A/N: This.. is all I got, y'all. I've been thinking about posting this or not. I didn't want to leave anyone hanging, so here it is.. Everything written in the story up to the point I'm blocked. This is the last chapter for the foreseeable future. Everything written here isn't solidly apart of the story. This entire chapter, every section in this chapter, could easily be deleted and forgotten in favor of a different direction, or things could be massively rearranged - one of the reasons why I'm posting it as one long chapter. I did delete 21k words from this once, if you remember, and I'm not afraid to do it again. (try to ignore the random 'x' left out here or there, they may not make sense to you, but this really is unedited - there are parts that are still in their first draft stage, and most of it isn't what I'd consider 'ready for public'.) Also, as forewarned, there's some dark spots here. (Please don't hate me.) The worst is when I use both italics and bold so you can skip that small paragraph if you want. Possible trigger warnings ahead.

~Dungeon~

Emma shook the shackles on her wrists. If they didn't know she had magick, perhaps she could use it to escape. But she needed more than what little she knew of this place. Directions would be lovely.

She looked around her filthy cell, remembering how everything had unfolded. The man who found her and climbed her tree had slapped her so hard, she began to see stars. He yanked at her so hard, she really did fall out of the net that time, landing right on top of him.

The fall had knocked him unconscious. Served him right.

But she was free to defend herself as others heard the thump, leading them straight to her, and were coming quickly.

She readied her bow, though that took time. She only managed one shot, wounding a man in the shoulder, before she drew her sword.

Hook had been right. She was not prepared to kill a man. She'd impaled a young man, watched as the life left his eyes, heard his final breath. She was so startled by it, she froze.

And she was quickly surrounded.

They bound her hands behind her back, and threw her on top of a horse.

But she had been focusing on releasing Hook and Yar, simultaneously. She had no idea if she succeeded, on either count, and didn't know if she ever would find out. But she had to try to give them their best shot, knowing full well they'd already done battle on her behalf that very morning.

Emma shook the memories from her mind, focusing on her new surroundings instead. It was a typical dungeon. Three walls of her cage were made of bars, the third stone. The stone wall had a small, barred window high up. If she were to guess, she assumed this window was close to the ground level. The window let little light in, but was much too high for her to see out of. There was no floor, only dirt beneath her. There was an earthy stench to the room, but she could make out other smells. Sweat, blood, rot, urine.

She tried to focus on something else. She was likely underground, as most dungeons were. There were more cells on either side of her, including one with a man in a golden uniform. She could barely make out the rip in his jacket, almost like it was missing something.

She wondered if he had been planted there, or if he really was a prisoner.

At least the dungeon at her own castle provided cots. She just hoped she wasn't where she thought she was.

~King's Bedchamber~

Killian, fully dressed in his normal attire, was back in Castle Blackthorn, searching. He knew he had been on to something. He had to find the ring before going after Emma. He was only one man, looking to breach a fully functioning castle, with his heart on his sleeve. He was emotionally compromised, so any bit of help was worth the delay.

It took him ten minutes to get back to the spot where she had begged to leave. He looked around, continued down their previous path, opening every door. It only took a moment.

He was livid at himself when he realized they had only been a few doors away from finding the king's bedchamber. If only he had stuck to his guns, they'd have left this entire area yesterday instead of staying behind to be caught.

Nevermind that. Something was here, he knew it. If he was right, he'd find plenty of wish rings to save Emma, both from her captors, as well as from fate's designs. He just had to look.

This part was tricky. The dwarf king could have hidden the entrance anywhere, trap door, hidden door in the wall. But he knew his history, so he began with painting, books, and peeking under rugs. He was busy pulling on sconces when something shifted.

He grinned, as a bookshelf creaked open, revealing a doorway. Opening it, he saw a long hallway, slanting down. He was going underground.

~Twisted~

Emma was starving. It had been hours since she'd been dropped into this cage, not to mention the ride over. She'd thought someone would come long before now. Preferably bringing provisions.

But she was a prisoner now. They wouldn't care that she hadn't eaten since the night before.

Her stomach growled, and she really wished she had thought to eat from Killian's knapsack.

She pulled her arms apart, testing the shackles as rain started pouring in through the window. It must have been the same storm that started by Blackthorn. There was very little space in her little cage that wasn't getting pelted by the rain. She hurriedly scooted over to the dry spot in the corner between the stone wall and a barred one, tucking her legs close to her body in an attempt to stay dry. It would do her no good to catch cold, especially in these conditions. She'd never be able to fight it off.

She looked up and to her left when she heard a metallic noise, followed by footsteps. Someone was coming.

There were two someone's coming, a guard sporting a similar uniform to the soldiers at Blackthorn, and… She breathed in sharply when she saw his face.

"Savas? What is going-"

"Are you pregnant?!" He was yelling at her.

She had to blink several times. This was the last possible thing she expected him to say.

"Wait, what?"

"Pregnant! Just another fucking whore!"

"I have no idea what you're-"

"My spy says otherwise." He glared at her.

As if smacked with a wand, his expression changed. He began to smile, an innocent smile that gave Emma the creeps, and a glint appeared in his eyes like one would expect on a child opening presents. This terrified her more than the yelling ever could.

"No matter." He spoke calmly. Cheerfully, even.

He unlocked and opened her cage door, stepping in. She would have buried herself into the wall if she could have, but he pulled her to her feet by the chains on her wrists, and immediately punched her in the stomach before she was fully standing, causing her to double over, breathless.

"Please-" She tried to keep her balance, tried to hang onto him as he held her up with one arm. But as soon as she was stable on her feet again, he swung again, and repeated the process until she fell to the ground so forcefully she could taste the mud as she slid.

Her whole body was shaking at the brutal force of her fall. It took her a while to sort what had just happened. When she finally cleared her head, she held her position, keeping her eyes closed, hoping he'd assume she was unconscious and just leave her alone.

She knew she didn't like him.

He took the opportunity to kick her in the stomach, hard, before walking out, and locking the door behind him.

"Well, regardless, you definitely are not pregnant." He said, smiling pleasantly as if he were just chatting to a dear friend.

She turned her head enough to throw up into the mud, shivering in the rain, every muscle shaking from the fall. She collapsed onto her back once she had emptied her stomach, which didn't take long. But she couldn't move past that. She wasn't sure if it was pain that kept her from moving out of the rain, or fear, or some combination of the two.

All she allowed herself to think, was why he would think she was pregnant? And why did she feel like he was right?

~Small Victory~

He'd found it. It only took an hour of his hobbling down the path that looked like it had been carved directly in the side of a mountain. They had made a steep trek up to the front doors of the place. He suspected the reason for that was it really was built into the side of the mountain, which made sense if it was true this was the lair of the former Dwarf King.

He'd finally found the room at the end of the tunnel. He called it a room, but really, it was more like a center of operations with dozens more tunnels jutting out from it. He had to take a minute, feeling the leg tremble a little as he stood just surveying the room. It had what one would expect to find in any abandoned smithy shop. An anvil, forge, table and chair off to the side, hammers, dust, spider webs.

But there was also sparkling fairy dust covering every surface. He was even making footprints in it.

He moved toward the desk, sitting there, taking a nip of rum to help with the pain in his leg. The desk was covered with ink and parchment, and several journals and various books he could not read. Being as old as he was, he had learned several languages. But apparently this was not one of them

He looked around, letting his leg rest while he continued his search. The place looked like it had been busy one day, abandoned the next. Though there were no skeletons here, he did spot from his vantage point what looked like molds.

That got his attention. Pushing past the leg, he hobbled over to it. But they didn't make rings.

He examined the shape of the molds. It was more like a medallion or coin. Possibly something to wear around one's neck.

He searched through everything.

Finally, he found them, hidden between the pages of a book just sitting on that desk. There were only two that he could find, but that would be more than enough. He put them in a pouch, doing his best not to touch them just in case that was how they activated a wish. He was having trouble controlling those at the moment.

He just needed a plan to use them, something special.

He ran, limping, back the way he came, despite the growing pain in his leg. It was getting worse.

It was another hour (give or take half) to make it back up and out of the tunnel. Going uphill was difficult in his current situation, and another half or more to get back to the front where Yar was waiting for him at the castle entrance. He checked the map from his knapsack, and headed for Midas' castle.

~Numb~

Sometime after seeing Savas, Emma had started to fall in and out of sleep. She was cold, wet, starving, bored, and in more pain than she had ever felt before. Sleep was all she could really do to pass the time as her conscious mind tried to take over and puzzle out the ever present words, why would he think that?

She groaned when she realized she was feeling more awake than she had since seeing Savas, and she was not at all pleased at this development.

The puzzle pieces of her memory were floating in her mind, as she stared at the stone ceiling, committing every crack, line, and discoloration to memory. Most of her memories of those missing hours were still fuzzy and unfocused. But there were slivers of clarity amongst them, and those she held on to.

One was the fact that she had been waiting for Smee. It felt like she had waited ages, but she supposed it could be the lack of forward momentum in her memory. The other was the sense of being carried, the stars up above, and the words happily ever after.

Slowly, another became clearer, and she held onto that one as tightly as the first two. She remembered at some point, she had been laying on her back on the ground. She focused on this memory. It was a struggle to remember, but she had become determined to answer the questions, if no other reason than to pass time, and the only place she could possibly find the answer was the missing day.

When she was laying there, she'd felt a series of rocks digging into her back. It dawned on her that this was what caused the massive bruise she had discovered the day after, the day of the ball. The same bruise Regina had tried to heal, and Emma could still feel it when she moved a certain way, though it was nearly fully healed by now.

Her body had become numb to the cold rain in her little cage. In a way, it was a blessing. She could no longer feel the pain from his strikes. But it also focused her energy on remembering.

As soon as a new memory clicked into place, the fact that she had uttered the words happily ever after to Killian as if telling him a secret, she remembered the story she told herself. Her favorite story, over and over again. Once she remembered that, the whole night became clear.

Her throat tightened as the reality of that night dawned on her.

Why hadn't Smee come? He said he would, told her he would. She had waited for him, and he never showed. In hindsight, she supposed he never planned on keeping their appointment. But she hadn't stayed alone for too long.

A man appeared in the shadows of the tree, startling her. She didn't recognize him, could barely even see his face clearly considering how dark it was. She had no idea she'd ever even met him before, as she was accustomed to unfamiliar faces around her castle. There were always so many new faces coming and going for various events, deliveries, or simply exercising their rights to visit as the constituents of the Charming lands. She had no reason to fear this man.

She should have known, should have felt a suspicion. She should have had some instinct or inkling to fear his presence, especially after she witnessed him stabbing Hook. Why didn't she try harder to see him clearly? She had been the one to choose that meeting spot under the tree. How could she have been so stupid?

Her mind raced back to the present when a new wave of nausea hit her, and her body tightened against her wishes, into the fetal position facing the only entrance into her little cage. She didn't want to remember anymore, but the memories were playing in her mind, cementing themselves there for all eternity, never to be lost again. She couldn't stop it if she tried.

The stranger beneath the tree pulled out a small vial, which she found curious at the time. She, then, wondered if he was trying to sell her something, or gift her something as these were both things that had happened in the past, being a beloved princess amongst her people.

He had held it between two fingers, as if waiting for her approval, before he had tossed the vial to the ground at her feet. Why hadn't she moved? Ran away? Screamed? She just stood there, slightly stunned, reacting only by blinking rapidly and coughing as the broken vial released a smoke that surrounded her. And she realized in that moment that she had been spelled, now immobile. She couldn't move. She should have done something.

Her eyes had been half-open when the spell reached her face. Her balance lost completely, she easily toppled over, landing directly on top on the rocks that spanned from her shoulder blade to her hip.

Present day Emma wanted desperately to shut her eyes to the images, but that only made the memory feel more real. The memories had been fully restored and would not stop until they had been completely reviewed.

He lifted her skirts swiftly, and without hesitation or remorse. He removed any articles of clothing… before violating her.

Why couldn't the man control himself? Break free of his puppet master? He should have-

There was nothing she could do to defend her body, but she could defend her mind. She had to think of something, anything, to distract herself, some mental portal into... anywhere but here. Her favorite book. The story. She told it to herself, over and over, playing the images in her mind. She thought of her favorite passages, and quotes, the happy ending. Then, a weight was lifted.

Killian had lifted it, she could see enough from her half-open eyes. She hated him, in that moment, for seeing her, knowing what had happened. Seeing the tears on her face. The act against her. Why hadn't he come sooner? Or never arrived at all…

She hated that there had been a witness. It was worse than the event itself.

If someone knew… that made it real. And that was intolerable.

She smelled the blood before she saw it. Killian was ripping the man to shreds, focusing on the parts that made him a man.

She heard familiar voices, then their faces as they were dragging Killian off the stranger. Red knelt down to her, said something comforting, covering Emma back up… but the story was still playing in her mind, effectively making her mother's friend mute to her.

She tightened her eyes as the memory continued without her permission.

Graham took the man away. Red stood to speak softly to Killian, before dashing off. Emma heard, what she knew, was the sound of the woman turning into the wolf. A sound she had heard many times before

Killian bent down to her, scooping her up, and ran her back to the castle.

Before they reached the doors, she had seen the stars once again, and tried telling Killian that she was alright. But that story, that damn story…

"Happily Ever After." was all she could manage.

Emma shivered a little in the rain, instinctively wiping at her face though she couldn't be sure if she was crying or if the wetness on her face was only the rain that still poured in. Not knowing this small detail, to her, felt like a blessing.

She didn't feel like she was crying. Her throat was tight, and a weight on her chest kept her down, but she wasn't crying.

It was all too much, all at once.

Slowly, her emotions washed away with the rain as it pelted her skin. She stopped shivering, shaking, the nausea was drained from her stomach.

She'd never felt nothing before.

~Midas' Castle~

The ride to Midas' Castle was much shorter than anticipated, least when traveling by Centicore. Killian's first glimpse of Midas' Castle was a double take, as he was sure the place was supposed to be covered in gold. The man's affliction was also everlasting, so the sight of the stone structure was not what he was expecting.

Then it hit him. They were taking the bricks out, one by one, to support themselves and their kingdom. Since Midas' death, they'd have to find another way to survive. No longer were they given anything and everything that they desired or needed from a single touch.

That must be why he wanted Emma. He needed to marry into money to stay afloat, but he must have realized at the ball that she was not going to accept him. She had paid as little attention to him as was strictly appropriate, and it had been obvious that she had narrowed down her choices to two other men.

A prince who was not in direct line for his own throne, and a pirate no one had expected to be there in the first place.

Killian settled into a spot close enough to see the castle with his spyglass, as he positioned his leg to rest it, while nibbling on berries and fruit he had nabbed along the way. The rain was only mildly annoying now, though the drops had stung him severely when he'd been riding Yar. His leather had kept him from getting too wet, though, which was why he wore it in the first place.

He had to discover where they were keeping her. He was hopeful to spot her pouting by a window in one of the guest rooms, while being served the best foods and wines they could offer her while Savas tried to woo…

Or would he?

It struck Killian that the man was deranged, having sent as many men as he did just to kidnap a princess, and probably didn't even care about her, only the results of their nuptials. If that was the case, she wouldn't be in a warm room, with a comfortable bed. If he only meant to force her into submission, the man would have tossed her into the dungeon.

Not only did he have to try and find the princess, he also had to choose between two very different locations. He had to make a choice, and quickly. He had but one shot at this. It couldn't be the wrong one.

He couldn't fail her again.

A blood curdling scream rang out, and he repositioned the spyglass once more to zero in on the sound.

Emma. She had to be in the dungeon.

