Hook threw a rope over the side of the Jolly Roger and pulled Ariel up as Emma stood there, her mouth still hanging open in shock. She didn't think anything would surprise her anymore - her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming for God's sake - but apparenty she was wrong because here she was, looking at an actual mermaid. And not just any mermaid, the most famous of all mermaids, the Little Mermaid. She looked almost exactly as Emma pictured her from the Disney movie, at least from what she could remember: long, fire engine red hair, pearly white skin, sparkling emerald tail, and that damn lavender seashell bra.
Closing her mouth quickly when she realized she had been staring creepily, Emma grabbed the back half of the rope and helped Hook pull the mermaid up the the ship. Ariel's hands gripped the railing as she hoisted herself up the rest of the way. She flipped her tail up and over onto the deck, soaking Emma to the bone with sea water.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, dear," Ariel said. She moved her eyes up and down Emma. "And who might you be?"
"I... uh... I'm..." Emma, still trying to process the fact that a mermaid was sitting right in front of her, struggled to find her words.
"This is Emma," Hook said finishing her sentence.
Ariel nodded. "It's lovely to meet you, Emma. I'm Ariel." Emma had completely lost the ability to speak, causing the mermaid to giggle. "Oh my," she said. "A certain sea witch hasn't stolen your voice, has she?"
"She's clearly never seen a mermaid before," Hook chuckled, winking in Emma's direction.
Before any of them could say another word, a rumble of footsteps cascaded up from below deck, followed almost immediately by the appearance of Snow and David, each brandishing their respective weapons. Rumplestiltskin trailed behind.
"Whoa!" Emma yelled, finding her voice again and throwing her hands in the air reflexively when her parents advanced on the three of them. "Relax! It's only... Ariel." She gestured unnecessarily to the redhead behind her.
David and Snow lowered their weapons slowly after taking a quick survey of the deck.
"We heard some knocking on the hull and thought we were being ambushed again," David explained.
"And when we saw you were gone," Snow looked at Emma, "we were afraid something awful had happened."
"I've been up here with Hook," Emma informed her parents. "And the knocking you heard was Ariel."
"Yep, just me," Ariel trilled innocently. "Sorry! I didn't realize the captain had anyone else aboard."
Snow gazed, admiring the mermaid. "So you're Ariel." She walked closer to her, holding out her hand politely. "I'm Snow. Snow White."
"Ah yes, the Snow White," Ariel said shaking Snow's hand. "I've heard many stories about you." She looked over at David. "And you must be her Prince Charming."
David bowed slightly. "You can call me David." He hated introducing himself as James nowadays.
Ariel waved energetically, her hand dropping almost instantly when her eyes fell upon the Dark One who was standing behind David in the shadows of the mast. Keeping one eye on him, she turned her head back towards Hook. "Did you really let him onto your ship, Killian?" she asked incredulously.
Rumplestiltskin menacingly curled his lip at her, baring his teeth.
"Wait," Emma said cutting in just as Hook opened his mouth to respond. "She called you Killian." Her eyes passed back and forth quickly between Hook and Ariel. "Do you two know each other?" Emma was fully aware that hardly anyone knew Hook's real name.
The captain and the mermaid exchanged a series of glances, both unsure of how to answer the clearly uncomfortable question.
"It's a long and complicated story, love," Hook replied a moment later.
He was trying to dodge the question, but Emma wasn't about to let it go that easily. There was obviously a lot that he hadn't told her yet; not that she expected him to fill her in on every detail of the last three hundred years, but one would think that an interaction with a mermaid, especially this particular mermaid, would've been a highlighted story.
"So why are you back in Neverland?" Ariel asked before Emma could argue back.
"We're here to find her son," Hook answered, pointing to Emma. "He was taken by someone in her land and brought here."
Emma pulled out a picture the picture of Henry that she always carried in her tiny wallet; she had never been one for purses. Ariel studied the photo, which was dripping water from the fact that Emma was still drenched from being splashed. Ariel shook her head.
"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen him." She noticed Emma's distraught face. "But there are lots of boys on the island. I'm sure you'll find him," she added.
"Can you help us?" Snow asked.
"Of course!" Ariel smiled. "I would hate to think of another little boy trapped here in this awful place."
"Thank you," Emma said.
