I said no apologies for the length of time between chapters, but this one was a particularly long gap and I am sorry. But hopefully, as you read on through this and know that it was a painstaking process, you will find it in your hearts to forgive me.
Killian woke to the sound of a cockerel. There was light filtering through the windows, casting the room in a soft, cerulean hue. He could see his breath as he looked up at the ceiling, leaving his lips in faint, moist puffs with each breath.
It was far too early for the sun to have crept over the horizon, leaving shadows in the dark corners of Tortuga as Killian hugged Regina closer. She'd snuggled into his side in the night. As the fire had slowly died she'd crept closer and closer still, until the dark fabric of her jeans was pressed against worn leather and they shared both the blanket and his long coat for added warmth.
Mornings in Neverland were his favourite, with the distant sound of singing birds and the far off drums of the Piccaninnies; beating their farewell to the hunters who left before the dawn.
"They're going to talk." Regina's gravely, tired voice startled him. He hadn't realized she was awake. He turned his head, smiling as she looked up at him with her chin pressed to his shoulder and her eyes, blinking against the dim blue light.
"About what, love?"
"This," She gestured, and though the movement of her hand was brief his assumption that she was referring to the manner in which they'd spent the night, was correct.
"Since when do you care what they think?"
Regina smirked, resting her cheek on the pillow again, pressing her eyes closed for a moment as she licked her lips. Killian watched her, utterly enthralled by her.
Though he'd known from the moment he met her, that she was beautiful, he'd never taken a great deal of time to study her. He'd watched her from the roof tops of Storybrooke, but to her mother's ends. He'd watched her as she'd circled him in her chambers, in that palace he'd always assumed far too large for one. But he'd never really taken the time to really look at her. He was too busy stabbing her in the back and being stabbed, just as tenaciously, by her.
"They want to know which side I'm on and if I don't choose theirs, Henry is truly lost."
Killian reached over, turning his shoulders so that he could look her square in the eye. She watched him carefully, her eyelashes fluttering as he reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. "Do you really think it's a matter of good or evil anymore, darling?"
"Isn't that what it always is?"
He marveled at her innocence. For a so-called Evil Queen, who had slain and murdered, pillaged and clawed at vengeance, she was remarkably innocent to the world. He supposed that's what happens, when you steal the dreams of a little girl and mould her into a monster.
"There is never only two sides, love." He smirked, running his fingers through her hair and cupping the back of her head. She leaned into the embrace, smiling as she felt his fingers trail a line down her throat, over her collarbone to rest in the dip of her clavicle as he spoke. "There's you and me and then there's the Swan and her Charming family." He smirked, kissing the tips of her fingers as she pulled them up between them. Regina chuckled gently, surprised by the touch. "And then there's the Crocodile; surely you don't think yourself in league with any of them and they're certainly not in league with each other."
"So what does that make us?" She shuffled closer, wrapping her fingers around his, beneath his chin. "Because we're certainly not good."
"Neither are they, love, and that's precisely my point."
"So what," She smirked. "Are you and I in the same league?"
"What do you think?"
"You and me, against the world?"
Killian grinned. "If you'd like."
Regina released his hand, reaching out to touch her fingers to his chest. She felt the soft hairs against her fingertips, watching her own movements - knowing he was watching her - as she trailed a line down his chest. The pendants on his heavy chain chinked as they fell aside and he could feel his skin heating up the further down she traveled.
"I don't know." She pressed her stomach to his, looking into his eyes through her lashes as her small hand disappeared beneath the waist of his pants. "You and me and forget the world, sounds a whole lot better."
Killian's breath caught in his throat as she stroked him; her cold fingers causing his body to jerk, incidentally thrusting against her hand. Regina startled, letting go for a moment before his hand gently gripped her wrist.
"It's alright, Regina," He breathed, brushing his thumb over the pulse point as their eyes met. His normally bright eyes had darkened to the colour of the ocean just before a storm, as he watched the blacks of hers spread out to overtake what was left of the chestnut within. "Just a little cold," His voice shook just slightly as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his jaw with a smile.
