Author's Note: So sorry this took FOREVER! I had so many ideas that needed heavy editing. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

P.S. To the Guest Reviewer who wrote the following:

This film is the most OOC depiction of David ever written. Badly done.

Generally I respond to reviews directly on PM but you didn't leave a name so here it is! Um...Hi! First off I'm so glad you reviewed and let me know how you are feeling here! reviews really help me improve my writing and let me know what everyone is thinking so I can improve in either future stories or when I revamp this one. (Anyone looking at the first few chapters will know that this DEFINITELY needs a revamp;) So thank you for letting me know what you are thinking! One tiny thing that made me laugh and then an explanation of my logic so maybe you can get on board or at the very least understand where I'm coming from: A) ...not a film sweetie;) B) This fic is CLEARLY an alternate universe story so the background and what the characters have gone through in their past is VERY different. I believe that our past and our experiences make us what we are so the same person who went through different things in their life would in fact act and react to situations differently. Also, as Emma was separated from her family in the show, we don't really know what David and Snow would have been like as parents to a teenage Emma and while we know she is 25, they see her as a 17 year old. My parents at 17? Extremely protective and would have been pretty pissed to find out I was dating someone even 10 years older than me, let alone 200 years older than me. In my mind, his daughter has just been taken from him, after her already being separated for him for some time, he's going to be protective and he's going to want her to stick around. If you recall from the show, he WAS very upset with Hook in the beginning of his courtship with Emma, going so far as to say that he's nothing but a pirate and he would never deserve Emma and that Emma would never be with him. This was my interpretation of that moment and as you'll see in this chapter, it was important to the story that Killian left without Emma. I think given David's backstory here, its not THAT OOC...unless those actions weren't what you were referring to in which case PLEASE PM or review to let me know so I can choose to adjust or not when I put this guy through a rewrite! Also, to the person who PMed me about this review specifically - boo boo bear. I LOVE reviews. Even/especially negatives or critiques because I am really striving to improve my writing! I super appreciate your standing to my defense but I promise, I was just as excited to get this review as all the others. (And only partially because they used one of my favorite words: Depiction...I don't know what it is about that word but it really does something for me! That word alone made me inordinately happy;)

SO! After THAT long winded response...here's the part you are REALLY here for!

Demetri

"Captain, I don't understand."

"Round up the crew and make ready to set sail. Have I not spoken those words a thousand times or more? I don't understand what you are not understanding, mate."

"The ball..."

"We will not be attending the ball. We will be setting sail to find the lost treasure of Captain Teague."

"You know I care not for balls, this is not why I protest, I simply don't understand, sir. There is a ball to be held in our honor, a way for the men to gain payment for our trip to Neverland, if you will. But more than that, it is their opportunity to say goodbye to the Princess." I paused and looked directly into his eyes. "Unless, that is, there is some reason to believe that we shall see the Princess somewhere along our journey to find the lost treasure of Captain Teague." His face turned to stone as I suggested a plan to potentially bring the Princess with us. As if it hadn't crossed his mind. I had seen the way they acted around one another. I had seen the pain he'd been in when he'd had to walk away from her in the ballroom. And I'd watched as each night he snuck off to meet her somewhere, coming back with an unshakable grin on his face and a lightness in him I hadn't seen in far too long. I had expected it. Hell, I had begun to hope for it. She was good for him, and somehow, he was for her as well. But last night...last night he had come back to the ship and shattered the mirror he'd kept in his quarters since Milah with a yell that shook me to my core. And now he wanted to flee.

"It's as you said. She's a Princess. She doesn't care about a bunch of lowly pirates. She doesn't wish to go to this ball so we shall save her the trouble and get out of her way."

"Sir, I said that ages ago. I think she's proven time and time again that she isn't like that."

"She deserves more than a bunch of lowly pirates than!" He yelled suddenly, his voice despondent and tinged with an edge of insanity. "Does it matter? Either way we should not be here and so we won't be."