~Colors~

"Oh, shut up woman!"

Emma swallowed another scream. She never was a screamer. But something in her told her to scream, and she complied, unable to hold back from the instinct.

Savas, who passed by Emma's cage with a warm smile, had come with a guard again, from the left. They had been pushing a woman who was sitting in a chair fashioned with wagon wheels. Emma guessed the woman wasn't much different in age than she was, but the other woman's skin was so badly bruised and beaten that normal skin tone was no longer visible. Shades of purple, blue, green, and red. Her face was well hidden by her matted black hair, as her head slumped down as if sleeping. Or numb. Impossible to tell which.

The men left her in the cell at the end of the row to Emma's right.

There were, least, half a dozen cells. Emma wondered if they'd brought the woman just to scare her, psychological warfare. She'd heard of such things. Her scream certainly gave them what they wanted, perhaps now they would leave her alone for a while.

Emma briefly wondered if this was to be her fate as well. She was already laying in mud, completely drenched, and chilled to the bone from the pouring rain. Least she could assume she was cold, if the goosebumps prickling her skin was any indication.

She mustered enough energy to roll her body, first to lay on her back, then to lay facing the stone wall, effectively erasing the new prisoner and their warden from her mind as she continued to process the events of the missing day.

She just wanted to be left alone.

She didn't budge as someone banged on her cage. Not even a flinch. Then someone was talking. But she wasn't listening. She only heard a few words, and knew it was Savas.

"...let...if you...queen…."

But she didn't care.

~Break In~

The dungeon was a part of the corner tower, with a single entrance from the outside, so far as he could tell. There had been a single guard at the entrance to the dungeon, though there was no telling how many were past that door. He wondered if that had anything to do with the mass of soldiers in the woods that he and Yar had taken care of, or just dumb luck.

Once mentally prepared, and throughly ignoring the pain in his leg, he got Yar to stay put as he silently moved toward the tower. He quickly dispatched of the man, already tired of killing, leaving him in a pile at the door before ducking into it.

As soon as he entered, he had to stop to allow his eyes to adjust to the candlelight. He was standing on a platform, flat stone slabs beneath his feet. To his right, were spiral stairs heading upward. He could only see a few steps up before they disappeared. To his right, the same stairs went down where he assumed Emma would be if this castle had any logic to it.

He knew he had to move carefully. Running into another guard had the possibility of being loud, and dangerous, as sounds carried better in small stone spaces and the limited mobility would hinder both sides in a fight. Not to mention his own injury, hindering his movement, timing, balance.

He took the stairs down, peering around the curve of the wall as he did, before reaching a small landing. Once there, he cautiously peered around the bend again to see down the next flight of steps. This time, he could see down to the bottom, where a single guard stood in front of a wrought iron gate.

Not so lucky after all. He rolled his eyes. He was exhausted of all the killing he'd done today. He only wanted to rescue his princess and be on his merry way.

He didn't have a lot of stealth options left. His throwing knives were gone, taken with the corpses they had killed before he woke alone in the clearing.

A sudden thought occurred, however, as his hand flew to the pocket where the elixir was waiting to be used against a certain crocodile. While possible to work against The Dark One, it would absolutely work on a regular human.

And seeing as the scaly brute wasn't going anywhere, and he couldn't care less about vengeance at the moment, now seemed as appropriate a time as ever to try it out. But he had to accomplish something he had only done once before, in desperation. Now felt pretty bloody desperate as well.

He took out the vial, dipped his hook into it before closing it and replacing it in his pocket. Detaching the hook, he peered around the curve again, prayed a bit, and threw.

Hook nailed the man, directly in the jugular. While the potion took a minute to work, his darker side enjoyed the sight of the man struggling to breath. Killian shook his darker half from his head, as the man dissolved into dust, leaving only metal behind - including his hook.

He quietly scampered down the last of the steps, quickly finding and reattaching his limb, before testing the gate. It was unlocked.

Curious.

X

Peering through the gate to avoid any loud noises that could be generated by moving it and possibly reveal his presence, Killian first noticed the lack of light. There were enough candles, though least half had been doused from the falling rain. Cloudcover had darkened any light from outside, so the sparse hallway on the other side of the gate was only lit from a few candles that were out of the rain's reach.

He was surprised the dungeon only had one guard outside, considering the complete lack of filth in the place at all. Had he and Yar really gotten to that many men that this was all they could spare?

As his eyes adjusted to the darker room, he realized there was movement in the cage closest to him. It was a woman with long, matted black hair sitting in a strange chair attached to wheels. What a curious invention. Her only movement was her breathing, a labored act for her. He could see the colors of bruising on her exposed skin.

"Come now, Emma, you don't have to stay here like this. Just agree to be my Queen, and I'll bring you to your real room."

The man's voice was hollow, and sickeningly pleasant. Killian knew immediately whose voice that belonged to. But Emma hadn't replied. This worried him.

"I'll come back later." Savas promised. "Agree to be mine, and I'll bring you a feast."

Hook saw red when he realized they hadn't fed her. He had to force himself to stay hidden. It was more important to get Emma out, than it was to inflict pain on this madman, he had to remind himself.

Oh but how he wanted to rip the man limb from limb -

Luckily, for Savas' sake, the man had already begun to move away toward the opposite end of the dungeon.

Hook had to wait to allow both men to vanish from sight and sound, as well as his own blood to stop boiling. Calmer, Killian peaked down the hall again, looking for another guard, but there were none in sight.

Slowly, inching past the blasted gate, which was squeaking loudly, he found Emma's cage. She was laying with her back to him, completely drenched from the rain pelting in from the small window. He could see what was left of her vomit, which only served to further anger him.

They'd done something to her.

"Emma." He whispered. But she hadn't moved, or answered back.

He looked around, spotting the third prisoner, recognizing the man instantly as one of the men who had ripped their badges off rather than to face the end of his sword. Killian moved toward the man, tapping the bars gently. The deserter sat up, clearly startled, careful to avoid the mud in his own cage. His eyes went wide, fear creeping into them.

"I don't want any trouble-"

"Help me, and I'll get you out." Killian spoke in a low tone, jumping to the point.

"What do you need?"

"The keys would be nice." Though he could pick just about any lock, keys made everything so much easier. He'd learned long ago that picking a lock gave a much higher chance at getting caught than using an actual key, and whenever possible, he used the rule as if it were a holy credence.

The man instantly looked to his left, toward where Savas and the guard had vanished.

"They used to leave the keys on a hook, over by the entrance."

"Any more guards down here?"

He shrugged. "Usually, yes, but you and your beast went up against our entire army, sorry," The man breathed deeply. "Their entire army. No man was spared the task, and you put down a good many men. I've no idea if the survivors have gone back to their normal posts yet."

"Where precisely would the keys be?"

The man described it. Their dungeon was small, this hall being the only part with cages. Along the next hallway, would be several doors on the left side. If there was a guard, he would be standing in front of the third door on the left. The key would be hanging in the same alcove.

"Only one guard?"

The man shrugged. "We never needed many down here, we used to be a peaceful place. Savas has royally ruined Midas' kingdom, for all of us."

Killian nodded before moving off, carefully, quietly. He peered around the corner, seeing the hall and the many alcoves which he assumed had the doorways. This made it easy to peg the third on the left.

He moved down the hall, sticking to the left side. He reached the third on the left, and peered around. No one was there. This made him uneasy. The key was dangling, right where he was told it would be.

This made him even more cautious. No prison break should ever be this easy. Or was he just lucky? It was too soon to tell.

Quickly, he moved around and grabbed the key, then went back to his place in the second alcove.

Nothing happened.

He shuffled quickly, quietly, back down the hall into the dungeon room. He peered behind him, then around the corner once more. It was just as he left it.

He hurried to the cage with Emma, and opened it. Then he crouched inside and turned her over.

She was awake. Her eyes were open, and she wasn't moving.

What the bloody hell...

"I'm fine." She spoke softly.

He knew she wasn't.

Killian looked around, expecting someone to come any second. But nothing was happening.

He tossed the key through the bars to the soldier, maneuvering to pick up Emma in a bridal carry. He stepped out of her cage as the soldier unlocked his own cage door.

Killian was wary of this man, this stranger. But he promised to help him, and he kept his word.

"Follow me." Hook mouthed, no longer sure he could speak aloud. Something was bound to happen, and he didn't like it.

~Adrift~

Belle had given up trying to find her own way out. Nothing had been found in either cot. Graham and Red had both given up on looking for a hole in the invisible wall surrounding the island, though the process seemed to help them come to terms with their feelings for eachother. They'd been snuggled together for the majority of the time they'd been back from their attempted breakout.

He was holding her, just holding her, but in the way only a lover would. Belle felt the tiniest pang of jealousy. Just five days ago, she was dancing with Jorie, excited for her prospects if he really did like her. But given everything else, she'd lost track of him. Had he made her an offer? Had he written?

Did she care?

She found that, though she loved his company that night, he really hadn't held her attention for long past that, though much had happened since. Her lost memories had flooded her immediately after laying in bed after the ball, and her own love life got lost in a sea of hurt, worry, and confusion for her friend. She had no time to process whatever feelings she did or didn't have for the man.

Perhaps the same was true for him as well. Or perhaps he merely used her as a distraction that night, and forgot all about her the next day. She stifled a yawn, though she suspected it was only midday. Time here, however, seemed unimportant.

She had nothing but her own thoughts. She'd left her books on the ship. There were no clues to be found here, and she had no clue where else to search. Clo had made it clear that she had no idea what her sisters had done to escape. They'd left while she was sleeping. No notes had been left for her, no explanation. She merely woke alone, continued about her day, eventually checking the timeline to realize they must have left her, stranded and alone.

The familiar noise of a storm was beginning outside.

Clo looked up from her chores to peer out of the only window in the small hut.

"Strange." The Goddess muttered.

"Hmm?" Belle stood to make her way over to the window, excited at the prospect of some form of entertainment.

"We've never had a storm here before." She muttered absentmindedly. "Not once."

~Grim Fate~

Hook set Emma down next to Yar, who seemed to sniffle almost as if crying for his friend.

The soldier he had rescued, known to him now as John, was looking over his shoulder every few seconds. The man was a nervous wreck.

"John, what do you know of the lady in the chair?"

He shook his head. "Not much. I was only tossed in today. She was there before me, but they took her out sometime before your princess arrived. Then they brought her back in. I never heard of her before today."

"Do you know her name, title? Any clue could prove useful."

"No, sir. She was already bruised and in the state you saw her in. They never addressed her around me."

Hook sighed. He wanted to get Emma out of here, and now. But he also wanted to be worthy of her affections, and he knew she would do everything in her power to save the other woman if she could.

It also occurred to him that a hero did not, could not, simply leave a damsel in distress behind, for any reason. And he felt he couldn't rely on a man like John to do the honorable thing for either lady.

He looked at the beast, who was laying on the ground supporting Emma. "Can you keep her safe?"

When the beast seemed to nod, he knew he must be going crazy, but this would have to do.

"John, do you think you can steal a stabled horse, and meet me back here?"

"Yes, sir, but I really don't think-"

"I can't carry four people on the Centicore. I'm going back for the last prisoner, you still have that sword from your fallen comrade, right?"

The man's hand went to his side. The sword from the guard at the tower door was safely in John's previously empty sheath.

"John, listen, if it looks like you may get caught, just get on the horse and go. I can take the two women, I think. But either way, you need to get that horse."

He didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

Hook knelt down to Emma's eye level. "I'll be right back, love."

Her eyes raised to meet his, yet he felt nothing coming from them. She wasn't entirely present.

He suspected she must have remembered, but he didn't have time to contemplate it. He stood back up, bumping into John.

"Damnit, man, go!"

The men split ways, John heading toward the stable, Killian heading back into the dungeon.

Once he was at the door, peering into the caged hall, he couldn't believe his eyes. A redhead was standing in the middle of the room, holding Savas by the throat. No ordinary woman could accomplish that.

"Why did you take my sister? How are you keeping her here?"

The man couldn't speak. She threw him down with a crack. A bone had broken. He began to cough as his lungs filled with air.

The woman hissed at Savas, clearly agitated at his lack of cooperation. With a wave of her hand, another sound of cracking bones could be heard, and Savas became still in a pool of his own blood.

She bloody killed him… And entirely too quickly, at that.

She stepped over to the last cage, opened it as if it had never been locked, and ripped the bruised girl out of the seat.

Right before his eyes, the bruised girl's injuries simply vanished and she could stand again.

"Atty!" The raven haired girl fell into her sister's arms.

Killian's eyes went wide in understanding. He knew who these two were. But how the hell had one ended up in Savas' dungeon? Even more curious, she'd been injured as if human. Savas must have known someone much more powerful than the witch in the clearing.

Not skipping a beat, he knew what he had to do. He looked down at his pocket, pulling out a coin, and wished that these two would go before Zeus and be judged as He saw fit. The coin glowed blue for several seconds, turned to sparkly dust in his hands, before turning to ash.

Quickly looking back into the dungeon, he saw they were gone, not knowing if his wish had actually worked, or if they had simply left as he had seen Regina and other witches do in the past. Either way, he hastily took the stairs up two at a time, pushing past the pain in his leg.

He had to get out of there. Now.

John wasn't far behind him. "There were no horses-"

"Nevermind that, let's go!"

~A Surprise Visit~

Belle, Clotho, Graham and Red stepped out of the little shack just in time to see a woman materialize out of a blue ring of lightning.

She smiled softly. "Hello again, Belle. Clo."

Belle was too shocked to speak, but Clo walked over to give her old friend a hug.

"How good it is to see you!" The blond Goddess exclaimed. "How are you here?"

The Goddess' separated, and Athena looked at Belle.

"I'm sorry, child. I misdirected you here."

"Why?" Belle barely breathed the word.

Athena smiled sadly, a wave of her emotion flowing over each individual.

"I had to protect you, child. You are my daughter."

"No." Belle said adamantly. "I had parents, a mother-"

"Not like that. I did not birth you, nor did I carry you in my womb. But you were born with the seeds of curiosity and creativity. You are a child of wisdom, and fierce study. That makes you mine to protect."

"You promised, you said a solution would be found."

"And it has been." Athena smiled, brightly this time. "I merely said the compass would lead to Clo, and left the choice up to you. Now, I may not be able to see time as the Moirai can, but I was aware of certain aspects of it. You, my dear Belle, and Regina are both children of mine. As such, I can see little bits of your past, present, and futures. At the moment, your paths are not too far from each other, and I could see something dreadful in your future if I could not intervene."

"What has happened to my sisters?" Clo asked, a sadness overcoming her.

Athena looked at her old friend, lips pressed together. "I only know they are with Zeus, but their actions here are over. I am here to bring you home, as you have proven you do not belong to the same fate as your sisters."

"It's over?" Red asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"The Moirai have been removed from your realm." Athena said, happily patting Clo on her shoulder. On the third pat, Clo had disappeared.

"Where-"

"She's home, where she belongs. Now, what say you. Care to go back to that ship of yours?"

~Simple Tasks~

Killian had been trying to get the centicore to slow down for the last hour. Having three passengers, and running at speeds Killian had never imagined, could not have been easy on the beast. He silently prayed this was the fastest Yar could go.

He finally managed to get the beast to slow to a stop when they arrived at a small stream. It was nearing dusk, and he had not managed to get Emma to eat even a nibble of the dried meat he carried. He had a feeling she hadn't eaten all day, and he was determined to change that.

Especially considering her condition.

Emma had stood for a moment, managing to walk over to and sit by the water, wordless, one finger drawing designs in the stream.

"John, how are you at hunting and tracking?"

