We enter into Neverland through a portal, a swirling hole in the water throws the Jolly Roger about as I stay at the steer and with some difficulty keep all of us afloat. Everyone else holds onto ropes, it's a vortex made of water, a black whole of sorts in the depths of the sea and just as I wonder if I made the right decision we pop out into the dark night. The water looks as black as the skies, breathlessly I relax, the ship too seems to be recovering the old wood creaking. I cast a long gaze about to see just as I, they are all recovering still clinging to the ropes. My hand grips tightly itself to the dark wooden steer, "Is that it?", Emma shouts out staring at the island directly ahead of us. I follow her gaze knowing full and well what I would see, and just off in the distance there it is. Neverland. Dark and malignant from even this distance.
"Aye. Neverland.", I reply a bit bitterly. Every fiber of my being I had hope I'd never have to set sail on Neverland shores again, never have to cast a gaze upon it's horrid banks or treacherous water. Yet here I set sail, because for a moment I let that blonde vixen get to me. Not that there wasn't truth to her words.
Regina stands off to my left casting a gaze out across the murky waters, as I begin to slow my ship she whips her head around, hands on hips obviously displeased. "Why are we slowing down?" She begins walking closer, shouting, "In case you didn't know my son's life is in danger." Regina continues incredulously.
I resist with great difficulty to roll my eyes, "Oh, I know, my hot headed queen.", I respond curtly smirking, glancing at her for a moment to see dark coal eyes, and red lips drawn into a line, "My plan is to bring us to the far side of the island." I knew it was no bother to try to explain this to her, Regina wasn't the type to take commands, but this, this is after all my ship. "Link up with widest part of the river," I demonstrated with my hands the direction that was in, because like everyone else she'd never set foot on the island, "Then we sail right through, take him by surprise.". She didn't seemed to take argument with my plan like I'd though she would rather was quite.
"The irony." I state more to myself than to Regina. Staring out at Neverland, still steering.
Regina still standing next to me of coarse though ran with it, "What irony?", she asked calmly. It seemed my explanation supplied her enough comfort.
I can feel her eyes on me, watchful, "Oh I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place and kill Rumplestiltskin.", I resist the urge to glance at the crocodile now who stands just out of ear shot. "And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guest of honor." I say a bit gruffly still vexed by it all. My whole reason for doing anything for the past couple centuries was to murder the bastard and here he stands breezily on my ship. "It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for.".
Regina's eyes finally leave me, she's quite for a moment the sound of the water rushing past us and the wind filling the void a thoughtful expression forms on her features, "Greg Mendell said something funny to me.", she begins and I look at her again the statement sparking interest. The wind pushing her dark locks from her face, "He said I'm a villain, and that villains don't get happy endings.", despite a lot of effort from her in all probability, there was a undertone of worry. "You believe that?".
"I hope not.", I respond glancing back and forth between the course and her, "Or we've wasted our lives.". There's not a part of me that doesn't know how I'm regarded. At one point I would've spat at the idea that I was anything other than a man, but after Liam... right and narrow didn't even seem, well, right. And despite myself I glance at Emma, the blonde woman who managed to get me to do something I hadn't done in a long time, do something for someone other than myself. All I can see now is her back, her long blond hair almost white against the utter darkness that surrounds us, and then I avert my gaze as her parents walk over. Their voices so faint I can barely here them, Regina now has returned to staring out at the water and I breathe a bit relived. There's little bits of the conversation I'm able to pick up, Emma's voice angry, "How can you two be so infuriatingly optimistic!?", she shouts now and this captures the queens attention turning her head a bit. I agree with the lass about that, these heroes types seem to share the same quality of optimism and hope, a trait my brother carried on his shoulders too. A trait that lead to his demise. "Why?!", I hear her shout now.
Her parents dialogue inaudible, Regina clicks her tung behind me. "Ever since you got your memories- ever since you remembered that you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives have... They've... Well they've sucked!", Regina now chuckles behind me taking some sick enjoyment out of the scene.
