Chapter 7: Back on Land

Emma was leaning back into her chair, staring blankly at her son.

"Mum?" he asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "Are you okay?"

Her stare was still blank when she talked. "Regina kidnapped Snow White's baby and the baby was me… I… I need some time."

"Do you want me to call Killian?" offered Henry.

But Emma didn't hear him. She was focusing on her breathing, trying to make it steady as she felt like she was close to pass out. The words of the boy were on unceasing repeat in her mind; a couple of sentences which made no sense. Was she really supposed to believe, after having thought for her entire life she had simply been unwanted, that she was the daughter of a fairy tale's couple, a baby princess abducted and sent to another realm by an Evil Queen?

"So you want me to believe I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Which would mean I have the Evil Queen as something like my stepgrandmother. Your stepgreatgrandmother... who also happens to be your adoptive mother." Trying to picture the family tree to make it more understandable made the story even less plausible and she frowned. "How old is Regina? She doesn't look that old."

"That's what I said when we talked about the golden flower. I think she is older than she looks."

Emma thought of all of this. She considered the possibility of being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming before shaking her head.

"This is not possible," she slowly said. "I can't believe you."

"But you should! Why would I tell you this if it wasn't real?"

"Just because you believe something is real doesn't make it true. What makes you believe I am... this baby? Don't you see how crazy this is? You're trying to make me believe that this realm where the book took me is the realm where I happen to come from."

"Don't you see? This is exactly the reason why you should believe me. The book didn't appear to you randomly. It just took you back to where you belong. Is magic a common thing in the realm where you lived?"

Emma stared at her son, realizing he had taken a point. "No. Magic is like fairy tales, it's not supposed to exist."

"See? This is why you should believe me."

Again, it took Emma some time to reply. "Let's assume that I come from this realm; why would I be this baby?"

"Because the baby was called Emma. In the book, there was a picture of her, wrapped in a white blanket with her name embroidered on it."

"Embroidered with a purple ribbon?" Emma asked suddenly.

"I think it was purple, yes. Why?"

Feeling her heart thumping in her chest, she leant back into her chair some more. "This blanket is the only thing I have from my parents, one of the only things I've kept."

A bright smile appeared on the boy's features. "Do you believe me, now?"

Emma nodded, not feeling like she had a choice anymore. "Have you ever met them? Snow White and Prince Charming, do you know them?"

With her question, Henry's smile faded away. "I am only ten, I can't know them. No one has ever heard from them since you were born."

Emma felt a lump in her throat as she was reminded of this part of the story.

"What did she do to them?" she managed to articulate.

"No one knows exactly," he said, looking down. "All we know is that she spent years trying to get rid of them. And she eventually succeeded."

"Why telling me all of this? Why telling me you know who my parents are to tell me they are dead?"

"Maybe they're not."

"Someone would have seen them all this time. You know Regina more than I do, how likely is it that she let them live?"

The boy looked down. "I'm sorry. I thought you deserved to know."

"Does she know who I am? Regina, does she know? Is this why she's after me and Killian?"

"I don't know. She's not really sharing her evil plans with me. Mum, I'm sorry. I thought you'd like to know your parents never wanted to abandon you."

Emma had always thought being unwanted was the worst. But now she knew the truth, she felt like this reality was even worse. "Can you leave me alone for a moment?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated before standing up and leaving the quarters.

Too much preoccupied by all of this, Emma watched him leave without saying a word. The boy had a precise idea about where to go: once on deck, he glanced around and went to Killian as soon as he spotted him.

"Killian, I think you should go and see my mum."

The captain immediately stopped what he was doing. "What's wrong?"

"She said she wanted to be left alone but I think you should go."

"Lad, there are times when she wants to be on her own, and we have to give her the time she needs."

"It's not that. Well, that's what she said, that she wanted to be alone. But I think she just doesn't want to see me. She'd surely like to be with you, you always know how to make her smile."

"Lad, what happened?"

Henry looked down. "I think I've hurt her."

"What did you do?" asked Killian, ready to rush to the quarters.

"I know who her parents are. I never dared to tell her until now, but I thought she'd like to know," Henry quickly said. The captain raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Killian, I think you should talk to her."

"I'm going to her right now. But lad," he said, placing his hand on his shoulder and leaning down to look into his eyes. "Worry not. She won't hate you for this, she only needs time."

