Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything having to do with Once Upon A Time. If I did, Emma and Hook would be together and Neal wouldn't even be in the picture.

Chapter Ten

A Day Off and A Curse

"How long is forever? Sometimes, just one second."

It was a cold, windy day; not the kind that typically encouraged sitting on the beach, yet here she sat.

An occasional snowflake drifted through the air as she gazed out over the ocean. The skies were dark and heavy with the low-slung clouds, and the winds churned the sea, flashes of white catching her eye as the waves broke. The smell of winter was in the air, a crisp scent that hinted of ice and frost and snow.

It was late afternoon, right about the time she'd normally be in the bar straightening and cleaning to prepare for the evening rush, but she wouldn't be found there today. No, today she wouldn't have to deal with alcohol and men and catcalls because today was her day off. She hadn't asked for it nor had she expected it. In the fourteen years she'd been working at The Salty Dog Inn, she could count the days she'd had off on two hands; not that she minded, of course, seeing how she really did love her job. But she couldn't help but admit that having a day off was nice.

Despite the frigid temperatures, Emma kicked off her boots and wiggled her toes down into the sand, burying them deep beneath the grains. She had done the same thing as a child the few times her parents had taken her to the beach. At the thought of her parents, her brow involuntarily furrowed. It was a sensitive subject – always had been – that she tried not to think about, but memories of her time in the palace would sneak up on her at the oddest times, forcefully snagging her attention and focus and often leaving her winded with the hollow ache that remained in their wake.

Emma liked to think of herself as having been a well-rounded, mature-for-her-age child. However, while she had been well-rounded and slightly more mature than others her age, she was still only a child. She'd looked on every situation through an adolescent's eyes, often seeing everything as dramatic, the end of the world. There was never time to wait and see how things panned out… no, there was only a problem and an action to be taken to circumvent it. It was the natural workings of a child's mind.

Now as an adult, she often wondered if she'd made the right choice in running away.

Her parents had been nothing but loving; fiercely overprotective and somewhat smothering, but loving nonetheless. And she'd never doubted their love for her, their absolute need to protect her. Their only daughter, she was the apple of their eye, the sole source of their pride and joy, the living embodiment of their love and dedication to each other, the proof of their signature testament – I will always find you.

And she'd broken their hearts.

Although when Emma had stood on that merchant ship and finally took one last, long look at her home, her heart had broken just the same.

Running away was such an important thing for a twelve year old to decide. If only she'd known then what she knew now; how there's always another choice, always another option. Choosing to run away had been such an ultimate decision, one that completely cut ties. But…

What if she went back? The thought of seeing her parents after all these years… When she tried to imagine it, she couldn't see the look on their faces and it scared her. Would it be one of joy, happy to finally be reunited with their daughter? Or would it be one of disappointment, hurt and angry at her choice all those years ago?

How could she ever bring herself to face her parents and her kingdom again after fleeing from them?

"You're going to catch your death out here."

Emma whipped around, the wind blowing strands of hair into her face, but she was still able to make out the familiar form of the huntsman as he approached her.

"Ah, but at least it would be in the comfort of a day off."

"Is that right?" He dropped to sit beside her. "I can't believe Geppetto let you off. Let me guess – causing too much trouble? Roughing up the patrons?"

He laughed when she elbowed him. "Good behavior, actually."

"I'm sure. Seriously, though, Emma – it's freezing. You're likely to get sick if you stay out here too long." She would normally say something, but her mind still felt weighed down by her thoughts of home. There was a faint hint of concern in Graham's voice at her silence. "Are you alright?"

Were things alright?

"Yeah, just thinking. Sometimes it's nice to get away; to have some time to yourself and just… be."

Her words hung in the air for a second before he spoke. "On that note, I think I'll take my leave. I'd hate to intrude on your alone time." Graham moved to stand up, but it was all a show, an attempt to lighten her mood, as his voice was pure jest.

Emma grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and tugged him back down, laughing, and couldn't help but feel grateful as she felt her spirits lift. "That's not what I meant and you know it so sit down."

"So since you have the evening off, I guess it's safe to assume I won't be seeing you at the bar tonight."

"Yes, that would be a safe assumption." She glanced to the huntsman with a sly grin. "Don't worry, though, Ruby's still working." He opened his mouth as if to say something and then immediately closed it. No doubt, he knew there was no use in denying his fling with the brunette; at least not to Emma. "How are things with Ruby?"