:You know she can't be trusted," Rumplestiltskin growled from the back. Everyone turned to look at him; as if he would have the nerve to call someone untrustworthy.
David glanced back at Ariel and gave her a once-over. "And why shouldn't we trust her?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.
"Because she's a mermaid," Rumplestiltskin said, twirling his hands in the air sarcastically. The reactions to his statement on all of their faces showed that they had absolutely no clue what it meant. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and continued. "All they wish to do is lure you into their waters to die."
"Aren't those sirens?" David asked, recalling his encounter with one long ago at Lake Nostos.
"Mermaids cannot take on the form of another as a siren can," Rumplestiltskin explained. "But they would just as soon as kill you like a siren."
Hook had heard enough. "Ariel can be trusted," he interjected, his anger with the crocodil boiling over.
"And how can we trust you?" David questioned, eyeing the pirate.
Hook bit down on his lip in an effort to hold his tongue. It would've been so easy to start a fight, but he knew it would not get them any closer to finding Henry.
"Dad," Emma broke in before one of them started a brawl, "we can trust him. And if Killian trusts Ariel, then we should too."
David raised his brow at his daughter. "Killian...?" Snow placed a hand on her husband's forearm, signaling him to let it go. David didn't say another word, but gave Hook a look of pure distaste. The pirate responded with a forced smile, though a message with a certain finger could be seen behind it; getting Emma's father's approval was going to be a long, and perhaps literal, battle.
Ariel cleared her throat. "If it helps to prove I'm trustworthy, I do know something that I'm guessing will be of interest to you."
"See?" Rumplestiltskin interrupted. "She's withholding information already."
"Shut up, Gold," Emma hissed.
"What do you know, Ariel?" Snow asked urgently, but gently.
"Well..." She paused in case the Dark One felt like interrupting again, but he didn't. "I did hear of three grown ups - as they call them - getting captured and taken to him."
"Him?" Emma questioned.
"Pan," Hook confirmed.
"Was it a man and two women?" David asked quickly.
Ariel though for a moment. "I believe it was, yes."
"Do you know where they are?" Hook asked. "I imagine he's changed hideouts since I was last here."
Ariel nodded. "Oh yes, they were on the move as soon as you arrived. I don't know where they ended up though," she said answering the question she knew was on the tips of all of their tongues.
"So what do we do now?" Snow said posting the question to the group.
"We need to send someone out to scout the area," David declared immediately.
"After what happened to Neal, Tamara, and Regina?" Emma barked at her father. "No way. We go as a group."
"We can't go as a group," David argued back. "We will be easier to spot if we travel as a group."
"Well we can't just stay here and let them be held hostage," Snow chimed in heatedly.
"Ariel," Hook said turning to her in an attempt to break up the bickering, "would you be able to look around more for us? We need to know where Pan is keeping the rest of our crew and the boy."
"I'll do my best," she piped. She looked around briefly to see if there were any objections. "If I find out more, I'll let you know."
"Everything's settled then," Hook reiterated. "Ariel will scout ahead for us and inform us when she knows more." He shot a glance at David, almost challenging him to dispute his decision.
Instead, Rumplestiltskin stepped forward.
"Everything is not settled," he growled through gritted teeth. "I'm not about to put my trust in a mermaid and a pirate who has been trying, and failing I might add, to kill me-" Hook's eyes were spewing invisible daggers at the crocodile. "-in order to find my son. I'm leaving to find him, and my grandson, myself."
Ariel's eyes bugged out of her head like a cartoon. "His grands-" she started, but Snow shook her head indicating that now was the not the time.
Rumplestiltskin turned his attention back to the group. "If any of you wish to come with me, I'm going now." He looked at each of them individually, landing on Emma last. "Miss Swan, if you want to find Henry, I suggest you come with me."
Emma concentrated on Gold, who was resting as firmly on his argument against Hook and Ariel as he was on his cane, and then gazed at Killian. His blue eyes penetrated hers, begging her not to go with the Dark One and to put her faith in him to get her son safely back. She hesitated for a moment, though it felt like a lifetime, thinking how easy it would probably be for Gold with his magic, but her gut - no, her heart - was telling her to choose Killian.
"You're on your own, Gold," she said, noticing the corners of Killian's mouth dance upwardly with satisfaction. "Good luck." She nodded curtly.
