregated, knowing they were likely the country's only hope of stopping the sisters. As they grew closer, the light grew brighter and encompassed more space, the shaking grew more violent and the fog became almost impassable.
Inside their little cottage, the three sisters giggled with glee.
"Sisters! The time has come!" Winifred cried gleefully as the world seemed to buzz around them. The cauldron was vibrating violently as a portal began to form within it. It was at that moment they heard a banging at their door. They could hear the men of the local village shouting out for them to come out. "Quickly, before the time escapes us!"
"Open! Witches! Daughters of Darkness! Open this door, now!" One of the local men yelled out as he slammed his fist against the door. When they realized the sisters had no intention of opening, the men began to ram the door with a large tree trunk they had grabbed from the woods nearby.
When they finally broke the door down, the men stared in absolute horror at what lay sprawled before them. The cottage was in shambles. A mighty wind howled as papers flew about. A great vortex swirled angrily in the middle of the small bungalow, seemingly leading to nothing but light. A moment later and the light disappeared, the vortex shrinking into nothingness. The wind slowed to nothingness, the fog receded and the energy from within the cauldron dissipated.
Aside from all of that, the cabin was empty.
Except for a small pig with a necklace tied around its neck, and a young boy laying lifelessly on the floor beside it.
Captain Hook stood before the large door in New York City. This was hardly what he had expected.
He was greeted with a building that was clean and impressively tall. It seemed to tower above everything else with gleaming glass covering every inch on the outside. It held a sweeping view above the entire city. A so-called doorman had even acknowledged him by his given name and shown him up upon his arrival, depositing him in a large metal box that seemed to somehow transport him high above the ground and to Swan's door.
He wiped his sweaty palm against his pants and drew in a deep breath. This was it. One year had passed. One, long, arduous year. A year that he had given up everything and everyone so that he could hopefully return to her. He had turned his back on those he had started to befriend. He had languished without her, missing her soft laugh, her shy smile that she saved only for him, the feel of her surrounding him whenever they touched. Only now, suddenly, he wasn't so sure.
Obviously, Emma Swan was doing quite well for herself.
Still, that wasn't enough to stop him. After all, he was still a pirate. And pirates were known for being quite selfish.
And so, he knocked.
There was a knock. Emma was positive she had heard it, despite the great din of her home.
The cat meowed. The dog barked. The pig oinked. They all scrambled towards the door, each making their respective noises as they grew closer to their target.
Unfortunately, Emma was busy finishing her hair and makeup, so she ignored the racket and continued with her ministrations. Besides, Natasha or Eli would answer the door. Or they would if they weren't too busy playing video games with the kid.
Emma rolled her eyes as she released another curler from her hair. A few moments and curlers later and she was covering her hair with a fine layer of hairspray to help keep the curls that cascaded down her back. She checked her makeup one last time before she headed into her closet to pick out her outfit.
Ensconced by the walls of her walk in, Emma no longer heard the incessant knocking, she did, however, continue to hear the din of the animals as the scratched and whined at the front door.
"Will someone get that!" Emma yelled before continuing further into her favorite room.
While Emma was busy picking out her outfit, Natasha and Eli were battling it out in Mario Kart while they awaited the sitter. Natasha figured it was Chris at the door, though she wondered why he didn't just use his key to let himself in. Maybe he brought pizza!
"He probably lost it, again," Eli giggled as her princess dashed in front of Natasha's Toad. Before she could say more Koopa shoved them aside, rushed in front of them and moved towards the finish line.
"Pizza?" The kid asked as his character easily won the game. He threw his hands up in the excitement and started making sounds as though a crowd was cheering for him. Natasha and Eli looked at him guiltily before restarting the game, this time sans Eli.
"Your babysitter," Eli chimed in as she made her way towards the door. She scooped up the cat and dog and nudged the pig aside. It squealed in disagreement before scrambling back into her path. She fixed it with a hard stare, willing it to move with her mind. It did.
"I don't need a babysitter!" Eli and Natasha laughed as he huffed in anger, which luckily gave Natasha the edge she needed to get Toad in front of Koopa.
"Russell, please." Natasha fixed him with a tough stare before returning her attention to the game. "Besides, it's Chris. You like Chris."
This seemed to placate Russell, a little. His attention back to the game and eye on the prize.
"Did he bring pizza?" Russel asked a moment later as Eli pulled up the doorbell app on her cellphone so she could see who was there. She almost dropped the cat and dog when she spied none other than Killian Jones. Great, now they had two runaways and an assignment to deal with tonight. Totally not what any of them needed right now.
Recently it appeared there were more and more runaways. Maybe there was something in the water. Or people's horoscopes were telling them something. Eli momentarily wondered if she should check her horoscope.
Jareth would not be pleased.
Hopefully, Chris would show up soon.
"Emma!" Eli yelled. She would let her sister deal with this one. After all, Killian did seem to only have eyes, and ears, for Emma. Though, she did wonder what he was doing here. Most runaways didn't exactly come to them. Usually, they had to fight tooth and nail to get them back to their respective realms. What could Killian Jones' possible want, or more importantly, need?
The Jones' brothers were well known for always needing something.
Dropping Binx and Zero on the couch next to Russell, Eli motioned to Natasha to follow her. Throwing her controller down in the middle of the game, thus losing, again, Natasha pushed herself off the couch and towards her sister. She stopped midway and turned back to Russell. Dressed in a buttoned-up pastel pink polo, tan khaki shorts, and a fanny pack, the teen didn't appear like he would be so much trouble, but as Natasha had learned, it was the unassuming that ones that caused the most trouble.
