Title: Technicalities

Chapter Three: You Can Fly! (When There's A Smile In Your Heart)

Rating: K

Summary: Regina, Emma and Co. finally realize that Henry and Neal are missing. They go to Rumpelstiltskin to break the news and come up with a plan to rescue them.

Disclaimer: I don't own Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Snow White, Charming, Henry Mills, Rumpelstiltskin, Hook, Neal or anything from Once Upon a Time; they are property of Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and ABC.

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long! I just needed to find the motivation to write again but this is the 'gathering parties' chapter I suppose is what you'd call it. None of this happens in the show it's just loosely based off some of the events. All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

A few days ago

Regina woke up later that night to loud knocking. At some point during the day she must have fallen asleep because she was still in the study. She slowly got up and thought, 'Whoever that is I am going to destroy their happiness,' with a sigh she made her way towards the front door, 'right after I get rid of this headache.'

As she made her way to the door the knocking turned to pounding and became more frantic. Regina took a second to look at the door and scoffed then turned to the mirror in the hallway. Whoever was at the door could wait a few more seconds so she could make sure she looked presentable. As she was fluffing her hair the door burst open and Emma came flying in after it.

Regina looked Emma up and down then glanced past her. She noticed she had brought along Snow, David, Ruby, and Granny. Regina instantly tensed when she saw the rest of the group. The scene vaguely reminded her of a nightmare she once had but as she quickly remembered that Henry wasn't living with her anymore. She looked back toward the group and addressed Emma, "What do I owe the pleasure Miss Swan?"

Emma stepped closer to Regina and she noticed that Emma looked panicked. Emma said in a strained voice, "Henry's gone."

Regina ,on reflex, took a half step back and put a hand over her heart, "What? What do you mean he's gone?"

Emma turned back toward the group, "Can you guys meet us there?"

Ruby and Granny nodded and started their journey but David and Snow lingered. Snow was trying to hold back tears. She had watched Emma cry earlier and it was heartbreaking. David looked between Emma and Regina he silently observed them but then he squeezed Snow's hand and with one final look they headed off without a word. Regina was so focused on Henry that she didn't notice the group leave. She was trying to think of all the places he could have gone, "Did you check his castle? Archie? What about his friends?"

Emma simply nodded, "We've checked those places. He's not there...or anywhere. We can't find him."

"He can't just disappear! We have to find him Miss Swan!" Regina yelled at Emma. She was starting to panic and it showed. Her breath was beginning to quicken, she began to sway on her feet, and her heart started to beat faster. Emma quickly stepped up and placed her hands on Regina's arms. She could tell that Regina was having a panic attack. So she looked into Regina's eyes and said, "We will find our son. I promise."

Regina looked back into Emma's eyes and instantly calmed down. She evened out her breathing and nodded, "What do we do now?"

"We go and have a talk with Rumpelstiltskin," Emma grabbed her hand and started to lead her out of the house.

"We shouldn't trust him. I know if you give me a little time I can find Henry," Regina said determinedly. Emma smiled over at her, "I know you could but Henry isn't the only one who's missing."

Regina looked perplexed and ran over the list of town residents in her mind. She couldn't come up with anyone who would interest Rumpelstiltskin besides Belle and Henry hasn't meet her yet, "Who else is missing?"

Emma's face was set in a slight frown, "Neal, Henry's father and Rumpelstiltskin's son."

Regina stopped and gave her a look of utter disbelief. Emma turned around, "I know, I know. I didn't know who he was at the time and he didn't tell me. Not that I would have believed him but it doesn't matter anymore I'm over him. Have been for ten years."

Regina could only nod and with that they continued their way to Rumpelstiltskin's shop.

Neal and Henry looked around. They were in Neverland alright an ocean to one side and a forest to the other. Fortunately, they were lucky enough and they landed on the beach. They had been walking for a few hours just looking around and as they continued to walk Henry spoke up, "I'm starting to think I should have left a note, you know? So my moms would know I didn't run away again."

Neal stopped walking and faced Henry, "You didn't leave a note?"

"No," Henry answered simply and continued walking.

Neal looked up to the sky and silently mouthed, 'Why?' then jogged to catch up with his son, "Alright. Since we might be here for a while I say we build a shelter and then maybe go swimming. Then I'll teach you how to fish. How does that sound?"

Henry looked up at Neal with a smile, "I'd like that."

"Good," Neal reached down and ruffled his hair then grinned, "I'll race you to the tree line!"

With that he took off and Henry called after him, "That's not fair!"

Neal only laughed and continued to run with Henry hot on his trail but as they got closer to the tree line he noticed a familiar figure fly overhead.

Emma and Regina stood outside of Rumpelstiltskin's shop and Regina noticed that they were still holding hands. She reluctantly retracted hers and instantly missed the warmth. But she pushed the feelings down and carried on. She walked into the shop and noticed Rumpelstiltskin in the arms of Lacey. He looked devastated and she instantly thought, 'I suppose they already told him that his son was missing as well.'

