Part III.
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Something had gone wrong.
Hook knew this immediately when he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the back of a naked woman in an unfamiliar bed. Now, usually, he would find this situation strangely amusing, if it weren't for the fact that he recognized the blonde locks, gracing her long neck and pillow, right off the bat. How this had happened, because Hook was more than sure the lass would rather die than find herself in this specific predicament, was beyond him.
He contemplated what he should do in a situation such as this and was mixed with the urge to sneak out and avoid a clash that would no doubt occur, or pretend to be asleep and let her find out for herself.
As fate would have it, the decision was out of his hands when she started rolling to face him and his train of thought iced over with absolute uncertainty. At a loss for the right words, Hook put on the most charming smile and gave her a nice "Morning, lover," greeting when her blue-green eyes flickered open.
Many Hours Ago
Unsure eyeballs rolled to look at each other and then to the peculiar object resting on a table in the captain's quarters.
Timbers stood from his kneeled position and asked the question that sprung in his mind the minute their new companions had emptied their pockets. "So this contraption is suppos' to kill a man?"
"Careful, it's deadlier than it looks."
"You've used one before, Captain?"
Leaning comfortably in the sole chair in the room, Regina snorted, her attention keeping still on cleaning the dirt from under her nails. "Give him a gun and he'll shoot your girlfriend in the back."
Charming's eyes immediately flew as he became more cautious of the escalating situation. Rumpelstiltskin's fingers twitched as he grabbed his cane from the wall, but thankfully kept still. Charming noticed Hook lightly touching his right arm along the tattooed reminder.
Smiling to herself, Regina looked up as if to check how many people agreed with her, only to see Snow's glare and nod towards the two men that needed no introduction to the game of revenge. "Too soon?"
"You think?" Emma replied to Regina's innocent assumption. She stared, baffled, as Regina continued to examine her nails.
"How can you be so calm? Henry's your son too."
Off to the side, Corky, a younger fellow who had earned his nickname from his talent of opening even the tightest of bottles (which came incredibly handy when the men were too pissed to even tell the top from the bottom) confusedly asked, "Wait, I thought blondie was the mom?"
"Maybe they're in cahoots," suggested one pirate.
"What?"
"Melding their gold," rephrased another.
"Huh?"
"Feelin' each other's melons?"
"Um...?"
Timbers groaned. "Together, Corky. Maybe they're together."
"Like...Captain and Mil-" He choked on his words as his fellow mate elbowed him hard in the stomach, sending him into a coughing fit.
Slightly annoyed at being disrupted from her task, Regina sighed and sat forward in her seat. "Don't think that just because I'm not pacing around and throwing magic at the first thing that looks at me, I'm not doing my absolute best to save Henry." She leaned back. "But even I know when my magic is powerless and that's here."
"Magic works entirely differently in Neverland," Rumpelstiltskin supported.
Regina nodded. "Besides, we've already got a plan and as long as we follow it, things should conclude smoothly. There's not much we can do from here."
George sneered. "Fighting them Lost Boys will never amount to a smooth ending."
Charming frowned. "Well, the mermaids who are helping us are bringing sirens with them so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Sirens? What in the bloody hell he talkin' 'bout, Cap'n?"
"Ah, I may have forgotten to mention," Hook began as he quit fiddling with the buttons on his coat. "There's been a change in plans."
"What do you mean a change in plans?!"
"I mean that I'm tossing the Crocodile's ridiculous idea to use blood sucking vermin of the sea to save an innocent child."
Rumpelstiltskin had Hook by the neck, a position he was far too used to with the travelers on his ship.
"Captain!" shrieked Timbers. His eyes panicked as he reached for his dagger.
"Calm down, he won't hurt him," assured Regina, her voice incredibly bored; yet, her eyes told a different story, one of interest and amusement.
The debonair sparkling eyed man scrunched his face together and made a gruesome expression. "Your Belle might find this close proximity of yours quite fetching, but I can't say the same for me."
He let out a grunt as Rumpelstiltskin pushed him roughly against the wall, who ignored the orders from Thad to remove his currently non-scaly hands from Hook. "Is this all a joke to you?" he seethed; and enunciated, in a low growl, the following words. "I am trying to save my grandson and you are ruining everything."
"I am helping more than you can imagine," Hook immediately spat back. He quickly waved off a reluctant Thad, who had prepared to release his sword, with his hook. "Go about your way and we'll all be dead before the flesh-eating fairies can even get to us."