"That's what she said; that she needs time."

"See? You did nothing wrong. If there's anything you know about her parents, she deserves to know the truth as well."

Once he was sure the boy was fine, Killian rushed below deck. He knocked on the door and silently entered the quarters, his eyes locked on Emma who was blankly staring at the table.

"Love?" he asked softly, slightly tilting his head on one side.

Slowly, Emma looked up and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Is Henry sending you?"

"Aye. He suggested you may want me to be here with you."

"He's right."

Emma stood up and they walked to each other. Once she was in his arms, she silently stayed there, finally feeling like she was able to breathe.

"Have you ever heard of Snow White?" she asked after a moment.

"I think I've heard that name before. Why?"

"Henry said everyone in the Enchanted Forest knows her story."

Emma took his hand and pulled him to the bed. She waited for him to sit down before settling on his lap. Keeping his hand in hers, she shared the story she had just been told.

"Her father was king. But Regina married him and probably murdered him to become queen. She spent years chasing Snow White and her prince, trying to split them apart like she does with us. And Henry told me that…" A lump in her throat made her stop midsentence and she had to bite her lip to repress her tears. "Snow White and Prince Charming had a baby: me."

"So that's what the boy talked about," he said. Her curiosity tickled, Emma looked up at him, so Killian explained, "When he came to me on deck, he mentioned something about your parents."

His fingers tenderly tightened around hers, encouraging her to let go of all these feelings she was keeping inside. Unable to hold them back any longer, tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Regina took me away from them and sent me to this other world where I've spent my whole life. I haven't been abandoned by choice. She took me away from them."

"Love…" Deciding actions were speaking louder than words, he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her against him.

"Killian… She was after them like she is now after us, and she won. Nothing will stop her. She will win again."

Understanding she was not talking only about her parents, Killian softly cupped her cheek. "Emma, look at me. She won't win. I won't let her do that. And you won't either, you have this powerful magic that you can use against her."

"I can't control it."

"You used it perfectly well on the few times when we faced her. But we don't even need to face her again: we have this protection spell hiding us from her."

"What if one day, she goes through this spell?"

"Then, I'll be ready. I'll fight for us. I won't let her take you away from me once again."

Emma tucked her face in his neck and took a deep breath. Again, silence blanketed them while she let his embrace soothe her. Killian was thinking of the story of her parents and a detail made him smile.

"You truly are a princess."

Reminded of these times when he had called her his princess, Emma smiled at his words.

"A princess who loves you."

"A princess and a pirate; perhaps that would make a better story than this failed Captain Hook wearing perms and waxed mustaches."

Emma giggled and looked up at him, her smile instantly reflected on his features.

"That'd be a better story, but maybe I prefer to keep it secret." She smiled at the curious look he gave her and explained. "Imagine if the girls in my world knew that the real Captain Hook isn't this ugly guy with perms and waxed mustaches. If they knew the real Killian Jones, they'd try to steal you from me."

Killian chuckled. "Wouldn't they think I'm fictional?"

"That probably wouldn't be enough to stop some of them. I'm not willing to take the risk."

A smirk tugged at his lips. "Wouldn't you happen to be quite possessive?"

"I know a pirate who told me treasures need to be kept safe," she said with a playful smile.

"Are you saying I'm a treasure?" he asked, looking quite pleased.

"You're the best thing I've ever had, is that enough to say so?" she asked, the playful smile still on her lips. "I'm possessive and you're mine."

Her lips crashed against his and she ran her fingers through his hair. He trailed his lips across her cheek and pressed them in her neck, making a soft moan escape her.

"I love it when you do this," she whispered.

He smiled against her skin. "I think there's this, which you love even more."

Not having time to ask about what he was referring to, her eyes closed and her lips parted when she felt the open-mouth kiss in her neck. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders while her hold on his fingers loosened.

"Stay. Just like that," she managed to say, melting in his embrace.

Doing as he was asked, Killian kept her in his arms, giving her the time she seemed to need. He had managed to distract her, to make her smile and even laugh, but in the silence, Emma's thoughts wandered, and she found herself thinking again of the story she had been told earlier; the story of her parents. Tightening her arm around him, she tucked her face in his neck.

"Emma?"

She looked up with eyes filled with tears, biting her bottom lip to stop them from rolling down.

