Ch. 2: New Clothes (Part 2)
While the prince rolled around, Regina and Rumpelstiltskin simply looked on with barely disguised disgust. Both avoided interacting with the few child gnomes that had decided to investigate them, but neither did they try and shoo them away, well aware that it would endanger their goal. As a result, the children around them were a bit older than the others and a bit more hesitant to approach them. When they did, they were very careful of how they went about checking them out. Easily bored because of the lack of interest from the two magic-users, the children quickly tired of examining them and made their way to the more fun groups, either joining in the fun of torturing Charming, playing with Emma's hair, or using Hook for climbing practice. A few made their way to Snow and simply sat themselves against her to watch what their comrades were doing to the prince nearby.
After several minutes of play and observation, Emma noticed more movement going on around them. Glancing around, she noticed that the adult gnomes were finally making their reappearance. Several called to the children in a foreign language. A good portion of the younger gnomes hesitated and seemed to weigh their options before abandoning their new playthings to return to their parents' sides. When one of the older-looking gnomes stepped forward to the center of the clearing, the remaining children scrambled to the sidelines. The elder gnome moved to stand facing Hook and tilted its head in appraisal.
"Hello," Hook said, smiling politely.
The gnome studied him a little longer and then nodded. "Hello," it replied. Emma was surprised it could speak English. Though maybe just the one word?
"My name is Terran. I am the leader of this village. What business do you have sitting down in our common area?" the gnome asked. Okay, so it knew more than one word. Emma was stupefied by how fluent it was. The language she'd heard the other gnomes use sounded completely different from English, so to hear it spoken so well astonished her.
"We would like to request your services for new attire," Hook answered.
"Is that so?" the gnome leader wondered. He looked around the rest of their group. Shrewdly analyzing their clothing, he raised an eyebrow. "I can see why."
Emma could see Regina's hackles start to rise up again, but before she could do or say anything, the gnome continued. "Your name, sir?"
"I am known as Captain Hook," the pirate answered.
"Ah yes, I recognize your name. My grandfather mentioned you. You've used our services before?"
"Aye, and a most exemplary, worthwhile purchase it was. Quite lasting, as you can see," Hook responded, gesturing at his clothes.
The gnome puffed up at the praise. "Well, of course. We take great pride in our craft. That is why we are so well-known." He deflated a bit and studied the rest of the group again. "None of them have had the opportunity to witness our greatness, have they?"
Hook coughed a bit before responding. Emma suspected he was trying to hide a laugh. "No. Which is why I brought them to you."
"Names?" Terran barked.
"Emma, Mary Margaret, David, Regina, and Mr. Gold," Hook replied before they could. He tossed warning glances at the group behind the gnome's head. Not entirely sure as to the reason, though they had suspicions, they all kept quiet.
"Hm. Never heard of any of them. And they all need new clothing?" the gnome wondered. Emma could practically see the gears turning in his head and the money signs in his eyes.
"Well, now that is up to them," Hook replied, looking to the others for their decisions. Emma, Snow, and Charming nodded right away. Regina pressed her lips together as she contemplated her predicament. After several seconds of consideration, she nodded grimly. Everyone turned to Rumpelstiltskin. He raised an eyebrow at the attention.
"I am perfectly fine with what I already have," he told them.
"But you were the one who suggested we get new things," Regina challenged him.
"Yes, you lot will need it. I, on the other hand, am already appropriately attired," he answered. The group looked at him skeptically in his suit and tie. His mouth twisted. "Do you forget who I am?" he asked them. Though Snow seemed inclined to challenge him, she didn't bother.
"Mm, so that's 4 sets. And you, Captain?" Terran asked almost hopefully.
Hook grinned and spread his arms. "When will I get the opportunity to have gnomish clothing made for me again? I believe I'll have to take you up on your generous offer," he said.
Terran smiled, clearly thrilled with his new customers. "Now, as to the matter of payment…" the gnome trailed off, looking at Hook meaningfully.