Peter, not to be mistaken with Peter Pan but rather an older member of the Jolly, wiggled his eyebrows at Snow. "They use bones to build their nests, y'know?"
"How nice," she replied, partly flattered from his obvious attraction to her.
Charming zeroed in on the two men, jumping into the banter. "So what, you just call off the mermaids whenever you want?" He looked at Rumpelstiltskin. "Can he even do that?"
Hook rolled his eyes at the prince's words. It was torture listening to the man prattle on like a hero was all he ever was and would be. "I didn't call them off. I sent them to find a way back for us. If anyone can find a portal, it's the mermaids."
"Storybrooke is not your home."
Looking at Charming with slanted eyes filled with mirth, he boldly corrected him, "I never said that, but yes. Storybrooke isn't my home; however, I figure you can't deny me residency after we've rescued the boy. After all, I am risking my life as much as you."
Charming inhaled a short breath ready to continue the argument, but Hook was quick to continue before the much lighter dressed man could utter another word. "In case you haven't noticed, we used the last bean to get here, so when the mermaids find a way and it ends up being even more death-defying than Neverland, you'll have something to hold on to other than that God awful attire you strap on to yourself."
He smirked when he heard the snickering of his crew.
Regina leaned in to her stepdaughter. "Did he just make fun of his holster?"
"Yup," answered Snow, finding this an inappropriate time to laugh with the clear knowledge of how much her husband enjoyed wearing the accessory.
"How did you even pull that off?" Emma asked before she glanced at the limp man who had just let go of the pirate. "I thought Gold was the one with the deal?"
Hook pressed down his distressed collar that was now folded in bunches. "I guess I'm just a tad more convincing." He looked over at Rumpelstiltskin and pursed his lips as if he were criticizing his choice in clothing (which he sort of was). "And a hell of a lot more attractive."
Rolling her eyes, Regina frustratingly inquired, "Then what do you suggest we do since you've bargained away our secret weapon?"
"Simple. We fight them ourselves."
"I thought the Lost Boys were too powerful to fight with only us?" Emma directed the question to Thad, who shrugged loosely.
"Never said it was impossible, miss."
Hook continued, "This fight can go one of two ways. One, we fight, somehow win, and force them to take us to Pan. Or two, we fight, lose chivalrously, and hope they decide to drop us off to Pan before they feed us to Neverland."
"So your plan is to get us to meet Peter either way?" clarified Snow.
"What if we lose and they don't take us to him?" a not so optimistic Rumpelstiltskin challenged.
"If we lose, then..." He threw a teasing stare to Emma, his blue eyes filled with a secret he would only ever kiss and then tell. "We run like hell."
His smile only grew as the sudden imagination of her lips parting slightly, a surprised flutter in her eyelashes, and her eyebrows raising a few centimeters higher flashed into his mind.
"Deja vu, Emma?"
Night had come and soon enough, they were preparing for their unknown fate that would ultimately lead them home or, in worst case scenario, death. The air was chilly and the sea coated with thin layered fog. Around the heavy mist that veiled the ship, uncomfortable cries and weeping echoed, reverberating through the magic wood of the Jolly Roger.
"What was that?" Emma asked as she stayed woven between the pirates who had gathered on one side of the ship. For fear of revealing her identity too soon, Hook had made sure she was sneakily camouflaged with his men. He had done a number on her by ordering her to pull her hair up under a thick bandana and dressing her in pirate clothes over her regular clothes.
Beside her, Timbers frowned and stood up straighter, attempting to get a better listen as to what Emma was referring. When he was still unable to pinpoint it, he asked, "What was what?"
"It sounds like someone's crying," she replied. She rubbed her arms and could feel the little goosebumps surfacing her skin.
Timbers' eyes sparkled as he let out an "Oh!" when he finally understood. "Those are only cries of children who have been apart from their homes for far too long," he explained matter of factly, as if he had rehearsed it every night before he had gone to bed. Still grinning, he turned to Emma, who could feel any amount of confidence drop into the pits of her soul. Timbers' eyes widened and he quickly attempted to reassure her, "Don't worry. It happens every night."
Emma choked on her words as she stared at him and back to the direction of the wails.
Her mind twisted disturbingly at the thought of one of those cries potentially being Henry, begging to return home to her. Oh God, he's probably scared out of his mind, she thought. What if he was being tortured? The things he could be exposed to... The air around her suddenly grew stiff.
"Good God boy, she's searching for her bloody son!" scolded Thad. He quickly gave Emma comforting pat on her back. "Think before you speak."