"Not too shabby, I dare say." The stranger shrugged. "But I'm not as good as others I know."

Killian handed the man Emma's bow and quiver. "Whatever you can find. I'll build the fire."

He took a moment as John ran off. He had to get her to eat.

As if approaching a wounded animal, he crouched down, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg, and slowly moved in her direction. When he was a mere meter away, she finally looked at him which made him halt in his tracks.

"Emma, love, please. I know this isn't ideal, but I need you to try and eat something."

Her eyes were empty, and it pained him to his core.

"Of course I'll eat." Her tone was blank. Her words were meaningless. Her face, as empty as her eyes. She was completely void of emotion, and he could not read her. He ached for her from the bottom of his soul.

"I sent John on the hunt. Here, eat this while we wait." He handed her the pouch of dried meat. A flicker of emotion crossed her face for a mere second.

"Of course." She said, taking the pouch. But she made no move to open it as her gaze fell back to the water.

His head hung, just for a moment, before he inched closer. He could do this. He had to.

"Emma." She turned to him again. "I need you to open the pouch."

She gazed down at it as if it were the first she'd seen of it.

She opened it impossibly slowly.

"Good, Emma, now take a piece out." She complied, just as slowly as before. "Now place it in your mouth." She wordlessly followed his directions. He was grateful her mouth remembered what to do with food, and he didn't have to tell her step by step what to do once it reached her lips.

Once she finished the first piece, he was grateful to see when she repeated the process. He slowly backed away, hoping his actions would not startle her out of her eating.

Once far enough, he stood to his full height, allowing himself a mere moment to gaze at her, his heart longing to hold her, to do something for her, to make it all go away… But it wasn't his place.

Finally turning away with an absentminded scratch behind one ear, he began looking for stones to start building the pit for the fire.

-x-x-x-

Belle was not happy to be back on a ship. Luckily for her, however, they were heading straight for the Charming's Castle. She'd only have to suffer another day if this wind kept up.

She prayed this wind kept up.

Graham and Red hadn't left their cabin, suddenly sharing a cabin now, since they had returned to the ship. Belle may not have ever occupied a man's bedroom while he was still in it, but she knew what was going on. Their sexual tension had ended, which was good news for her own sanity.

Now, if she could only stay away from the railing, the trip back may be somewhat decent.

~Crystal Update~

When Regina had come to them, smiling brighter than they had ever seen, The Charmings knew there was - not just any news, which they would have happily accepted, but good news.

And it had been.

The three had watched together, first, the image from the crystal showing Belle, Red, and Graham all back aboard the ship, talking together before the latter two left Belle alone. Regina had stopped the image at that, telling them they really didn't need to see the brunette beauty's reaction to sea-faring life.

Then, the image they had been waiting for. It was mere seconds, of an odd beast leaping over a river, but Regina was able to halt, and slowly move the images forward and backward through time. They had no explanation for the third individual, but Snow's old bandit clothes were clearly visible along with golden hair, but the bit that cinched it was the sight of the hook.

They celebrated with hugs, wine, and dinner together in the dining room. Something that hadn't happened for several days.

During dinner, there was an odd sound. Some sort of ping coming from Regina. The couple watched, anxiously, as she pulled out the crystal, now glowing red to symbolize a new sighting of Emma.

Reluctantly, she told them what it meant before asking if they wanted to wait until she had a chance to preview it. They just wanted to see it. Any news is better than nothing.

After they watched it once, no one spoke. Without sound, and only being able to see by looking up from the water's reflection through ripples, the clarity of the situation was cloudy, to say the least.

Regina played it again, and a third time. And another time after that, only cementing their worries.

At first, all they saw was Emma, doodling in the water. Her eyes were lifeless, which was bad enough. Then, a head of black hair appeared behind her, accompanied by a worried forehead. A few moments later, the head of hair disappeared momentarily, before moving close enough that the image also showed concerned, desperate, begging blue eyes.

They watched as their daughter seemed to be directed into eating.

It was painful to watch. Even Regina teared up at the realization.

"Had he… had he been telling her to.. to eat?" David finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry." Regina told the couple, slinking a little in her chair. Never had they seen her look so small, even just a fraction less of her normal, confident self.

"She remembers." Snow whispered, nodding to herself, biting her lip to bite back the tears.

David covered her hand with his, the wine and celebration completely forgotten.

~Day 11~

It was late morning, inching closer to the afternoon, and they had been traveling for several hours already. Emma recognized the hill they were crossing when she silently told Yar to stop here. She'd hoped the beast would stop before everyone could see her family castle, but it was too late for that.

The end of the quest was in their sights.

It had already been, least, half an hour since the stop. Emma knew he'd eventually get through to the beast, and get everyone underway again - likely soon. She didn't need to look at him to know that Killian was anxious to get her back to her home. She simply felt it.

She didn't want to go back.

Emma had been standing with her back to the others. She couldn't manage to look at faces. Even the stranger, who would surely see she was damaged goods just by looking at her. She was positive it would be written on her face.

There was another reason she kept her back to them, though. She didn't want them to see her face scrunch as yet another wave of pain overcame her. Since Savas… she'd been in agony. At first, she was numb to it. But the numbness had faded sometime during the night, and the pain that rippled through her abdomen was the worst she had ever felt.

She'd woken up in a cold sweat, during the night, silently screaming for something to make it all better, sobbing at each twitch of her muscles.

How she missed that numb feeling.

She knew someone had spoken, but she couldn't bring herself to listen. Instead, she just kept staring at the scenery opposite her family castle. She would be forced to see the place again soon anyway, why not experience a new view?

She couldn't help but think of what would happen when they'd return. Now that she understood that haunted look in her mothers eyes, she did not want to see it again… she was sure that she would, though. She wondered what her father would think of her now? She thought of Regina, and how she would see her injuries, and heal her.

She didn't deserve to be healed.

And then there was Captain Killian Jones. Where did she even start with him? She had to stifle the notion that he would stay, despite everything. Even a soulmate could be scared off, she reasoned. As much as she lied to herself, that he was just rushing her back to be rid of her, seeing her broken and damaged by that act…

If Savas' accusation was right, Killian knew about it. How, she had no idea. But how could he not know? He'd already shown her his capabilities in the area of knowledge. If it was worth knowing, he found it out. He would have found this worth knowing, she thought.

She felt him as he approached her. She could hear him speak, but she wasn't listening. On some level, she knew he was calling her name. She felt as his presence creeped closer, felt the soothing tone in his voice, that calmed her own internal storm -

"Emma." This time, his voice was so commanding, she couldn't keep herself from looking up. "We're ready to go."

Looking up had been a mistake, as his eyes pierced her in a way she could only describe as loving. As her breath left her, she knew she couldn't face him, them, anyone at all. She felt a part of her squeezing out of herself, moving far, far away.

~Solid Ground~

When her ship finally docked, Belle jumped off, not caring about the only bag she had brought being left onboard. The crew didn't seem to blame her, one man happily shaking his head, grabbing it for her, bringing it to the dock only to receive a bear hug from the displaced princess.

The ship hadn't lost a single moment of wind, and they had arrived much sooner than anticipated. Belle couldn't help but wonder if this development had anything to do with Athena. She chose to believe it was a form of apology, and considering it was all but impossible to confirm, this eased her mind a bit at the whole situation.

After attacking the sailor with a hug, she ran down the dock to solid ground, where she twirled and danced as if no one was watching, simply thrilled at the idea of leaving the sea behind, hopefully for the last time.

Regina's surprise presence halted her happy actions, but not the grin that was spreading over her face to the point that it hurt. The former queen was there to greet her group, and bring them back.

"Happy to be back?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Apparently I get sea sick."

"Where are your companions?"

Belle rolled her eyes. "They haven't left their -shared- quarters since we returned from the island."

Regina only looked mildly surprised. "About time."

"I know. I suspect a wedding in the near future."

After the slightly embarrassed couple finally made it off the ship, it only took half an hour by carriage to get back to the castle, where Snow and David greeted them with open arms. The Royal Couple looked tired, but had genuine smiles for the return of their friends and companions.

Belle made it back to her room relatively unscathed, unpacking the few items of clothing she owned from the borrowed bag, along with the pair of books she had chosen to bring. She thought of how she wished she could take a library with her, suddenly remembering Baelfire's words of the land without magick. She wondered if she could ask Regina to spell something for her, to act the same at that trinket he described.

Belle began to brush out her tangled mop of hair as she moved to look out the window, noticing a strange beast hurtling towards the castle. She instantly knew what she was seeing.

Excitedly, she dropped the brush, running out of her room.

"They're almost here!" She yelled, over and over, on her way to the front doors.

She had no idea, yet, that Emma had regained her memories.

~Hook Team Returns~

Since Belle had seen, and alerted the entire castle, to her sighting of something coming, the lot of them - minus Red and Graham - made their way to the front of the castle to wait. Even Roland, Merida, Zorro, and many others who worked on staff had shown up. They were all worried, and supportive, of their princess, though most did not know the details of her attack, everyone did know that there was one, and that her memory of the event was still missing.

Snow felt the pressure in her chest as the suspense built. The beast was making excellent time, but she feared the worst, not really knowing if this truly was her daughter, and if not, if Emma was even alright since the last sighting.

Snow thought of the last images, silently reminding herself to thank Captain Jones for taking care of her daughter in such unusual and difficult times.

Belle had spotted the beast several hours away, by horseback anyway, but in the span of only half an hour, the creature was nearly upon the castle.

Snow was able to breath again, seeing her daughter and the Captain atop it as it stopped. Mildly surprised they had brought along the stranger, known to her by his ragged uniform and torn arm patch as a soldier who defected from Savas' army. She made the choice to trust that the Captain had a good reason for bringing him to her home.

She only took a moment to take in the creature, taller than a horse, who had to kneel to let them off it's back. They were mere steps away now, relief flooded her every nerve, but she kept herself rooted to her spot as proper decorum stated, thinking Emma might just need the space.

The stranger disembarked first, followed by the Captain, who helped Emma down.

Snow immediately knew her daughter was not okay. Though she knew, just knew Emma had regained her memories, she also allowed a sliver of hope to saturate her every fiber, praying it wasn't true. Seeing her brave, courageous, full of life daughter as this individual who kept her eyes downcast and arms crossed, broke Snow's heart.

Seeing her now felt like a slap into reality.

"Welcome home, my darling." Snow welcomed, keeping her voice even though it was difficult, taking her daughter into her arms. But Emma made no attempt at returning the hug.

Snow cast a wary look at David, who took both his girls in his arms, clearly sharing his wife's concerns.

"Emma, are you hungry?" David asked with as much mirth as he could muster, allowing Snow to gracefully let go of the hug.

"I'd like to take my food to my room." Emma spoke softly, her eyes not once raising from the sight of her own shoes.

"Of course." Snow didn't know what to make of this, but she didn't want to push her. Now was her time to heal, and they would make every exception.

As Emma headed toward their front gate, Snow began to pace behind her which made Emma halt.

"I'd prefer to be alone." She said simply, before continuing on her way.

Snow watched sadly as her only child withered before her eyes.

She turned to the Captain. "Tell me everything."

~the drawing room~

It took a while to get everyone together. Chaos ensued immediately following Emma's disappearance through the front doors, created by the individuals who had gathered while awaiting her arrival. Exhausted, Killian had used the chaos to sneak off to his ship for a little shut-eye, collapsing onto his deck just in time to be found by David, who was more than happy to drag the pirate back to the castle.

Feeling helpless, Belle had been trying to get Emma to speak to her through the door, but Emma wouldn't let her in and had locked it just after receiving the meal tray from the kitchen. Snow found Belle there, the queen obviously in emotional shambles, hiding it well behind proper posture and an emotional mask held firmly in place. It was this strength that eventually convinced Belle to join her.

Regina, feeling as if she drew the short straw, finally found Red and Graham, in a compromising position no less. She stared for half a second before making the quick decision to give up on them as they had no clue they'd been seen, and she didn't care to accidentally see more.

After all that, Regina made her own way to Emma's room, both stalling the group she didn't feel like being apart of, as well as checking in with the young princess who absolutely needed to be medically checked.

Nodding a somber greeting to the guards standing there before steeling herself to knock, finally rapping her knuckles across the wood to no answer. Regina rolled her eyes while turning the knob anyway. Finding it was locked, she quickly and quietly changed that, opening the door fully.

Emma sat, stone still on the ledge of her window, just staring out of it at the afternoon view. The tray of food brought to her had not been touched.

Regina, whose presence was either ignored or completely missed, raised her fingers, looking through them to examine the princess. She was surprised Emma had managed to even walk, wondering if this is why the princess sat so still. Her entire abdomen was discolored from bruising, and she was bleeding internally. Luckily, Regina had the foresight to spell the womb, protecting the seedling inside. She loved Henry, too.

Regina was grateful she had made this visit, despite the group waiting for her. She didn't know how long Emma would have lasted with the injuries she had sustained. She wondered, momentarily, how the hell this had happened, but didn't allow those thoughts to delay her actions as she held her palms toward Emma, focusing, sending a healing wave of lilac magick toward the girl.

Regina's magick was getting lighter in color with every use.

When she was done, Emma's face showed surprised relief as she looked down at herself, before turning in surprise at finally noticing the older woman.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a monotone.

Regina heard the words. But the princess wasn't all there. Holding up her hands again, she saw that Emma had split herself in two. Normal Emma was sleeping, with one eye peeking out from time to time, while this empty shell took her place.

Regina lowered her arms to cross them, reining in the look of shock at the lengths of this novices accidental spell work. "You're back."

"Point?"

"No point. There are people who love you. We are all here for you."

"I'm not worthy of the help."

She had said it so matter-of-fact, Regina had to rein in her emotions again. She pursed her lips instead, almost smelling the stages of grief. She had gone through them herself, least in part. She normally just stopped and stayed at anger.. She would have to inform the monarchs, and tell them what she remembered about this cycle.

Until then, Regina moved over to sit at the vanity, and took on her most gentle tone.

"I'm here if you want to talk."

"I don't."

Regina knew she couldn't force it. Instead, she gently reminded the EmmaShell to call out her name if she needed anything, before getting up to leave. She knew the real Emma would understand, even if the shell was incapable of depth.

Regina was the last to arrive in the drawing room. She quickly explained how her hunt for the hunters had ended.

The room itself was green, pink, and floral. It had been decorated for guests' comfort with a fireplace, and several seating arrangements throughout the long room.

It had been Snow's idea to move the meeting away from the Round Table, as it was a depressing sight for her to see that particular table so empty. Not that she admitted to it.

The Charmings sat on a loveseat, Belle sat in a bergere at the end of the coffee table which was full of tea, meat and cheese. Hook sat closest to Regina at the end of a long sofa, a rag tied around his leg, stained in blood. She quickly examined him, rolling her eyes, healing the injury, before making her way to the other end of the sofa, sitting closest to Belle.

Hook protested that she should check on Emma before healing him, prompting her to cut him off mid-rant to catch them up on Emma's condition, as well as the stages of grief. She described the little she remembered about the psychology of it all, stating this period in Emma's life could take months, if not longer.

Killian knew the words rang true. Shaking his head so this information could settle around in his brain, he asked the Charmings if John would be allowed to sit in, as the man had his own portion of the story to tell. Once this prospect was reluctantly agreed to, Snow nodded at a guard who left in search of the man, then both adventures were summarized, in turn, by their prospective representatives.

John arrived with the guard Snow had nodded to, in the middle of one of Belle's turns, the brunette beauty only pausing momentarily before pressing on.