"Of course, of course. Shall we discuss this in private, then, my friend?" the pirate asked, standing up. "Rather rude to discuss such things in front of the others, you know."
"Oh, yes, yes, right this way," Terran responded enthusiastically. He began to head in the direction of the large buildings Emma had seen earlier and Hook followed. The rest of the group stood up and dusted themselves off. Emma looked at Snow.
"So what do we do now?" she asked.
"I guess we wait," her mother shrugged. They looked around the village, the jungle surrounding it.
"You know…" Emma commented, "It hasn't been that bad so far. Uncomfortable, but nothing really dangerous."
"You noticed, too? Do you think things have changed that much since Hook and Rumpelstiltskin were here?"
The blonde woman considered the night before. She shook her head slowly. "I don't know. The night was pretty bad. And we've only been out here for a little while."
Snow nodded and was silent for a few moments. When she spoke again, she had a speculative frown on her face. "Those guests that Hook mentioned when we got here…he had almost the same expression when he mentioned the Lost Boys. Do you think they would be those guests?"
"Who knows," Emma answered, looking into the distance where the peak that was their destination stood above the trees. "Like our two helpful guides said, Neverland is nothing like what I expected. But the Lost Boys are just boys, how bad can they be? I can handle Henry pretty well. And Regina raised him, so she knows kids even better. And I guess Mr. Gold, too, seeing as he raised…Neal…" she trailed off as she began to remember what had happened. Sudden tears blurred her vision. She blinked them away furiously, but couldn't hide their presence from her mother. Snow laid a gentle hand on her arm.
"Emma…"she searched for the right words, "Just before the curse hit us…when I thought your father was dead...my world fell apart. Now, I'm not saying I understand what it's like," she rushed to add, "But…well…as it turns out, he wasn't dead. Are…are you sure he's dead?"
"He was shot," Emma replied.
"Well, yes, but…we don't know what world he landed in. They could have the medical care he would need to survive," Snow encouraged.
Emma looked at her mother bleakly, raw pain in her eyes, then turned away. "I doubt it," she laughed hollowly, "They probably don't even know what a bullet is."
"Don't say that!" Snow exclaimed. "You don't know where he is. For all we know, he could be here in Neverland somewhere!"
The blonde woman blinked at the suggestion. A dawning, hopeful realization crossed her features. "Do you really think that's possible?"
"I don't see why not," her mother answered smugly. A tremulous smile broke across her daughter's face, which made Snow smile in return.
"So I guess we have some extra questions to ask the princes," Emma murmured.
As she was finishing he sentence, movement from the direction of the large building caught everyone's attention. Turning almost as one, they saw that Hook was being led out of it by Terran. His expression gave away nothing, so everyone held their breaths as he approached them. The elder gnome spoke first.
"Well, that matter is settled. It seems the lot of you will be getting some new clothes, one outfit each," Terran told the assembled group as he came upon them. A satisfied smile lit up his round face. Bring his stubby fingers to his mouth, he whistled at the rest of the village and gestured at the humans. "We have some measurements to do!" he boomed at the other gnomes.
Within seconds, the group was surrounded except for Rumpelstiltskin, who stood to the side and watched as they were rounded up and taken to the buildings, Terran leading the way.
"What exactly did you offer as payment, Hook?" Emma whispered as they made their way.
Hook smiled mysteriously. "As I told your mother, Swan, I have my ways."
She was prepared to press the issue when they reached the out-of-place structures and was forced to drop the topic. The gnome turned to everyone.
"Seeing as we only have three buildings available, you'll be taking turns getting your measurements done," he told Emma's group. "Men on the left, women on the right. Do you all know what you want?"
The group nodded. One by one, they entered the buildings. Regina insisted on being last for some unknown reason. As she was being measured, Emma turned a curious eye to her mother.
"So what did you order?" she wondered, critically eyeing Snow's outfit. In Henry's book, her mother had been prone to more practical, tomboyish clothes when she was on the run, while in Storybrooke she'd had a tendency toward a more sweet and feminine style. So now that she had two sets of memories, what look would she go for?