Gulping, the nervous younger boy quickly said to Emma, "My apologies, miss."
Emma seemingly ignored his attempt to end the conversation. "They're staying because of Peter Pan, right? The kids? Do you think Henry's with them?"
Hook pushed past bulky and hairy limbs, sharp objects clanking against each other as they dangled on his hook. "Relax, Swan." Hook moved to stand in front of her. Timbers and Thad both shifted to physically include Hook in the conversation. "He needs Henry. He won't hurt him."
The uncertainty in his voice did nothing to improve Emma's worries.
"Why won't he let them leave?"
"Who knows." His eyes darkened and were clouded with an emotion that unnerved Emma. "Perhaps he's grown tired of being alone."
Hook caught Emma staring at him before she even realized it herself. He raised his hook carelessly, offering Emma a weapon and couldn't suppress a wicked grin when, instead of his plenty generous offers, she reached past him to grab a hold of the straight sword (he deemed it one of his best successes) from his sole hand.
Timbers raised an amused brow, questioning whether a woman such as she could even wield a sword properly. Before, he would have stereotypically thought women fit the barmaid atmosphere better, of course, that was before Milah joined their crew. She had marked in the records as the first ever first mate on the Jolly Roger, and stayed true to the title; but as adventurous and daring Milah was, even she was unable to fend off Peter Pan by herself. "Sorry, miss, but are you sure you can handle that? Oh, no, I don't mean it like that. I mean to ask if you're capable of fighting one of them Lost Boys by yourself, much less Pan."
The thought of killing a Lost Boy made her gears screech and stop, but the thought of Henry fueled her and she realized, disturbing to her conscience, that she would strike down anyone that tried to stop her from finding her son. "I've slain a dragon before, so I'd like to think I can handle it."
Hook was proud at the awed faces she left in the room on the ones who did not know her like he did. "She doesn't look it, but she's quite extraordinary."
Corky sighed, "Phenomenal is more like it."
"Careful you don't drool," joked Thad.
George nodded to Emma. "How you liking that sword, pretty lady?"
She nodded, satisfied, throwing the sword up in the air just shy of a few inches. "Lightweight. Swift." Emma pricked her fingers across the blade. "Nicely sharpened."
"Glad you think so." Hook grinned and exhaled a chuckle, finding her admiring expression fascinating and, dare he admit, adorable.
"Don't get me wrong, Emma, but your affinity for swords is truly captivating and incredibly sexy."
"If you hadn't put me in this ridiculous costume—" She lifted the baggy edges of her shirt as an example. She had no idea how Hook thought she could fight with this...gigantic curtain on and now that she thought about it, maybe that was the entire point. To keep her from kicking ass. That conniving son of a—, "I'd probably punch you for that."
A sudden thought crossed her mind as she glanced to the dysfunctional family that joined her. "Speaking of which, why am I the only one dressed up?"
"I just wanted to see how you'd look in my clothes, and you are just ravishing, I must say."
He barely escaped a flying sword that swung his way.
The sudden action caught the attention of many folks on board, and Snow and Charming quickly ceased their conversations with some older pirates as they practically sprinted to their daughter's side.
"Are you alright, Emma?" Snow asked, as Charming glanced at Emma before narrowing his eyes in warning to Hook.
Hook stepped back and raised his hand and hook in defeat to her father, but continued to stare at Emma before smiling again. Emma wasn't sure what it meant or why she found herself speechless every time; but she understood that Hook was starting to get into this habit of smiling at her and she was becoming more and more restless with every silent glance. It would be ridiculous to say she didn't notice some kind of connection with him that led to an inevitable attraction.
No, it would only be ridiculous if she acted on it.
"I'm fine." Prohibiting any more distractions from her son, she changed the topic. "I'll take this one," said Emma dryly.
"Clever choice," he approved after a moment, and turned when he heard his name being called.
Vane rushed to circle around the crow's nest, bending down and warning, "They're here!" dragging Hook's attention above him and then forward to the sea. Timbers had suddenly appeared next to him and quickly retrieved the swords from his captain's hook.
"How many men do they carry?"
Vane turned back around and raised his spyglass to the sea once more. "Six rowboats, five in each, Cap'n!"
Timbers' eyes widened. "Thirty?!"
Hook frowned. "Tch, is he sending a bloody army?"
"Ten meters!" warned Vane, his eye staying glued to his spyglass.
"What's our backup plan?" Charming asked from behind.
Raising his own spyglass up to the waters, Hook answered, "We don't need a backup plan."