At this I tilt my head over, "Quite yourself lass.", I urge a bit annoyed. Glancing back at Emma obviously upset.
"And lost Henry.", I hear her say now, and there's sadness entering her voice as she continues, "And Neal and countless other people!". I feel my heart swell a bit with sympathy, knowing loss myself, the loss of family, the loss of a love.
"No you won't." Gold appears out of nowhere ahead of my stern looking down on Emma and her family, he's changed back into his crocodile skin.
"Oh that's a great use of our time-", I sneer, "A wardrobe change.".
Emma moves forward now, grabbing a lantern her family following suit, "I'm gonna get Henry.", he declares.
"We agreed to do this together. " Regina says, emphasizing the last bit.
"Actually, we made no such agreement.", the crocodile returns.
"Why are you doing this?", Emma questions drawing her eyebrows together.
"Because I want to succeed."
"What makes you think I'm going to fail?" Emma continues to question him with one foot on a step and a hand on one of the ropes to steady herself. She looks so pale against her all black attire, her hair looking nearly white. She is not the least bit intimidated by the crocodile.
"Well how could you not?", there's a note of enjoyment in his voice now as he continues, "You don't believe in your parents. Or in magic. Or even yourself.".
"I stayed a dragon. I think I believe.", Emma retorts quickly. But even I can see from where I stand the effect of his words, her attempting to not show the truth in what he's saying.
Rumple shifts a bit on his feet, his cane between his legs nearly looks to be a third from behind, "Only what was shown to you. When have you ever taken a real leap of faith?", he questions causing Emma to narrow her eyes and draw her eyebrows together. "You know, the kind where there's absolutely no proof?", this seems to silence her, "I've known you some time, Ms. Swan. And sadly, despite everything you've been through, you're still just that... Bail bondsperson, looking for evidence.", despite his words there no hint of care in his voice for the woman, it's like he's reading off a page of statistics. "Well, dearie, that's not gonna work in Neverland.", he continues sounding more like the crocodile who took Milah's heart by the second.
"I'll do whatever it takes." Emma says now her voice softer now, losing the edge it had before, but just as earnest. Rumple leans forward, "Well, you just need someone to tell you what that is. Sorry, dearie. Our foe is too fearsome for hand-holding.". There is truth in his words as he say this, Peter Pan, is a demon who plays games like a child and like a child jumps at any opportunity to win. "Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild. And sadly... Yours doesn't." I'm glaring at the older man now, considering whether or not I should lunge at him he spins his cane and all our eyes drawn to it distracted he's gone by the time we look back. Everyone glances around searching for a sign of the crocodile but he's gone, taken away by his own dark magic. Emma out all the dismal expressions seems the most out of sorts.
Emma soon retreats below decks wordlessly, I leave David to steer the ship momentarily as I follow her. I'm not sure what I plan to say as descend down the steps, before I enter I can hear her grunting and labored breathing. When I see her, she's removed her black turtle neck and now bares toned arms as she almost effortlessly does pull ups. She stops when she senses my presence, "Oh. Don't stop on my account.", I say as I edge closer.
She shakes her head, "Wouldn't think of it." She says dryly and returns to her task, I look up at her a bit perplexed at her actions.
"What are you doing?", I question rasing an eye brow.
"Getting ready for a fight.", she struggles to say as she lifts herself above the bar and let's herself drop.
My mind tugs at the memory of my spar with the lass back when I was working with Cora when Emma without any preparation managed to best me in a sword fight by punching me in the face. Then when I had stabbed the crocodile with dreamshade knocked me out with one blow. "Well, I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight.", I say now. "I thought it was a natural state.", I tease trying to lighten the mood some. Still out of breath Emma rolls her eyes, "Don't let Rumplestiltskin get you down, love.", I offer now.
She jumps down, "What do you want?" She questions her green eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"To give you something.", I say pulling out a key and moving to the chest it goes to, "You know, Baelfire and I once spent a lot of time together.".