Snow gave her daughter a mischievous grin at the question. "You'll have to wait and see."
Emma side-eyed her, but didn't comment. It was only a few more minutes before Regina finally emerged from the building, looking somewhat rumpled. She tossed a grouchy glare back at the structure, but didn't make any comment, though Snow and Emma could tell she wanted to. Instead, she just huffed, straightened her back and brushed down her clothing. As she was the last of the group to be measured, everyone now looked at each other, at a loss as to what to do next. Well, except Hook, who seemed right at home and quite satisfied to just stand around.
Terran approached them. "Would you like some food while you wait?" he asked.
"Do we have the time, Hook?" Snow asked as everyone turned to the pirate. He cocked a brow, then made a show of looking around the clearing at the other gnomes, at his own group, and at the mountain in the distance.
"I believe we have the time to fill our stomachs, perhaps take a brief respite from our journey," he commented. Some of the gnomes cheered in a way that sounded suspiciously child-like. Hook grinned, a twinkle in his eye.
Sitting on one side of an enormous table with the rest of her group, the meal reminded Emma of the feast she'd seen when she'd first arrived in the Enchanted Forest, just miniaturized. As a result, she was a little hesitant to eat some of the food, remembering what had been on the table when the fake Lancelot had treated her and her mother. Eyeing her options, she settled on what looked like root vegetables which seemed relatively harmless. She'd wait and see how everyone else reacted to the meat before deciding whether she would have any.
She was seated next to Snow. On her mother's opposite side was her father, never far from his wife's side….though Emma had a feeling he would have been perfectly fine is she'd sat between them. She didn't think she could handle the two of them making eyes at each other over her head, though. Just contemplating it made her skin crawl.
Next to Charming sat Rumpelstiltskin. Occasionally, Emma had noticed that the two men didn't seem nearly as hostile around each other as she would have expected. In fact, they seemed almost…friendly? Though both seemed about equally hostile toward Hook…
Speaking of the pirate, he was seated…on the other side of the table with the gnomes. For some reason, he seemed especially popular with them and had been encouraged to sit with them. He hadn't protested and gave the impression that he truly enjoyed it. Though the men were constantly talking to him and the women were vying for his particular attention (Emma could understand this to a point, but they were gnomes? And a good number married? And he was human and almost a full 3 times their height?), Hook appeared to prefer the company of the children. If any of the little gnomes came up to him, he would civilly stop whatever conversation he was having and give them his full attention. If they didn't just stare at him in awe, they would ask a question and he would answer, which would then make them run off with huge smiles on their faces to whisper excitedly with their friends and families. Emma couldn't help the little grin that crept across her face whenever she witnessed this.
Occasionally able to catch sight of Regina, who sat on Rumpelstiltskin's other side, Emma noticed that she would intermittently glare at Hook or Mr. Gold and then turn inward, looking depressed. She could only guess what the other woman was thinking, but she had a pretty good idea as to what it was.
Excusing herself from her seat, Emma walked to the opposite end of the bench where Regina sat. When her shadow fell over the former queen, she looked up. Realizing that it was Emma, her face resorted to the typical disgruntled expression she reserved especially for her son's birth mother.
"What do you want?" the dark-haired woman asked in a challenging tone.
"Could we talk a bit?" Emma ventured. Noticing that Rumpelstiltskin suddenly seemed less invested in his conversation with Charming and more curious about what was going on on his other side, she continued, "Maybe in a little more private spot?"
Regina poked at her food as she considered this request. Laying her fork down, she huffed and nodded. "Fine." Standing up, she tossed the napkin she'd had on her lap on the table. "Where?"
The blonde woman tilted her head in the direction of a nearby tree. "Over there."
Leading the way, she stopped about halfway into the shade and turned to her son's adoptive mother.
"You're worried about Henry," she said baldly.
Regina narrowed her eyes at the comment. "Obviously, he IS my son. And he's trapped here somewhere with complete strangers who tried to KILL me."
"I know, I'm worried, too," Emma told her.