Charming's shoulders sagged as he stared at the man before him, and incredulously exclaimed, "What do you mean we don't need a—"
"Emma," Hook interrupted, his voice hitched with a fear he was praying wasn't real. "Come here."
He turned to face her and gestured for Emma to take the spyglass. Suspicious, she kept her eyes on him before she raised to see through the mini telescope, and gasped when she saw the fleet of Lost Boys sailing their way closer and closer; and in the very front—
"Henry! Greg and Tamara are with him too."
As if his name was a trigger, Regina approached them and asked, "Henry? Is he alright?!"
Ignoring her inquiry, Emma turned to the man at her side, waiting for Hook to shed light on the newly acquired situation.
Catching on to the secretive stares between the two, Charming asked, "Hook, what is it?"
"Five meters!" charmed Vane from afar.
Hook sighed and combed his fingers through the loose hair brushing his forehead. "Henry is on the ship with the Lost Boys, but the Shadow's controlling him."
Snow blinked rapidly. "How is he—it—whatever controlling Henry?"
"The Shadow has attached itself to him," Rumpelstiltskin quickly answered. "He's taken Henry's body as a host." He pinched the bridge of his nose, his lips hung low in frustration.
"A host?!" exclaimed Regina. "Well, how the hell do we get Henry back?"
Timbers inserted, "By splitting him from the Shadow."
"And how do we do that?" asked Snow.
Hook and Rumpelstiltskin shared a nervous exchange before Rumpelstiltskin simply stated, "We curse him. I have to get as close to Henry as possible to affect the Shadow."
Charming blinked. "But, how do you avoid cursing Henry?"
"That's the hard part." Hook fingered for his men to gather as he took a sword from Timbers. He faced Emma. "Sorry to tell you but the current events seem to be leaning towards a third plan."
"There's a third plan?" Emma tilted her head as she readied herself in a fighting stance, holding the sword tightly in her palms. "Please tell me that's the one where we fight and still win."
"I would—"
A grappling hook flew above them, releasing a gasp from Snow, and clung onto the edge of the ship. Hook's lips quirked just slightly, but it didn't hide the fear in his voice that disturbed Emma greatly. "But your ability to detect lies won't bring you much comfort."
"How convenient."
The events that followed Hook's final statement was a blur, even as Emma lived in that very moment. More grappling hooks had attached to the edge of the ship on all sides, but it wasn't until the first body came flying up that chaos had ensued. War cries from Hook's men were shared and soon, bodies tumbled together.
Charming, Snow, and Emma had attempted to stay together but, alas, such was impossible as the odds weren't the least bit fair. The Lost Boys had the advantage of sixteen more hooded bodies flinging around weapons, varying from daggers to swinging chain shots, but there was no time for Emma to complain about fairness when she had three flying towards her.
She ducked as one aimed to cut off her head, but before she received a chance to display her fighting abilities, Corky had masterly maneuvered between the fight and threw a hard punch into a face, with a strength Emma would have never guessed he would possess.
"Don't you worry, miss. I'll protect you!"
He busied himself with the two other attackers, but failed to take note of a fourth hooded figure who climbed above Corky and was ready to jump him with a cutlass. Corky would have dropped dead in an instant if Emma hadn't skillfully thrown a dagger straight into the Lost Boy's arm.
As the boy's cringing body fell, Corky stared back at Emma, wide eyed and shocked. Her confidence shined through her exterior as she grinned, proud of her success.
"Careful, lads," echoed Hook on the other side of the ship. He cut down one boy before glancing at Emma, a smile sprawling its way to his lips. "That one's got the making of a pirate."
George heaved a burst of hearty laughter and replied, "You can say that again, Captain."
Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were behind her, blasting away attackers and all in the same time trying to keep Hook's ship afloat against the equally greater magic Pan had brought with him: Tinker Bell.
In a twist of events, what Emma had thought was a mere children's story had turned into her greatest nightmare; and Regina and Rumpelstiltskin were there to confirm it as they wiped sweat from their foreheads and continued to hold their own against the magical fairy tossing the worst of fairy dust at them, which glowed in the dark sky like fireworks, beautiful and dangerous. Like most things in Neverland.
On the other side of her, she saw Timbers and another pirate whose name escaped her, as they defended themselves; however, the other pirate fell as soon as his body was lodged with two swords at once. Timbers stood beside him, mouth ajar with an unspoken name, and in a flash of a second, the calm, flirty boy that had greeted them turned into a blood seeking avenger.