Rumplestiltskin didn't respond, but stood by the edge of the ship. He waved his arms and was gone, but not before the group glimpsed a shot of him, his hair wavy, eyes large and dark, and skin scaly and sparkling. Mr. Gold was gone, leaving behind nothing but his cane, and they all knew: the Dark One was now unleashed in Neverland.
No one spoke for several minutes. they all just stared at the cane he had left behind.
"So, uh," Emma said breaking the silence. "Was it just me or was his skin all-"
"Yes," Hook, David, and Snow replied in unison.
"Don't ask," her father added.
"There's a lot even we don't understand," Snow added.
Emma looked at Killian, who rolled his eyes, finally understanding why he had always referred to Rumplestiltskin as "the crocodile". He gave her a quick wink and wiggled his left arm with the hook knowing exactly the realization she had just come to having just heard her version of the story only an hour before.
"I should be heading back," Ariel spoke up. She focused on Hook. "They know you're here and if I'm away for too long, they'll get suspicious." Hook nodded. "I'll come back when I know more, but I don't know how long it will take me and I can't promise I can get any new information."
"We understand," David acknowledged.
"Thank you," Snow said gratefully.
Ariel smiled, giving one last nod to Hook, and flipped off the railing back into the sea.
Emma, still sopping wet, began to shiver as the breeze off the water picked up. Snow took notice of her daughter's uncomfortable state and stretched out her hand towards her.
"Come on, Emma," she said in her motherly way, "let's get you out of those clothes."
She took her mother's hand and was led down below deck, David following behind. They walked into their cabin, David promptly giving Emma a blanket to warm up with and Snow pulling out the duffel bag she had packed hastily in their rush to leave Storybrooke.
"Oh no," Snow sighed after digging through the bag for a couple minutes.
Emma looked over at her mother. "What's wrong?"
"It looks like I only packed clothes for me," she said now emptying the duffel's contents. "I totally forgot about your stuff."
"Oh," said Emma as she rubbed her arms trying to warm up. "It's ok. I'll dry."
"No, here, take some of my stuff." Snow started handing her some of her own clothes.
"No, really, it's ok," Emma insisted. "You're going to need it." Snow turned her head towards her daughter, giving a concerned look. "Trust me, I've survived on less than this, Mom." Emma grinned.
"Are you sure, Emma, honey?"
"Snow, don't force it on her," David said. "She's an adult. Weren't you hiding in a chest of clothes the other day anyways? I'm sure you could find something in there."
"Oh yeah," Emma said quietly. She hadn't forgotten about that chest since she first found it. In fact, she often found herself thinking about it, wondering at the same time if Killian thought about it just as often. "Yeah, I'll go grab something out of there."
Leaving the blanket behind in the cabin, Emma walked by herself down to where the chest was and paused in front of it. She debated about asking Killian if he would mind wearing Milah's clothing, but decided not to. Her clothes were wet so she needed something to wear. If he had a problem with it, then he'd just have to deal with it. They didn't exactly have time to pack for a vacation.
Emma knelt down and opened the chest once more. The clothes were still strewn about inside; she felt bad that she hadn't folded the pieces neatly back in place as they had been, but then again, she didn't exactly have time to do that. There were all sorts of different pieces, some of which she had never seen before in her life.
After digging through the various items, grateful to find that most of them were not too feminine - that was not her style in the slightest - she settled on a pair of black leather pants with a flowing skirt attached to the back and a red and gold embroidered blouse. Emma peeled off her wet clothes, throwing them unceremoniously on the wood floor, and stood there in her lingerie waiting for herself to dry a little more so she could get the leather on easier. A part of her secretly wished Killian would walk in on her, but knew that it probably wouldn't happen considering her father knew she was down there changing and was more than likely guarding the top of the stairs for that reason alone.
A few minutes later, deciding she was dry enough, Emma pulled on the leather pant-slash-skirt thing - she had no idea what it was called - and the blouse, tying up the laces on the bodice. It turned out to be lower cut than she originally thought, but didn't feel like trying to find another top to wear. Everyone would just have to deal with her showing a little more cleavage, though she knew Killian wouldn't mind. He would just have to watch where he stared if he was to avoid getting clocked in the face once again by David.