"No, you don't know," the dark-haired woman hissed, "You didn't raise him for ten years. You don't know what those two did to me, what they're thinking, what they're capable of!"
"Stop." Emma commanded, her eyes flashing, "You weren't there to see what they did to me and Neal either. You didn't see Tamara try to shoot me and THEN shoot the man she was engaged to. You didn't hear the crazy stuff she said before she shot him. Don't you dare act as if I don't know how dangerous those lunatics are."
At this point, she was breathing erratically because of her outrage and the memories that were flooding back. Honestly, she felt like clocking Regina, but she refrained. Shaking with repressed adrenaline, she made sure to keep her voice low enough that they wouldn't frighten their hosts.
"They're dangerous. But they're also more helpless than us right now. We have two experts on Neverland with us. We WILL find Henry. And he'll be fine, because he's a smart, tough kid," she said this as much for herself as Regina, "If he could find me after 10 years without any hint as to who I was except for a story in a book AND after all the moves I made, he'll find a way to let us know where he is or maybe even get away from those two on his own."
Regina narrowed her eyes. "That's rather optimistic of you."
Emma was suddenly reminded of something her mother had said back in the Enchanted Forest and a corner of her mouth twitched. "Runs in the family."
"Even so, we haven't made all that much progress, have we?" the queen responded. Her face took on the somber cast Emma had seen at the table and she looked in the direction of the mountain. "Henry is smart, but he doesn't know anything about Neverland either. Even if he did get away, how do we know he'd be able to avoid EVERY danger out there?"
"We just have to believe in him," Emma answered. A fond, gentle look crossed her face, "Just like he believed in us."
Reminded of Henry's insistence that she could change and his proud hug when she'd proven that she could when she'd stopped the diamond, Regina felt a little spark of hope for the first time since they'd started this journey. Still, there was the issue of his captors. Crossing her arms, she slid a sidelong glance at the blonde woman.
"We still don't know who it is that Tamara and Ow—Greg, work for," she commented.
"No," Emma admitted, "But we can worry about that AFTER we find Henry."
"Emma! You have to try this!" came a sudden exclamation from the feast. Emma turned her head to see her mother waving a leg of meat of some sort in the air. Somewhat embarrassed by her enthusiasm, she waved back to let her know that yes, she'd seen her, and turned to Regina.
"We should go eat. Who knows when our next meal will be?" she told the other woman, then headed toward the table. Regina lingered behind momentarily, but soon followed. When she sat down, her appetite was somewhat renewed, but not fully, concern for her son still on her mind despite the conversation. Reaching for her fork, she began eating because Emma had actually had a point. She would need her strength when they found her son—so she could punish Greg and Tamara.
By the time that they finished their meal, Terran was happy to tell them that their purchase would be complete within the hour. In the meantime, Emma, Snow, and Hook decided to entertain the children while Charming stood off to the side with crossed arms, making sure to keep his ticklish points out of the reach of the children, who were too short to reach them when he was standing. Rumpelstiltskin and Regina, meanwhile, stood out of earshot and were having a conversation which mainly consisted of the former smirking while the latter threw comments in his direction with a no-nonsense expression.
As they played with the little gnomes, Emma couldn't help but notice that Hook seemed a completely different person around them. She and her mother had opted to stay within arm's reach of each other, just in case, but the pirate had chosen to take up a position further off. As a result, Emma was able to fully observe him from a distance, moreso when there was a lull in the play as the children they were entertaining began playing tag around them.
Since she could watch Hook for a longer period of time without being interrupted while the kids played, Emma noticed that the pirate really was more relaxed, more smiling, than she'd ever seen him. Not that she'd seen him that often outside of his quest for revenge, but she had a feeling that this difference had something to do with that change she'd noticed when they'd arrived in Neverland and that she had spoken about with Regina.
"Does Hook seem…happier to you?" her mother whispered to her. Emma startled a bit at the intrusion to her thinking and turned to Snow.
"What do you mean?" she asked carefully.