"I've spent my life being angry with my parents, wondering why they had given me up. But they never wanted this. And now they're gone." Feeling like she wouldn't be able to hold back her tears much longer, she hid her face again in his neck, her fingers tightening on his. "Why does the past keep surfacing?"

There had been these few days of happiness she had spent with him and only him, and she had obviously been harboring illusions, imagining she could put the past behind and start again by having a future with him and only him. Then, her son had walked into her life and, though she didn't have any regret about this, she had needed to put much effort to get used to his presence. And now, there was this story about Snow White and Prince Charming.

"It's like everything I've ever believed is wrong. It was easier not to know."

Her lips still flattened to hold back her tears, she looked up again, looking into his eyes for some comfort.

"Love, let go of them. Your tears, it won't do you any good to keep them. Don't hold them back; especially not when I'm here to wipe them away."

Emma bit her lip, trying to resist, but a tear escaped her. Placing her hand over his heart, he softly cupped her cheek and brushed the tear away with his thumb, before leaning his forehead against hers. More tears rolled down, stopped by his finger, or by his lips which he trailed across her other cheek, kissing them away. Not trying to hold them back, she focused on his heartbeat she was feeling under her palm and, once again, his tender embrace soothed her.

"I should go and talk to Henry," she finally said. "I've made him feel bad. But he was right to tell me all of this; he needs to know that."

"Aye, I think the lad could use some reassuring words."

"I need to go. Are you coming on deck?"

"Indeed."

Spotting her son on deck, she pecked Killian's lips and took a deep breath before letting go of his hand.

"Henry," she said, joining him at the stern of the ship.

Staring at the backwash, he instinctively cringed at the sound of her voice.

"Henry, that's alright, I'm not here to blame you."

"Really? Even if I've hurt you?"

"Kid, you didn't hurt me. I was just unprepared, and I'll probably need some time before getting used to the idea I'm… a fairytale princess, but you did nothing wrong."

The beginning of a smile could be seen on his features as he looked into her eyes, but he still seemed hesitant to believe her words.

"I thought telling you was a bad thing, that maybe you would have preferred not to know."

"Henry, telling me was the right thing to do."

Not knowing what else to say, Emma closed the distance between her and her son and did something she had never done yet: she pulled him into a hug. Almost instantly, he tightly wrapped his arms around her waist. When she looked up, Emma glimpsed Killian, who nodded approvingly, a tender smile on his lips. Henry finally let go of her. He was smiling brightly again.

"It's the first time you're doing this."

"I know. And probably not the last."

His smile seemed to brighten even more. "So I can always tell you anything?"

"Is there something else that you know?" A hint of worry tinted her words.

"No, I've told you everything. But if one day I find out anything, I can tell you?"

"Yes. No secret is needed between us."

The boy beamed. "Yes! No secret! But we can keep secrets from others, things that just the two of us know."

"What kind of secrets are you talking about?" asked Emma, arching her eyebrows.

"Secrets as if we were on a secret mission!"

Unwilling to ruin his cheerfulness, she leant against the railing of the ship, ready to listen to him. "A secret mission?"

"Yes!" Henry leant against the railing beside her. "It needs to be secret because Regina thinks I don't know she's not my real mum. But I know, and what I also know is that you will defeat her."

Flashing him a smile, she played the game. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"With your magic."

"Kid, I can't control it."

"That's what you think, and that's also what she thinks. But you will control it, and she won't know that; it's why this needs to be a secret mission."

"How can you be so sure I will ever manage to control it?"

"Because good always wins," he answered with a bright smile. "We need a code name!"

"A code name for what?" asked Emma, having some difficulty in following him.

"For our secret mission!" he said as if it was obvious.

"Oh! What about…" Emma paused, thinking about a possible name. "Secret Operation?"

The boy laughed and shook his head. "No. I will find us a name. Hmm, I need time, I will tell you when I find one. As a part of the mission, you should work on your magic in the meantime."

Henry's eye was caught by one of the sailors and he departed, going to the man and probably asking him some questions about what he was doing. Killian came to Emma and she did as the boy had suggested: she spent most of the afternoon with Killian in their quarters, trying to practice her magic. But on this day, she didn't manage to produce even a flare.

In the evening, after dinner, Emma was on deck, leaning on the railing of the ship, blankly staring at the horizon. She was thinking of the parents she had never met; the parents who, unlike what she had always thought, had never wanted to give her up. Her lips flattened, she focused on the reflection of the moon on the ocean to forget about the tears threatening to come.