She looked down at herself, surveying the ensemble she had put together and felt like there was something missing. Moving aside the other clothing, Emma found a sizable collection of accessories at the bottom of the chest, everything from belts to jewelry to boots. She picked out a small belt with red jewels - Emma wondered if they were actual rubies or not - and a pair of worn, dark brown boots that laced all the way up to the knee, much like the ones she wore when she first came to Storybrooke.
Emma stood up, adjusting her outfit so it was comfortable, and refolded the rest of the clothing, placing it with care back in the chest. She ran her hand along the nameplate once again before closing up the chest and gathering her damp clothes off the floor.
"Looks like you found something," David said as Emma climbed back up the stairs towards the staterooms where he was standing guard just as she had predicted. "It's definitely not the ball gown your mother and I pictured you wearing," he teased.
"Do I really look like a dress girl, Dad?" Emma punched back, raising an eyebrow.
David chuckled. "Definitely not." He leaned over and gave his daughter a hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Why don't you come back and try to get some more sleep, Emma? Your mother is already lying down and I know I could use some more shut eye."
"Thanks, but I'm past the point of sleeping. But you go ahead. I'll just go keep a look out on the deck." David cocked his head, Emma knowing he was worrying about her. "Really, Dad, I'm ok."
"Alright," he said. "Take my sword." David started pulling out his weapon.
"Keep it," Emma said holding up her hand. "There are spare ones up by the bow of the ship."
"Ok," David said. "If anything happens, yell."
"I will."
David gave her one more hug and retreated into the cabin, closing the door behind him, leaving Emma alone. She looked at the stairs leading up to the deck and felt her heart suddenly start to pound in her chest.
Very aware of the fact she was in Milah's clothes, Emma wondered if Killian had also gone back to sleep, a part of her hoping he had. She was nervous about his reaction to her new attire. It was a weird feeling. Emma Swan never cared about how people thought she looked, especially a man. But this was different. She didn't want him to feel like she was trying to replace her. She could never do that, just like he could never replace Graham. Even though the sheriff had only been in her life for a short time, he had left an impression on her, and it was that impression on her, and Milah's impression on Killian, along with many other things, that had brought them together.
Emma knew she couldn't stand there forever. She took a deep breath and ascended the stairs, looking around for Killian. It seemed as though he had returned to his quarters, but then Emma saw him, up by the helm looking out his spyglass towards the island. Her boots clicked on the wood and she saw him look over at her, his body freezing and his piercing blue eyes that could be seen even in the darkness tracing up and down her body. He didn't say anything, but just stood there gazing upon her, completely expressionless from what Emma could tell.
Panic set in immediately, her palms becoming sweaty, her heart beating so fast she was sure it was going to burst out of her chest.
"I'm- I'm so sorry, Killian," she started rambling faster than a race horse. "I just needed some clothes and I didn't have any others and I just thought it would be ok, but I'm so stupid. I'll go change." Emma swung back towards the stairs.
"No, Emma, stop," Killian called softly as her foot hit the first step.
She turned her head in Killian's direction as he walked down the stairs from the helm. He strode slowly over to Emma, still surveying every inch of her. As he came closer to her, Emma could see the faintest smile in the corners of his mouth and a slight sparkle welling up in his eyes. Killian stopped, his body inches from hers, and reached his hand up cupping Emma's cheek. A bright smile, full of affection like she had never seen before, curled onto his face, his eyes looking deeply into hers.
"I knew you'd make a hell of a pirate, love," Killian whispered.
Emma grinned, blushing profusely as he leaned in, his lips approaching hers.
A door creaked down below deck, followed by two sets of footsteps. Killian and Emma broke apart as David and Snow trudged up the stairs to the deck.
"I thought you were going to get some more rest," Emma said, trying not to sound disappointed at being interrupted.
"Neither of us could sleep," Snow said. She had a feeling they had just interrupted something, but didn't feel like addressing it. Taking her daughter's hands in hers, she stepped back, assessing her new look. "Don't you look wonderful, Emma."
Emma smirked. "Thanks. I know it's not the ball gown you imagined me in-"
"It's perfect." Snow smiled and hugged her daughter.
David stared at Hook out of the corner of his eyes, but wasn't being at all subtle about it.
"Can I do something for you, Your Highness?" Hook asked rolling his eyes.
David ticked his tongue at the pirate's cheekiness. "Well, Snow and I were discussing what we should do next."