"Damn it, Malley!" he screamed his friend's name in anguish as he sliced one of the Lost Boys in two and imbedded his dagger into the other's neck.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see Greg climbing aboard the ship, a gun in his hand.
"Regina!" she yelled and Regina followed her pointed finger, and sneered as she started to collect magic in her palms.
But before Regina could run towards Greg, leaving Rumpelstiltskin to his own defenses, Tinker Bell had released powerful paralysis powder conjured from her palms. Behind Regina, Greg had spotted her and pointed his gun, shooting three rounds at her. She quickly ducked behind the closest protective object as a mixture of fairy dust and wood splinters rained around her.
Rumpelstiltskin winced as his fingers wrapped around the closest thing he could use to pull himself up. He looked down to see his leg sparkling in Tinker Bell's magic, most feeling lost other than a strain that sent jolts up through his body. Distracted, Rumpelstiltskin failed to notice another paralysis powder Tinker Bell was forming in her hands before he was blasted in his back.
Emma maneuvered around the fight towards Greg and made a move to attack him, but a Lost Boy had suddenly grabbed a hold of her arm and attempted to stab her with his dagger. She quickly lurched her body away from him as much as possible before twisting her arm away and kicking him back into a middle of another fight. She grabbed her gun that was nicely tucked in her jeans before twisting to turn towards Greg, aware that the situation had escalated to a showdown.
Before Greg pulled the trigger aimed at Emma, his body was forcibly pulled around and a fist flew, his head twirling, sending him to his knees. As he fell unconscious, Emma lowered her gun when she saw Hook behind Greg's body, shaking the pain away from his fist.
"Payback's a bitch, eh?" he hypothetically asked as he gave Greg a little kick. He bent behind him to take hold of the sword he left on the ground.
"Emma?! You alright?" She could hear her mother shouting amidst the slowly dwindling chaos.
"I'm fine!" she replied. "What about you and David?"
She found that she didn't need an answer when Snow had taken a bow from a fallen Lost Boy and shot three arrows one after another, each hitting their marks. Meanwhile, beside her, almost in sync, Charming had expertly and single-handedly fought off four at a time. Although he had taken a liking to the sheriff outfit, holding a sword in his hands again was like a missing part of himself—his body, his mind, his personality, his character—had regenerated.
He turned to glance at his daughter to voice his excitement, but the smile he wore slid off like water, his eyes widening. "Emma! Behind you!"
Emma could hear a distant click and even though she was aware it was too late, her hand moved to her gun anyway.
"Drop it, and put your hands up."
"Tamara, don't do this."
She could hear a chuckle behind her.
"I shot my fiancé, Emma. Don't think I won't shoot you too."
Reluctantly, Emma raised her arms and turned around slowly, a frown marring her face.
Emma was in quite a predicament as far as he could tell, Charming and Snow had been cornered, no doubt from trying to save their daughter, and Regina was barely holding up on her own defenses against Tinker Bell with the Crocodile splayed on the ground. His fingers twitched weakly for some upper hand, but he had fallen on his chest and his position called for too many blind spots blocking his sight for what he would be hitting if he were to cast a spell. It was too dangerous and Rumpelstiltskin did not want to take the chance of hitting his own.
The pirates who had stood their own were now being overpowered by the larger group of Lost Boys who began to surround them, stepping over bodies; and soon, Hook found himself on the losing end. His eyes flashed dangerously back and forth, trying to find some way out, but every theory ended with one of them falling dead on the floor—whether it be the Charmings or his men or even himself.
"You might as well give up, Captain," a familiar snobby tone suggested. Although his voice was different, his cocky nature was the same.
Hook sighed and licked his lips. "Pan," he greeted, turning around.
Staring back at him in a body that was not his at all, flew an irony of all ironies, for the boy he was to save was now the boy who refused to grow up.
Regina's lip quivered as she saw her son, eyes shining a different identity, but still seemingly the same. "Henry?"
Henry—Peter Pan did not break his stare from Hook and nonchalantly pointed out, "You look older."
"That's generally what happens when you decide to leave Neverland," joked Hook before he awkwardly added, "Not that you would know..."
"Are you sure you're in a position to joke? After all, your current situation isn't ideal." Pan sauntered to one of his dead Lost Boys and pulled a bloodied sword from the ground. He turned the blade with admiration and watched as drops of blood slid down to the handle.
Emma swallowed down a build up of disgust in her throat as she watched the body of Henry sliding his index finger along the blood and pinching his fingers together, watching the substance transfer to his thumb.