Emma has taken rest on another crate, "He was always "Neal" to me.", she sounds more tired to my ears than anything else now.
Neal I correct myself in my head, it makes sense for the lad to change his name all things considered with his parents. "Yeah. Right.", I pull out his blade, smaller than a regular sword but still lethal. The metal covered by a black sheath, it looks so small in my ring covered fingers. "This was his.", I say as I hold it down to Emma.
She looks surprised as she takes the blade from me, holding it gently as she stares down at it. "I didn't realize you were sentimental.", Emma says looking up at me, her green eyes soft.
"I'm not." I dismiss quickly, not caring for the idea of being some mushy pirate because at some point I will be going back to roaming all the seas of the realms and the last thing I need is to go soft because some pretty lass, "I just thought you could use it where we're going.", I explain as she fiddles with the blade, "You know... To fight.", I say taking out my flask of rum uncorking it and handing Emma a small cup.
"Thanks.", she says nearly uncertainly as her eyes flicker up from the cup to mine once more. The way she looks at me makes me feel uncomfortable, as if she can see the man behind the pirate. The man I like to keep hidden.
"To Neal.", I say extending my flask to her.
"To Neal.", She says her eyes still unflinching clinking her cup with the flask, easily downing the rum. It's not often I've run across a woman who is able to drink rum so easily. Maybe sorrow offer that ability as a bit of retribiution.
We sit in silence for a few moments, I taking rest across from her, Emma's glances at me for a moment. The ship swaying a bit, "How long was he with you?"she asks.
I look away my eyes on my rum flask, the bitter tang of guilt hanging in the back of my throat rather than it's taste. "Long enough for me to know that I miss him, too.", I return her gaze once more, curious to see her response. Before she has the chance to respond the ship jolts, creaking and then there's a loud bang. Damn it. I silently curse.
Emma's eyes widden notebly with alarm, she snaps her head to me, "What was that?".
I don't respond rather race back above decks to see the Charmings struggling with the stern and Regina rushing about alarmed, "Hold on!", I hear David shout.
Water is sloshing all around us, flouding the decks as the boat itself angrily creaks. "Prepare for attack!", I shout instantly realizing the only probably cause for this.
"Be more specific.", Regina urges.
"If you've got a weapon, then grab it!" I shout as I struggling with the stern the sound of angry screeching filling the air. Grunting I take over.
"What's out there? A shark?! A whale?!", Emma shouts holding tightly to the ropes as she looks over the water, wind blowing her hair back so it whips furiously behing her.
"A kraken?" David supplies, holding onto a rope himself with a lateren in his other hand.
David, Snow and Emma all are nearly halfway off the boat staring at the tuburlent water where the screeching is iminating from. "Worse.", I respond, "Mermaids." I knew my voice wavered with fear as I said it, there was no way to convey what these creatures could do to us in this climate. The screeching still persisting as the mermaids send water aboard the ship.
"Mermaids?!", Emma shouts half with disbelief, half with aggrivation.
"Yes, and they're quite unpleasant." I say shrewdly still tasked with trying to keep the Jolly Roger afloat like.
"You think?", Regina chimes by me clinging to a rope herself.
"I'll try and outrun them.", I tell them. Which isn't entirely possible but if any ship could do it, it would be this one.
"How many of them are there?!" Emma questions in a shout, just as the mermaids all slam the boat from that side.
"I will not be capsized by fish!", David exclaims quickly running about panting grabbing things to load the cannon I exchange a momentarily glance with Regina.
"Emma!" Snow shouts getting her daughter to follow her down a set of steps as the sounds of chains fill the already noisy air.
"What are you doing?!" Emma asks exasperatedly.
"Fishing.", Snow responds with absolute.
David has now light the fuse to the cannon shooting it off into the water, sending more water spraying up on the ship. The women throw a net into the water, struggling with great difficulty with the lines, "We caught one!" Snow exclaims. I do not know much on these sea creatures other than a few small interactions but I do not relish the idea of having one aboard my ship. They are dangerous creatures and there is no telling what kind of danger it would and will cause.
