Chapter Fourteen: Ready! Aim! Fire!
She was suspended in the water, too far down to swim to the surface. The light filtered down dimly to her, while the darkness below her seemed without end. Emma struggled to move, but something emerged from the depths and caught her foot. A singular, dark tentacle; it pulled her slowly downwards, as inky water began to surround her. She was choking as a nasal laugh boomed all round her, as she continued to be pulled deeper still. The water began to churn violently, as if it was being shaken by a colossal force. The laughter intensified, until-
"Emma!" Her eyes flew open to find Killian's staring into them intently. It was then that she realized she was both sweating and panting, a rather uncomfortable combination. Something cool touched her forehead, and after several moments she realized it was his hand. "Are you all right?"
Emma opened her mouth to respond, but words seemed to be failing her at the moment. She swallowed, hoping to summon her voice back to her. "I'm fine." Her voice was barely audible, hardly giving any credit to her lie. Her heart was racing, and she felt like she had seen a ghost.
The boy beside her frowned, "Considering you screamed in your sleep, I'm going to assume you're lying." He paused, only to slowly turn her arm over with his hook. "There's also that."
Her eyes widened as the already present blush on her cheeks intensified, "What?" She looked down at her wrist, where a large and elegant number two was written in black ink on her skin. She licked her thumb and tried to rub it away, but it was almost like a tattoo. Sitting up, Emma shoved her hand under the covers, "It's nothing."
Killian's eyelids lowered and he stared at her, obviously not convinced. "Terrible lying, Swan. I don't even know why you bother." Gently, he fished her arm out of the covers and lay it on top. "When did you make a deal with her?" His voice was smooth, but Emma could tell he was angry. She heard a slightly loud inflection on the word 'when', which was rather telling.
"Yesterday."
He ran his tongue along the top row of his teeth under his lip, a sign Emma knew meant he was thinking of a polite way to yell at her. "What does it entail?" His question had taken her off-guard, as she had been expecting rage.
She blinked several times, "I need to get something from Peter Pan." For some reason, when she attempted to say the word 'box', her mouth formed a different word. Frowning, she knew that was not normal.
Killian's hook lightly traced the two on her wrist, the coolness of the metal sent shivers down her spine. "And you only have two days." She couldn't read his expression, and the tone of his voice was just as stoic. She nodded slowly, beginning to wonder where she'd left her knock-out powder. He wouldn't let her leave, that much she knew. His blue eyes met hers then, his intense gaze was discerning. "Why would you do such a stupid thing?" There it was, the anger she'd been expecting.
He sat up beside her, as he ran his hand through his hair in an obvious attempt to calm himself. It didn't work, since he plowed onwards: "I know you want to go home, Emma, but did you even think about what you were doing?" As his eyes widened, she quickly realized it hadn't been anger he was conveying, it was worry. She bit her bottom lip, unsure what emotions she was experiencing. There was certainly anger at Killian for being angry with her, but sadness that he clearly didn't understand why she made the deal. However, her temper flared when he pulled a bottle of black powder and dropped it on the covers. "Was this for me or someone else?"
"You went through my trousers?" She hissed, attempting to grab the bottle but he got there first.
He pointed his hook at her wrist, "I was concerned."
She shoved the covers off her as she scrambled out of the bed, striding over to her trousers from the previous day. She felt down the pockets, and both the knock-out powder and pixie dust was gone. "Give them back!" At this point she couldn't tell if it was anxiety or pure anger that was making her this livid, her heart was racing that much she was sure of.
Killian's eyes widened and he struggled to detangle himself from the sheets, "I am not letting you go on this stupid suicide mission, whatever it is-"
"-It's for you!" The words escaped her mouth before she could even control herself, the boy stopped where he was, mid-movement. "You got yourself into this mess, and I'm trying to fix it."
Color rose to his face and neck, making it plainly obvious she had hit a nerve. Or several. "I can handle myself, Emma! It's not your concern." In his sudden movement out of the bed, the bottles slipped out of his pocket and onto the ground. Emma lunged at them, catching them before they could shatter. She hit the floor hard, the wind knocked clean out of her.
Killian was crouched beside her within moments, slowly sitting her up. Gritting her teeth, Emma blinked back tears of pain. "You have..." Where was her breath? "No more bargaining... items."
He pulled her up to her feet slowly, "You're right." She nearly missed his words, deciding to read his facial expression instead. He looked tired, exhausted even.
"Have you been sleeping?" The question came out without a thought, and her heart sank once he shook his head.
He took a breath, "I'm coming with you."
Her eyes practically bugged with shock, "What?"
"Where ever you're going, I'm going with you." His hand found hers, and within moments he'd woven his fingers with hers. She hadn't considered this. Why hadn't she? No, she knew the answer to that. I want him to stay safe. Her eyes lingered on his hook thinking about how he'd lost his hand, and it must have been rather obvious, since Killian waved it in her face, "Extra weapon, remember?