"I can fix that." She continued to trail a line of velvet kisses across his jaw, the feel of rough stubble brushing against her full lips and scratching against her chin.
"I'm sure you can, love."
Regina pulled herself up to sit beside him on the bed; deftly she released the ties of his pants, tugging them down over his knees just enough for him to kick them off himself as she lifted one leg over to straddle his waist. Killian grinned up at her, dipping the fingers of his good hand beneath her shirt. He trailed his fingers up her spine, guiding her down to rest against his chest with his hand splayed out against her shoulder-blades. He ran his tongue along her lower lip as she arched into him, pressing her lips to his.
"You're okay with this, darling?"
Regina didn't answer, instead pressing her lips to his once more in a bruising kiss. Suddenly she sat up, knees on either side of his waist, reaching for his left wrist that lay on the bed beside him, smirking as she twisted his hook off and leaned over him to place it on the bedside table.
"Safety first," He jested, seizing the opportunity to press a tender kiss to her throat. Regina moaned, tilting her head and leaning into him to allow him better access. He inched her shirt up as he peppered kisses along her collarbone, raising his eyebrow with pride as, one handed, he skillfully removed her the thin black cotton. The tank-top hadn't been much to begin with, but she still shivered in the early dawn chill, hugging her arms against her sides.
Killian sat up, holding her against him as he pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. She did her best to ignore the cold, wrapping her arms around him, placing wet kisses to where his heart beat wildly in his chest.
She hesitated for a moment as they sat there, chest to chest in the middle of the bed; her small palm hovering over his heart. She could take it. The thought crossed her mind for a split second, forcing her to press her eyes closed tightly, pulling her fingers into a fist as she bit down on her bottom lip, hard.
She knew it was the fear.
"Hey," His calloused fingertips against her cheekbone caused her eyes to blink open, startled when she was met with tender blue light. "Whatever you're afraid of, Regina," He smiled. "It won't find you here."
"I know," Her lips quivered as she attempted to smile and she nodded her head. "I know," She ground her hips into his, clutching his shoulders with short nails and strong, agile hands, forgetting the brief thought that taking his heart might protect her own. "You're not him."
Killian blinked at the statement; understanding. "No, love," He kissed the corner of her mouth. "I'm not."
Regina captured his mouth again, this time biting down on his lip, pulling it between her teeth as she reeled back, grinning. Killian laughed as she released him, reaching down between them for the silver buttons on her jeans.
She raised herself up on her knees so that he could push them down over her hips and he let her out of his arms just long enough for her to roll over, kick her jeans off the side of the bed before scrambling back again. Regina's skin was flushed a warm pink and she could no longer feel the chill, even as she crawled over him in her bra and panties, pressing him back down into the mattress.
"You know what I noticed first, about you?" She questioned, pushing on his chest as she rocked her hips against his. He stifled a moan at the friction she caused, stilling her movements with his hand against the inside of her thigh.
"What?" He smirked, watching her tug at one strap of her bra, as he desperately gripped her thigh in his broad hand.
"Your eyes."
"Dashing, aren't they?" Said eyes sparkled with mirth as Regina unclipped her bra slowly.
He watched her eagerly as she slipped the garment over one arm, letting it fall away, the lace strap trickling down her arm until it dropped from her wrist, over the side of the bed.
He took a moment to admire her, running his fingertips from her hip; pressing his palm to her belly as she leaned down; her bare stomach and chest to his, resting her palms on either side of his head.
"No." She shook her head, looking down into his eyes; she sucked in her bottom lip when she felt his touch at the edge of her breast and she giggled, arching away from his frosty fingertips on sensitive flesh. He held her tighter, intent to reverently trace a line across her ribs, around the curve of her exposed breast to the valley in between. His eyes raked over her as she squirmed, following the line of his thumb as the calloused digit flicked over her pert nipple, making her suck in a harsh gasp.
He hadn't seen such a thing as her in a few hundred years and he wanted to savor it for he didn't know when he'd get the chance again.
"They're just like mine."
"Yeah," His voice was deep and raspy as he breathed in through his nose, almost forgetting the point she was making. "Noticed that too."