Killian had just finished telling them of his lonely success at Blackthorn, and how he had found Emma in Midas' dungeon when Snow cut into the story.

"So you don't know what happened to Emma… to make her remember."

Killian looked to John, who had claimed the seat between him and Regina. The man was clearly uneasy, eyeing the people he sat between, sweating a little. But after being prompted by the pirate, the newcomer chimed in to tell them of everything he had witnessed in the dungeon. Once he was through, most of them looked stricken. Belle, her heart on her sleeve, had to wipe away tears and bite her tongue to hold in her outburst.

John then asked what they were planning on doing with him, the poor man, thinking the worst. Snow and David shared a look, silently communicating as Snow was unable to speak after his revelations.

David offered the man a position in their army, after passing a shorter version of the usual required courses, or a life as a civilian in their kingdom. He was also welcome to leave at any time, having gained no ill will and even some respect with the Charmings.

Having shared all that he knew, John took his leave to weigh his own options.

As the rest of them sat quietly, Belle burst from her seat unable to sit still. "Is the baby okay?" she asked the room, not entirely expecting an answer.

"I spelled Emma." Regina admitted quietly. "So that no harm would come to the baby. But I need an answer, Snow, David. And soon." The Royal Couple grasped each other's hands, Snow nodding.

"Ehm. Might I inquire," Killian began, but was unable to finish his sentence.

"Not now." David replied curtly.

xxxx

Belle stopped her pacing to look at Regina. "You can remove memories, right? Why don't we just remove Emma's memories of the... event?" Belle asked, eyes pleading. "No one outside this room has to know-"

"No." Snow blurted out, a little too loudly and too forcibly through her silent sobs that had appeared sometime after John's departure.

"But why?"

"Snow tried that once on herself." David informed them, pulling his wife securely into his side, rubbing circles into her back. "It was not good for her, trust me. She was an angry, almost evil, version of herself. The only cure was true love's kiss." His eyes flickered to Killian for a split second.

"Memories change us." Regina said softly. "Taking those memories away can often be even worse for us than the original memories were."

The room was silent a moment, before David turned to Killian to ask him to finish his story, knowing it wasn't quite done. The pirate cleared his throat, but did as asked, surprising everyone with the twist of Savas' untimely death, followed by how he used the coin on the pair of fate sisters.

"And that must be around the time Athena arrived to tell us the solution had been found." Belle supplied, allowing herself to fall into the seat she had previously vacated. "Why the hell did she send me to find Clo in the first place?"

"What I don't understand," Killian began. "Was how Savas had been able to subdue a Goddess. He had her in his dungeon, and she looked bloody awful before her sister healed her."

Snow shook her head, looking to David to hear her thoughts and speak for her.

David must have relented in whatever silent argument they had. Sighing, "She thinks it's not over yet. We've only seen part of the story. Something else is going on."

Regina looked between the two. "No… Not another villain?" She scoffed. "Two Goddess', a newly minted king on his high horse, and some random nameless? How likely is this scenario, really?"

"I know." David palmed his face in aggravation with his free hand, quickly changing the subject. "What about this spy?" he asked wearily. "John said Savas was yelling at Emma because of information from a spy. Who would betray us?"

"Whoever it is," Regina answered, a snip in her tone as she allowed the change in topic. "I can find out for you. But this spy may not have intended to betray you. I suggest you move forward carefully."

"That's a little unrealistic, too, isn't it?" David asked her. "How could a person spy without wanting to?"

Killian responded. "It's rather easy to use violence, and the threat of violence, to get something you desire." Regina pointed at him with a flat palm, nodding her agreement. "Savas seemed like the kind to have simply found a servant-"

"With a family, I'll bet." Regina supplied.

"Quite." He nodded at her. "Forcing this person to advance his knowledge of the inner workings of this castle."

David and Snow shared another look. "I guess having… former villains on our side might just prove to be useful." David said aloud.

~Letter~

It was evening by the time Belle finally made her way back into her room.

Snow's theory hung in her mind. It's not over. She hadn't realized how true that felt before hearing it from David. She would have liked, least, an hour of ignorance on the subject. A day, perhaps. Just a bit of peace to focus on helping Emma heal.

Emma.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to go see her new friend. Emma didn't want to be helped. Until she did, there was no helping her.

Belle had to swallow back her emotions, if for no one other than herself. She could be strong for her friend, as she had been strong many times over.

She made her way to her own vanity, scarcely filled with the few items gifted to her by Emma, as well as her own brush. A perfume, some rogue, and a stick of charcoal. Emma herself didn't keep much, borrowing her mothers supply during formal or official events. Even so, these small gifts had meant much to Belle. Not to mention the dress Snow had made special for the displaced princess, as well as the items Emma had gifted straight out of her closet.

The one thing that was out of place on the vanity was the envelope with her name written in perfect loops.

With shaking hands, she broke the seal, opening the envelope. Her eyes looked to the end for a signature before beginning her read.

It was from Jorie.

It had arrived not long after she had left on her own adventure, and he had stated what a wonderful time he had with her, telling her of his day, which had been full of thoughts of her. He had ended the letter with an invitation for her to join him for a tour of his castle, as a guest, and to introduce her to his parents.

It took her a few moments to realize what he was implying, but it was right there, between the lines. He wanted to court her, but she needed to pass his parents' inspections. The son of Lancelot and Mulan, he had fallen into a place of power after Lancelot and his fellow knights staged a coup against their king. Lancelot had been voted into a new role, not as king, but as Governer of Camelot. They created a new reign, building a new Camelot from the ground up. As first born son, Jorie would be given the chance to rule the land, and he wanted her by his side.

She didn't know what to do.

Emma may not want her help, yet. But Belle suspected that would change eventually. Belle wanted to be here when that happened. She was beyond torn. It had been decades since she'd been taken from Rumpel, and imprisoned by the Evil Queen. She hadn't had another opportunity for love again, and knew this could be her last chance.

She shook her head, pushing her own selfishness aside. Emma would need her. That's all she needed to know to make a decision on the matter. Still, she kissed the letter, losing control over a few stray tears, as she placed it back down on her vanity.

~Regina's Answer~

Regina had been peeking into Emma's room through the vanity mirror, from time to time, since healing the girl hours earlier. She knew full well the effects grief could have on a teenager like Emma. Despite the fact that she was violating the young princess' privacy, she also had the best of intentions. Emma meant something to her, from both the undeveloped memories of a time lost, as well as the developed ones here, and the seed Emma was carrying.

Emma had, at some point, moved to her vanity away from the window. Regina watched as the girl just sat, staring at nothing, her eyes piercing the Sorceress' own. It was over an hour before Emma moved, as if realizing she was even there for the first time. She picked up her brush, began to work through her knots from her short adventure, slowing down considerably as that vacant look returned to her eyes.

Regina knew Emma hadn't even entered the stages yet. This healing of hers could take a very long time.

Shaking her head, bolting out her door, she quickly moved around the castle before finding the Charmings, still in the drawing room, David trying to console his wife who was still sobbing silently into his chest.

"Regina? What-"

Regina cut him off. "I'm sorry, but that girl will not be healed before that baby comes. I would love to make the choice for you, but I vowed never to do such a drastic thing again without permission. I can't break that now, and that baby needs you to man up. Now."

Snow had lifted her head sometime during the rant, and began to wipe at her eyes.

"We can't- Regina, we can't…" Snow looked to her husband again, who nodded at her.

"We can't bring ourselves to hurt the child, Regina." He had more to say, but the former queen sighed in relief, her tension evaporating and she collapsed into the chair opposite the pair. She only offered that aspect of their choice because it was there, and their right. "Wait, are you… relieved?"

Her eyes snapped up angrily. "Of course I'm relieved. I didn't want to hurt the child!"

"But… you offered.."

She sighed again, aggravated. "It was an option. You deserved every choice available to you." She rubbed a hand over her face, breathing out slowly. She made a spur-of-the-moment decision, and hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Sitting up straight, and leaning forward, she took in the sight of the two, still tangled in eachothers arms, the tears on Snow's face slowing a little as her husband held her tightly.

"I told you a little about the life I lived, that never happened…" She proceeded to tell the two about the child she had adopted, how much he meant to her, and how much he helped her grow into the woman she was now. She then told them of finding out her son was their grandchild and Emma's birth son. "So you see, I have just as much reason to want him alive as any of you. But I know I really have no place in his life, so I left the choice to you."

Snow looked heart stricken. "He's as much your family as he is ours, isn't he?"

"In a way." Regina admitted. "But he will never call me mom in this universe. He'll never love me like that again."

"You can be a part of his life, you know." David said, bringing two sets of eyes to him in surprise. He looked to his wife, giving her a small kiss to the tip of her temple. "I see what you mean about her change." He looked back to the sorceress, who was a little speechless at that moment. "You've already helped us, more than I thought possible, ever since my return. I just had to move away from my own prejudice to see it." He nodded at her. "You're welcome here anytime, Regina. We'll make sure you're a part of his life. If you want that, that is."

It was Regina's turn to cry, as she ginned wildly and leaped from her chair to give the couple a strong hug.

It wasn't long after that she composed herself, confirmed their real choice, and left the pair to see to Emma once more.

The princess was still vacantly sitting at her vanity, when the witch entered the room. Regina raised her fingers, still seeing the split between the two Emma's. But both Emma and seed Henry were physically healthy, considering all they went through recently. She took solace in this fact.

Regina recited the spell softly, and cast it on the unsuspecting princess.

Baby Henry was now in a kind of stasis, waiting to grow until his mother was, both, wed and wanted a child of her own.

Regina stood there for several minutes, the princess never noticing she wasn't alone.

The beginnings of an idea began floating around Regina's mind as she stood there, absentmindedly wondering about the best thing for Emma to get over this shock and separation she was currently stuck in. The only solution she could think of was not an easy choice, and she knew it would be difficult for the people who loved the young princess.

~K notices S is missing~

Ever since the end of the meeting, Killian had been asking around about Smee. No one had seen the man in the red hat since about the time he last saw him.

He finally made it to his ship not long before dinner was meant to begin. He searched his vessel high and low for the man, but he wasn't there either.

He felt the guilt creep in, knowing how distracted he had been before his trip to Blackthorn. Having spent most of his time reading to a sleeping Emma, his first mate likely had ran off on his own during that time. The man had been growing increasingly distressed at being in this realm. Killian knew he'd try and leave it any way he could, and his Captain was clearly wanting to stay.

He only wished the man had said his goodbyes.

~24 hrs f dy 12~

Emma felt like she was sleeping her day away, though she knew she was wide awake. She felt like she was floating above herself, only occasionally watching if something worthwhile actually happened. She watched from that position as the brush was gently taken from her by her ladies maid, Bridget.

Once finished with the knots left over from her recent adventure in the wood, the chatty lady helped her to stand, remove her mothers old clothing, bathe, dressed her in her chemise, and brushed her hair by the fire that had been started without her notice. Once dry, Bridget braided her hair simply, down her back.

The lady had called for soup, which had arrived in impeccable timing, right when Bridget was ready for it. Emma watched from somewhere above as the maid helped her with the soup, not caring enough to ask why she needed the help or why she wasn't demanding to do it herself.

Once done, the lady set the tray outside the door, ushered the princess into bed, blew out the candles, and left her alone in her room, only reentering to check on the fire as the night progressed.

It was when Emma felt completely alone that she felt the pull to rejoin her body. Connecting to herself, breathing in a full breath, feeling every emotion, she choked on air, the pain so dramatic she ended up coughing herself back out.

The pain alone was too much to bear.

Emma's two halves stayed separate, as she laid awake, watching the dark hours turn even darker before they started to lighten until it was so bright, the room was glowing in golden light.

It wasn't long before Bridget was back, getting the princess up and out of bed, taking down the braid and replacing it with two loose ones on the top of her head that led into a ponytail, then helped her into one of her normal outfits of grey trousers, a white undershirt, and black corset vest before she helped with the boots.

Emma was ushered out of her room, running into Belle who took her arm, conversing pleasantly, while leading the silent princess to the dining room for breakfast.

The table was already filled with most of the familiar faces she'd grown accustomed to these last few days, minus a few she didn't care enough about to put a name to.

Emma was only mildly aware of the various chatter around her as she forced herself to eat. Breakfast seemed to move terribly slowly while simultaneously speeding by. Before she knew it, she was back with Merida and her horse Gypsy as she learned mounted archery. The whole time she was there, she didn't feel there. She was still somewhere above the entire scene, watching herself go through the motions.

Her success at the sport led Merida to step up the stakes, moving the target to a rope and allowing it to swing while Gypsy trotted. Emma nailed those, as well.

When the lesson was over, Emma found herself moving to the kitchen for water, as she often did after her first lesson, before moving again to meet with Zorro in the courtyard, who was ready and waiting for her.

She didn't know what she was doing. Her feet moved, and she followed behind herself. There was no conscious thought, no interaction between body and mind.

It wasn't long before this lesson, too, had moved along to the point of him actually sparring with her as she just watched from someplace above the scene, with only half interest. She found herself sleeping most of the lesson, not entirely sure what the other half of her was up to while she napped.

The midday meal was next. She forced herself to eat, not paying any attention to the conversations around her, before she had to move on to her tutors. She went through the motions of her languages, etiquette, history, science, politics, and mathematics before meeting with Belle.

Belle had prepared to help her go over her etiquette, as the displaced princess had been asked to by Emma's normal tutor.

Before long, Emma was right back at the table for dinner, forcing the food down once more, before heading up to her room to get an early night. Of course Belle insisted on walking up with her then, too.

Bridget was waiting, brushed out her hair, swiftly fixing it in a long braid, before helping her into her chemise, then to bed. Blowing out the candles, leaving the princess alone as she watched the colors of the night deepen once more.

~Day 13~

Having already done this once, Snow was finding it harder to go down to breakfast, and David didn't blame her. Though Snow put on a brave, hopeful facade, he knew that was all it was. Everyone had been skeptical of Regina's idea, but no one had a better one. Snow had somehow convinced herself that a normal schedule was the best thing for their daughter, but David wondered if it might have been the best thing for Snow.

Seeing his true love struggle with just the idea of seeing her daughter so gone from herself, made him want to fix all of this even more. But he couldn't help Emma in her grief, not until she let him, and the theory of a third villain plaguing them was just that. A theory.

He hadn't even told his wife of the developments, yet. Smee was the less worrisome development. Hook had been asking after the man since his return, but no one knew what had happened to the first mate. Most had even forgotten the man had arrived at all, being so shy and quiet around the castle in the first place.

The more frustrating development was the one concerning Neal. The Dark One's son had been missing since the day before everyone else's return. None of the guards knew a thing, and there were half a dozen in the hall outside his door, not to mention the few who stood outside his window. No one could explain it, aside from blaming magick. David didn't know what to make of this, except to wonder if this was proof of yet another bad guy.

When the puppet's dinner tray had arrived, the kitchen maid found the room empty, allerted the guards, who told David immediately. Luckily, David had been alone at the time. He knew his wife could handle much, but this was something he could do for her, to keep least this one burden off her shoulders.

During their shared midday meal, Red and Graham opened up to the table, revealing their plans to elope sometime soon. This caught David off guard, though he was happy for the couple deep down. This news made him think, and he realized he could ask them for one last favor before they left the castle to make their own way.

He felt terrible asking, but they understood his position and were only too happy to help. Red already felt like a disappointment to her long time friend by leaving in the first place, especially now, given the timing. Graham, who had been loyal to Snow for decades, was only too happy to fulfill this last request in her service.

They were back before dinner, with the news that both Neal and Smee had been in the same place at roughly the same time. But they had both disappeared, completely. Red had also smelled magick, more specifically, the magick from a portal.