She'd tried to keep her tone casual, but it was obviously a loaded question, one that Graham easily picked up on. "As close as you two are, I'm sure you've heard all about how things are going."

"True, but that's only her take on things. I'm curious as to what you think."

"I don't quite trust my feelings on the matter to remain in confidence." The women of Tortuga were notorious gossips.

"If you don't want me to, I won't breathe a word." And she wouldn't. She loved Ruby to death, but she'd also grown to care for Graham over the four years she'd known him and wouldn't want to break his trust. He remained silent, obviously still hesitant, but she figured a little encouragement never hurt. "I know she's missed you ever since you moved away."

Graham turned to her with a discerning grin. "Are you trying to play matchmaker, Emma?"

"Not at all, just trying to figure out your intentions with my friend."

The playful expression drifted from his face and he looked back out over the ocean with a deep sigh. "I assure you, my intentions towards her are nothing but honorable, even while our current situation may not be."

Emma had been on the receiving end – genuine at first, joking later – of Graham's charisma, but she'd had few chances to really see the gentlemanly side of the huntsman that her friend occasionally spoke of. The fact that he was all but admitting to wanting something more proper with Ruby convinced Emma of her long-standing belief of his hidden feelings.

"She's scared."

"I know." And the fact that he knew, that he understood Ruby's inherent fear, and still pursued her was endearing.

There were so many things Emma wanted to say about her friend – that she had a rough time growing up in Tortuga, that she was just as infatuated with Graham as he was with her, that the way she would talk about him is different from other men – but she settled on something simple.

"Just give her time."

"I will; I have no plans of giving up on her. Eventually she'll come around."

Three hundred eighty-eight days

Emma stretched languorously, pointing her toes and arching her back, before curling into the warmth of the bed. It was early, the sky only showing trace amounts of light on the horizon through the windows, but the bed was empty. But then again, Hook was always an early riser.

She still called him Hook. His name – Killian – was special to her, one only uttered in heavy sighs as he kissed her, breathless moans as he touched her in all of the right places, or contented murmurs as she fell asleep in his arms. It just didn't feel right to say it outside of their private moments, and he didn't seem to mind since he never made a move to correct her.

Buried under the blankets, Emma could still smell him in the bed; the scent of leather and rum and sea that seemed to permeate his very being. Hook was… well, he'd turned out to be much more than she bargained for.

Their first night together had been one filled with passion; that overwhelming, mind-blowing feeling of finally giving in still made her head reel when she thought about it. He did that to her almost every time they slept together, but much to her surprise, Emma had discovered that there was a jealous side to Hook. For all his sexual exploits and numerous lovers over the years, he was still greedy and possessive of her, wanted her all to himself.

"He wanted you. Probably would've forced himself on you, if I hadn't showed up."

Hook was seething, the fury rolling off of him in tense, angry waves, but a part of Emma refused to back down despite her vulnerable position. Both her hands were caught against the wall, one held tightly in his hand and the other snagged in the loop of his hook, and his body pressed against hers.

"I can take care of myself. What makes you think I couldn't fight him off?"

"You're good, love, but not that good."

And now she was annoyed, could feel her own anger rise to match his at the insinuation that she couldn't take care of herself, and her words ground out through gritted teeth. "I could've fought him off."

"He has three hundred more years of experience than you. Trust me when I say that if he wanted you bad enough, he'd have taken you." He was purposefully taunting her now.

Emma knew he wasn't really furious with her. The pirate that had attempted to rape her was already dead, eviscerated by Hook's cutlass, but the captain's anger hadn't lessened as the man bled out on the deck, and his worry had manifested itself into this rage. But despite knowing that, she couldn't help but rise to his taunts.

"What if I wanted him to take me?"

He growled and rolled his hips against hers, and Emma had to fight the moan that threatened to spill out at the contact. He was angry and she was angry but – bloody hell – she still wanted him right then.

"I'm the only man that gets to take you." And the dark edge to his voice sent a shiver skittering through her body.

Then he crashed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss and the moan she'd been fighting vibrated in her throat. He released her hands to grab at her breast, her waist, her ass and she wound her arms around his neck, tugging at his hair, pulling him to her. But she wasn't ready to relent; she still fought for control, still spurred him on.

"You'd force me, Captain?"

He chuckled darkly. "It's not forcing when we both know you want it, love." But even still, her words seemed to give him pause. He slowed his movements against her and rasped into her ear. "Tell me you want this. I'll not take you unwillingly."