"What seems to be the problem? As far as I know, we are just sailing the seas, not violating any of your rules."
"Right, and sailing with the Dark One is a normal occurrence. Not to mention how many of my boys you've killed."
"We can talk about this," said Hook, lifting his hands as a symbol of his willingness to cooperate.
"You should have thought of that before you decided to fight the Lost Boys—" A round of cheers from the hooded figures interrupted him. Pan smirked. "And, now that I know you plan on taking my body from me, there's no way you're getting off this ship free. So take your pick, Cap." Pan's eyes hovered over George, Timbers, Snow, and so on until he glanced back at Hook. "Surrender, or I kill your crew."
Hook stared at him for just a minute longer, his expression stoic. He glanced at Rumpelstiltskin's still form lying behind Pan, regret sinking into him that if he had not agreed to help Emma, he might still have been able to avenge Milah's death. And now, he was going to die before he even had the chance to complete his lifelong mission.
As if he had been reading Hook's mind, Pan reached out and pulled on Rumpelstiltskin's hair, sliding the sword underneath his neck. His eyes glimmered with pure enjoyment as he analyzed Hook. "If you don't surrender, I'll kill the man you loathe the most, and leave you to your pathetic life to live with the fact that you failed to avenge your love. Again."
With one last glance at Rumpelstiltskin, Hook couldn't help the sly grin that slowly grew on his lips. "Oi, Pan. Your shoelaces are untied."
Pan cocked an eyebrow up as he narrowed his eyes, looking down. And in a sudden moment, Rumpelstiltskin's palm flew back and pressed against Henry's stomach, a light protruding in between, as Henry's body flew back into the captain's quarters. Immediately after, he threw an orb, a spell he had been channeling magic to use since they arrived on the ship, at Tinker Bell, encasing her inside, as it dropped to the ground.
As soon as Tamara had turned her head to see what had caused the crash, Emma leaped forward and pushed the arm holding the gun up. Tamara turned back around and out of instinct, her finger pushed against the trigger, gun shots blaring into the night sky. Emma quickly kicked the flinching Tamara back, knocking the gun out of her reach. She grabbed a hold of Tamara's front shirt and drew her fist back, her mind quickly analyzing the emotions she felt for Tamara, and the only feeling she could name was the feeling of anger. Anger for Tamara's disregard to Neal's feelings, anger for her killing him and trying to kill her too, anger for dragging Henry straight into harm's way. With one last grip, Emma unleashed the strongest punch she had ever thrown.
Snow was quick to tend to Rumpelstiltskin's lack of strength as she pointed for George to help stand guard against any Lost Boys that were brave enough to attempt an attack on the Dark One. Even though he was technically unable to fight, the only working parts being his arms and head, that hadn't stopped him from sending their leader through a wooden wall on the other side of the ship.
"Henry!" Regina panicked.
"I got him!" assured Charming as he ran towards where Henry had fallen.
In a rain of the remains of what had once been his room, Hook took advantage of the distraction and disarmed the few Lost Boys in front of him, motioning for his crew to do the same.
Greg, racing to help his girlfriend, was quickly stopped when Regina stepped out in front of him, wearing an unafraid smirk and expecting a long overdue payback as she took off her gloves. "Hello, Greg." Her hands sparked with magic but it didn't compare to the fire burning in her eyes. "How have you been?"
His eyes flickered from her eyes to her hands. "Regina," he managed to say without stuttering as he backed away slowly. "Regina, you have to understand. I was trying to find my father. My father."
Teeth sparkling under the moonlight, Regina simply said, "Maybe you should have considered the consequences before you decided to torture me."
She tugged the edges of her gloves snugly over her hand, exhaustion starting to overcome her. Sparing one last glance at Greg's limp body, Regina turned around, worry replaced the mask of revenge as she quickly made her way towards Charming and Henry.
She nodded at Hook as she passed, barely listening to the orders he was barking to man the helm and mop the deck. They had successfully conquered the Lost Boys, who were being guarded by the remaining crew of the Jolly Roger, who also proceeded to collect bodies of the dead. Hook's ship was a mess that even with the magic wood, it still fell to Tinker Bell's power.
Regina tip toed around the debris and fell to her knees beside Henry. Full of remorse, she gently pushed back the bangs from his forehead. Crouched on the other side, Emma looked at her and asked, "How long will that orb hold Tinker Bell?"
"Not very long," she estimated.