The boat rocks again with yet another slam, "One?" Regina asks incredulously. "There are dozens of them.". David fires yet again into the water, "Enough of this." A flame appears in the Queen's grip. Finally you help. A bright red orange glow the soon flies from her hand to the water, there's frighten screeching that seems to grow quite by the second. They're fleeing, I exhale with relief. The water calms once more as Snow and Emma still struggle at the far side with the net, "There." Regina says, "They're gone.".
"Not all of them!", Snow pants. "What about that one?!"
With a woosh and wave of hand from Regina the mermaid is aboard the ship laying in the center floundering a green scaled tail. The net below her, she's audibly struggles grunting and crying at the frivilous attempts. Everyone except myself gathers around her. David moving from my back to join them.
The mermaid quotes herself after a few moments, "Get that thing off my ship!" I exclaim thinking of how many hours it'll take to clean the grime it's already leaving on the dark floorboards.
"No." Regina quickly replies, "Now we have a hostage.".
"I hate to say it, but I'm with Hook.", David adds in, causing me to grin a bit. "Those things just tried to kill us.".
"And perhaps we should find out why." Regina returns.
"How? By torturing her?" Snow questions incredulously as the frighten creature looks about.
"Well, if need be. Sure.", Regina answers.
At that the female creature grabs a pink seashell and lifts it up blowing it to release a trumpet like sound, I click my tung. This isn't good. This can't be good. Emma covers her ears, bracing them from the sound, "What the hell was that?", she asks.
"A warning.", The mermaid answers savagely just as thunder begins to clap above us, "Let me go... Or die.". The wind begins to pick up at her threat everyone glances at each other obviously alarmed.
The tide begins to pick up now too, waves hitting the sides of the boat with great force. "What is this?", David asks grabbing the shell and holding it in front of her, "What did you do?!" He shouts now a bit more angrily, only a head away from the creatures face.
"Let me go." She tries edging a bit closer to him.
"Not until you tell us." Regina commands, "Or we make you tell us.".
"Threatening her isn't the way to motivate her." Snow argues.
"Well I'm all out of fish food.", Regina deliberates.
I move away from the stern now, "Doesn't matter is you get her to talk. You can't trust her. Mermaids are liars." I try to reason they all turn to look at me.
"Of coarse they are." Emma says.
"Maybe they're just scared of Pan. If we let her go, maybe they'll be on our side.", Snow suggests.
"Or maybe she and her friends will come right back to kill us." Regina counters once more.
Now the mermaid has begun to flap her tail rythmicly like a cat with it's tail just before it pounces, "Oh, I don't need my friends to kill you. You'll kill yourselves. Now let me go.". Emma immediately looks vexed by what surly is a trick of the mermaid. Thunder booms once more this time accompanied by a lightening flash that sends the boat rocking.
"What the hell?" David questions similarly to his daughter.
"It's a storm." I reply returning to the the steer. "She called it.", I say pointing at the mermaid, "Don't let her go!" I continued annoyed, "She'll swim off and leave us all to die. At least with her we have leaverage." .
This sends David into action grabbing his sword, it zinging as it's pulled from scrubber, "Stop the storm. Then we let you go.', he says holding it to her throat.
She shakes her head smugly, aggressively David grabs her head and presses the blade to her a bit tigher. Regina laughs, "That's more like it, Charming." She chimes, "Filet the bitch.".
The mermaid begins to struggle once more whimpering, Snow even from this distance looks appalled and as she exchanges a glance with David he relents, "No.", he pants, "We're not barbarians.".
Meanwhile Emma remains quite during all of this, and seems almost watchful as thunder once again sounds around us, the ship rocking again. "What we're going to be is dead.", Regina shouts as everyone looks about.
"Hold on!", I shout, "I'm gonna turn her around." I struggle with the stear the ship creaks with it's resistance but complies under my command, "I've outrun many a storm.".