She didn't speak anymore, nor did he when she smothered his open mouth with a fervent kiss.
He slowly removed her panties in much the way he had her jeans but he didn't wish to let her go, clinging to her hips even as she fought, growling deep in her throat when she couldn't shake them off. Regina allowed herself a small cheat, flicking her wrist to dispose of what was left of their clothing in a small spark of magic that left the air crackling with electricity.
He laughed, full-bellied and thick like honey as she grinned above him in triumph.
He caressed her soft, supple thigh as his fingers trailed down and her lips quirked with wonder at how skilled he was with just one hand. He caused her eyes to roll back in her head with every touch; the back of her knee, feathers against the inside of her thigh, the sensitive warmth of her core. His broken stub of a wrist held her slight waist to his as she halted his words with breathless kisses and strangled gasps.
Regina cried out as he entered her, her small hands clawing at the sheet on either side of his head; he held her hips firm, keeping her motionless for what felt like an eternity, breathing deeply before he started to rock his hips back and forth, eliciting small whimpers from her parted lips.
She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, her hair falling over his arm as they moved in a slow, steady rhythm. The smell of apples assailed him, tasting her skin spiced with cinnamon as he dragged his teeth and tongue across her throat. She gasped his name, open-mouthed, into his shoulder when he lifted her higher, garnering sharp, breathless moans from deep in her throat.
"Where's the captain?" Bill Jukes bellowed, stomping through the front door of the tavern as the sun hit the tallest of the land-bound masts in Tortuga.
"How'd you know he was back?" The barman asked, having long since known Jukes and his tattoos from the hawaiian maidens of his forearms to the bloodied skulls of his bared back. They were shipmates, back when the barman went by Gentleman Starkey and lived up to the moniker.
"We were drinking down by the lagoon and we heard the Mermaids conspiring." Cookson glared. "Don't the Captain know better than to trust the Mermaids? Or has he been off away from the Neverland too long to remember?"
"The Captain hasn't lost an inch of his smarts and you'll be well to remember that when you see him, lest he slice you from navel to nose, Cookson."
"Is he here, Starkey?" Bill's impatience showed in the sharp cut of his question; beady black eyes bearing down on the man as his broad arms flexed against the bar.
"He's in his room," Starkey nodded, throwing his thumb over his shoulder as if to point the way. Jukes and Cookson immediately scrambled for the stairs, but Starkey's voice stopped them short. "Beware though, the Captain's not alone and I get the feeling that woman won't take kind to being disturbed."
Both Jukes and Cookson scoffed at the idea, disappearing from view as Starkey went back to absently cleaning his bar.
Hook heard them before they arrived, the stomping of heavy boots on narrow stairs a reminder of years passed. Regina fidgeted next to him, nuzzling her nose into the side of his neck as she wrapped her arm around his tighter. He clung fast to her thigh, held firm in the strong expanse of his broad palm.
She'd curled around him only tighter in the cool twilight, with a soft sheet wrapped around their bodies to ward off the chill. It did little in the act now, having bunched up around their middles leaving feet and shoulders bare. Regina had buried her bare foot beneath his calf in an effort to keep warm, resting her small hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat against her palm.
Silken olive flesh pressed against skin tarnished by the open sea as Hook smiled at the way her hair had fallen in her eyes and stuck to her temples; her cheeks still a little flushed.
"Captain!" He heard voices bellow; two very familiar voices, with faces attached that were going to meet the butt of his cutlass for disturbing his peace.
"Captain!" They shouted again and Regina grumbled beside him, pressing her face firmly into the pillow as Hook chuckled at her reaction. Heavy feet, like the sound of a herd of bulls approaching, rattled up the hallway with haste and suddenly, closer than he'd thought, they burst through the door. It bounced off the wall with a resounding bang - and if the rest of the tavern wasn't awake, they were now - as the pair of them clumsily exploded into the room.
"Captain, you have to come quick!" Jukes demanded as his Captain blinked up at him; unmoving from the comfort of Regina's hold. She was more like a blanket than a Queen at that moment and Hook would be remiss to say he didn't enjoy it.