"Captain, I don't think-"

"And I don't care what you think!" He snarled. "Me and my ship depart before dusk. Whether or not you choose to come aboard or stay for the ball is up to you, but don't expect my ship to sail in these waters anytime soon."

"You're not coming back?" He snorted.

"What for? To visit?" His voice was filled with sarcasm and fury. "I am leaving Demetri. Tell the others, the Jolly leaves tonight and if they wish to be on it, they will run back. If not, they are free to leave my crew."

"Captain-"

"That is final, Demetri." He stormed away and I could feel a sense of sadness settling in my chest. He was a mess. Unhinged, even. The crazed look in his eyes was so reminiscent of when he lost Milah I knew what had happened. Whatever the method of separating them, he and Emma were no longer together. And it would only get worse, the more he was subjected to her absence. The next few weeks Captain Jones would be long gone. We would be subjected to the full and terrifying presence of the ruthless Captain Hook.

Emma

He hadn't come. He must have been detained, the guard shift or something, because I waited in our garden all night. The sun was well since up by the time I snuck back into my room, only moments before the first maids came in to open my shades and prepare my room for the day. As I held my eyes closed, pretending to be soundly asleep, a single tear escaped my lashes and slipped won my face.

That noon, I convinced Regina and mom that I wished to go shopping for some jewelry in town, knowing full well the shop Regina liked best was in full view of the docks. It was a bad idea. When we arrived, I nearly vomited on the poor sales girl. It was gone. The Jolly was gone.

"Emma?" My mom gently nudged my shoulder. "Are you alright? You look almost green!"

"It's a bit stuffy, here. I think the sea air will help. I shall go for a walk by the pier."

"By yourself?!" Her protective radar went up and she began to panic.

"I shall take a guardsman. Okay? I'm just a bit nauseous. Its so hot in here."

"I can come with you if you like." She offered.

"No, but could you find me a necklace to wear with the new green gown?" She nodded, happy to be given such a task, and I made my way out the door, allowing one of the guards to follow me to the seashore. Looking everywhere, I confirmed what I had seen. The Jolly was gone, nowhere to be seen.

"You there!" I called out to a ship master. "The Jolly Roger was ported here yesterday. Where has she gone to?"

"If you're looking for the Jolly you're wasting your time, lass." He called back. "If Captain Hook don't want to be found he wont be. Saw 'im leave with the tide last night. One of his crew was sayin' how some man had given the Captain magic beans or some shite. I didn't believe the bloke 'til I watched the ship disappear in a flash. Lest you know where he's headed, I doubt you'd catch up."

The next thing I knew, my legs were being held up by a fisherman, the guard holding my head off the cobblestones, a fisher woman holding something that smelled foul beneath my nose.

"Are ye' all right, my lady?" She asked kindly. "Fell right to the ground, you did." She said. Fainted. I had fainted. I had never fainted in my life. He was gone. He had left me. They always left me.

"I'm afraid I'm not feeling at all well. I would like to go home."

"Of course your majesty." My guard whistled and our horse and carriage appeared. Someone must have been sent running for it after I'd fallen down. [Fainted, Emma,I reminded myself, you fainted, you didn't fall.] The guard helped me inside wherein sat Regina, holding my mother whose hands were wringing as she cried. As soon as I was situated the guard nodded at her and she flung her arms around me.

"Oh Emma! Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I don't know, mom I might just be a tad straight-laced is all. I haven't worn this type of corset in a while is all." She nodded, understanding the sensation of one's corset having been tied too tightly.