Regina looked around and noticed everyone was just waiting. So she walked past everyone and went up to the mourning couple, "Rumpelstiltskin, we need your help. Will you help us get Henry and Neal back?"

He looked at her and instantly began to think of a deal he could make but one look at Lacey and he instantly softened, "Yes."

Outside of the shop Archie was walking by with Pongo. He saw Emma and stopped her before she went inside, "Uh, Miss Swan? May I speak with you for a moment?"

Emma turned, "Hey Archie. What do you need?"

"Hi," Archie smiled and watched as Emma bent down to pent Pongo, "I was wondering if you were aware about Henry and Neal?"

Emma instantly stopped petting Pongo, "What do you know about them?"

"Well, you see...Henry thought he had dodged me. I thought that was a little suspicious because he usually likes to see Pongo," Archie began. Emma looked at him and raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word. Henry was a little kid and his behavior would be that of one. Archie continued, "So, I followed him a short distance to the docks and saw that he met up with Neal. They had a conversation but I wasn't close enough to hear it. Then Henry took something out of his backpack and they made their way to the end of the docks and then the water started to glow. They jumped in and never came out of the water."

Emma looked wide-eyed at Archie then quickly turned around and made her way into Rumpelstiltskin's shop. She glanced at her parents then made her way over to Regina, "I think Neal took Henry though a portal."

Regina whirled to face Emma, "What makes you say that?"

"Because I just heard about it from Archie!" explained Emma.

A chorus of "What?" rang throughout the small shop and Granny spoke up, "How did he know?"

Emma quickly told his story and Regina looked stricken, "We have to find Henry!"

"I know, but how?" Emma asked. Then she began to think, "Why can't we open a portal? We've done it before."

"That was with the help of a hat, dear," Regina's mouth twitched in an almost smile, "but not a bad idea."

Regina then turned toward David and Snow and could barely hide the animosity, "What about those beans you've been growing?"

Snow looked surprised, "You know about the beans?"

"Of course I do," Regina rolled her eyes, "I've known about them for weeks."

David stepped towards her and nearly growled, "Then it was you who burned them down!"

Regina hid the shock from her face well, "They were burnt down?"

"Don't act innocent we know you're not," David snapped but Emma stepped in between them and looked at Regina. She turned around to face David, "I believe her."

Snow furrowed her eyebrows and David tried to argue, "But-"

"No," Emma began, "I know she's telling the truth. I believe her."

Rumpelstiltskin looked up from looking at Lacey and watched the scene unfold. He began to smile, "There is one thing you could try, dearies."

Emma looked at Rumpelstiltskin, "And what's that?"

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to continue but Regina cut him off, "Wait. What's your price?"

He took on a somber look, "I require nothing. We're family and we are trying to find our own."

Regina was speechless. This was the first time Rumpelstiltskin wanted nothing from her. She glanced at Emma then nodded at him to continue. Rumpelstiltskin's smile appeared on his face again, "You could take the ashes of the burnt beans and create the portal. But you'd have to use the combined magic of yourself and Miss Swan to help open the portal."

Both Regina and Emma blushed. Emma looked from Regina to Rumpelstiltskin, "What-why-but-I thought we needed a hat?"

"You're as eloquent as ever, dear," Regina tried to suppress a smile at Emma's nerves.

Rumpelstiltskin's smile grew into an all-out grin as he continued, "Oh, you need the compass to navigate through the portal. When you use it think of Henry. That will guide the compass to him."

Snow and David nodded, "We should have a talk with Hook. He's been to Neverland before and he has a ship we could use."

Everyone nodded in agreement. David looked to Rumpelstiltskin, "Are you coming with us?"

Lacey looked up at Rumpelstiltskin, "You should go and look for your son."

"Really?" his voice was full of hope. He was afraid of leaving her in the state she was in. She nodded, "Sure, I'll find someone to stay with."

"You can stay at the inn," Granny piped up. Ruby smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we'll make sure to take care of you."

They began to gather their things and head toward the docks but before they got there Rumpelstiltskin stopped them, "I think I should talk with him alone."

"Why should we trust you?" David asked suspiciously.

"The moment he sees me he'll try to kill me but I can strike a deal with him. I just need to plant a few ideas in his head and to be able to do that I need to talk to him alone. Let me do that," explained Rumpelstiltskin. The group was extremely hesitant but they reluctantly agreed and Rumpelstiltskin headed toward the docks by himself, "Don't worry I'll call you once the deal has been made."

"I don't like this," Said Regina. Snow huffed, "That's something we can agree on. None of us like this."

Once Rumpelstiltskin saw the Jolly Roger he began to walk toward it. As soon as Hook saw him he went for him but Rumpelstiltskin said something that made him instantly stop, "What if I told you I could bring Milah back?"

Hook looked like he believed it but for only a second but then he remembered a lesson he learned long ago, "Magic can do many things but it cannot bring back the dead!"

With that he started towards Rumpelstiltskin again and Rumpelstiltskin stood there and with a smile said, "She's not dead."

Neal saw the figure fly overhead and instantly knew who it was. He ran back and grabbed Henry's hand, "We have to run and whatever you do don't let go of my hand."