"What's going on?" She grumbled, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she raised herself onto her elbows, holding the edge of the sheet to her chest. The light coming from the windows behind their two intruders was far too bright and she was forced to squint, holding her other hand to her forehead as she tried to discern their features.
Cookson let out a long whistle, looking Regina up and down - who was caught in the golden dawn light - before winking his eye at the Captain. Hook just rolled his eyes.
"The lady asked a question, lads. What is so urgent that you needed to disturb our slumber? Our incredibly comfortable slumber, that is." The look in their Captain's eye left no room for hesitation and the way Regina was looking at them with dark, half-lidded eyes, was a clear indication they didn't want to cross her either.
"We was drinkin' down by the lagoon and we heard the Mermaids conspiring against you, Captain." Jukes explained, the flush of their haste slowly leaving his cheeks.
"What do you mean?" Hook sat up in the bed, dragging his discarded shirt from the floor and handing it to Regina with a faint smile. She took it; their fingers touching briefly as she did so, before she pulled it over her head and sat up; crossing her legs underneath her, and watching the pirates closely.
"There was something about a deal and a reward. They were laughing about you and some family that's come from far away looking for their boy."
Regina's ears pricked up. "What did they say about the boy?" She raised herself onto her knees, eagerly. Hook rested his good hand on her knee, but she only glanced at him before turning back to Jukes.
"No great detail, miss. But they said they're going to send the Captain into the mountain after him. The Mermaid's 'ave got a little grudge against him, ya see."
Regina turned to Hook, her eyes wide with fear as he gripped her hand tighter against her leg.
"Where are they really taking him?" Hook practically growled.
"We don't know, Capt'n."
"What's going on?" Emma appeared in the doorway with a sheet wrapped around her shoulders. Everyone turned to her and it was clear that she'd slept in her boots, scuffing them on the wooden floorboards as she studied Regina's wide-eyed expression.
"We think we know where they're taking Henry." Regina breathed and Emma shared a brief, hopeful smile with the woman. She wasn't surprised at the state in which she saw the Captain and the Queen, so she didn't dwell on the obvious intimacy of the setting.
Regina was thankful for it and the small smile Emma offered.
"Did they say why they wanted him, Lads?"
"No." Cookson shook his head. "Just that Peter's been after him for a long time."
The Captain slammed his hook down on the side-table - having clipped it back in placed once Regina had fallen asleep - shaking with the force of the blow so greatly that Regina jumped clear out of her skin. He reached for her again, gripping her hand and pulling her toward him. She wouldn't go; staring at him with worried eyes; but she allowed him to brush his fingers reassuringly over hers.
"Peter Pan, love." He spoke softly, as though uttering the word aloud would call the cretin to arms. "The most dangerous being in these parts, bar you." He smirked at the last of his comment, earning a look through her lashes and the faintest smile.
"Even more dangerous than your father, or Rumple?" She smirked and Hook eyed her with mirth, lowering his voice to a gentle octave.
"My father couldn't hold a candle to you, darling. And you know the Imp far better than I."
Cookson and Jukes shared a look of profound confusion, startling when more strangers bustled into the room.
"What's all the commotion?" Snow White appeared behind Emma, hands on her daughter's shoulders as David lingered in the hall.
"Why would they want my son?" Regina questioned, all but ignoring Snow's question but for a glance in her direction. She chose to ignore her step-daughter's scrutinizing, curious gaze. "Henry's never been a part of any of this, I never even taught him magic, I couldn't."
Her eyes met Emma's, as if she felt the need to assure her of that single truth.
"We have to go after him." Regina muttered, eyes open wide, imploring the rest of their group. David pushed between his family, facing the two pirates. His stance was no more imposing than Jukes, who was larger than him by at least a hand. But his expression; stoney and determined, had him towering over the ruffian men.
"You're sure about this?" He demanded and the two men stared at him, wide-eyed. Cookson nervously glanced at the Captain who gave him a curt nod, encouraging him to answer the prince.
"We heard them, clear as day. They're taking him over the island, to where we don't know, but there are two others with him.."
"Greg and Tamara." Emma growled; everyone looked up at her.