"Emma, if you turn around, I can loosen it a touch for our trip home." Regina offered. I nodded and turned my back to her, eager to feel the lessening of the cage wrapped around me, eager to be able to draw breath, and in all honesty, I wasn't sure that I would be able to then either but it was worth a shot. I felt the strings tug a bit tighter just before mom managed to release some of the tension. She was silent for a moment before situating my dress so it once again covered my back. "Better, dear?" I inhaled. Yes. I could draw breath. And yet no, no it wasn't better. Because Killian, the love of my life, had left without me. There had to be some explanation...there just had to be! Perhaps something had happened and they'd had to move the Jolly for some safety reason or other. My mind came up with nearly a million possible reasons the ship wasn't there but I knew, deep down I knew. If Killian was planning on coming back, he would have sent word that the ship was moving. He would have found a way to let me know. I replayed the entirety of last night in my head going over ever word, every action, looking for a moment when he might have been even a slight bit unattached, distancing himself, but every word and deed had been one of love. Every action had been that of a man fully intending to steal me away at the end of the week. Every action had been...no. I had to stop. This was too painful. I couldn't cry in front of my mother or Regina. I couldn't show emotion. I couldn't...I had to think about something else. Anything else.

After the carriage arrived at home, mom ran off to fetch me something to eat while Regina took my hand and let me hastily to my chambers.

"I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing," She muttered quietly, "by talking to you rather than going to your parents." I spun around.

"What do you know?" I hissed, not in anger, but rather in pure anxious necessity.

"Not whatever it is you think I know, clearly." She said, looking quite taken aback. "I only wanted to say, you've got...marks on your skin. Your back and your neck. Your mother didn't notice but when I was fixing your corset it was hard to mistake them. I understand your emotions. You know that my mother caught me with a boy when I was barely older than you are now. You don't have to explain that. But Emma, you've never fainted before in your life. You've a strong stomach. And now, all of a sudden, you're not feeling well, needing to take some air, loosen your corsets, and then you faint? Emma. Tell me honestly. I will do all I can to help you. Are you pregnant?"

Killian

Demetri threw the magic bean out into the sea and steered the ship right towards it. I knew this was what was supposed to happen. I knew this was what I had chosen. But the closer we got towards that swirling mass of water the further I got from Emma. My heart was pounding and I could feel a cold sweat dripping down my bath. I am doing this for Emma, I am doing this for her. This is what's best for her.

"Alright boys!" Demetri called out as I felt tears welling in my eyes. "Think happy thoughts! We're off to the Land of Bliss...Hortensia!" The Land of Bliss. A joke. How on earth could I ever be happy without her? How on earth could I ever feel anything beyond this blinding pain, again? I was doing this for her. It was best for her, in the long run. She deserved a chance to find her true love, just as I had Milah. But it was more than that. She deserved a chance to find her soul mate, as I had found in her. And just as she had given me those few blissful weeks wherein my soul had been truly at peace, truly happy, she deserved that too. I absentmindedly scratched my arm. It had been itching for a few weeks now. I didn't know what that was about, but my tattoo had been on fire. I looked down with a frown and gasped. The dagger was gone, replaced with a bright, white sword. And floating atop the waves, was the dainty silhouette of a black swan. Emma. This tattoo...I had gotten it from a witch. It was an enchanted tattoo, a symbol of my literal soul. My soul had been so fixated on revenge for so long, the tattoo had become permanent. The dark one dagger, protecting Milah's heart. But now...now the blade was pure, and my swan had appeared, a literal tattoo on my soul.

There a sudden thump and we all fell to the floor. It felt as though we'd hit a reef.

"What in the hell was that?" Owen's voice rang out angrily. "This isn't Hortensia!" I glanced around the ship. Holy hell. No it most certainly was not. You know where else we weren't? The ocean. We were smack dab in the middle of a dessert. How in the hell had that happened?

The search party walked around, looking for the nearest speck of civilization. Demetri had yelled at everyone for muddling their thoughts, but I knew that this was somehow my fault. I hadn't for a second been thinking of Hortensia. I'd been thinking of Emma. I'd been thinking of her, of how this was all to make her happy, of how I'd do anything, even tear my own heart out to make her happy. And somehow that had brought us here. Somehow, this place, was key to Emma's happiness. And I would be damned if I sat around and wallowed in my own heartbreak rather than do everything in my power to bring that happiness to Emma.

"Captain," Demetri growled, still clearly upset with me. "Didn't the King give you dozens of magic beans? Why don't we just go again?" I shook my head.