Rumpelstiltskin limped in, his weight relying heavily on his cane. The paralysis was starting to wear off, but it still took a toll on his body as his limbs felt heavier. Snow hovered behind him, ready to catch him if he fell.
Emma stood up once she saw him enter. "So, what's next? We wake him up with True Love's Kiss?"
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean?" asked Hook, who approached the group, making himself aware in the conversation. "I thought it could break any curse."
"Yes, but unfortunately, True Love's Kiss won't work in this circumstance." Looking almost regretful, Rumpelstiltskin continued, "When I cast the spell, Henry wasn't the only one affected. If we wake him up using True Love's Kiss, we risk a chance of Peter Pan awakening too. And, as I'm sure you can tell, once Peter Pan rises, the Lost Boys and Tinker Bell will have power once more."
Stumped, Snow shook her head. "What do we do now?"
"Since Henry is unconscious, Pan is weakened and I should be able to separate the two before Henry wakes up."
Regina narrowed her eyes at him, immediately noticing a shift in confidence. "What are you worried about?"
He paused for a moment, before licking his lips and saying, "I've only cast this spell once and it resulted in the victim..." Another pause, and Emma was quick to pester him to continue.
"What happened?"
He sighed. "He died. He refused to wake up even after True Love's Kiss."
Emma gasped and raised her hands to her head, pushing back her hair as she began to pace, muttering, "Oh my God," over and over again. It felt like her life was spinning away from her and every possible conclusion seemed to end horribly.
Rumpelstiltskin stared after her before continuing. "My assumption is that he fell far too deep in the dream."
Tears pricked Regina's eyes as she laughed, sarcastically, a vein in her forehead straining. "That's just...that's just great."
Emma wanted to scream. They were so close to saving Henry, but then like some sick and twisted Grimms' Fairy Tale, it seemed impossible. Henry, the kid who made Emma believe, who never lost hope in happy endings was now stuck in a curse that was perfect for him. "S-So how do we...how do we keep him from dying? How do we stop him from believing the dream?"
Rumpelstiltskin puckered his lips as he thought. "I can send one person in to the same curse and conjoin the dreams. Whoever does that will need to keep Henry believing in reality. I should be able to pull both out before it's too late."
"I'll go," Emma said without hesitation.
Regina quickly disagreed. "What? No, I'll go."
"I think it would be better if Miss Swan went." Rumpelstiltskin shrugged as far as his shoulders would let him when Regina let out a seething glare towards him. "I'm in a bad state as it is, and I'll need Regina's magic to help me cast the spell."
"Why can't you just let her do it? She's the product of True Love. She has magic too," Regina argued.
"Yes, but she doesn't know anything about controlling it, dearie," he said in a familiar high pitched tone. "And if you want to get Henry out alive, you're going to have to help me from here."
"Can you send two?" asked Hook, a question that caught the attention of many reactions.
Emma whipped around to look at him. "You are not coming with me."
Charming frowned and stood beside Emma, his hands motioning to his daughter. "Wait a minute, if you can send two, let me go with Emma."
"I can, but it's risky. The curse I sent Henry in shows you what you desire the most. However, that's as far as I know. If I send two people at the same time with two different ideal lives, who knows what might happen."
"Can't you just send one of us after Emma? It's what you're doing with Henry and Emma, right?" Charming continued.
Rumpelstiltskin shook his head and stood away from his cane, the feeling in his legs returning slowly. "Casting a powerful curse such as that uses a lot of magic. And Regina and I will have to preserve enough to bring them back."
"Well, we're family, we have..." Snow paused, unsure of how she would word the following statement. "Somewhat similar ideal lives."
"No!" Emma jumped away from her parents. "No one is going with me!"
"Don't be stubborn, Emma."
She shook her head, refusing to listen to any more reasoning. "Look, I'm not putting any of you in risk more than you are now."
Snow's face fell as she replied gently, "None of this is your fault, sweetie. We chose to come here to save Henry."
Emma's heart fluttered at the thought of the love Henry had received, and she was so very grateful, but she would never allow her parents, of all people, to follow her into what seemed like a road to death if not done right. "But now I have a choice, and I choose this."
Frustrated, Charming spun around and walked away from the group, but was close enough to still hear the conversation. They were silent, as if waiting for him to explode like a volcano and list one hundred reasons why Emma wasn't allowed on her own, but he only craned his head and weakly joked, "I swear, you get your stubbornness from your mother's side."
Snow laughed through tears, though whether it was genuine or not was questionable. "Speak for yourself."