At least they knew that much. It was enough to connect the dots.

David expected this to be the last word from the two missing men.

~Day 14~

Belle had tried putting the letter out of her mind over the last few days.

Each day had started the same, with her 'accidentally' bumping into Emma as she headed to breakfast each morning, ensuring the princess made it to the table on time without raising any red flags for the princess. Her next act was dragging the princess back up to her room, for her ladies maid to put her to bed.

Belle had tried, in various ways, to get her friend to open up. But she eventually realized that Emma wasn't completely present and probably wouldn't notice if Belle were there or not. She could only say the woman acted from muscle memory, or something like it. No conscious thought seemed to exist behind her eyes.

In between the two meals, Belle spent her mornings in the library, trying to find anything to answer the question of just what else, if anything, could be going on. They all felt like the story wasn't over, yet. But their main two suspects were Rumplestiltskin, who was locked up to Belle's dismay, and Regina, who had switched sides. If Belle hadn't spent the last two decades with the sorceress, she would have suspected Regina despite that fact.

But her beloved books revealed nothing. She simply needed more information than what she had, which was nothing save a few tidbits, in order to actually do a proper search of the library. She briefly considered calling on Athena again, but decided against it, remembering how the last time went. A useless adventure with two.. Mate-crazy wolves. She wasn't looking forward to that reoccurrence anytime soon.

During the midday meal, Belle was thinking about Red and Graham who had just announced the other day that they were eloping, and it shoved that damn letter right back into the forefront of her mind. She really had enjoyed the man's company.

Belle knew Regina had caught that look in her eyes at the table, as she was wistfully imagining what it would be to finally find her true love, perhaps even being a normal royal again. She wasn't at all surprised when the sorceress cornered her after the meal, insisting on talking with the displaced princess about what was going on.

Belle had eventually given in, showing Regina the letter. Regina read it with a grin, embracing the brunette beauty, and insisted she leave, immediately, to go to him. Belle was always meant to find a happy ending, and Regina was determined to see if Jorie was it for her.

Belle tried arguing, but to no avail. Regina would sooner turn her into a frog, sending her to him with a note to 'kiss the frog' than let a chance at love slip away. (Regina had an arsenal of curious threats.) If only to keep the sorceress from taking any drastic actions, she was 'convinced' to go in her own free will. That way, at least, she could return the moment things went awry for Emma.

But that meant, this would be Belle's last day at the Charming Castle. The idea of it churned so many emotions within her.

She talked with Emma's tutors, only late to their daily meet by a few minutes, asking them about the most important lessons Emma seemed to be lacking, and then went to tell Snow of her plans before planning her session with Emma for the end of the day. She had to wipe away tears when she realized it could be the last lesson ever with her friend.

Once the two princess' were together again, Belle tried telling Emma she was leaving. But Emma only nodded at the news, no hint of emotion behind her eyes.

That broke Belle's heart in two, with the two paths in front of her. Piss off Regina by staying to support her friend, or take the chance on Jorie and piss herself off for leaving her friend in need. She knew being up against the former Evil Queen, that she wasn't going to be able to back away from this fight.

X

~Day 15~

Killian hated the new normal.

He hated Regina for suggesting it.

And everyone else for agreeing to her blasted plan.

Every meal, he had to watch his soulmate as she forced herself to eat, that same blank expression all over her face, with those same downcast, empty eyes. All the while, the table was full of acting happy for the sake of a woman who wouldn't have noticed if Red and Graham consummated their elopement right there on the table.

This was the hunters last day here. Belle had left the day before. Smee had vanished who knows when. And, though he was certain he wasn't meant to be privy to it, he knew Bae was missing as well.

Despite his complaints on the 'plan', Killian showed up, every meal, out of respect for the people who provided him food and shelter. They had asked him to. But that didn't mean he had to like it, or further partake in their act.

Emma wasn't Emma. He wouldn't be his jolly ol self either.

He spent his days in the archives. He had a feeling that whatever was going on, whoever this new villain was, it had something to do with vengeance. He knew vengeance. It was a patient lover. A seductress, waiting for the perfect plans to take shape.

Starting things nearly two decades ago screamed revenge.

But the Charmings were so disgustingly clean, it made him want to stab all of the aging, slightly dusty, recent history books of the monarchy.

Except for George and Regina, the royal couple had no enemies. George had long since passed, and Regina was, well, different. Except for Savas, Emma had no enemies either. And he'd seen that demise himself.

He thought of Emma constantly, and all she was going through because he chose not to follow her right away, trying not to cross that damned invisible, precarious line with her. He should least be able to help her now.

He angrily slammed the book he had been skimming closed, thinking back on his own loss of Milah as the dusty tome was shoved unceremoniously back onto the shelf. The emotions he had gone through during that time mostly consisted of anger. But Regina had spoken of the stages of grief, as if those words held weight, which meant Emma might just have several to traverse before becoming fully healed, if such an outcome even existed for her.

Taking a break from the archives, he idly moved around the castle. He was a few stories up, walking down a hall open to the courtyard below. He smiled at the memory of his spar with David, just there.

It had practically been a tie, both swords had been lost, but David's dagger had been placed to Killian's chest, and Killian's hook was at the King's jewels. Difficult to say, exactly, who won that day. An objective person might have said David won by the placement of the dagger. Any normal man, regardless of who he was, would have said Killian won. Loss of the family jewels would have been a powerful motivator if the duel was real.

Now, he saw Emma with her swordmaster Zorro. She was getting even better than he remembered her from their own play. He wondered how she managed that while being so incredibly distant from herself. Perhaps she was better because she was distant.

Unknown to him, this would be the first night in days that both halves of Emma would fall asleep, together.

~Day 16~

Emma's knife slowly sliced the sausage in front of her, highly aware of every detail of her plate and the food on top of it. Everything was in focus. Eggs, bacon, sausage, cabbage, and a biscuit. She could paint this plate from memory, from the simple blue swirl on the white porcelain, to the food itself, and even the position of her fork and knife as she sliced, right down to the placemats, napkins, and the bowl of fruit on the edge of her vision.

And it hit her. The confusion of where she was, and what the hell was she doing.

What the hell was she even doing?

She was obviously at the breakfast table, not eating by the looks of her plate. She glanced up, quickly, looking around. The table was fairly sparse. Her parents, Regina, Roland, and Killian were there with her. But that was it. She vaguely remembered Belle telling her something recently, but what the hell was it? Where was the brunette beauty? Or Red and Graham for that matter? Or Smee and Neal? The table looked a whole lot longer with so few people occupying the seats.

Most everyone else was halfway through with their meals, she was startled to notice, except for her. Her plate was barely missing a few bites, and she was absolutely famished.

And feeling a bit dramatic at the moment.

She scanned her memories. It was disorienting, to both remember a week and not remember it at the same time. Her last clear memory was being in the cage at Savas' castle, around the time of that nightmare she'd had. The rest of it was a blur of people, and places. She knew the basics, Killian breaking her out, the strange man, the travel, their stop, arriving home.

She felt the familiar pull to look up, and she knew he was smirking.

She wasn't going to look.

She would not give him the satisfaction -

Beautiful, sparking blue iris', like the ocean on a sunny day without a cloud in the sky.

Despite her best efforts, she'd matched his gaze, discreetly looking up through her lashes, and his eyes shone with a brilliance she hadn't seen before. His face screamed finally, love, welcome back.

She raised an eyebrow, not daring to move any other part of her anatomy, aside from the fork and knife as she took an entirely too large bite her mother would scold her for if she'd seen.. But, famished. What are you talking about?

His face fell a little before that cocky grin reappeared, accompanied by a wiggle of eyebrows leaving just one up suggestively. His look had clearly told her, meet me on my ship and find out.

She had to force back a snort. For some reason, she didn't feel like alerting everyone else to the fact that she was, for the lack of a better term, awake. It was bad enough that damn pirate knew. She wanted to gather her bearings before all that and all their royal pomp.

She just rolled her eyes at him, and focused on her food. Not on your life.

Her ears prickled, overhearing bits of conversation. Roland was asking his mother about heading home, since he missed his family there and the work he did. Regina conceded dramatically, making it clear to him that if she asked him to return, he would.

Emma wondered why. He hadn't exactly been a pivotal member of their team, at all, but Regina appeared adamant that he stay. She knew something. Or did she?

Emma's eyes shot up to Killian's again, silently asking about Belle. He glanced around the table himself, somehow knowing she wasn't ready to out herself, before taking a swig of his morning tea.

"Has anyone heard from Belle yet?"

Emma held back a smile, forcing her eyes back to her plate to take another oversized bite. He was getting them to tell her. Manipulative bastard. She'd have to remember that about him.

Regina eyed him suspiciously. "She only just left."

"She's probably still at sea." David supplied. "Where was she going, again?"

"Camelot." Regina told him. "I thought she told you?"

"She told me." Snow answered. "David was busy, so I gave him the short version. Would you do the honors of filling him in?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Belle met man at ball. Man wrote letter. Regina forced Belle on ship to man."

It was so startlingly ridiculous, Emma nearly lifted her head to stare openly at the former queen. She wondered if she should laugh or pinch herself.

"What the hell was that?" David asked her, his mouth gaping, both eyebrows racing to his hairline.

"I was speaking in man."

Snow chuckled despite herself.

"You were not. We don't talk like that."

"I certainly don't." Killian chimed in with a wink to the king.

Though the whole conversation was absurd, to say the least, Emma got the sense that Regina was growing on her father, which led her to, once again, raise her eyes to meet Killian's in a silent question. He shrugged, a simple later which caused her to, again, roll her eyes.

It wasn't much longer before Emma had cleared her plate, causing Snow to comment on the hopeful possibility of her daughter feeling better.

"Does anyone mind, since this is the weeks end, if I take Emma on a stroll around the grounds?" Killian asked.

Emma felt grateful for the suggestion, but merely kept her eyes to her plate.

She could almost see the silent argument between her parents, her father wanting to say no, her mother wanting to say yes. Someone must have nodded, because Killian wordlessly moved around the table to her chair, pulling it out for her, taking her arm gently in his hand to help her up.

She stood gracefully, quietly wondering if there was a certain way she needed to hold herself, or walk, that would keep suspicion off of her. She kept her face angled away from the rest of the table, though she shouldn't have bothered. The group behind her stopped paying attention to the two almost as soon as they'd moved, not expecting anything to actually change in Emma just yet.

Emma only breathed deeply, releasing a sigh of relief, when she made it outside, far enough away from the castle to speak her mind and act normally.

"So what's this about my father and Regina being all chummy back there?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I believe they had a chat I was not present for. Whatever it was, it hasn't been going on too long. Just since we got back."

"How long ago was that?" She asked, trying to clear up the fuzziness that was her memories since the dungeon.

He looked at her sharply. "What do you remember?"

"Most of it, I think. Savas' men, chasing us all the way to Castle Blackthorn. Yar. Where is he?" She looked around, wondering if yet another friend had vanished on her.

"Around, I'm sure. Saw him yesterday. He comes and goes, as any wild thing should, but hasn't strayed far as of yet." She knew he was looking at her. He wanted her to finish listing off what she remembered.

Knowing he was just as stubborn as she was, she continued. "I remember being in Blackthorn, sleeping in those damn nets again, waking up to a bloody massacre." She finally returned his gaze. "Thanks for waking me up, by the way." She had to force the sarcasm down as she looked away from him. "I did try to free you and Yar with my magick. I couldn't think of anything else to do. But I ran out of time."

He touched her chin, bringing her face back up to meet his gaze.

"You did free us. I woke up alone, Yar nearly on top of me, with every rope frayed off."

"It worked?" Pride swelled in her chest at that.

"You must have. I certainly didn't do it, and I can't imagine they would have left me alive without that bloody beast to keep them off me."

She smiled, the instinct to back away too strong to control. His face fell for a split second, his hand falling to his side. Understanding filled his features, before that signature smirk resurfaced. That look of his made her feel bubbly inside, and she couldn't help the curt laugh as it escaped her lips.

She shook her head to clear it, feeling entirely too joyous at that moment, trying to focus on where she left off. "Um. Right. They took me to a dungeon. It wasn't pleasant. Savas' hurt me." Her hands moved to her stomach. "Then I had this terrible dream."

He stiffened at that. "Dream?"

She could usually tell his looks, but that one.. that wasn't a normal one for him. She eyed him warily.

"It wasn't all bad." She lied, knowing full well he could read her like an open book. "You saved me, in it." She admitted softly.

He turned away from her, peering out to the Jolly. "I told you, love. I am always a gentleman. Even in your dreams."

She never saw the single tear escape from his eye, as she summarized the events leading up to their stop just before returning to the castle, where her memory went from fuzzy, to downright unintelligible.

She was met with silence, grateful he seemed to know she was longing for it. She took her place by his side, looking at the Jolly to avoid looking his way. She was grateful for the company. The silence. His ear, though he had also lived through it,

same as her. And the time away from her parents.

~The Mastermind~

She sat down, having just heard the news of her failures.

It had taken her months of rigorous research to find out, not only their location, but how to rip a hole in their cage and call their attention to it so they could escape. Then someone had to go and find a way to send her little projects to Zeus himself. If only she knew who that someone was, she'd eat their hearts right out of their chests while it was still beating.

That had been a frustrating development. Two decades of fun, spoiled. Though her goal had initially been to create chaos, see what happened to who, and if any of those threads of chaos stirred the pot she wanted stirred. And it had.

It had been delicious how effortless it had been to put the pin on Regina's Happiness, though backfiring by changing the former Evil Queen's personality so drastically that the witch even found her true love. Even still, she had delighted in just sitting back and watching as the sisters she freed fought against each other. She had no idea it would eventually affect the Emma girl so directly. A happy little accident. She'd watched the whole thing.

As the daughter of the sickening Charming family, of course she had relished in the recent events, all caused by her efforts way back when.

It had taken a little longer for the news of Savas to reach her, as no one knew of their friendship. She had wanted it that way. No ties. She had manipulated him flawlessly, and knew he had never told a soul she was in his life.

She mourned the loss of Savas, pouring herself a shot of his favorite wine, raising it in the air before drinking it in one fluid motion. She'd spotted him as a lad, saw the seeds of darkness there, and helped culture them into a beautiful garden of evil. Without her, he would have been positively normal. His mother still would have passed unnaturally early, but it had been Savas himself who committed patricide all because of little bits of encouragement from her. Eventually, all she had to do was imply that the Emma girl was his one and only hope at a happy union, and he did the rest.

She had been so proud of him, having managed to capture and keep the Emma girl in his dungeon for even a few hours. It wasn't until much later that his death was discovered, rattling his kingdom into chaos, as he left no immediate heir. It was the best outcome she would hope for from the loss of the man she considered a son. But was the void he left worthy of exploitation?

She chuckled to herself.

x

~Denial~

Killian's heart felt heavy. He knew, from what Regina had told them, that Emma must have entered into denial. Her memories of the event had been so painful, he knew, the only way she could survive emotionally was to create an explanation. Any explanation to discredit her own memories.

And Emma had decided it must have been a nightmare. Least she was more herself, now. He wondered how long it would last, knowing it wouldn't be very long, selfishly, secretly, hoping it would last forever.

They had been out of doors for the better part of an hour, eventually sitting together in the grass, their conversation flowing one moment, lulling into a natural, comfortable silence the next, before picking back up. He'd managed to keep his eyes away from the princess who had stolen his heart so wholly, but he still felt the pull each time her eyes landed on him. He could feel her beg of connection, but he knew if he allowed himself to make the connection, he would come undone.