The storm worsens and I miss the rest of what is going on as I try to keep us afloat the dialogue merely mumbles agaisnt the sounds of the raging storm. "Keep your grip pirate!" David yells to me as the ship rocks once again.
"It wasn't me, mate! It was the ship! We're taking on water!" I exclaim watching water wash up on the decks just as suddenly I hear the Charmings shout at Regina again.
Both of them still attempting to discourage Regina from killing the mermaid, at this point I don't think it'll make much of a difference for us if the thing lives or dies. "You kill her, and her kind have a personal vendetta against us.", Snow tries.
"Look, the queen is right.", I interject, "They've already tried killing us."
"Stop! That's enough!", Emma shouts for the first time since the mermaid stated the threat. Her shouts unlike the rest of us are more out of concern than anger. "We need to think this through!".
Before I know it when I glance back at the mermaid it appears that she's been turn to stone. "There. That should stop the storm." Regina declares confidently just as the storm worsens and a gigantic wave twice the size of the ship appears ahead of us.
"Regina! What did you do?!", Emma questions everyone follows her gaze to the wave everyone's eyes widening and the ship begins to rumble below us.
"No.", Regina mutters.
"What have you done?!" Emma shouts once more clinging for life on a rope. Everyone did the same using anything and everything to steady themselves and keep them on the ship and out of the water.
Tons of water immediately gushes on board soaking all of us. I hold onto a rope myself as we head, head first in the biggest wave my eyes have ever come across. As soon as we come out the other side both Emma and I immediately race to the steer both of us struggling to turn it. "I thought you said you could outrun a storm!" She critiques both of us moping wet are slipping against the smooth wood.
"This isn't a storm. It's bloody damnation!", I respond shouting so I can be heard over the thunder, wind and water. The wind howls at us, just as lightening strikes the water ahead of us.
Regina and Snow still gripping the ropes to remain on their feet begin to bicker once more, as lightening hits the boat. Out of the corner of my eye I watch with surprise as Snow delivers a hard blow to Regina's face just as the water throws the boat once more causing Emma and I to duck. Lightening begins to strike the lines and when Regina returns the favore her husband is quick to assist, "Hey!" He exclaims.
As he surges forward I move a hand out to hold him back, "Hey, let the slags go. I need you at the mast.", I command moving away from the steer leaving it entirely in Emma's hands.
"Don't call my wife a slag!" David exclaims before hitting me square in the stomach with his elbow. It leaves me winded for a moment as a white hot rage begins to fill me, he punches me once more in the face.
I quickly return the blow punching him back and I distantly hear Emma begging us all to stop, "Stop it!".
Now David and I are in a full blown wrestling match, his face is twisted into a snarl as he moves for yet another attack both of us desperately looking for the upper hand. Grunting as we both grip tightly to the other, while lightening continues to hit the ship. He manages to grab ahold of my hook twisting it so that it's tip is aimed directly for my throat and I with great difficulty hold him off. Finally I feel his muscles giving and elbow him in the face with the opening, sending him backwards a few steps I move forward. Emma shouts, continuously, I barely notice as her father delivers yet another blow. When finally he relents shouting, "Emma!", I follow his eyes to see her diving off the ship and my heart plummets with fear. We all run over to the side of the boat as one of the lines comes loose falling into the hectic water after her.
I can't see her, at all amongst the storm. If she doesn't come up in a few more moments, then she will be surely gone her breath stollen from the water. "Emma!", Snow cries once more.
"Idiot!", Regina exclaims.
"Regina, get her up here!" Snow commands desperately.
"I-I-I Can't! Not in this storm. I-I Can't even see her." She explains, "I'll just bring up water and half her leg.".
My mind races searching for a way to rescue her, as David begins to mess with one of the lines, pulling himself up onto the side of the boat, I quickly realize his intentions to jump in after her, "Wait!" I exclaim.
"She'll drown!" He replies.