They paused, not liking the situation one bit. Regina and Rumpelstiltskin easily sensed the tension and allowed the Charmings privacy to say their goodbyes, whereas Hook hovered around them, looking as observant as he had when he had entered the diner with Charming.
"Emma, I am so sorry," Snow said as soon as she had Emma in her arms in a heartfelt hug.
"Why?"
"We have to leave you again," Charming explained. He held one arm around his wife and another around his daughter, holding them tightly against him, trying to memorize the feeling of holding his family to him once again.
Smiling, Emma broke away from them just slightly. "I'm coming back."
"You better. Or I swear to God, Emma..." Charming trailed off, unable to voice what he would do, for he wasn't sure if he could handle even the thought of losing her.
Emma bit her lip, and stood silent for a moment before addressing, "Dad, Mom...I'm coming back. With Henry."
Snow choked on her tears and enveloped Emma in another hug before quickly breaking away and taking her face in her hands, her thumbs grazing over Emma's cheeks.
"I always choose the most dangerous times to be sentimental, I know," said Emma before placing her hand over Snow's.
Charming laughed and pressed a long kiss against her temple. "Stay safe and come back no matter what."
She nodded, biting her lip and refusing to allow her tears to fall.
Whispering final goodbyes, Emma broke away from her family and bent down to Henry, placing a kiss on his forehead. "I'm coming for you, kid," she whispered. Charming quickly slid his arms under Henry's limp body, and pulled him up to his chest, carrying him to the safer side of the ship, behind Regina and Rumpelstiltskin.
Emma exhaled, and she stared at the faces in front of her. Her mother and father, Regina, Gold, and the pirates that had collected behind them wanting to see what was happening. Thad stood off to the side and gave her a comforting wink, and Emma nodded in response.
"Let's get this over with. I want to go home."
Rumpelstiltskin nodded his head towards Charming. "When I cast the spell, put Henry beside Emma." He quickly muttered orders to Regina, who placed her hands over his hands, and after a few seconds of sweat and teeth gritting, magic had been conjured between their palms. Charming held Henry tighter to his body as Snow stood farther back with Thad.
"Hold your ground," warned Rumpelstiltskin. "If it's anything like what happened to Henry, it'll hurt."
Emma's eyebrows jumped at his bluntness. "Thanks for the heads up."
With one final touch of magic, Regina stepped back slowly, letting Rumpelstiltskin handle the curse by himself. She looked at Emma and gave her a nod, both understanding the silent exchange. Emma looked back to Rumpelstiltskin and watched as he pulled his arm back. Allowing herself one final look at her family, she closed her eyes, awaiting the pressure of a curse that would envelop her.
She felt a grip on her wrist and then a muffled yell, causing her eyes to pop open. The last thing she saw was black before everything began to fade, the familiar feeling of pain hitting her body and the hold on her wrist never loosening.
A white flash awoke her as she stirred awake. Emma had expected to feel burning pain or any sort of pain at all, but she was surprised to find herself waking up to a pleasant feeling. What felt like silk sheets easily dropped off her skin like water, as she shifted on the most comfortable bed to ever exist.
Sighing comfortably, her eyes cracked open slowly as color began to fill back into her sight, and then she saw a face.
"Morning, lover," he said with a familiar nervous smile.
The next thing she knew, a piercing scream escaped her throat and her leg began to kick until she could hear a satisfying thump and groan.
.
.
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A/N: 7,000+ words and oh my gosh, I feel like my brain's going to overload. Sorry it took so long. I rewrote the fight scene two times before finally settling with something simpler, which is the final product. I also changed the summary.
As promised, this chapter is way more exciting than the last. The following chapters will start getting into the dream AU with Killian, Emma, and Henry. It'll flash from dream world to reality. I'm still finding the plot in the next chapters a little rocky, but I'm hoping (with your encouragement) I'll be able to pull everything together.
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*This chapter is dedicated to Alternative27Angel. Thank you so much for being there for me and being the best friend I've ever had.*
Wandering Lady: Gah, I just love your reviews! Thank you very much and I'm happy you enjoy the story, especially the Snow and Hook exchange. I hope to hear more from you!
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Ugh, so I love and hate this chapter, but maybe it's a personal thing with me being the writer and all. I love the beginning and up until the fight, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It's supposed to be quick paced because of how the events are suddenly unfolding, but I hope that translated well. So please leave me a review and let me know what you feel about it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
My appreciation to those who have read, favorited, alerted, and reviewed this story.