"Well, I mean, he was always sort of happy, you know? But now he seems happy in a different way, which is strange. You would think he'd be more tense, what with being so uncomfortable coming back to Neverland. But he seems happy, even relaxed right now."
"I guess," Emma hedged.
"Who knew he was so good with kids," Snow mused.
"That was a surprise," her daughter agreed, "But…remember how Neal could steer the Jolly Roger? I wonder if that was because of Hook…."
"He could've just learned from any sailor," Snow replied with a shrug.
"Well, in New York, Neal mentioned that our world wasn't the only place he'd been. And he said that he and Hook knew each other. If he was here in Neverland, that would explain how he isn't as old as Mr. Gold by now."
Snow considered this. "I guess you're right about that. But who's to say it was Hook who taught him? I just can't imagine that he would willingly do something good for the child of Rumpelstiltskin."
"That's true," Emma murmured.
"Well, there's any easy way to find out," Snow replied.
"And what would that be?" her daughter asked warily, though she already knew the answer.
"Ask Hook," the former runaway princess answered cheerfully. She turned as if to go to the pirate and ask herself, but Emma grabbed her arm. Startled, Snow turned to her.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Emma told her as she released her arm.
"Why not?" Snow asked, honestly perplexed.
"Do we really want to ask him something like that with Rumpelstiltskin in hearing range?" Emma answered lowly.
"Oh." Snow turned to look in the direction of the two conversing magicians. "I guess that would be a bad idea."
"So let's forget about it for now. It's not that important anyway," Emma said negligently. The conversation was dropped as the child gnomes returned, a few deciding to take an energizing nap on Snow while the others leisurely played with Emma's hair.
Taking a cue from the kids, Snow decided to take a nap as well, asking her daughter to wake her in either a half hour or when the clothes were finished, whichever came first. Making herself as comfortable as she could without disturbing the children, she closed her eyes and drifted off. Charming took note of this and raised an eyebrow in Emma's direction, but she just shrugged.
As it turned out, Snow was able to get her entire nap in without interruption. Emma contemplated taking a nap of her own, but didn't get the chance because Terran excitedly ran up to Hook, a huge smile beaming across his face.
"Your new clothes are ready," he told the pirate, then turned to the group. "It took a bit longer than it normally would because we weren't familiar with some of the requests, but it's all done. But just to make sure, you should all probably try your things on."
Terran gestured at some gnomes who'd just emerged from some of the smaller buildings next to the large ones. They turned back into their studios and within minutes came back out, two or three gnomes at a time carrying a single large bag between them that had to contain the clothes. Each little group then approached one person and proudly held the bag up. Charmed by how proud and happy they seemed about their accomplishments, everyone who had ordered clothes couldn't help but smile. Even Regina, who'd been so against the idea in the first place, couldn't hold back a slight upturn of her mouth. Carefully taking the bags from the gnomes, the five looked at each other trying to determine who ought to go try their new wardrobe first.
It wasn't long before four sets of eyes turned to Regina, who didn't protest. Instead, she turned and walked over to one of the large buildings they'd been measured in. Within minutes, she emerged, old clothes over her arm and elegantly attired in what reminded Emma of that riding gear that she'd seen in movies about wealthy English people. Since the gnomes weren't cobblers, she'd kept her boots on and they matched up almost perfectly to her new clothes. The gnomes cheered and her reluctant grin widened as she performed a graceful curtsy to them, lifting the ends of her coat as if they were a skirt.
Almost as one, the gnomes turned to look at Emma expectantly. Well, that solved the issue of who would change next, she couldn't help but think wryly. It did make things a lot simpler. So she nodded and went to one of the impromptu changing booths herself. Hanging her bag on a peg on the wall, she opened it and stepped back to admire the gnomes' handiwork. She'd settled on an outfit similar to one of her favorites back home: a tank top, close-fitted pants, and a leather jacket. Of course, the gnomes had put their own spin on the clothes, adding embroidery in some spots and what looked like bigger pockets (for which she was grateful for). Curious, she felt the fabrics and was surprised at how soft they were. Normally, it would take a lot of wear for clothes to get that comfortable. Putting her heavy coat from Storybrooke aside, Emma set to work getting her new wardrobe on. When everything was in place, she couldn't help but smile at how nice it was and how perfectly it fit. And if Hook was right, this outfit would be ideal for Neverland's climate, which she was extremely happy about. She couldn't imagine wearing her regular clothes for who knew how long. Knowing where that thought would lead her, Emma quickly exited the room, making sure to take her old clothes with her.