And she really didn't even hesitate, just ground the words out. "I want this."

She'd had angry sex before, the kind that bordered on the edge of dangerous, but it had been nothing compared to what she felt now. This was… gods, it was electrifying and harsh and exactly what she wanted. She felt Hook reach under her skirt for her undergarments, felt them slide down her legs to pool around her ankles, and distractedly noticed that he had also freed himself from his pants at some point.

Then he was lifting her, wrapping her legs around his waist, rucking her skirt up around her waist, and he didn't even bother to shove his pants all the way to the floor, just let them hang below his hips, as he thrust into her roughly.

Her head fell back against the wall with a thud and she groaned his name as he set a punishing pace. Sparks of pleasure danced through her body, stoking the fire he'd created. His face was buried against her neck, mouth alternating between nipping and sucking at her skin, as he rutted into her hard and fast. There was nothing gentle about it – sometimes that was exactly what was needed – and when it was all over, they moved to the bed and collapsed there, Emma tucked to his side. His lips were pressed to her temple and the words were mumbled into her hair.

"I don't enjoy the thought of you with another man, love."

"Then I guess it's good that I'm all yours."

But while he might have been selfish for her, no one could ever say Hook wasn't a generous lover. Most of the time, he preferred to take his time with her; seemed to enjoy watching her writhe under his careful ministrations, often bringing her to the edge – sometimes more than once – before seeking any pleasure for himself. Sometimes, though, Emma enjoyed being the one to take control.

Hook's pants were caught around his knees and her hands were against the outside of his thighs, holding him in place, as she took him into her mouth. Since most of the men she'd been with only wanted a good lay without much else, it was something she'd only done a few times, but she'd never quite gotten over the exhilarating feeling of power it gave her.

She felt desire run through her at the groan he emitted, quickly followed by a curse, as she swirled her tongue around the tip of him, and his hand moved from her shoulder to fist in her hair as she began to bob her head steadily. She alternated between teasing him – licking down the length of him – and pleasuring him – taking him deep in her mouth – until she could sense it. The shallow thrusting of his hips, the slight flush to his cheeks, his increasingly ragged pants, the stiffening of his muscles. They'd been together enough times for her to recognize the signs, could tell he was close, so without warning, she pushed him back to fall on the bed, ripped off her pants, and climbed on top of him. He briefly made a move as if to flip them over so he could take control, but she fought against it, pushing him back down into the mattress. And he moaned her name like it was both a curse and a blessing when she slid onto him and began to move.

His hand and hook were at her hips, guiding her as she rose and fell against him, and his eyes were glazed over as he watched her moving above him. The rush from being able to bring him to this point, of being able to pleasure him in such a way, was so arousing that it didn't take her long to finish, and she felt his hook prick her skin when he followed her over the edge. His hips continued to move in a shallow rhythm for a moment before he finally stilled with a satisfied sigh.

"Bloody hell, woman… I don't know if you'll ever cease to amaze me."

And she leaned forward to rest her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat as he traced his fingers lightly over back.

It wasn't all about the sex, though. They'd grown close in the years before sleeping together and all of those preceding moments seemed to serve the base for this thing they had going that still made her nervous to actually label. Tryst? Affair? Relationship? She didn't know exactly what it was, but it had passed the point of casual a long time ago. In between their times of passion, there were moments so sincere they almost scared her.

The venom running through her veins burned like hell.

They had been exploring around the base of Neverpeak Mountain when they'd happened across a beehive, and although they'd tried to retreat quietly, the insects had attacked. Somehow, Hook had emerged unscathed; Emma, on the other hand, had emerged with several stingers lodged in her lower back.

"The ointment will kick in soon." It had been a vile-smelling substance procured from some plant on the island, but Hook had insisted that it would ease the effects of the poison.

Emma clenched her teeth as her muscles tensed involuntarily in response to another rush of pain. Muscles cramping, hands twisted in the sheets, head pounding… surely dying would be a relief compared to this. And just when she felt like she couldn't take another second, she felt his hand on her back.

He massaged, moving in small circles over her bare skin, her shirt having been discarded – it hadn't been necessary but he'd been so insistent with his stupid smirk – so he could tend to her injuries. His hand was cool against her clammy skin and she couldn't help but be surprised at the comforting gesture. Still dwelling on his constant ability to surprise her, she suddenly realized she wasn't tense anymore, that she'd relaxed into the bed.