"How will we find him?" Regina questioned but the rest of the room was silent.
"Well," The sudden sound of Hook's voice startled the men and they turned to him quickly. "We best start working that out. Lads, round up five of our best and meet us outside." The two pirates were quick to follow the instruction, shoving past the group still huddled in the doorway. Emma made a face at the smell as they brushed by her, coughing audibly, which earned her an elbow to the side from her mother and a stern look. She shrugged and waved her hand in front of her nose. David rolled his eyes at the theatrics and made his way back to their room.
"Come on, we better get dressed." Snow ushered Emma out of the room, leaving Regina sitting in the centre of the bed and Hook watching her closely as she looked down at her hands in her lap.
"What's on your mind, love?"
She let out a long breath. "It's like with every step we take, Henry's just that little bit further away." Hook pulled his legs under him, crawling across the bed to where she sat; her normally rigid posture bowed in disappointment. Reaching up, he cupped her cheek with his palm, pressing his lips to hers tenderly, earning him a small smile as she pulled away.
"We'd better go." She said softly, looking into his eyes before she climbed out of the bed.
Hook watched her as she picked up her clothes; she pulled his shirt over her head and dropped it on the bed for him, before dressing quietly with her back to him. She tugged her jacket on and he watched her carefully, with a small smile on his lips, as she picked up her dagger and tucked it into her boot. "I'll meet you downstairs." She said quietly, looking at him out of the corner of her eye before disappearing out the door.
"Do you know what's going on with Regina and Hook?" Snow asked quietly, stepping up to Emma's side.
"No, I don't." Both women were watching Regina carefully as the woman navigated the narrow stairs down into the bar.
"She said he gave her comfort." The blonde shrugged and Snow turned to her daughter, shocked.
"She confided in you?"
Emma scrunched up her nose. "Hardly. I asked and she answered, in her very vague, Regina way."
"But you knew they were sleeping together?" She gasped, curious.
"No," Emma scoffed, tilting her head as she watched the pair, standing close together by the foot of the stairs, whispering quietly to each other. "At lease, they weren't when we spoke about it." They both noticed how Hook's hand wrapped around Regina's briefly, before she pulled away. "I suppose he gets her, that's all."
"But I've known Regina longer than anyone..."
Emma cut her off, turning to her. "Maybe, but you don't know her, not really." Snow's eyes watched her stepmother closely with that troubled look she always seemed to get when there was something she didn't quite understand. Especially about the woman whose love she'd wanted, her whole life. "He does; he understands."
Emma turned back to see Hook guiding Regina out the door with his hand at the small of her back. "We can't understand her, we're not built that way. But he can and you know what," Emma started to follow them, turning back to look her mother in the eye. "I'm glad of it."
"Why?" Snow looked perplexed.
"You said you know Regina better than anyone?" Emma raised her eyebrows in question. "Tell me this whole situation wouldn't be entirely different if he wasn't here."
Henry hung his scarf carefully over a windblown tree-branch as Greg and Tamara washed their faces in the stream. He checked his work, careful not to make it too obvious so that his captors wouldn't realize what he was doing. "You'll work it out, Mom." He said quietly, twisting in his spot to hide it behind him as the pair returned to where they'd tied him to a tree.
"Come on," Greg grumbled, untying him and dragging him to his feet. The man was a brute when he knew his victim couldn't fight back; shoving Henry and calling him names. But Henry could see that Tamara was the one he should truly be afraid of. The way she looked at him sent a shiver down his spine every time she turned around to check Greg hadn't slipped up and let go of the rope.
"They should have met up with us by now." Tamara grumbled and Henry felt a tug on his bounds as Greg pulled the rope tighter.
"We've been here some time, Miss." A voice startled all three of them, when out of the jungle appeared a tall, hooded boy with straggly blonde hair and a sallow complexion. "We've been following." They looked all around them to see they were surrounded by even more hooded boys.
"You're the lost ones?" Tamara asked.
"Indeed we are."
"Then we're here for our payment. You can have the boy and we'll be on our way."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way."