Given that Emma had awoken them, she discovered that they hadn't actually slept the entire night away. It was still pitch black outside, and judging by the position of the moon, it was nowhere near morning. Killian had given her a black shirt, trousers and vest. The vest was made of a rather supple leather, with rather intricate patterns sewn into the material. It was quite beautiful, but obviously his own, given how loosely it hung off her body. He insisted she wore it, so Emma had a feeling it was enchanted somehow.
Armed with only their rapiers, Killian poured the pixie dust on their heads; Emma noted there was not quite enough for a return journey. She'd have to figure out how to get them back without going across the water, especially if they failed to actually get the box. The entire flight over, Emma was essentially in auto-pilot, as she was far too consumed with her worries to even focus on the flight. Thankfully, Killian guided her, though she noticed through his grim silence that he was not all too focused either.
As they neared the giant tree that Peter Pan and the Lost Boys resided in, Emma's heart tightened in her chest. Her breath grew slightly shallower as they descended in the forest nearby. Lurking at the top of the trees, behind the leaves, Killian landed them on a sturdy branch. The night was still, with only the sound of an owl hooting in the distance softly.
"We should go through that entrance." Killian whispered, pointing to a window up towards the top of the tree. Emma wasn't exactly sure how such a window had gotten there in the first place, but she trusted his judgement. After all, he had significantly more knowledge of Peter Pan than she did. "It's Peter's room."
She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Won't he be there?"
The young man next to her shrugged, "Still have the knock-out powder?" Right. Emma thought, wanting to wince at her stupidity. She nodded, and felt his hook brush her hair behind her ear. "You always have this little curly piece that sticks out..." It seemed he hadn't been aware he'd voiced these thoughts aloud, since Killian quickly pulled away and cleared his throat.
Her blush was probably not noticeable in the moonlight, but Emma could feel the heat in her face. "We already kissed, you don't have to act all modest now." She wasn't exactly sure where this teasing was coming from, but he scoffed in response.
"I need to focus now." He insisted, lightly nudging her with his elbow. "I'll hardly be modest when this is all over." Emma gasped at him as he wriggled his eyebrows, only for him to laugh in response.
"We don't have time for this," She hissed, only to freeze as she saw a large group of Lost Boys running out of the tree and into the other side of the forest, "Is that normal?"
Killian's lips were drawn together in a tight frown, "Something must have happened." He hesitated and then added: "Now is probably the best time to go." Given that half the security is gone, Emma surmised, gripping his hook firmly with her hand. She heard Killian move suddenly, as he leaned over and quickly kissed her cheek. "For good luck," He explained with a grin that the moonlight hit dramatically. Pushing off the branch, they sailed over the grass surrounding the tree, both of them keeping a watchful eye below, around and above them. Emma hadn't seen the shadow leave, which made her apprehensive.
They split apart to hover on both sides of the window, leaning into the slight crevices of the tree. Emma leaned over slightly, peering inside. The room was dimly lit, the candles were clearly not as effective as the fairies had been. There was a small desk, a chest of drawers and a rustic bed with a frame that looked like it was still a tree. The room seemed empty, however, and the door was shut. Killian nodded to her, gingerly pushing the window open and flying into the room. Emma quickly followed, slightly concerned at the fact that their pixie dust was beginning to wear off. How were they going to get back, let alone outfly Peter Pan and his shadow? Emma wanted to smack her hand against her forehead as she began to notice all the obvious problems with their current mission.
Killian had his ear pressed against the door, and motioned for Emma to look about the room. She did so, but couldn't help but mentally remark at how futile it was. The box was clearly not in this spartan room. Lightly touching the wood of the dresser drawers, she slowly pulled each drawer open. It was filled with all the essentials a boy would need, nothing abnormal. She closed the drawers, quietly lifting the sheets of the bed and looking under the pillows. Given the lack of lumps in both, she knew she'd find nothing. However, an old piece of parchment lay under one of the pillows. Emma touched the edge of it, tilting it towards her for a better view.
It was another drawing, though not from Milah's hand. The lines were bolder and less elegant than those in Milah's cabin. It was a young teenaged girl and two young boys, all of whom seemed to share vague facial features. The boys had varying dark shades of hair, while their sister's was much lighter. They all had strong eyebrows and the youngest boy had the biggest doe-eyes Emma had ever seen on a child. She was quite sure he'd melt her heart if she ever encountered him.
There was no signature or title to this drawing, but Emma was quite certain she wouldn't have needed one. Wendy. In the story she had two younger brothers, and Emma was quite certain she was the only other girl to ever visit Neverland. Or at least, of which she'd heard of. And not counting mermaids.
After staring at the drawing a little longer, Emma replaced the pillow and ran her hands under the mattress. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The desk was utterly bare, and as she looked up at the ceiling she saw no nooks in which to hide anything. If the box was hidden in this room, it was probably in a hidden space that Emma doubted she'd find. Walking over to Killian, he drew away from the door with a disappointed expression. "Nothing?"
Emma gestured to the room, "It's pretty empty."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Of course it wouldn't be this simple."
Attempting to ignore her rising stress levels, Emma touched his arm. "What do we do now?"