"Feel better?"

"Mmm…" It was an affirmative noise, the 'yes' she'd been trying to say not really taking complete form. "I saw you, you know." His hand faltered for a second before resuming. "When we were running from the bees, I saw you kill that snake."

They'd been running through the forest, the furious buzzing still following them, when they came upon a fork in the path. Emma had turned, trying to look down the path to the left and just barely saw a flash of green and the glint of steel out of the corner of her eye. When they resumed running, she'd glanced down to see two halves of a snake crumpled in the dirt.

"You don't always have to protect me like that. Plus, it's not like it earns you any extra points in my book; I'd be in your bed at night either way."

The bed shifted as he leaned forward and she couldn't stop the chill that swept through her as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"There's really no ulterior motive, love. Sometimes it's as simple as me believing you to be worth protecting."

Pulling on a shirt and trousers, Emma exited the cabin to see the sun just peeking over the horizon, rays of light shining beautifully onto the clouds that dotted the sky; a beautiful start to the day. Most of the crew still slept, only a few moved about the deck, and she gave a slight smile to Jukes as he passed her carrying a huge coil of rope.

Stretching, she contemplated helping the cook get breakfast together when she heard both Hook and a feminine voice from up above at the helm. With a smile, Emma made her way up the steps; she knew that voice. The conversation ended abruptly at her arrival, an awkward silence filling the air, but she did her best to ignore it.

"Tinkerbell!" Emma stepped forward to give the petite woman a hug. "It's been a while since we've seen you." The last time the pixie had visited the ship was probably four or five months ago when she'd arrived with a gift and message from Wind Runner. "How have you been?"

"Hello Emma – I've been well. I know it's been far too long since I've dropped by and I only wish I were here now under better circumstances." Tinkerbell took a couple steps back, wringing her hands nervously. "There's something you need to know…"

"Tink." Hook's voice was sharp, the keen edge of it cutting the pixie off, and his expression unhappy.

The pixie turned to him, hands on her hips, clearly frustrated. "You can't keep this from her, Killian. She has to know. We have to tell her."

Emma looked back and forth between the two people before her. Both were tense, their jaws clenched, and glaring at each other in a silent battle of wills. Not since one of the crewmembers had tried to accost her had she seen Hook this edgy, and she could honestly say she'd never seen Tinkerbell stressed. Overall, the situation didn't bode well and she felt a nervous ball of energy begin to roll around in her stomach.

"Tell me what?"

But the question fell flat as they both ignored her and Hook spoke. "How do we even know the curse would affect her anymore?"

"What curse?" The only curse Emma knew of was the dark magic that had been in the knife – her fingers slid unconsciously to the scar that remained – but she'd been healed of that for a long time now.

"Think about it, Tink. Neverland's a completely different realm; perhaps their tie was severed when we came here."

"What tie?"

The pixie raised her eyebrows. "Are you willing to take that chance?"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" But they'd fallen into silence again, clearly too involved in their own argument to take notice of her. She'd have more luck talking to one of the trees on the island.

Emma was just contemplating going back to bed – because this was a bizarre and unsettling start to her day – when suddenly, Tinkerbell turned away from Hook to face her. "Emma, what do you remember of your time before Neverland?"

It was a strange sort of question that immediately made her brow furrow in a combination of annoyance – because they'd refused to answer her questions – and concentration – because it really was hard to recall. She'd felt it more and more with each day spent in Neverland, the blank space in her memory growing until the only things she could readily remember were things that had occurred while in this realm.

"Umm… not too much." An enchanted ceiling that reflected stars. "I mean, it's all bits and pieces." A swaying sign through the rain. "Just a flash here and there." A full tankard sliding across a gleaming bar. "Nothing real concrete." A grassy clearing.

"Then Neverland has taken most of you then." The pixie's face was disappointed as she turned to Hook once more. "You know that makes this a lot harder, right?" And it looked like Hook wanted nothing more than to stalk away in that moment but he stayed put, responding with one hard nod.

"Can either of you please tell me what's going on?"

All the secrets and vague questions were getting ridiculous; if something was going on that involved her, then – damn it – she wanted to know. With one last leveled glare at Hook, Tinkerbell turned to Emma.

"I'm not originally from here, Emma. I'm actually from the Enchanted Forest; I just decided to come to Neverland centuries ago with a group of my brethren. And the reason I haven't come to see you in recent months is because I've been visiting some of the fairies that reside in the Enchanted Forest. While I was there, I met with the Blue Fairy. Do you remember her, Emma?"