"What do you mean?" Greg's voice wavered just slightly and all but Henry, standing right beside him, missed how his hands were shaking.
"You're to come with us."
"That's ridiculous." Tamara scoffed. "We have no business with you but the boy, take him, pay us and we will be done with this."
The tall boy moved slowly toward Tamara, inching closer with a harrowing, uneven gait. When standing before her, he towered over her, forcing her to look up into his black, empty eyes.
"You will come with us. Or you will die."
Tamara swallowed and nodded her head slowly, with eyes wide as saucers.
"Never traveled with so many women before," Cookson grumbled in Jukes' ear. "Sure it's gotta be slowing us down."
"Do I hear a mutiny forming behind me?" Hook called over his shoulder, eyeing Rumpelstiltskin as he stepped around him to move in line with his men. The two pirates froze under his scrutiny and Cookson's lips parted dumbly.
"No Capt'n," Jukes fumbled over his words, shoving Cookson away from him so as not to be seen as an accomplice should the Captain ignore their innocence. "We was just commenting on how tough the walk must be for the ladies."
The comment caught all of their attention and Hook looked up, meeting Emma's eye. He questioned silently and she shrugged, clearly unhindered by the comment or it's implication.
"I'm fine." Snow offered with a smirk.
"Right," Hook chuckled, "They seem okay. Regina?"
As if on cue, Regina turned at her name and the sharp heel of her boot got caught under a rock, twisting her ankle awkwardly. She let out a loud shriek, starting to tumble but Hook quickly leapt for her, catching her around the waist before she hit the ground.
"Perhaps we should do something about those heels, love." Hook smirked and Regina rolled her eyes, irritated but she nodded absently, refusing to acknowledge how she still gripped his arm even though he'd already righted her and she was standing on her own two feet.
With a wave of her hand, Regina's feet were suddenly surrounded in a deep purple cloud, twisting around her frame and startling the pirates. Each of them staggering back in fear before the cloud cleared to reveal her boots, brand new, without the dangerous heel. The action dropped her height a good few inches, but her feet instantly felt the relief.
"H-How did she?" Jukes stuttered, flabbergasted.
"None of your business, men, lets keep moving." The pirates continued to stare at her, even as she walked on ahead of them. Rumple smiled wickedly at them before he turned, his eyes alight with mischief.
A loud cry rang out up front, halting the line that had been weaving through the dense jungle. "David!" Snow screamed and they all dashed into the clearing where David had tripped into a pit of quicksand.
"Well that's inconvenient." Rumple muttered and Emma glared at him.
"Help him." She demanded and Rumple reared up, staring at her in disbelief.
Regina paid them no mind, having wandered to the other side of the clearing in the commotion, because out of the corner of her eye, she'd seen a splash of red amongst the low foliage.
"What do you want me to do, dearie? Hold out my cane for him?" Rumple mused and Emma growled.
"Don't fight it, mate," Hook called out. "You'll only sink faster." David didn't answer, but he nodded his head in acknowledgement.
Regina pushed a thick fern aside, ducking under a tree branch as she apprehensively moved closer to what she thought she'd seen. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, the fear overcoming her as she realized what it was she could see through the leaves. She dashed for it, stumbling through the tall grasses and ferns, clutching for the small grey and red scarf that, to her relief, was hanging over a branch and not her dead son.
"Killian!" She screamed, shuddering at her fear and the use of the man's first name. She'd not been able to say it until just that moment. She hadn't been able to embrace that intimacy or acknowledge how important he was until the second she realized she needed him. "KILLIAN!" She screamed again.
The whole group looked up at the sound of her strangled cry.
Shoving past his men, Hook nearly knocked Emma down in his haste to find Regina. She was all the way on the other side of the clearing, dropped to her knees on the jungle floor with tears streaming down her face.
"What is it, love?"
She didn't answer, but she didn't need to. He saw the scarf clutched in her hand against her chest and, following the line of her arm to where she reached out, he could see the small sculpture she touched with reverent fingers.
"Oh that clever boy." Hook muttered, reaching down to clutch Regina's shoulders. She stood quickly, turning and falling against his chest, body shaking with worry.