"Mum, are you okay?"

Emma slowly turned to her son who was standing by her side. "I'm fine, just thinking."

"This is a beautiful place to think. I like it, here. Sailing the ocean…" The boy trailed off as he contemplated the view. It was only after a silent moment that he talked again, "Operation Cobra."

Having escaped again when looking at the ocean, Emma barely heard him. "Hmm?"

"Operation Cobra," he repeated. Seeing the look of confusion on her face, he added, "The code name!"

"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales. Where does that come from?"

"Nowhere," he answered proudly. "That's the point. No one will guess what Operation Cobra is about."

A genuine smile appeared again on Emma's features. "Let's go for Operation Cobra, then."

"Awesome!" said the boy enthusiastically. "Now, did you improve with your magic?"

Emma shook her head and Henry shrugged, looking again at the ocean.

"That's alright," he said. "You can try again tomorrow. I know you will succeed."


Henry kept thinking she would control her magic, but it wasn't enough: weeks went by and, though she now managed to take off Killian's hook or any piece of his clothing almost every time she tried, it was nothing compared to the power she had felt when facing the Evil Queen. Killian was also very supportive, encouraging her; there wasn't a moment when he stopped believing in her. When they were not practicing, they were looking through books, looking for any piece of information which might be useful to help her. But as much as he wished weeks would be enough for her to control her power, she still felt unable to do what she wanted with her magic.

"Killian, if we faced her now... I can't control what I'm doing. Even if it seems to work when I really need it, I would be reassured if I knew what I'm doing. I want to see Rumplestiltskin."

"I know. This is why we will go to him."

Though he hated the idea of having to see him again, he was putting her first.

The Enchanted Forest soon came into view. On this day, most of the sailors' conversations were about where they would go next. Some of them had tried to convince the Jones brothers to let them stay on board, but Killian had been affirmative on this point: all of them needed to leave. Mother and son were sitting on the railing, Henry excitingly commenting on every action of the sailors as they landed. Emma simply loved to see how passionate he was about sailing, and how good of a teacher Killian had been.

"And now, you'll meet Rumplestiltskin, and he'll help you. You will control your magic!"

"But first, we need to find him."

"If we call him, he'll come. We just need to get off the ship and he'll find us. He always does when I call him. Let me call him for us."

But once the sailors had left the ship, Killian didn't approve of this plan.

"Killian, I thought we had agreed on going to see him?" asked Emma.

"And we need to call him if we want him to find us," added Henry.

"Aye, we will see Rumplestiltskin, but I won't let you call him. Lad, once you're out of the ship, you won't be under the protection spell anymore. And should I remind you that you won't even be able to see the ship once you're on the docks? We will see Rumplestitskin, but I will be the one calling him."

Becoming used to this protection spell as they had been safely sailing for weeks, and preoccupied as she was by her magic, Emma had forgot about this fact they wouldn't be protected anymore.

"We can all go together," said Henry.

"No, lad. You and Emma are staying on board. I'll call you when I know the path is clear."

"What if it's not?" asked Emma, standing up and closing the distance, only now realizing how risky it was to leave the ship.

"Love, you don't have to worry about me. The path will probably be clear, but I still want you and Henry to stay safe until I've checked."

"Can I be of any help?" asked Liam.

"There's one last detail I need to take care of." Killian led Liam below deck. "I need you to keep Emma and Henry safe. In case we are expected on the docks. I'll go there and summon the Dark One, but if something goes wrong..."

"Killian," interrupted Liam, knowing what his brother was about to say and already disapproving the idea.

But Killian went on. "If I am not back soon, I want you to sail away and keep them safe."

"Do you realize it is the second time you're asking me to do this? And I didn't listen to you."

"And now you get another occasion to do it. Make things right this time."

"Because you think leaving you is the right thing to do? I couldn't leave you then, and I won't leave you now."

"Now is different. The first time, I ventured on my own to find Emma. Now, Emma and Henry are on board. All I'm asking you is to keep them safe."

"And all I want is for the three of you to be safe. I can protect Emma and Henry, but you can't ask me to leave my brother."

Staring at Liam, a muscle could be seen flexing in his jaw. "Then I can just hope no one is waiting for us down there on the docks."

The men went back on deck.

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with you?" asked Emma.