Shedding a single tear in her presence was enough bad form for one year. Losing himself to his emotions in front of her was simply intolerable.

At least Emma seemed at peace here, in this moment. But he supposed her world was still in that precarious place before being completely shattered. And he wasn't about to break that lie for her, not when it would only get worse from here.

~One Step Forward…~

After spending the late morning with Killian, leisurely, either talking effortlessly, joking, laughing, flirting (not that she would admit to it) or just enjoying each other's company in total silence, Emma understood what true happiness felt like. It was the moments with the person who made even a spot in the grass feel like home.

She reflected on her morning with a smile, while moving through the halls toward her room. She couldn't choose Dylan. The thought widened her smile to a grin, and brought a skip in her step, knowing what choice that left her with, and it didn't bother her one bit. It was actually a little exciting.

She had felt a little sour, when Regina had disrupted their rendezvous. Not only because she had been reveling in the quiet moments with Killian, but also because the new presence immediately noticed Emma's shift, breaking her from her tranquil mindlessness.

Whatever had made her interrupt them in the first place had fallen on the sorceress' list of priorities, as she gleefully brought the young princess back with her, showing her off to her overjoyed parents who kept her in a massive hug for entirely too long, if Regina's uncomfortable look and dramatic eye roll was any indication. But a part of that ridgid woman was pleased, it was plain to see.

Killian had stayed behind, on that patch of grass, allowing Regina to take the princess to her family without him for their own little reunion. That hadn't stopped Emma from looking over her shoulder, to see him staring after her with a small smile, which only grew in size and sincerity as they locked eyes.

He knew it too. He could see it.

After prying herself from her parents, she'd asked Regina to help her with a few spells, remembering the day she had woken up to find Killian tied to a tree, dozens of soldiers milling about. That felt like months ago, but it was still all too recent and churned the blood in her veins. She never thought of herself as unprepared as she had that morning.

The sorceress had eagerly agreed, and the two spent nearly two hours together. Regina had been pleased with her progress, learning what she had managed to learn while on her quest, then teaching her a shield spell as well as a few attacks.

Magick was difficult for Emma, especially while learning to use her brain differently than when she learned more conventional fighting tactics. Retraining herself how to learn took the longest, but by the end of their two hours, Emma had been able to block an attack from Regina, then attack the sorceress herself before they embraced, and went their separate ways.

Emma had wanted to find Killian immediately, to speak to him about her choice in suitor, when she wondered if he still wanted it. It felt like years ago when she found out he had asked her mother if he could court her. Years ago when she realized his note and sword play were just a way to get her alone to ask her himself.

The look on his face as she left him on the grass. She smirked to herself, realizing she already knew the answer to her unspoken question. She didn't need a lengthy conversation with the pirate to smooth her insecurities.

Her walk turned into an excited run as she headed towards her room, suddenly wanting to make him wait just a little longer for her, and feeling the need for some time to herself after that massive invasion of personal space from her parents, and the lesson from the former Evil Queen. What better thing to do than re-read her favorite book while she still had time before midday, comparing her own adventures with the princess with the happily…

Ever…

After.

Her steps faltered, nearly tripping her, at the memory - the dream, not memory - until she was shuffling forward impossibly slowly. Her breaths became shallow as she remembered telling Killian - in the dream - those words. It felt so real. His touch as he held her in his arms, his warmth, the worry in his eyes, the brilliance of the stars above...

It couldn't be real.

Then why would Savas have thought -

She shook her head. Savas was clearly unstable. He could have - would have - said anything, probably as an excuse to beat her if that other prisoner was any clue to his true intentions. If she had stayed any longer, she would have been able to compare colors with the raven haired…

Her hands made their way to her belly, holding onto the thin layer of fat every woman seemed to naturally collect there.

No. No! No…

The nightmare wasn't real.

It couldn't be.

Savas was merciless in his torture.

It was psychological.

He was still abusing her.

She didn't notice as she moved past her room, her pace slowly picking up. She was so lost in thought, she hadn't noticed where her feet were taking her, until she found herself in front of Gypsy, who she had absentmindedly brushed, saddled, bridled, and was ready for her to ride.

At this realization, she mounted up, and sped out of the stable at Gypsys top speed while she drowned out the truths that began to plague her.

~A Mother Knows~

The midday meal came and went without it's princess. The long, near empty table, seating only David, Killian, Regina, and Snow now that the others went their separate ways, felt daunting to the emotionally over taxed mother.

Snow had received a note from her daughter, only a minute into the meal, saying she wasn't going to attend. After sharing this news, every face visibly fell, except for Regina who looked determined. The sorceress pulled a small mirror from her pocket, whispered a small spell, and blinked back shock at the sight it showed her.

Wordlessly, she handed the small handheld to the woman next to her. Snow took in the scene of Emma, scrubbing dishes in the kitchen, seeing her from the angle of the window. Her reflection was clearly seen, as the girl looked up momentarily with uncertainty in her eyes, before stubbornly resolving whatever issue that was working through her mind and returning to her self-appointed job of scrubbing.

Snow sighed, her nerves frayed, handing back the mirror without allowing the men to see what was shown there.

She finished her meal, distracted, thinking of what to do to help her daughter.

When her meal was finished, Snow picked up her plate, walking stoically toward the kitchen. Sure enough, her daughter was still scrubbing an invisible speck off a pot.

Snow couldn't help the small bubble of laughter as it came up, escaping as barely audible. It was something she would have done, she realized. Cleaning was always what she did to clear her mind while staying with her beloved Dwarfs. Emma must have seen the potential in cleaning during her charade with The Captain when he first arrived.

Shaking her head, silently, she pulled up her sleeves, nodded to her staff with a little wave, and moved to stand next to her daughter. She didn't look at Emma, knowing full well any direct attention to her daughter would feel like an attack.

Instead, she started washing her own dish, and silverware. Emma simply stared at her mother, the Queen, for a long minute as she took in this action, before laughing incessantly, and throwing her arms and soapy hands around her mother.

Working together, the two finished all the dishes at the surprise of the staff, before going arm in arm out the back door until they began to run, following their feet until they found their old secret spot along the wall.

There had been an attack here, long ago, and the vertical hole in the wall had never been repaired. It did lead them to an old, boarded up room that was taken over by nature. The hole in the wall was the only entrance. Grass for carpet, sun streaming in through the broken wall and windows, ghastly old furniture that looked like it belonged to the dark ages.

The two sank down onto the grass, carelessly. Their clothing could always be cleaned later.

"I think I needed that." Snow divulged, grinning with pink cheeks.

"I think I did too."

"We haven't done that-" Snow shook her head, unsure of the answer.

"Since before my first bleeding." Emma shivered, smiling despite herself. "That tutor was awful."

Snow laughed heartily. "It was better than mine. My father decided to be the one to tell me, and he didn't even tell me the whole truth. The whole thing was, well, awkward and depressing. When Regina became my stepmother, she left certain books open for me. He caught me reading them once."

"No!"

Snow nodded. "I still think she did that on purpose. If I thought the first discussion was awkward…"

Emma shook her head. "I guess I should thank you for the honesty up front, and a female tutor."

"I tried." Snow shrugged.

They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes, Emma twisting around a ring she always wore. The ring she only wore because of the nervous habit she inherited from her mother.

Snow ignored it, knowing the silence would coax her daughter to speak much more convincingly than she ever could with words. Instead, she chose to look out at the brightness of the day, feeling the coolness in the shade, patiently waiting for the dam to burst.

"I made a decision." Emma spoke softly. "But I keep thinking about this nightmare I had when I was held prisoner by Savas."

Snow turned her soft, understanding gaze to her daughter, just waiting. She knew this must mean that Emma was going through denial now, and had to work through it on her own. Even without Regina's fuzzy memories on the topic, Snow did know a thing or two about grief, having lost so much herself.

Emma looked uncomfortable, keeping her gaze down. "What happened that night?" the young princess asked softly.

"Which night?"

Emma looked up, cheeks bursting in color. "The night.. The one before the ball. The one we all forgot."

"Emma, I wasn't there with you. I ate dinner, went to your fathers stateroom, sat in his chair for a while just to feel him near me. Then I went to bed, on his side. It smells just like him." She smiled sadly. "Have you remembered your evening?" She prodded gently.

She could tell Emma wanted to say yes, but hesitated. Instead, she shook her head, dropping her mothers gaze.

"So, tell me about this decision instead."

If possible, Emma's cheeks burned even hotter. "I want to tell Jones - Hook - the Captain -" She breathed, sighing. "I want to accept his offer. His courtship. He never really asked me though. I didn't give him the chance to."

Snow's smile grew slightly, keeping her positivity on the forefront of her mind, praying Emma would not see through her.

"What's keeping you?"

"At first, it was Dylan." She said softly. She told her mother all about her worries for the kingdom, feeling the pressure of making the right choice for them not herself. She liked Dylan, enough. It wouldn't be too terrible to be tied to the man. Then she told her mother of her time with Killian, how he made her feel home. Snow knew all too well how that felt.

"I had a feeling you would lean toward him." Snow confessed. "If not Dylan, what's holding you back?"

"The nightmare. I mean. It can't be real." She said defiantly. "But what if it is?" Her voice shrank in that moment, and Snow's heart broke.

"Does it feel real?"

Emma's head started shaking, then nodding, then it went in circles as confused tears quietly slipped out, running down her face. Snow shuffled over to envelop her daughter tightly in her arms, knowing silence and love, was all Emma would take at the moment.

X

~Best Friends Forever~

The mother and daughter had stayed that way for a while, hugging tightly, until Emma's stomach began complaining, having missed lunch entirely, bringing the two apart. Snow laughed heartily, insisting she walk her daughter back to the kitchen, only leaving her there at the princess' own request.

Emma ate alone, in silence, as the staff bustled around her, few stopping to check in on their beloved princess while she stayed, well after her meal had been finished and her plate had been whisked away by Mary, one of her growing friendships within the staff.

But Emma had no idea what to do with herself. She simply sat, staring out the window, as those around her kept busy. She kept ignorant of the time, and what was going on around her.

She longed for a conversation with Belle, but couldn't fault the woman for leaving. She was after her own soulmate, or least, the possibility of one. Emma herself would have insisted she go, had she been able to. But that didn't stop her from missing her new friend.

Instead, she pulled an old card from her bag of tricks.

Setting her jaw in determination, she left the kitchen from the backdoor, made her way around, until she stood close to that damn tree that used to be her favorite. Looking at it, as closely as one could from several meters away, she could see stains darker than the bark running down it.

Closing her eyes, tight, she turned away.

It's not real. It's my overactive imagination.

She kept her eyes focused on anything except that tree, as she knelt down in the grass, silently calling to Yar. The beast arrived sooner than she expected, seemingly happy to see her. She petted the beast, mentally asking if he was ready for a ride, and he knelt down for her to mount up easily.

Once mounted, sitting tall on the enormous animal, she paused long enough to look at the man in black, on his ship, standing against the railing looking the opposite direction of her. Her heart pulsed toward him, that familiar pull she always felt when he was anywhere near her.

She had to force herself to look away, or Yar would have charged in that direction. Instead, she set her real intentions, and he took off.

Traveling through the castle gates.

Past the village.

Toward the outskirts.

The trip's time was cut down to a quarter of the normal time. Before she knew it, she was outside the carpetner's cottage.

Chio.

The couple welcomed her readily, though they were rather shocked by the sight of her Centicore. Peter left the lifelong friends to catch up, claiming an overdue errand in the wood for more supplies.

"I know that look, Emma."

She eyed him sideways, sipping her fresh cup of cinnamon cocoa. "I have no idea what you mean."

"You know you came to me for a reason. Not that I'm complaining, we never get these quiet moments anymore. But still. There's a reason for this visit."

"Yeah." She sighed, putting down her cup, collecting her thoughts.

Before she knew it, she was in ugly tears, crying honestly. She never felt more hideous than in that moment, in front of her friend, who quickly took her in his arms.

They sat that way for an eternity.

When she finally calmed down, his hand lovingly stroking her golden head, she told him everything since they last met, at the ball. Somewhere during her story, he had moved away enough to examine her face, her expressions, her eyes when she allowed the connection, his hand still calmly stroking her curls as only a true friend, and self appointed brother, could do.

"And you don't know if this nightmare of yours is real?"

"I-" she breathed, trying to rein in her wild emotions. "I'm so confused, Chio. And I'm terrified it is real. I just - I don't-"

"Take your time, cyg."

She half-laughed at the pet name. "If it's real. How could anyone ever love me? I.. I wouldn't be worth.. Loving. Or marrying."

He thought a minute. "Let's start at the obvious. I have known you my entire life. You were the first girl I danced with, we stepped on each other's toes. Then, you threw a rock at me when you found me with Peter."

"I had a crush on you!"

"And you found out I was... different. In the worst possible way. But I still love you. And I know you still love me." She nodded solemnly. "And I always will. No matter how many rocks you throw, or live frogs you sneak into my dinner-" she cracked a smile at that memory. "Then, your parents. How much crap have you given them through your more terrible years?"

She shrugged, holding back another smile. "Maybe, just a little?"

He cocked his head at her. "Try a lot."

"Yeah.. I know."

"The day you put dye in your fathers soap - it was a stroke of genius!" He grinned, she just bit her lip at the memory, the smile breaking free a little more. "And what about your mother? You yelled at her, calling her an Evil Queen when she grounded you for sneaking out to see me without telling anyone where you were going."

She scrunched her nose at that. "I may have made a repeat performance of that, tonight."

He laughed at that. "And she will still love you, after you return, again."

"But what- what about-" She took a deep breath, lifting the cup to her lips, giving him another look.

"You're worried that the pirate, who is also your soulmate, will leave you? Are you serious right now?"

"Well… how do I know he's really my soulmate?"

"Blue's butterfly? That dance I witnessed? That was sizzling, like bacon, if I ever saw it." He waved his hand in front of his face. "See? It's not growing."

"Your nose never grew!"

"Yes it did! I still have witnesses!"

Her mouth shifted to the side in thought. "You don't think he'll see me.. differently.. and leave?"

"I think he'd rather die first."

"But what if it is real? And Savas.. What he said.."

"You said this Captain has his business in knowledge?" She nodded. "Then he already knows if it's true or not, wouldn't he.. And I hate to break it to you, cygnet, but.. He. Is. Still. Here." He shrugged. "Or there since you're here and-" she punched him in the shoulder. "Semantics?"

Her hands shakily moved back down to her tummy, water threatening her eyes.

He took in her expression, wiping a tear from her cheek. "If the dream isn't a dream, and someone violated you that way, it doesn't change a thing, cyg. You're still you. Strong, fierce, stubborn as hell Emma Swan. You are the only one who can allow that to change."

She stayed silent as more tears fell, his hand moving to cover hers, which was still resting on her stomach.

"You alone decide your worth." He murmured to her, and it rang true for her, louder than she anticipated. "You'll get your happy ending." He promised in a whisper.

With a kiss to her forehead, a tight hug, and another cup of cocoa, Emma eventually fell asleep in the carpenter's cottage.

~Day 17~

Emma woke to the unfamiliar sound of food cooking, delicious smells filling her nose. Her tummy grumbled in response, and she groaned awake despite the fact that she really didn't want to be awake.

It took her far too long to identify the wooden ceiling and walls, but when she did, she sat up fast enough to make her head spin, realizing she was still in Chio's cottage.

"What the hell?!" She shouted at no one in particular. She took a good look around, noticing the light in the windows. "Oh fuck is it morning?"