"So will you! Let me help." Before he has the chance to respond I gather ropes, doesn't he know that I know that? That she's drowning? That part of the reason she's drowning is because I couldn't listen? My mind rasps quickly on this, as thunder still claps above us. "Here tie him." I command when I return supplying rope to Regina and Snow they both nod quickly tying him. I step back with the rope as he jumps in, both ladies taking the other lines and we all anxiously await. I watch the water amazed that I'm not shaking, waiting, hoping for to see her, to see she's okay.
When I feel the weight on the line increase I feel my heart jump a bit with relief, "He has her! Pull!" I tell them and they quickly yank on the rope grunting. I see two heads in the water, and when we are able to get them onto the boat she's unconscious.
She looks too pale, her lips nearly blue, her skin too white. "Emma?" David rasps as I walk over. Her shirt soaked clings to her skin, her eyes are lidded, she looks almost like she's sleeping. Snow knelt by her holding her face in her hands as David holds her arm.
Emma suddenly jumps up coughing up water, large amounts of water. I breath in for what feels like the first time since she jumped in. I feel my muscels relaxing, and I realize with a grin she was right, the storm had cleared. Her parents chuckle as she looks up at the sky, the moon begins to appear amongst the clouds a white light shining down on us. I glance back down at Emma she looks at her mom, "I told you." She says and I grin inwardly further. All I can do though is watch, watch her breathing watch her talk as her parents pull her too her feet.
I nearly jump with the realization that I care about her, I care if she lives or dies. I want her to live, the idea of her not being okay managed to strike fear in me like I hadn't felt in a long time.
It's not long before we dock on the shores, the Jolly Rogers damages making it impossible to do as I had planned to sail to the far side of the island. My feet sink into the damp sand, I never thought that I would ever be relieved to be on land but this time I am. "We don't have to do it this way." Regina comments, her hair has managed to already be blown dry, "I can fix the "Jolly Roger" my magic is powerful enough.", Emma turns around a few feet ahead of the rest of the group. "We can execute the pirate's plan.".
Emma's holding fastly to the Baelfire's sword. "Sneak attack? Let's not be naive. Save your magic." Emma chides, "We'll need it later, because Pan already knows we're here." I nod in agreement. "It's time we stop running. Gold was right. This land is run of belief. All of us have been too busy being at each other's throats to be believers." She shakes her head pausing, "I was as wrong as anyone else. It's time for all of us to believe- Not in magic, but in each other.". I smile, She'd make a great captain, there is something about the fact she is able to take charge. Able to take charge like that I find absolutely... Well bloody amazing.
"You wanna be friends?", Regina question incredulously, "After everything that's happened between all of us?".
"I don't want or expect that." Emma responds calmly cutting the Queen off. "I know there's a lot of history here and a lot of hate." She says looking between us.
I shake my head holding back a smirk, "Actually," I begin before she continues with her speech, "I quite fancy you from time to time, when your not yelling at me.".
She gives me an annoyed glance and I smirk in response, "We don't need to be friends." She continues ignoring my comment. "What we need to know is the only way to get Henry back is cooperation.".
David shakes his head, "With her? With him?" He asks. I shoot him a bemused look, if I remember correctly mate, you threw the first blow back on my ship along with the second. "No, Emma, we have to do this the right way." I stare at him a dark eyebrow arched.
"No, we don't." Emma argues. "We just need to succeed. And the way we do that is just being who we are- A hero, a villain, a pirate.", she says looking at us all, "It doesn't matter which, because we're gonna need all those skills, whether we can stomach them or not."
"And what's your skill, "Savior"?", Regina questions.
"I'm a mother, and now I'm also your leader. So either help me get my son back or get out of the way." She says more to Regina than anyone else before turning around pulling out her sword and walking away. That's one hell of a speech Swan. Her parents quickly follow her while I and Regina hang back for a moment watching, she looks to me as I follow too shrugging my shoulders How can you argue with that?
Regina follows me, There's not a way you could really argue with her, Emma, I'm not one to take commands but I trust her. Despite her leaving me on the beanstalk I do.