"What do you mean?" Emma asked. "I thought we were waiting for Ariel."
"But don't you think there's something else we should be doing?" Snow responded.
Hook leaned back on one of the crates, already bored with the roundabout conversation. "And what exactly do you think we should be doing, darling?" he scoffed.
"Watch it," David warned.
Hook opened his mouth to retort, but was silenced when a rush of wind carrying the sound of hollowed screams came across the water to the ship. Whipping out his sword, he rushed to the side and looked out at the water, eyes peeled. David, following Hook's lead, withdrew his sword from its sheath and hurried to his side. Emma and Snow stood in place, their faces full of confusion and worry.
Just as fast as the shrieks came in, they were gone, leaving silence in its wake. The four of them stood, listening for more cries, but none came.
"What was that?" Emma asked after a minute.
Before anyone could answer, screeches filled the air once more, much louder this time. The Jolly Roger started rocking back and forth as the water churned below them. Emma and Snow grabbed hold of the ropes while Hook and David grasped the side of the ship.
The boat continued to rock fiercely for several seconds until, suddenly, the sea stopped tossing and turning. Stumbling to regain their balance as the Jolly Roger continued to sway violently, they looked around at each other, wondering what was going to happen next.
A giant splash of water and an eerie shriek followed a moment later as a mermaid jumped up and over the side, followed immediately by another.
"DAVID!" Snow screamed as the second mermaid snatched her up and tossed her overboard.
The prince raced to the opposite side of the deck about to jump in after his wife when a third mermaid burst up over his head and grabbed Emma, throwing her off the other side. David whipped his head from side to side, that impossible internal struggle of who to go after coursing through his body of who to save: his wife or his daughter.
The seconds passed like centuries and before he could make a decision, David saw Hook leap off the ship in the direction Emma was thrown, allowing him to chase after Snow.
Killian hit the water, the cold sea stabbing him like sword in the gut, but he didn't care. Resurfacing, he looked around desperately for Emma, finally hearing her muffled screams as she bobbed in and out of the water trying to escape.
He swam like he never had before. He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't. The thought of being without her propelled him forward faster than he ever thought he could go. She was just ahead, maybe two or three arms length away. A couple more strokes and he would be able to grab on to her.
As he caught up, he stretched out his hand for her ankle, but just before he could grasp it, another mermaid coursed up from below, knocking his arm out of the way. Killian caught the end of its tail with his hook and slashed it through causing the mermaid to be thrown off.
Emma was still in sight, a little ways ahead again, but he wasn't giving up. Killian pumped his legs as hard as he could, kicking away any mermaid that tried to pull him down and cutting others that approached his front with his hook. He was not going to be defeated and damn his love to their curse.
His hand closed around her wrist. Emma's screams could no longer be heard, but Killian, fearing the worst, didn't dare look at her, not yet, not until they had reached land. He pulled her close, wrapping his left arm securely around her, and swam hard, heading straight for the beach that was maybe a few meters ahead.
The coarse sand scratched his arms as Killian pulled himself and Emma up onto the beach. Dragging her up several paces from the waterline, Killian finally looked down at her. Her mouth was open slightly, but her eyes were closed, sand covering part of her cheek. He fell down onto his knees, brushing her sand-filled hair out of her face, and leaned down to determine her fate.
Emma's shallow, cold breath tickled Killian's fingers as he placed them on her neck, feeling for her pulse. It wasn't until he had felt her heart beating against his hand and watched her chest rise and fall slowly for several minutes did he breath a sigh of relief. She was alive, but clearly unconscious. He couldn't tell if she was injured beyond that.
"Emma," he whispered, brushing his lips gently against hers. "Emma, wake up, darling. Wake up." She did not respond. Killian pressed his lips against hers again, a part of him hoping that his kiss would wake her up, but it didn't. "Come on, love," he said desperately, but no matter how many times he tried, Emma didn't wake up.
He twisted his body around, peering at his surroundings, looking for any sign of the prince and princess, but saw none. All he could do was hope they were able to get to safety. He couldn't bare the thought of having to tell Emma her parents were missing and possible dead.
But Killian couldn't dwell on that now. Staying on the beach was not safe. He had to get Emma and himself to safety. Taking her in his arms, Killian glanced up at the stars, determining his bearings, and set off into the jungles of Neverland.