She did not get an answer to this question, however, as two loud voices were quickly heard in the hallway beyond the door. Peter Pan's irritated voice was very distinctive: "Felix, I thought I told you to find the crocodile, and skin him. Not capture him, do I look like I want Davy Jones for a pet?"
"Peter-" The voice who Emma assumed belonged to Felix was quickly cut off by an increasingly hostile Peter Pan.
"Kill him, Felix." His hissed voice gave Emma chills, despite the fact she wasn't exactly fond of Davy Jones in any way. "He's looking particularly gruesome without his eye anyway. How he survived that injury I will never understand. She literally plunged her sword in his eye, Felix."
There was a pause of hesitation on Felix's part, Emma guessed he wasn't sure how to react to Pan's suddenly conversational tone. "I'm sure it was... amusing." The last word was spoken while ending on a higher pitch, a mannerism Emma always associated with confusion. Their voices were closer, and Killian had pulled her against the wall, behind where the door would open.
"We need to leave." Emma whispered in his ear, to which he nodded. Pulling her over to the window, he took out the remaining pixie dust. He frowned, and Emma suspected it was because he realized how little they had.
"Do you trust me?" He asked, causing the pit in her stomach to drop.
"You are not leaving me here!" Her voice had risen, causing the voices in the hallway to stop.
"Did you hear something?" Peter Pan's voice was sharp, uneasy.
Killian dumped the bottle on his head, practically lunging out the window immediately afterwards. Before Emma could react, he reached back in, grabbing her by the waist, and pulling her out. The door to the room slammed open, with Pan zooming in like a shark honed in on the smell of blood.
They hovered in one of the large crevices in the tree, hidden in the shadows made by the moonlight. Pan popped his head out the window, his face half hidden behind his dark, wild hair and his eyes glowing like they were candles in themselves. In this moment, he was utterly demon-like and Emma was truly afraid. Killian held her closer, and Emma was secretly thankful he'd chosen to take the pixie dust and not her. There was no way she'd be able to carry him.
Pan disappeared, and the sound of his door slamming once more. "Is he gone?" Emma's voice was so quiet, she was quite sure Killian hadn't heard her until he responded.
"I don't think so."
Everything grew quiet, not even the owl made a noise. It was completely eerie and Emma felt she was going to be sick. He's going to kill us. Despite his previous assertions that he was once friends with Killian and saved him that one time, Emma knew better than to trust Peter Pan. There was something wrong with him, and she knew she would never be able to fully take his word.
Leaning over slightly, Emma attempted to get a look into the window. In that moment there was a rustle of cloth, and when she turned back to Killian the dreaded lamp-like eyes stared back at her from over Killian's shoulder. Peter Pan held a knife to Killian's throat, causing his grip on Emma to tighten in distress. "Careless, Children." Pan hissed, like a creature escaped from a nightmare.
Emma looked at Killian, and in the shadows she managed to make out his wide blue eyes. "Take away the knife, Pan." She said, knowing her voice hardly sounded brave.
Peter Pan scoffed, "No." Instantly drawing back the knife and slamming the hilt on Killian's head, and within moments both he and Emma were plummeting to the ground. She hardly had enough time to react when something jerked her out of Killian's limp arms and up into the air. She saw the shadow catch her unconscious companion, only to realize what exactly was suspending her in the air by the back of the vest. "Pests." Pan's voice spat from behind her, as he began to pull her towards the window to his room. "Put him in there." She saw his arm point to the window, and the shadow flew through it, depositing Killian's body on the bed. Blood ran through his hair and down his neck, and Emma attempted to grab the windowsill.
She was jerked away from it, and found herself being flown downwards, towards the side entrance of the tree. She recognized the hallway immediately, "Let me go!" She screamed, attempting to punch Pan, but given his grip it was hard for her to rotate her body around to do so. Within moments they'd crossed the hallway, and much to her horror, the large round door to the claustrophobic room was open. She was thrown to the ground and the thick door quickly closed behind her. "No! Let me out! LET ME OUT!" Her scream was so loud, she was convinced she'd ripped out her vocal chord. Banging her fists on the immobile door was futile, as were the tears of rage and terror that flowed down her cheeks.
She was trapped in this awful claustrophobic room while Killian was unconscious and bleeding, and there was nothing she could do about it. What is he going to do to us? Emma panicked, pausing from her violent banging on the door to place her palm against the wood. And how long will he keep us here? She turned over her hand to stare at her wrist, knowing they were running out of time.
*cries* I am SO sorry this took so long. I had major writer's block and could only write a few hundred words at a time (hence why the beginning of this chapter is such a hot mess). But I kinda got back in the groove halfway through this. Originally this chapter was MUCH longer but I decided to split it in two (since I already had the ending done), so I could get something for you all to read. I've also gotten super busy, so it really hasn't been helping my writer's block. *fail* But I'm excited for next chapter, so do not fret! :D It's going to be very emotional, well, it was for me. lol. And the title for this chapter, it's more for the tone of the song than the actual lyrics/title. And them not using the knock-out powder is not a plot-hole, I swear! xD More like they panicked, and I'm pretty sure 90% of people don't think when they're panicking. That and the Charming family isn't exactly known for it's thought out plans.