Her head spinned toward the kitchen when some random glass item had been dropped, shattering on the floor, in the loudest crashing noise she could have envisioned. Peter had dropped something in response to her chosen words, and Chio was laughing at the whole thing.

"He still thinks of you as a proper princess. I know better." He managed between chortles, pointing at each in turn.

Her cheeks reddened. "Well, sorry, but I don't give a damn what you think you know about me, Pinocchio."

That only fueled his laughter, giving a breathy apology to his scandalized husband. "She really does grow on you, I promise." He looked back at the blond on his couch. "You better be nice to him, cyg, he is cooking you breakfast."

She let her face fall into her hands, groaning loudly. "My mom is going to be so pissed."

"Have you no shame? Poor Peter."

She glanced up, the man in question visibly shaken, while glaring at the gallantry in Chio.

She couldn't help but bark out a laugh. "Careful, Chio, or you'll be sleeping in the doghouse tonight." She bit her lip at them in jest.

"Least I won't have the queen down my ass for disappearing all night." Chio quipped.

But Peter, apparently, couldn't let his princess stew in her choices, quickly piping up. "Actually, she sent a bird." Emma, shocked at this revelation, couldn't pick her jaw off the floor as she turned to look at the other man. "She knows where you are. She does hope you come home soon, but... she's not mad.

Emma turned a glare at her friend, who simply shrugged, saying "I told you so." in reference to their previous conversation.

Her morning continued like this, with gentle teasing from her friend, his husband attempting to pamper his future queen to Emma's dismay. She tried to tell him he was family, not a constituent, but he wouldn't have it. She was the princess, his future monarch, and he was going to treat her as such if it was the last thing he did.

Even if he had to chide his own husband.

She stayed until the afternoon, enjoying the camaraderie of the two men, eating the midday meal with the happy couple. Never before had she spent this much time with Peter, too scandalized and embarrassed before, after catching them in an act of passion. But now, she was grateful for the time to get to know the man who made her friend smile like he'd been given the moon.

She allowed the blissful feeling of Chio's assurances that she was loved, was worth the love, and would continue to be loved, to wash over her until she finally dragged herself outside, mentally calling to her newest beastly friend.

-x-x-x-

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Peter asked solemnly, wishing for just a moment that he had a better relationship with the princess as the couple waved to her as she made her departure.

"I don't know." Chio replied honestly, pulling his husband in tighter as they watched the centicore disappear. "But I have faith. In Emma. In her family. In her soulmate. In fate. Somehow, she'll get there."

-x-x-x-

The trip back home was long and lonely, Yar going ever slower than he had the day before. She wondered, though she knew the answer, if his speeds were tied to the rider and how badly they actually wanted to reach their destination.

She wasn't eager to go home.

She made it though, to that same tree, avoiding that same tree while saying a momentary goodbye to her beast in the same spot she had called him from. Finally allowing her eyes to drift back to the offending tree, viewing it with open eyes if only to convince herself it had all been her imagination.

But the stains were still there. Still darkly consuming the bark.

She tried not to look away this time, instead, convincing herself it was only.. sap. Had to be. Right? She found herself moving closer and closer to confirm it, but it wasn't wet anymore, if it ever had been. Emma, determined to prove her theory, went to get water, and doused the strange substance.

It definitely wasn't sap.

This was blood. This was absolutely, positively, blood.

She shook her head at it. She must have seen it - and incorporated it - into her dream-

Or…

Someone had - they must have - heard about the dream - and added the blood -

No…

"Swan!"

No. She couldn't face him. Not now. He saw - he was there - he witnessed -

"Go away, Hook." She felt her words sting him as hard as a slap would have.

"Emma-"

Something snapped in her, as she turned to face him, rushing forward, pushing him away with both hands.

"You bastard!"

"Me? What did I bloody well do?!"

"You never should have found me!" She shoved him again.

"And what, left you there instead?"

"Yes!" She began hitting him, both fists attacking his chest, until he scooped her in his arms, holding her too tightly against him for her to maneuver another strike.

"That would have accomplished nothing, darling." he said it in the calmest, gentlest voice she had ever heard from the fierce pirate. It only made her mad.

She tried wiggling away, but he only held her tighter, until she stopped squirming all together, her arms at her sides. She refused to return his embrace, choosing to glare daggers up at him instead.

"This is not what I had in mind when I thought of it being rough between us, darling."

She scoffed. "It's always that with you."

"Can you think of a better way to take the edge off?"

"Punching you was nice."

"Then let's take this one step further."

He loosened his grasp on her, and she took it, moving as far from him as she could while still in his arms, the anger mixing with attraction in the most frustrating way.

She saw his intent. It was all over his beautiful, smirking, infuriating face.

~Do Over~

Killian had known the denial wouldn't last very long, but hadn't minded that stage as much as he had anticipated. She was, after all, basically acting like her normal self, aside from her underlying confusion over the lies she told herself.

As much as he had tried not to look at her during their morning out, he allowed himself a moment to stare after her in the moments after Regina had commandeered the princess from him. Emma had turned to him, and what he saw in her eyes, written all over her face, had stolen his breath away. Something in her, in those moments, was what he had wanted to see since before their first bout of sword play, when he had intended on asking the - then - kitchen maid if he would be permitted to court her.

She was ready to accept him.

He was crushed when it dawned on him that it wasn't entirely true. It couldn't be, not while she remained in the stages, as Regina called them. He had spent the rest of the morning on his stranded ship, eventually making it to the midday meal only to be informed his heart wouldn't be joining them. He knew her inner battle was being fought, and left her to her own devices. She knew where he would be if she needed him, and he planned on being there if she looked. Besides, Snow clearly had some sort of plan if he judged the set in her jaw correctly as she studied that mirror Regina had handed her.

Back on his ship, he had felt the familiar pull of Emma's presence, the pull of her gaze, turning to see her atop of Yar, bolting off in the opposite direction, knowing full well he'd never be able to follow that blasted beast, no matter how hard he tried. The thing was simply too fast to match on land. But he knew he shouldn't try. She had just gazed at him, he knew, and decided against turning to him in her time of need. It was easy to allow her space, knowing she needed it.

It had taken her entirely too long to return. A full day, 24 hours, gone.

He hadn't slept a wink, fraught with worry.

Finally feeling that familiar pull of her presence once more, seeing her there at that bloody tree, he couldn't help the flashbacks. He had rushed to her, felt the snap within her, felt each angry connection she weakly made with her fists, until he simply held her for more of a reason than to keep himself from injury, but to confirm she was here, damn the need for space.

She was safe.

Now, they stood in the courtyard, slowly circling each other, their swords drawn. Her anger flashing through her eyes, his smirk uncontrollable. She was adorable when she was angry. And he planned on pushing those buttons thoroughly.

If you can't beat them, and all. Why not push her over, emotionally, and see what happens? It certainly beat sitting back and waiting, twiddling his thumbs.

He was Captain Hook. And Captain Hook did not twidle.. well. You know.

Oh, she was angry. He could feel it, pulsing out of her in waves, he could see the steam from her ears, the reddish tint on her skin, that was how angry she was. Her muscles were tight, clenched because of her emotion. And he knew she could be bested easily in that state. But she could also surprise him, if she used the anger properly, to fuel her attacks instead of letting them rule her actions.

Time would only tell. Would he be able to push her? To win this battle? Or would she put the anger to good use and best him yet again?

Their battle began gracefully, slowly, with a few strikes that were easily parried.

"Is that all you've got, love?"

There was a flash in her eyes as she examined him, but she wasn't swayed yet.

"Not your love." Was all she replied, her tone low. He almost didn't hear it.

He pursed his lips, tapping his chin with a finger. "Lie." He finally replied with entirely too much mirth.

He let her attack him again, easily deflecting, stepping aside on her last swing, making her miss him completely, stumbling past him. She nearly lost her balance, and he was tempted to just knock her over.

"I know you're better than that rubbish." he told her instead, turning to face her, waiting for her to right herself again.

She scowled, gritting her teeth, finding her balance. He was getting to her. This only made his smirk brighter, and her scowl deeper.

She charged again, surprising him by sliding on the ground. He barely jumped away in time to miss her attack. She stood, dusting herself off, obviously cross at having missed him again.

"I guess it's a good thing I hadn't woken you that morning.. love."

He saw the dark emotion swirl within her, and he grinned as the anger in her took over. She attacked vigorously, heated by his comment, but her actions were no longer planned. He knew he won in that moment.

He easily caught her sword in his hook, twisting, thrusting her weapon away from her while thrusting his own sword into the ground, using her surprise to his advantage by grabbing her by the back of her neck with his now free hand, and stealing a kiss. He allowed all that he felt for her to pool into those few seconds of bliss.

He didn't dare allow the kiss to linger, fully aware of just how many eyes were watching. When he pulled away, she chased after it, and it stroked his ego something fierce. When she finally opened her wide eyes, they took his face in, a smile at the corners of her mouth, heat radiating off of her before he saw the reality set in across her face, the anger returning in a split second.

In one smooth action, she twisted away from him, grabbing her sword, giving him time to retrieve his own, before she was facing him once again.

"Oh, princess." He kept his eyes trained on hers, a sparkle in his ocean blues, and his voice low enough only her ears could pick up. "When I jab you with my sword, you'll feel it."

-x-x-x-

Snow glanced warily at her husband, watching the same scene she was. The Captain, grinning like a school boy, pushing Emma's buttons brilliantly.. if such a thing could be considered brilliant.

She recognized a man with a plan when she saw one, but it still made her cringe with every chaste kiss he placed on her daughter's lips, if only worrying about her husband's reaction, and the consequences it would have for the Captain.

The last kiss looked even more sexual than the first two, from her vantage point anyway, before Emma somehow regained her footing and ran off, clearly steaming in anger at the entire situation.

She had clearly left denial.

This is when Snow chanced another look at David, whose eyes were a little glassy over the scene.

"David?"

"Hmm?" His attention shifted from the view of the courtyard, to his wife. "Sorry, what?"

"You can't tell me you're fine with this."

"Well, no. But I am a little relieved." She gaped a little and he chuckled his response. "He knows her well enough to intentionally piss her off, Snow. Most men have to rack their brains to figure out what they did wrong, but he's already got that figured out. Maybe they really are soulmates."

She let out a small squeal to match her grin when she took him into her arms.

~Anger~

Emma stomped her way to her room. That blasted pirate had enjoyed that damn charade entirely too much, besting her at every turn, kissing her a total of three times. All entirely too short, and blissful, and calming, and -

She shook the dreamy expression off her face. He'd kissed her in front of her parents. She wondered, only mildly, how her father, the king, would take that. She hoped he gutted the pirate from navel to nose.

Oh, gods, what if he did?

She yelled at nothing in particular, feeling a moment of release from the unbearable emotion, as she threw herself onto the seat at her vanity, unable to keep herself from thinking of the last kiss he'd stolen.

She was on the ground, her sword blocking his, as he pressed himself closer, saying "Normally, I'd prefer to do other more enjoyable activities with a woman on her back." Closer he became, until his lips grazed across hers, her body immediately reacting to his love, melting at his touch, craving him in places she never thought could have cravings.

She wanted him, she realized, as his kiss deepened. She was unaware that she was kissing him back. Gods, her mind imagining him naked, on top of her, doing -

She had to break herself out of the bliss he gave her, allowing her internal storm to return, overthrowing her lustful desires for him, resulting in her kneeing him in the groin. He moved away instantly. She used the distraction to right herself, and run - anywhere but there. She wasn't going to win, not this battle, not this day, and she had to get away before her body betrayed her further.

She snapped out of her memory. Every kiss had been full of love. And it made her angry to be out of reasons to be angry with him. But why was she so angry at him? She wanted to rip his hair out, and he didn't deserve it.

Because she was angry. At everything, and nothing. At herself, for not stopping the puppet during any of the several opportunities she had. At Neal for not controlling himself. At Killian for not saving her sooner. At Atropos for being the puppetmaster to begin with. At Regina for failing to cast a curse that could have kept all of this from happening. At Lace for forcing Regina's hand. At Smee for never showing up that night. At Belle, and so many others, for vanishing on her, despite their reasons - most of which she had no idea about.

She made her way back out, finding Regina, taking lessons again, but having no luck this time at any of her spell attempts. Even the ones she was successful with before. Her anger was a hindrance. It only aggitaterd her further, to the point that she nearly caused an inferno to take over the courtyard. Luckily, Regina (only mildly singed) had been able to stop it. Emma's only clue to her magickal outburst had been a sizzle in her palms - she'd have to remember that. This day, Emma was done with lessons. Her magick was clearly unstable during this wild emotion.

Instead, she huffed her way to the kitchen, angrily cleaning whatever she could get her hands on, and helping to cook dinner (though most of her 'help' was the staff teaching her how to cook), eventually being convinced by various members of staff to eat with them, since she missed dinner with her family.

She was still sitting on the bench seat, her meal only picked at, when Killian Jones sauntered into the kitchen with a smirk on his lips. She found she really, really wasn't in any sort of control of her magick, as every knife and sharp object in the room floated, pointing towards the man in black despite her heart crying out that this man didn't deserve her wrath, but the anger in her veins still pulsed at the sight of him.

She was getting tired of being so angry.

He had grinned at the sight, claiming he was honored to be the center of attention, that low life, egomaniac, swashbuckling, beautiful fool of a pirate. He was also a survivor, and managed to evade every sharp object as they were all flung at him, simultaneously.

She would never fully understand how he had survived that.

She wouldn't admit she was relieved he had survived that.

Whatever his reason for showing up, she never discovered it. Instead, she left him, and the staff in the kitchens, several knives stuck in the wall, most clattering on the ground. He was just beginning to right himself when she stomped out the back door. Unsure of what else to do, she took Gypsy out, making her way to the pond he had found her at so long ago, angrily kicking, screaming, yelling. She didn't care that she was basically having a tantrum, like a toddler.

Eventually, her energy was spent. She huffed down, onto the ground, just staring at the water as the evening's colors faded into darkness.

She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she awoke. It was completely dark, the half moon visible above the pond the only source of light, that same stray dog that had been there the day she was frozen was whining at her feet. She gave the mutt the spare love she possessed as she realized Gypsy was nowhere to be found.

The moon was high, and Emma knew the horse would be able to find her own way home, if she hadn't already. Emma, fully aware of her location having been there before, absolutely remembered how to get back.

But she was alone this time.

She made the same trek she had with Killian, the grey mutt following like an old friend, Killian's promise echoing in her mind. "When I win your heart, Swan, and I will win it, it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me." And he hadn't once used trickery, and she absolutely hated that he was right. She wanted him. And she'd nearly given him her heart on a silver platter the day before. She would have if Regina hadn't interrupted them.

She allowed her anger to prickle at her insides as she came to the edge of the wood, seeing his giant ship, still lopsided in the valley. It took her a moment to notice that the pirate himself was pacing the deck despite the issue of it being just a little out of water.

Recognizing that he was there, alone, and that this was a golden opportunity for her to snoop, she stealthily made her way to the thing, that damn dog in tow, just below where he was pacing at the railing along the side, the one facing away from the castle. He would appreciate the gesture later, she was sure.

From her position on the ground beneath him, it pained her to strain her ears, trying to make sense of his mumblings that he made to himself. She carefully began climbing up the side of the ship, careful to remain quiet as a church mouse, hopeful a new position would help her hear, and possibly see, him better.

"What have I done?" He was mumbling, but least she could hear him now, and see him when she allowed a stolen glance.

"Just had to push her, now she's bloody missing! Again!"

He stopped what he was doing, spinning around toward her direction. She dropped her gaze, hiding as best she could, trying to listen to make up for the lack of sight.