Blue Fairy… it sounded familiar but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"It's ok if you don't; the memories of her would be some of the easier ones for Neverland to take since you two weren't very close. Anyway, I was talking to her and she explained how the entire kingdom was in a state of panic because of a curse that had been enacted almost thirty years ago."

Emma glanced at Hook but he wasn't watching her; his head was turned, gaze fixed at some point over the water. "That doesn't sound good… I hope everyone's alright." She really wished Hook would look at her.

"Everyone's fine for now, but apparently there's not much any of them can do because the curse only involved two people." The pixie paused and Emma's eyes slid back to her. "Emma, can you remember anything about your parents? Anything at all?"

A warm smile and soft hands; eyes crinkled in laughter and blonde hair.

"No. Not really."

Tinkerbell sighed. "A long time ago, there were two women named Regina and Snow. They were friends for several years until one day a feud broke out between them. It was a terrible misunderstanding on Snow's part, but Regina refused to forgive her, only wished to make her pay for the hurt she'd unintentionally inflicted."

"That's awfully cruel…"

"Things escalated into an all-out war that spanned several years and caused several casualties on both sides. Eventually, though, Snow and her comrades defeated Regina, banishing her to a far corner of the Enchanted Forest. Everyone picked up the pieces and with the Evil Queen gone, people were finally happy again; Snow even married a prince – her true love – and they reigned as King and Queen."

Everything Tinkerbell was saying was jangling around in her head. A part of her insisted it was familiar, that she should know this, but another part of her claimed that this was just a fascinating story.

"In time, Snow fell pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful little girl. She was their first child, a princess. But on the day she was presented to the kingdom, Regina appeared. Still seeking a way to hurt Snow, the Evil Queen placed a deadly curse, a mortal curse, upon the child. The King and Queen were devastated, but the Blue Fairy came to them and was able to cast a counter-curse on the princess. It wasn't enough to break the Evil Queen's original curse, but it was enough to effectively stall it."

"But all magic comes with a price…" Emma muttered the words, not even understanding where they'd come from or how she'd known them.

"That's right, Emma, and there was a price to the Blue Fairy's counter-curse. You see, what happened was the young princess and the Evil Queen became bound together, their very essences connected and tied to a single fate."

"And what fate was that?"

"Death."

The word seemed to echo in the area between Tinkerbell, Hook, and Emma.

"The Blue Fairy's spell had saved the princess' life for the time being but the original curse was still in place. Someone had to die to fulfill the curse, but now that the Evil Queen and the princess were tied to one another, it could be either one."

"So who ended up dying?"

"Neither of them, yet, and that's why the kingdom is in such turmoil. Another factor to the changed curse was that it came with a timeframe. Thirty years; that was how long they had to fulfill the curse. And in the end, if neither of them had died within that time, both would die."

The silence spread out, settled around them, heavier than the air Emma desperately tried to inhale. But it was as if her lungs weren't functioning properly, body couldn't process the oxygen properly. She didn't need Neverland's memory-stealing magic to know that she hadn't heard this story before, but something just didn't feel right.

"A tragic story, obviously… but what does all this have to do with me?"

"We can't tell you, love. This is something you have to remember for yourself." It was the first time he'd spoken since his attempts at cutting Tinkerbell off and Emma was slightly taken aback at the plaintive tone laced through the words.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Even though her mind was whirling, trying to process something that was undoubtedly important. "Remember what?" And she didn't even hear him move but suddenly Hook was in front of her. He stood close, his hook catching her wrist while his fingers brushed against her cheek.

"Remember who you are."

"I'm Emma… Emma Swan." Everything was so fuzzy, her past a blank space filled with cobwebs and dust. "What else is there?"

Then slowly, Hook leaned forward; he hesitated for a moment, as if to reconsider his actions, before closing the gap and lightly pressing his lips to hers. There was no pressure to the kiss, no teasing or demanding or seductive edge that usually accompanied the action. Despite being partially preoccupied with their prior discussion, Emma still had the presence of mind to feel surprised by the genuine sweetness of it all. She was still reveling in the easy, unhurried way his lips were moving against hers when her mind felt like it literally exploded.

It was all a jumble.