The gnomes cheered again as soon as she stepped out. The smile that had been fading as she'd let her mind wander came back full force. Looking around at the happy faces, her worries melted away, if only for the time being. When she looked up, the gnomes did the same and turned their attention to the next person whose clothes they wanted to see.
This time, it ended up being Hook. Nodding at the eager faces, he stepped forward at the same time as Emma did and they passed close by each other in opposite directions.
"It suits you, love," he murmured as he passed her while she was looking down to make sure she didn't trip on a particularly pointy rock. Emma shot a startled look in his direction at the unexpected compliment. She was usually much better prepared for one of his comments, but that one had caught her off-guard. It wasn't as if the outfit was anything special, which was exactly the point. Not that he'd ever said anything to her related to her appearance (well, except that 'Hey, beautiful' when she'd found him on the road. But that didn't count because he'd just been grateful that someone had noticed his presence). What she needed right now was practical. So to be…complimented, for lack of a better word, on her appearance when she hadn't really been thinking about it had been a surprise. But then again, wasn't Hook just full of surprises lately?
Ignoring the confusion that had resulted from his words, Emma schooled her features and approached the rest of the group. Turning, she waited with them for Hook to come out.
When he did, the gnomes cheered yet again and he looked…exactly the same. Except for his vest. Instead of his typical black leather, he'd asked for a red leather vest instead. It was actually pretty ornate, too. Granted, he did have a flair for the dramatic, but it seemed even more fancy than usual to her. More…shiny. And the pattern on the fabric of the vest was pretty detailed, too.
Hook made a flourishing bow to the gnomes and made his way to where the rest of his group was gathered.
Emma raised an eyebrow as he reached them. "Red?" she wondered aloud.
The pirate grinned mischievously. "A rather good choice if I happen to get injured, don't you think?"
The blonde woman gave the vest another cursory glance. "In that case, black would've been better," she pronounced.
"You wound me, lass," Hook responded. Emma rolled her eyes and he chuckled lightly.
"She has a point, though," Regina threw in. "The red will just make you stand out more."
This time, it was Hook who raised an eyebrow. "So claims the woman who chose a rather brilliant shade of violet." Regina pressed her lips together in clear annoyance, but was stopped from speaking further by Snow.
"Well, I guess it's our turn," she chirped before things got out of hand.
Emma turned to her mother. "Our?" she echoed uncomfortably.
Snow took Charming's hand. "Yes, our. We'll change at the same time, if that's all right with the village," she answered. The gnomes cheered and Snow turned a wide grin on the group. "I guess that's a yes."
She confidently led her husband through the crowd. When they reached the large buildings, he went to the left as she went to the right. Just before they went in, Charming bowed to his wife as Snow executed a curtsy. Emma couldn't help but roll her eyes one more time. Had that really been necessary? But at the same time, she found herself grinning at the spectacle that was her parents.
"Your parents are quite the amusing lovebirds, are they not?" asked Hook out of the blue.
"You could say that. But I guess it's not that big of a surprise considering how long they were apart," Emma responded. Hook nodded and the conversation ended as Snow and Charming came back out.
Emma couldn't help but be engrossed in her parents' reactions to each other. Her father's face first registered shock, awe, amazement and then a wide grin spread across his face. Her mother, meanwhile, looked her husband up and down as a grin Emma could only call naughty crossed her face,, making her daughter distinctly uncomfortable. For whatever reason, the blonde woman glanced in Hook's direction to catch him glance from her parents to her as he raised an eyebrow. Unwilling to let him see just how flustered she was by her parents' behavior, Emma returned her attention to them and took in their choice of clothes.