"Don't even think of running." It was said with authority and met with a blank stare. Having chased Russell down through half the city and three states, Natasha knew that stare. The teenager was one of their more frequent escapees. Having completed the same program, she knew all too well the tricks up his sleeve. He was dangerous. More dangerous than herself, most likely. The new children recruits were some of the most cutthroat and devious she had ever met. One day, if they weren't careful, they would be taking over. "Do you understand how many political treaties you'll violate if you move off this couch?"
Once they were back in the hallway leading to the foyer, Eli showed the image of Killian to Natasha, and her sister groaned in frustration.
"Really! What could he possibly want?" Natasha ground out through gritted teeth.
"Get Emma. The fact that he's at our door doesn't bode well for me. Last time we tangoed with him, he was trying to find a bean. Something about greatness for the Jones' brothers." Eli offered as she moved towards the door. Tapping away on her phone, she informed Jareth and the team back at HQ that there was another runaway and they would bring him in with the kid. Only, Killian would return to his life, free to do as he pleased if he stayed within his parameters.
The kid would be a different story. Most likely he'd be returned and brought in for reprogramming. They'd try to break him, just as they tried to do with everyone else in the program.
Throwing open the door, Eli smiled broadly at their unexpected guest.
"Killian! What a pleasure to see you." She ushered him in, noting his confused expression and demeanor. Maybe something had happened. "And what do we owe the pleasure for your sudden appearance?"
"I… ugh, you…" He stumbled through his words as he took in their home. Alarm bells seemed to ring loud and clear in her mind, but she pushed the thought away and guided him further into the large condo. His boots clicked against the expensive marble floors. His hand on her own seemed almost wooden and stiff. However, he soon seemed to regain his composure and his attention turned sharp and attuned to his surroundings. He yanked his arm from her own and took a step back. "Where's Emma?"
At the sound of her name, Emma and Natasha seemed to materialize from the depths of the condo, her sky-high heels clicking artfully against the cool, white marble. The tiny black dress hugged her body tightly, contouring to her every curve and leaving little to the imagination. It was their normal uniform when it came to attracting males, and some females, that had somehow jumped realms.
It was also her chosen dress for seeing John. Something told Eli that they should not be expecting Emma back later that evening.
"Killian," Emma said in a singsong voice, her lips curling into a carefully practiced smile. She stepped forward and kissed his cheek. Her painted ruby red lips left an imprint on his cheek. She pretended to try and smudge it away but did little in accomplishing the act. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
He seemed dazed and unsure of the situation. This was not the typical cocky Killian Jones. It seemed without his brother and whore by his side he lost some of his bravadoes.
The hairs on the back of his neck were raised to their maximum height and his hackles were up. Something wasn't right. In fact, something was very wrong.
This Emma was too perfect. Too polished. She seemed poised and confident beyond his grasp.
And she seemed to remember him, in some capacity or another.
He watched as she and the other women busied about, getting ready to go out for the night. They told him he would be staying with Russell, and someone named Chris, for the night until they returned. When he had first caught sight of the young lad he had thought it was Henry, but once he turned around, Killian was once again thrown into confusion by the young Asian child.
Russell, appeared unassuming enough, and not very threatening, though the women seemed to feel differently. There were always someone's eyes on the child.
He and Russell were sitting on the couch playing something called an X-Box. Rather, he was attempting to play. His prosthetic hand was making it near impossible. So far no one had made a reference to it, though one of the women, Natasha if he remembered correctly, had given it a passing glance.
"What happened?" Killian jolted slightly from the sudden conversation. He stared at Russell for a moment, unsure of what to say. He was out of his element and beyond confused. Emma wasn't supposed to remember him. Who were these other people? And where was Henry? Russell motioned to Killian's disfigured hand, not even losing sight of the game playing out on the television before him.
"Pardon?" Killian finally answered. He wasn't sure how to answer; he didn't know his place in this world. No one had called him by his more colorful moniker, yet.
"Your hand. It's lame." Russel laughed, smartly. A moment later and he was jumping up and proclaiming victory. Killian sat there in silence. No one had ever been so cheeky with him. "Why are you here? Dropping right into the dragon's lair."
"Dragon's lair?" Now he was more confused than ever. What was Russell alluding to? Was this Emma dangerous? Had someone somehow gotten to her? A new curse on top of the old one?
Russell stared at Killian quizzically. A moment passed before his gaze fell. He appeared thoughtful and then smiled. His voice fell to a near whisper.
"Right, well, seems like we are in this together. Wait till they leave and then we are off."
"Off?" Where were they going? Should he really trust this child? Before he could give it much more thought, Emma, Eli, and Natasha appeared. All three were wearing tight, body-hugging dresses. The ladies barely spared the two interlopers a glance as the three ladies peered into the hallway mirror, checking themselves for any imperfections. At the same moment, a knock on the door before it was thrown open.
"We'll be back later tonight. Chris is in charge. Don't leave." Natasha's statement left no room for discussion. A tall, light-haired, friendly looking man appeared carrying a large box of pizza and smiled warmly at Russell, though his smile faltered at the sight of Killian. His smile returned a moment later. And then the women were gone.
"Killian, what are you doing here?"
"I think that's the million-dollar question," Russell chimed in, a smirk plastered on his face and eyes glinting in the expensive light of the condo.