"You know this island," Regina stated, peeking through Hook's arm. "Where is he sending us?" She was unwilling to leave his embrace or release Henry's scarf from her clutches.
"The mouth of Crocodile Creek, love." He ran his fingers over her hair, soothing her. "Your boy is a smart lad."
"We have to go." She suddenly stood straight, pulling herself out of his arms, and wiping the tears from her face as she looked him in the eye. The look between them lasted no longer than a moment before Regina straightened her spine, her cheeks suddenly dry of all tears, before she brushed past him with her chin held high.
"What is it?" Emma questioned, stepping up behind Hook as Regina walked away. She glanced down at the message Henry had left them before watching Regina's retreating back. Her eyes met Hook's for a moment and he could see there, such a similar look to Regina's; before she dashed after the Queen. "Regina, wait!" She called, but the woman made her way through the undergrowth with a determined stride, unable to look back for fear anyone behind her, save Killian, would see the tears she tried to hide.
"Regina, we're in a bit of a bind at the moment." Emma gestured to where Snow White was attempting to use her body as a raft in order to reach her husband, with a bewildered set of Pirates weighing her feet down; all of them slowly sinking in the quicksand.
Regina rolled her eyes.
The small smirk on Rumpelstiltskin's face caused Regina to groan. "We don't have time for this." She muttered as she shoulder-barged the Imp, making her way past the group, all of them attempting to save the sinking Prince. Cecco, one of Killian's men, had lost his footing and stumbled into the sand along with David. One of his arms was completely buried and having fallen in at an odd angle, David was struggling to aid the man in keeping his face above the sand.
With a flick of her wrist, Regina thrust David, Cecco and Snow into the air; raised high above her head they writhed and squirmed, their voices squeaking with fear as they clawed for purchase. With another twist of her wrist - as if she were absently swatting a fly - they were dropped to the ground, falling with an unceremonious thud on the jungle floor.
"Now can we get back to finding my son?" Regina hissed, looking back over her shoulder at the rest of their stunned group before turning and striding away.
The pirates looked on in horror as she stomped past them. Emma was slacked-jawed at the simplicity of the movement as she pulled each of her parents to their feet and both Hook and Rumple, ironically, shared a very similar look of pride. Though for entirely different reasons.
Henry startled when a large boot slammed down on the wet sand he'd managed to pile up in front of him. A low, maniacal cackle sounded as he twisted his head, looking up at the boy with the dark hood and the frightening eyes.
"Are you leaving breadcrumbs for your mommy?" He mocked, twisting his body at an awkward angle to lean down and look Henry in the eye. His head was tilted to the side, making his countenance even more frightening for the young boy, who shuffled back from him in fear.
"N-no." He stuttered, dusting the sand from his hands.
"How many of these little markers have you laid?" He inched closer to Henry, now having drawn the attention of the other Lost Ones, who crowded around, smiling broad yellow, gap-toothed smiles that turned Henry's stomach.
"I-I haven't..."
Suddenly his long, dirty fingers were wrapped around Henry's collar and he was being reefed to his feet. "It doesn't matter," He smirked at Henry's fearful expression, laughing gently as Henry quivered but held his jaw tight. "They're not going to know where we're going next."
"What do you want with me?" Henry's voice shook only slightly.
"Nothing." The boy answered. "But Peter Pan wants your magic, and your body."
Henry scoffed. "I don't have magic."
The tall boy gripped his jaw suddenly, so tight Henry nearly bit his tongue. "Oh but you do," He hissed in his face, so close Henry could feel the warmth of his horrid breath on his cheeks. "You have more magic than you know. And Peter knows exactly how to get it from you."
With a rough shove, he tossed Henry over to where the Lost Ones had Greg and Tamara bound and gagged. He tripped into one of the shorter boys, feeling his heart dropped into his stomach as he was jostled around before landing in a heap beside his kidnappers.
"Now," Their captor muttered as he gripped a small handful of the sand Henry had wetted. "How about a little mis-direction." He gave Henry a wink as he started to re-sculpt Henry's message as the boy wriggled and fought against his bonds.
To Be Continued.