"Why?" Henry was instantly curious. Neal glanced down at Henry but then kept his focus on the path ahead, "Peter Pan is here."

Henry, not knowing the full horror, exclaimed in an excited voice, "Oh cool! Peter Pan!"

"No, Peter Pan is nothing like how they portray him in your world. He may have been like that at one time but he's nothing like that now, "Neal stopped and helped Henry over a log, "We have to keep moving or he'll find us."

As they ran Neal kept looking over their shoulders and he could see the figure following them in the sky. Peter Pan was still here but as they continued to run he may not find them. Neal thought, 'How can this be? I thought we had gotten rid of him the last time?'

Just when they thought they'd out ran him Peter Pan came crashing through the tree tops and flying towards Henry. All of a sudden a flaming arrow pierced the sky and almost hit Peter Pan. This drove him back and he flew back up into the sky. Neal and Henry were shocked and when they looked back they were faced with The Lost Boys.

Hook stopped his advances once again and looked at Rumpelstiltskin with skepticism, "What do you mean she's not dead?"

Rumpelstiltskin began to walk around Hook, "I'm The Dark One, dearie. I can make anyone look like they're dead."

"But I watched her die! I gave her an ocean burial!" Hook tried to reason all the facts. Rumpelstiltskin continued to walk around him, "When I took out her heart I only pretended to kill her. It was easy enough to switch the bodies since you were so stricken with grief you had cried yourself to sleep."

Hook glared and growled at Rumpelstiltskin, "What? You know it's true. But it gets better! After I brought her back to my house I put her heart back but she kept insisting on going back to her twu luv."

Hook stepped close to Rumpelstiltskin, "What did you do to her?"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled and stood tall, "Did you know there are only two ways to become a fairy? You either have to be born a fairy or cursed to be one."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hook stepped back and looked confusingly at him. Rumpelstiltskin let out a shrill laugh, "I cursed Milah to be a fairy of course!"

"That's it. I'm tired of talking with you, "Hook lunged at him and he disappeared in a swirl of black smoke. But seconds later Rumpelstiltskin reappeared behind him,"Ah, ah, ah. You know that won't work, dearie. I'm only trying to help you."

Hook had only one choice but to glare at him. Rumpelstiltskin never lost his smile, "Let's make a deal, shall we?"

Hook stood there and mumbled, "I'll never make a deal with you."

Rumpelstiltskin gasped and put a hand over his heart, "Not even to save poor Milah? I'll be sure to tell her when I get to Neverland."

Hook clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, "Name your price."

"We need to use your ship…" Rumpelstiltskin answered as he glanced at the Jolly Roger. Hook sighed, "Fine, but I want you to leave me and Milah alone once we get back."

"That's not a fair deal. What do you have in it for me?" Rumpelstiltskin tapped his cane.

If looks could kill...well, a lot of people in Storybrooke would probably be dead by now but Rumpelstiltskin would definitely be dead because Hook glared at Rumpelstiltskin with all the hatred he had but then he remembered something, "I may have something to help your precious Belle," Hook said with a shrug. Rumpelstiltskin lost his cool demeanor, dropped his cane, and grabbed Hook by the shirt, "What is it?"

Hook smiled, "Now who's intrigued? Do we have a deal?"

Rumpelstiltskin put him down and procured a contract, "Just sign on the dotted line and we do."

Hook eyed him wearily but signed anyway, "Alright. Now what?"

Rumpelstiltskin pulled out his cell phone and called David. Everyone gathered their things and boarded the Jolly Roger, "Do you have the ashes and compass?"

Emma held up a vile and pointed to the compass around her neck, "Yes."

"Alright, let's set sail," David exclaimed excitedly. Hook stood at the wheel waiting and mumbled, "That was my line."

And they set sail. As soon as they got into open ocean they decided it was safe to toss the ashes. Emma and Regina took their place at the bow, or front of the ship.

"Are you ready?" Emma turned toward Regina.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Regina nervously replied and shook out her whole body. This was the time she could be the hero for Henry. It was also the time she could prove to herself that she could really be good.

She watched as Emma threw the ashes into the ocean. The portal struggled to open it actually looked like a black hole. They quickly grabbed each other's hand and concentrated on Henry. The portal began to change color and crackle with magical energy. Then it opened fully.

Emma looked to Regina in surprise, "I didn't think that would work."

"Neither did I," Regina kept her gaze straight ahead. Emma could tell she was lying but she didn't say anything. As Emma continued to stare at Regina she noticed that she had tears in her eyes. It could have been from the wind or it could have been from something else. All Emma knew was that she wanted to stop those tears from ever happening. She also noticed that they were still holding hands but she wasn't complaining.

They were on their way to Neverland to find their son.

A/N 2: I hope this didn't switch too often and wasn't too difficult to follow. If it was please let me know! Also, I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it. The next two chapters will be focusing more on SwanQueen :)

(edit) I went back and edited the chapter a bit so if it seems different...it is! I thought I missed a few parts and that it could be cleaned up a bit. I admit I probably didn't catch everything but I hope I made it a little better.