Voices and music and laughing and crying and dancing and rain on her face and wind in her air and grass against her skin and salt on her lips and stars above her head and the feeling of a hug and the clash of a sword and the sway of a ship and the warmth of a fire and the touch of a hand and the feeling of giving in and letting go and giving up and there was so much noise and so many images and so many sensations that she couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't breathe…

And when it all cleared, her memories were there as if they'd never disappeared in the first place.

The pressure left her – she didn't even remember tensing up – and she relaxed, Hook catching her as she fell against his body. Realizing that she'd finally broken through the magic, Hook ended the kiss, nipping softly at her lower lip before pulling away to look at her. "Well done, love." But his eyes were also sad and she didn't understand…

And then she knew.

Her mother and the Evil Queen. Snow and Regina. Emma had believed the happily ever after endings to the stories she'd been told as a child, believed that, when her parents defeated and banished the Evil Queen, peace had reigned in her dark absence. Her parents had told her that to protect her from the truth and she'd believed them. But she'd been wrong. So very wrong. Regina had come back to cast a curse on her, the one person her parents cared for most, and her whole life had then become a race against the clock.

Still holding onto Hook, Emma looked to the pixie. "I'm cursed?"

"Yes."

"And I'll die if something isn't done by my thirtieth birthday?"

"Yes."

She tried to focus on Hook's steady heartbeat, needing something to anchor her against the churning powerlessness she felt. This morning she had felt the happy obliviousness that Neverland granted; now she felt sick with the weight of her memories and the knowledge of what was to come. All of the times she'd been angry at how overprotective her parents were… now it all made sense. They'd been trying to keep her safe; not just from the normal evil of the world, but from the Evil Queen.

"You have to die. You have to die so she can live."

The words floated back to her now and – oh god – it all made such perfect and awful sense. She looked at Hook, sure that her eyes portrayed the desperation she felt. "The guy that stabbed me back in Tortuga… he was sent by Regina, wasn't he?"

"I've no doubt in my mind."

He'd said Emma was meant to die, had to die so that she – the Evil Queen – could live. Because they were tied together, bound by a death curse, bound by a hate that stemmed from events that occurred before her time and that she had no control over. She was bound to either kill or be killed for no reason other than being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

But how the hell was she supposed to overcome the curse and kill the Evil Queen?

"I have no idea what to do." She pulled away from Hook, restless as she began to feel the stirrings of panic. "Regina… she has magic. I've heard the stories from when she was at the height of her power, all the evil things she could do, did do. There's no way I can go up against that and win. She'd destroy me before I could even come close."

The longest long sword in the world couldn't reach farther than Regina's magic.

"Emma, the Blue Fairy also told me of a plan your parents had in place." Emma remembered eavesdropping on her parents' conversation the night of the marketplace incident; her father had mentioned something about sticking to a plan. "They believed it to be a way to break the curse without either of you having to die, but when you disappeared… well, there was no way to go through with the plan without you there."

"That's it, then!" The hope she felt was like fire as it rushed through her veins. "We'll go back to the Enchanted Forest and follow this plan. That way it'll break the curse and no one will have to die." Even Hook's countenance had changed at the unexpected opportunity. "What do we have to do? Did the Blue Fairy tell you what the plan was?"

Tinkerbell rushed forward, grabbing Emma's hands, and the pixie's face was so distraught that her heart immediately dropped; she didn't even need to hear what was said next to know it wasn't good news. "The Blue Fairy didn't know. No one knows except the King and Queen and a few of their most trusted advisors. You would have to return to them, Emma; it's the only way to find out how to break the curse. You'd have to go…"

Home.

The word twisted and turned until it formed a knot in her stomach. As she'd matured in Tortuga, Emma had thought several times about the life she'd left behind, had even entertained the occasional thought of returning; in the end, though, she'd always shoved the thoughts away, sure that her parents would never forgive her for the pain she'd put them all through.

"I… what if…"

Hook, no doubt, knew her well enough to understand the hesitant and slightly fearful expression in her voice. "Doesn't seem like there's much of a choice, love."

And there wasn't. Unless she wanted to dive headfirst into a fruitless battle that would, without a doubt, end in her untimely death, she had to return to her parents to carry out this plan they had.

"Ok." Gods, how could that one accepting word make her feel so irrationally nervous? "We'll go back and find them."

"Good." Tinkerbell had a determined edge to her expression. "Now we'll have to work fast to get you both out of here before time runs out. Speaking of which, how much time do we have to work with here? How old are you, Emma?"