Her father had apparently decided to return to his princely Enchanted Forest roots. Though maybe not as lavish as she would have expected it to be, there was no denying the royal influence, although Emma couldn't help but notice that it was pretty similar to Hook's getup, at least in terms of the amount of leather. Charming had settled on a black leather vest with wide shoulders and leather pants, which looked sort of ridiculous when paired with his Storybrooke shoes. The dark shirt he wore beneath it had an open neck, but much less open than Hook's, and had a high collar which nearly reached his jawline. The sword he'd gotten from the Jolly Roger hung from his hip in a carefully crafted sheath, which was embroidered with flowers that looked an awful lot like the tattoo on Emma's wrist…
Snow's new wardrobe, contrary to her husband's attempt to reclaim his Enchanted Forest status, was more of a combination of her fairytale roots and her new identity as Storybrooke's Mary Margaret. From what Emma could tell, she'd opted for something along the lines of the practicality of her fugitive clothing mixed with some of the feminine touches that had characterized her Storybrooke wardrobe. For example, her shirt, covered with a long, dove gray hooded jacket, had the lower neckline Emma recognized from Henry's book, but had lace around the cuffs which made her think of Mary Margaret. Her black pants had multiple pockets that somehow melded into them seamlessly. The gnomes really knew what they were doing…
Charming put his hand out to Snow, who took it and was subsequently twirled by her husband. Breathless with laughter, she turned to her daughter.
"Well, Emma, what do you think?" she asked with a happy smile.
"I think I need some brain bleach after that," Emma answered dryly. A good portion of the gnomes laughed (even though Emma didn't think they knew what she was talking about), as did Charming and Hook. Even Mr. Gold couldn't hide the slight upturn of one corner of his mouth. Regina, of course maintained a sour expression. Emma assumed it was because her mother's outfit reminded her of what had happened in the past. "But I think it's the perfect outfit for you," she continued honestly.
"Thank you," Snow replied, her face taking on a nostalgic expression as she looked down at her new clothes.
"Well, that was quite a lovely fashion show," Rumpelstiltskin commented, "But I have more pressing issues to attend to, such as my grandson's kidnapping." He turned to head back into the jungle, but hesitated when Charming shouted at him to stop.
"We know," the prince said when Gold paused and turned his head just enough to look at them from the corner of his eye. "We know," he repeated. He turned to Hook. "We need to get going."
The pirate stared at him through narrowed eyes, then nodded almost imperceptibly. "Aye." He turned to the gnomes, who were already looking glum. "My good friends," he addressed them, "I'm afraid our time here has come to an end." The gnomes made a universal sound that was almost like a whine. Well, except for the children, who most definitely DID whine. And start crying. Loudly. Hook raised his hands, calling for quiet, which was immediately granted, though some sniffles could still be heard.
"As I have told Terran, we are in search of a boy captured by the Shadow." The gnomes murmured darkly amongst themselves. "We must reach the Palace of the 6 Princes before nightfall. We greatly appreciate your generosity, but must be on our way in order to achieve our goal. A child's life is at stake." At the last comment, some of the gnomes pulled their own children slightly closer.
Terran came out of the throng and approached the pirate somberly. When he put his hand out, Hook bent over just enough to shake his hand. "Thank you," the gnome chief said, "I hope we will see you again someday, my friend. And I wish you luck in your quest."
Hook nodded at Terran's well wishes, then turned to the group. "Let's go, it's time we away," he said.
"We just need to grab our other clothes," Snow replied. She scurried over to the impromptu changing room, as did Charming. When they emerged, he handed her the clothes and she stowed it away in her bag.
"We're ready," she said.
Once again, Hook nodded and approached Rumpelstiltskin, who was still facing the path that would lead to the palace. A short staredown, and the pirate stood aside to allow the wizard to lead…temporarily, Emma felt. In single file, the sextet went toward the trees, the Charming family waving at the gnomes as they chorused their goodbyes, Hook following behind.