"Aye, love, I'm sure about this: I want you to be safe and stay here until I come back to you. This is all I ask."

Killian pecked her lips before going on the docks. Emma and Liam anxiously watched him, but soon he was out of sight, as the other ships were hiding him from view.

Killian was walking carefully, his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe if needed. But the only men around were the few sailors who still hadn't decided on where to go.

"Rumplestitskin!" the captain called.

"I'm right here, dearie," said the Dark One, standing a few meters aside. "The last time I saw you, I got this impression I was done dealing with pirates. This was unfortunately a misunderstanding."

"Always such pleasant words. You should know that the displeasure is shared. I'm here for Emma."

Rumplestitskin sniggered, which annoyed Killian. "For Emma, how surprising! Are you looking for your true love again?"

"No, I know where she is. But she has magic, an amazing power which she can't control. The lad said you could help her. My question is, can you?"

The man seemed delighted. "I can gladly offer my help."

"And I can decline the offer depending on what you're expecting in return. What's your price?"

"Nothing, that's on me."

"And I'm supposed to believe that? You told me yourself that all magic comes with a price."

"But things have changed now. I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for Henry. If he wants me to help his mother, I will. Ask him, I've been helping him for years, and never asked him anything in return."

"So you'll help Emma and won't expect anything in return?" asked Killian, a doubtful eyebrow raised.

"Shared interest, dearie. Emma wants to control her magic to be able to defeat the Evil Queen. When a battle breaks out, all you have to do is to choose your side; to choose it wisely, and I know how powerful Emma is."

"How can you know that? You haven't seen the power inside of her. You haven't even met her."

"Prophecies, dearie. I know how powerful she is, and I can promise that when it comes to helping Emma with magic, I won't ever ask for anything in return."

Raising an eyebrow as he was surprised by these words, the captain was staring at the man. But he didn't have time to reply as the voice he loved the most resounded.

"Killian?"

Turning around, he saw Emma, Liam and Henry on the docks and joined them, leaving Rumplestitskin behind. Like him a few minutes earlier, Liam had the hand on the hilt of his sword, and was standing ahead of Emma and the boy.

"Liam, I had told you..."

"Don't blame your brother, it's me. I convinced him we couldn't wait any longer. We needed to know you were alright."

"Love, you should have stayed on the ship. What if the path had not been clear?"

"Then you'd have been in danger. I couldn't wait any longer on board, not knowing what was going on."

"Is the path clear?" asked Liam.

"Aye, it is."

"Good. I'll go back on deck, ready to set sail in case we need to leave quickly."

Killian nodded approvingly. "Lad, perhaps you should stay with Liam."

"No!" protested Henry.

"You could help me get the ship ready to leave," offered Liam.

"No," repeated Henry before turning to Emma. "I want to come with you. You have your magic, and nothing bad can happen when we're with Rumplestiltskin." Since she was remaining silent, obviously thinking, he added, "I'll find a way to come, even if you don't want me to."

"Alright kid, you can come."

"It's time you meet him," Killian said while lacing his fingers with her.

It was only when he led her to him that she understood why he was calling him the crocodile. Her fingers lightly tightened around Killian's as she noticed how strange he looked.

They had barely reached him when Henry asked with a bright smile, "Are you going to help my mum?"

"Yes, I am," he said, turning to Emma. "After all this time, how nice it is to finally meet you!"

"Careful, crocodile," Killian said through gritted teeth, glaring at him.

Emma was still staring at him, examining his skin and wondering how a man could look like that. Since no one talked, Rumplestitskin held out his hands to her. "May I?"

Noticing the skin of his hands was the same as the one on his face, it took Emma some time to react. Tearing her gaze away, she looked up at Killian, wondering whether she should do what he seemed to want.

"What are you planning on doing?" asked Killian, his jaw still clenched.

"I need to know the extent of her power if you want me to help her."

"You told me you already knew how powerful she is."

"What I know is what I've seen in prophecies, but they can be unclear or misleading. I always check the facts by myself."

This convinced Emma, who slowly stepped forward and placed her hands in his. She had expected something to happen, but she didn't feel anything. But Rumplestitskin did feel something.

"Such a great potential!" he said, letting go of her hands.

"But I can't control it. Can you help?"

"Yes. But here is not a safe place."

With a move of the hand, he made the four of them disappear in a puff of smoke.