She honestly had no idea. When they made the portal jump with the magic bean, she'd been roughly twenty-eight and a half, but she had no clue as to how long they'd been in Neverland. With nothing to do except go on adventures and have fun, it had seemed pointless to keep track of time.

"I'm not sure. How long have we been here?"

"Starkey!" Hook's bellow made Emma jump. "Bring your count of the days." Starkey, after having lived in Neverland for three hundred years, had decided this go round to maintain a calendar of sorts to keep track of their time here. The gruff pirate disappeared below deck before bringing forth a piece of driftwood with numerous marks gouged into its face, and they all watched as Hook counted.

With a sudden thought, Emma turned to Tinkerbell. "Does it really matter how long we've been here? I mean, this is Neverland; people aren't supposed to age here."

"You're right to an extent. Neverland does prevent your body from aging, but it has no control over the age of your mind. So physically, your body is still the age it was when you arrived, but internally it's different. This is a powerful curse, and I suspect it's more likely to be tied to your real age than your physical one."

Figures.

Hook looked up, finished counting the marks. "Including today, we've been here three hundred eighty-eight days. That would put Emma at…"

"Just over twenty-nine and a half." Emma finished the sentence quietly. Had they really been in Neverland for over a year? Time flies when you're having fun.

Tinkerbell was worrying her lip anxiously. "That doesn't give us much time; a little less than six months to break the curse. You'll have to leave immediately so you have as much time as possible to get back to your parents."

"One problem, Tink – we don't have a way to get home."

"What?" The pixie's voice was shrill, chastisement thick in her question. "You came here without having a way to get out?"

Hook crossed his arms in self-defense of his decision. "Well, it wasn't like our trip here was exactly organized ahead of time; ended up being more of a spur-of-the-moment trip. I'm sure you remember the particulars of it."

"This certainly complicates things." Tinkerbell paced back and forth, deep in concentration, before halting. "It would take some convincing, but…"

"But what?"

"With enough pixie dust, we could enchant the ship so it will take all of you back to the Enchanted Forest." Tinkerbell looked to them with an apprehensive expression. "But I'd have to go to Clarion with this and I can't guarantee her cooperation. And even if she does, it'll take time to create and gather enough dust… I honestly can't say how long."

Emma turned to Hook, not liking the grim set of his mouth or his tone. "Once again, it seems like we don't have a choice."

Tinkerbell gave them a sharp nod. "I'll be in touch." She then transformed back to her miniature form and flew away towards the island and Pixie Hollow to plead Hook and Emma's case once more, requesting her brethren's help in returning them home. Emma watched the pixie until her glowing form was out of sight before she turned to Hook.

"Why didn't you forget everything?"

He seemed somewhat startled by the change in topic. "I forgot just as easily as you did, love. But I've also spent a great deal of time here and have had plenty of opportunities to practice remembering." Three hundred years of practice at trying not to forget both Milah and his revenge. "Even still, Tink had to work at me for a while this morning before I remembered."

"Oh." For some reason it made her feel better to know he had a difficult time of it also. "You didn't want to tell me about the curse." It was meant to have been phrased as a question, but that would've just been out of courtesy because she knew he'd wanted to keep it from her.

His voice was soft and he averted his eyes. "No, I didn't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a pirate, not a sorcerer. This is a completely different world and I know next to nothing about magic; not how or even if magical properties can even travel between realms. How do we know the curse would reach you here? What if it's already broken and we don't even know it?"

"And what if it isn't?" Emma mirrored the pixie's earlier testament and Hook looked to her.

"I know. But I find denial to be much easier than acceptance." The words seemed hard for him to say. "Returning to the Enchanted Forest would force our hand; it's either a confrontation or death. Here in Neverland, I don't know what the outcome would be. It might end in death, but it could also mean life."

Hidden deep between his words was a vulnerability, a very-real concern for her and her predicament, that touched her so deeply that she stepped forward quickly and wrapped her arms around his waist. His body remained tense, but his arms came around her in a fierce hug and he buried his face in her hair.

Whoa, chapter. A bit more was supposed to happened in this chapter but the characters hijacked things and then everything started to get a little too long so yeah…

FYI – I originally had planned to make the curse deadline at twenty-eight years old to stick with the show, but then changed it to thirty because that put Emma meeting Hook too young. I wanted them to meet once they were a little older and still wanted all those years in between for them to get to know each other.

Thanks for reading and reviewing!