"We're here for a reason Demetri."
"Because some crew member was thinking about the beach? It was probably Connor! Let's just punish him and get going!"

"No, Demetri. We're here for a reason and we will stay until I find out why."

"Captain," he began.

"My word is final Demetri. If you wanted to make the rules, you should have stayed with the princess and convinced her to buy you your own boat."

"Ah." Was his simple reply.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It was you. You were thinking about the Princess. That's why you think this place is significant."

"Another word and you lose the tongue." I threatened, knowing that my words sounded hallow and flat. I didn't mean it. And he knew that.

"We love her too." He said quietly. "If you simply said there was something here for Emma, we would follow you in an instant." I paused, thinking about that. She was family here. And on this crew there wasn't shit we wouldn't do for family.

"There's something here for Emma. I just don't know what."

"Is that why we left? Is that why the King sent us off?" He asked excitedly. I shook my head.

"No. He hasn't a clue nor does he care where we went, so long as we did, in fact, leave."

"So what makes you think-"

"When we were leaving I noticed an addition to my tattoo."

"That ink you got from that witch? Your soul mark or whatever?" I nodded.

"There's a swan there."

"So?"

"Emma got a soul marking once too. Her soul manifests into a Swan." He nodded.

"I was thinking about her, about how this was all to make her happy, that I would do anything to make her happy, and in that moment, we changed course and ended up here. There's something here that will make her happy. And I wont rest until I find it."

"Excuse me." A small voice behind us pipped up. "Did my mother send you?" I spun around to see a little boy with a mop of brown hair looking up at us excitedly. "I told her I was bored and asked for some friends. Did she send you?"

"I'm afraid not boy." Demetri replied gruffly. "But perhaps you can help us. Could you tell us where we are? We've gotten ourselves a bit lost." His face sank ever so slightly, but a perpetual grin still beamed out at us. It was oddly familiar.

"Of course. You're in my mother's realm, Marmota." Hang on, I knew of that realm. Emma had mentioned it once. Perhaps she had left something behind here! Or there was a message from an old friend I could assist in the delivery of. Something for Emma! Surely I was right. Surely her happiness lay here. "Even if my mother didn't send you, would you like to join me for lunch? The fairies always make sure I have plenty of food, I'm certain they would love to have guests too."

"You're cared for by fairies?" I asked, intrigued. "Where is your mother?"

"She's at home in Cilcia. I used to live there too, but she thought someone might find me and use me for my magic." He suddenly looked upset. "You aren't here to steal my magic, are you?"

"No lad." I assured him quickly. "If it were magic we were after I have a friend who is quite proficient in that subject, I shouldn't need you."
"Good. My mother says everyone is after my magic, and that's why I can't have friends. Which is weird, really, since she's spent my whole life trying to steal my magic herself." I frowned. There was something very, very wrong here. It sounded to me as though this child's 'mother' wasn't his mother at all but a witch intent on stealing a child for whatever use they might serve her.

"Who is your mother, lad?" I asked.

"Well there's my real mother and my adoptive mother. My real mother was banished from this realm when I was born, so my new mother took me in and makes sure I am cared for until she can figure out how to extract the magic from my heart. Supposedly the Heart of the Truest Believer can keep her young forever."My brow furrowed. There was something oddly...not familiar...perhaps...oh I didn't know. I had never heard a story like that before, and yet it seemed to fit well with something else, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The boy lowered his voice when he began to speak again. "Are you here to take me away? It was my birthday yesterday, and I asked my mother for some friends, but I wished on my candle for someone to take me away, to bring me back to my real mom."

"I'm afraid not, lad." Demetri said. "But we are quite famished, and if you are offering a lunch, we are more than happy to keep you company for a while. I'm Demetri. This is Evan, Owen, Jenkins, Jimmy, and our Captain, Captain Hook."

"Killian Jones, lad, at your service." I said bowing dramatically, winking, making the small boy giggle.

"It's nice to meet you." He said. "My name is Henry."

Author's Note: See? I told you it was important that Killian left! Mwahahaha! Please Review! (Even/Especially critiques!)