-x-x-x-

Killian was beyond worried. His actions that day had really pushed Emma's buttons. It had been a blast, if he was being honest with himself. Up until she nearly killed him with floating knives… which, he knew, was also rather entertaining. But what had really worried him was her disappearance immediately following his appearance in the kitchens. He hadn't expected to find her there. Really. He was just.. He didn't know.

Yes he did. He knew bloody well that he was looking for her.

He had pushed her to leave on her own free will, taken her own horse, but Gypsy had already returned, and Killian got a taste of what had gone through the Charmings minds when his own borrowed horse had reappeared back here.

The guilt was draining.

Until he felt the pull.

He stopped in his tracks. Wherever she was, she could see him, and she was close enough that he could feel the pull of her presence, his heart tugging at him to find her.

He spun around, looking in the direction of her eyes. He no longer felt her gaze. Which meant she knew he could see her, too. She was well hidden, wherever she was.

"Where are you, love…" he slowly made his way to the railing, looking off into the distance.

He grinned to himself when he felt her gaze once more.

Bloody vixen.

-x-x-x-

She glanced up, just for a moment, she couldn't help herself. He was standing tall, confident, terrifying in his pirate getup, and never more handsome than when his brow was furrowed because he was worried for her.

The anger pinged in her, but she shoved it down as she allowed that moment to stretch on, taking in his commanding presence.

She was disappointed when he turned around, her gaze dropping in shame for making him this way.

When she looked up again, all she saw was his bright, stormy eyes less than a foot from her face.

Blasted pirate.

"Seems I have a stowaway."

She glared despite the longing she felt.

He surprised her by standing, and holding out his hand. She had to blink back surprise, weighing her options. Feeling the heat of her anger rise once more, she dropped down onto the ground, speeding around the ship to head back toward the castle.

He jumped over the opposite railing, landing in front of her, causing her to halt. She scolded herself for not taking some semblance of a detour.

He was just as tall, confident, and terrifying as he had been moments before.

She breathed out a huff, trying to sidestep him to no avail. He could read her, he knew whatever steps she was going to make.

"What is your problem?" She growled at him. "All day, you've been like this."

"I could say the same to you, love."

Before she knew what she was doing, she reacted by swinging at him, landing on his jaw. He stumbled a bit, and she took the open moment to run.

She'd been doing a lot of that lately.

Her heart squeezed at her, begging to stay, seek comfort in his arms, knowing he could - and would - ease her tensions.

But the anger inside of her screamed that he was her problem, and she just needed to get away, into the bath, and straight to bed.

~Day 18~

Her anger lashed out at everyone, despite who it was, or what their supposed crime against her was. She snipped at the maid during breakfast for taking her empty plate. She had no idea why that aggravated her, or why she reacted that way.

She snipped at Merida for doing what she always did - teach, instruct, correct. Emma had missed even the most basic targets, which infuriated her.

When she felt her magick sizzle in her palms like it had when she'd met with Regina, Emma screeched unfairly at Merida to just leave her alone before she stormed off.

Zorro was another matter. She'd tried, really tried, to calm her mind before meeting with him, to stay calm while with the swordmaster, but she felt her emotions lose control and ran away before she could find what the stabbing feeling in her fingers meant, magickally.

The midday meal was a different matter. As much as Killian angered her, he also soothed her. But he wasn't there. She felt his absence, deeply. Her calm was off kilter before anyone had a chance to upset her, and she ended up raising the fruit on the table, as she had the knives, only this time the floating objects exploded and made such a terrible mess, she was too embarrassed to deal with the aftermath. She took her meal to her room, yelling at everyone present to leave her alone.

She spent the rest of her day pacing in the confines of her four walls.

~Green Seats~

It had taken Regina entirely too much verbal manipulation to gather the other three into the drawing room once again, making her realize just how out of practice she was. It was probably a good thing.

Hook looked the worst of the four of them, dark circles under his eyes that had nothing to do with his kohl, his skin tone paler than normal, his hair even more disheveled than normal, and his jaw scruff longer than she had ever seen it, really showing off the copper in those follicles.

Snow and David looked weary, too, but they were much better at hiding their discomfort at the situation than the pirate obviously was.

Or perhaps he was better than any of them and simply didn't give a damn about hiding his true feelings.

"I've never seen her so…" Snow's voice trailed off.

"Tell us, Regina, why you dragged us all together." Hook spoke, piercing the sorceress with dagger-eyes.

"I'd like to know that, too." David gave a curt nod.

She sighed. Was anything ever easy with these people? Ever hear of small talk?

"I believe she may have found anger." She said sarcastically, a raised brow as she peered to each in turn. "Captain Loverboy's emotional attack on her in front of everyone.. I don't even know. What were you thinking?" She didn't give him a chance to defend himself. "It may or may not have been a good thing. I'm obviously postulating. But-" she sighed again. They definitely were not going to take this well. "She's been screaming to everyone to leave her alone since then."

Regina let that settle over the room before speaking again. "We should give her what she wants."

"What?!" David nearly jumped out of his chair.

Snow didn't look happy, but she did look as if she accepted the words spoken.

Hook was the one who nodded as if he already knew this was the answer. He had been absent from the last few 'family' meals.

"If that's all-" Hook stood impatiently, as if to leave.

David, looking around, groaned at the other two. "Seriously?"

"Getting her out of denial took two heart to hearts, mate, from two people she loves dearly. Whichever stage she transitions to next, solitude may be the best thing for her to get her out of this fix she's in."

Regina huffed out a curt laugh. "It's not like we can take her to a bar, get her drunk, and send her off with a one night stand -" She cut herself off, realizing what she said might as well have been Greek. "She only has two more stages before she can accept all this, and can move on."

"Which are?" David asked sourly.

"Bargaining, and Depression."

"Which will it be?" Snow asked quietly, looking to her former nemesis for answers.

"I have… no idea." Regina admitted. "It could be either. Grief doesn't exactly follow a roadmap."

~Checking in in Belle~

Belle was seasick, again. It had been around four days since she left the Charming castle, and she was furious with Regina for talking her into this long of a seafaring journey. She mentally reminded herself to give The Evil Queen a piece of her mind, if she ever saw the woman again.

She had to remind herself that the sorceress was only trying to make amends to her by pushing her to follow the possible path to true love. If it worked out with the son of Lancelot & Mulan, she may have to rethink that. Or slap the woman for forcing her on this trip, before giving her flowers.

Belle, feeling better, stood a little straighter at the railing of The Duchess before turning to slide down, sitting on the deck with her back to the rail.

The seafaring life was not for her. She should have pushed for land travel - or hell, just gotten Regina to poof her to Camelot.

She was homesick for the Charming Castle, wondering how Emma was faring, mentally yelling at Regina again - that woman was, without a doubt, the most stubborn in all the land.

After the heat from her cheeks dissipated, and she felt a little calmer, Belle moved back into her small quarters to lay down. If she could sleep, perhaps the nausea would dissipate a bit.

Some indeterminable about of time later, Belle woke to a racket, unsure of how long she had slept. It startled her so severely, that she had to take a moment to realize where she was. The tell-tale nausea reminded her instantly, and she hurried out her door and over to the ship's railing, passing by an unusual amount of men.

Did the ship have this many crew? Too much in a hurry to really pay attention to her surroundings, she rushed herself to her spot at the railing, frustrated at the fact that she had claimed a specific spot, relieving her aching stomach into the ocean, feeling the flush in her cheeks once more. Having had nothing in her stomach, it was mostly a dry, uncomfortable, heaving, aside from a bit of spittle. Why hadn't she, least, drank a bit of water? Ate something?

Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, she realized how quiet it had gotten, all of a sudden. Hairs prickled at the back of her neck. She did not want to turn around.

"Well now. Who do we have here?"

Belle knew something was off. Closing her eyes tightly, mentally raking herself for not paying closer attention, she composed herself enough to turn around slowly, looking for that unfamiliar voice, but she was startled at the scene in front of her, now that she was paying attention.

Dozens of men, all paused in their fighting, were just staring at her. One man had a sword poised to plunge into another's chest. Another man's fist was still in the air after punching someone, that someone now laying on the deck, seemingly unconscious.

It was clearly the crew of The Duchess, versus a band of pirates. She had to blink at her surprise.

But the voice who called to her was the only one with a black mask over his eyes, nose, and covering his hair, wearing a loose black shirt, and tight black trousers.

"Go on, Missy, tell the man who ya are." Her eyes scanned until she found the oversized captain, his ass planted firmly on a barrel on deck, a sword paused an inch from his face, his sword clearly on the deck between his feet. Things were not looking good for the crew of The Duchess. "This lot won't start up again till ye do."

Belle was highly confused. This was not the trip she was expecting. The nausea, yes, and the dreadful length of the trip, yes, but pirates? She should have known. Her love life wasn't easy thus far, why would it be easy now?

"Go on, now, don't be shy." The masked man said again. "We really don't bite."

Her eyes spanned the scene again, the dozens of men and their various weapons. All waiting on her.

"Why bother?" She sighed, crossing her arms. "My name means nothing. If my last run in with pirates tells me anything, it's that I'll be dead no matter what I tell you." She glared at the masked man, a smile creeping up his lips.

"Your last run in, you say? And who was it you ran into?"

"Hook."

She imagined his eyebrows might have moved at the name, if they hadn't been covered. Hook's name still carried weight over any sea, in any realm. Her run in with the notorious pirate may have lasted less than five minutes as the man pretended to release her form Regina's prison, but it was enough to make her uneasy around him, left behind with the rest at the Charming Castle.

"And what, prey tell, did you do to him to get away?"

There was a chorus of soft chuckling all around her, and she realized she had to watch her words, or face consequences.

"I was useless to him." She admitted. "I got away." Not entirely a lie, but true enough, and hopefully enough to get her out of whatever -

She felt the bile churn in her stomach, and turning quickly, leaned over the railing again. This was not an ideal situation.

-x-x-x-

Wesley watched as the brunette beauty's cheeks bulged, her hand flew to her lips, and her eyes widened. In half a second, she spun around, and leaned back over the railing. He shook his head, laughing despite himself. He jauntily rushed to the opposite rail, where his ship Revenge was matching pace with The Duchess.

He waved over Jesse, the former healer turned pirate when his wife ran off with the bread maker with all their savings. When the young man leaned over Revenge, all Wesley did was nod at the backside of the woman.

Jesse grinned, before running off himself. Wesley knew the man was getting his kit, and the lady would be right as rain soon enough.

He sauntered over to his previous spot, waiting for the lady to finish her upheaval. When she did, she stayed put a lingering moment, clearly weighing her options.

When she finally turned back to face the situation, her face was stern.

"You men, all fighting like school children, and over what? This ship was only charted to transport me to another kingdom. There's no gold or jewels beneath these decks."

He smirked at her. Fiery one, she was.

"And you know this, because…?" she stared him down. "Are you absolutely certain this captain doesn't have valuables you are unaware of?"

"No. But why would he?"

"Because this is The Duchess. I happen to know she is a smuggling vessel. Who charted her for you?"

Her face went paler than he would think possible, since she clearly had nothing in her stomach.

"Please." She spoke so quietly, he had to step closer.

"Sorry, what was that?" He made a show of moving his hand to his ear, earning a chuckle from his scattered crew.

She scoffed. "Please." She was determined now. "Allow me passage."

"Now why would I do such a thing?" he asked, amused.

"My last chance at love was stolen from me." She glared daggers into him, but her words struck him painfully more than he thought possible. "I'm on this voyage to meet another chance at love."

He had to push past his own regrets in life just to contemplate an answer. "Love is possibly the most valuable reason to live, my dear." He nodded. "Very well. Make yourself useful on my ship today, I'll likely kill you in the morning."

She gave him the barest of nods, as Jesse made his way over to her, guiding her to the plank between ships.

Wesley had to squash his own memories of lost love to keep him from staring after the brunette beauty.

"Carry on!" He shouted with more joyous fervor than he actually felt.

The sounds of fighting, fists against skin, metal against metal, the smell of freshly spilled blood mixing with the salty sea overcame him as he made his way to the pudgy captain of this vessel.

"Now, captain, where were we?"

~Day 19~

Emma spent half the night pacing, too pissed to sleep, though it was mostly at herself. She didn't really want to be alone. But she'd been left alone. At her own request. Her stubborn anger keeping her alone, locking herself in her room. The only interruption had been a knock, asking if she wanted a dinner tray brought to her.

She responded by throwing a book at the door. Belle would have scolded her for that, making Emma collapse into a pile on the floor at the thought of her friend.

She didn't really understand her current temper.

Emma finally fell asleep, watching the colors of the sunrise, sitting on her window seat.

She woke to a knock, asking about the midday meal. But Emma was too tired to care about food, ignoring the request, groggily moving to her bed, trying to stretch out the crick in her neck she'd earned from her cramped sleeping arrangements by the window.

She didn't wake until - she didn't know exactly. It was dark out.

But she was too tired to care, barely managing to strip out of her clothes and into her shift before returning to her bed once more.

ADD A BELLE CHAPTER ? EXPLAIN WESLEYS CHANGE IN BACKSTORY ?

~Day 20~

Killian spent more and more time in the archives as his heart spent more and more time alone. Something was coming, he was sure of it, but he needed a who if he was going to properly prepare.

Once again finding the archives inadequate, sparring with Zorro to exert some of his wild emotions threatening to ravage him, before he began to turn his charm on the maids in the Charming's staff. He needed information. Their gossip was interesting, in a way. But by the time dinner was served, he felt he had wasted an entire day.

Until he looked at that blasted sorceress.

She knew things. Why did she know things?

He went through his memories since arriving at the castle, focusing on ones she was also present in.

He finally realized why she knew so much. The night he kissed Emma the second time - really, how hadn't he put the pieces together? - he'd overheard Regina, in Emma's room, telling of her other timeline.

He waited until the meal was over to corner her in the hall.

"Hook-"

"You may not know it, lass, but you know who this third villain is. I know you do."

"What?"

"Your other timeline, dear. Your memories. You know."

Understanding began to creep into her eyes, and he smirked at that.

"I'd have to think about it." She admitted. "I was given six years of memories that never actually happened. I never actually lived through them."

He nodded. "Whoever it is, has a grudge on someone here. I'd wager, it's either His or Her Majesty. I doubt it's Emma."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"They had to have started all this before she was born." He revealed, raising an eyebrow. "Surely you can put the clues together for yourself."

She nodded. "I can try."

"No." He said a bit forcefully. "Do."

~Day 21~

It was several hours past midnight when Regina woke with a start, realizing what exactly he had meant -

She knew who was responsible.

Least, she knew a wonderful candidate. It made sense.

If she was right about this, the villain had revenge-filled eyes set on the wrong people - but wouldn't know.

Quickly, Regina moved to the desk in her borrowed quarters, taking a quill and piece of parchment to scribble notes to herself for later. Just in case these thoughts left her before she woke in the morning.

She hated having ideas at night, only to lose them upon waking.

~Stealth~

Emma woke with the sun. She was alone, of course. She'd been alone for entirely too long. Asleep most of the time. How long had it been? A day? A week? She mildly wondered when her last meal had been - not sure of the answer. Not sure she cared about the answer.

What did it matter, anyway?

She was positive there were guards at her door and outside of her window, just in case. Of what, she wasn't sure, but they'd been there since the day she'd evaded them, and ran off with Killian.

She sat up, feeling the void of emotion settle back into her soul. The lack of give a damn as she had begun to call it. It was kinda nice, in a way. Least, she wasn't angry anymore. She didn't have to worry about her emotions turning into harmful magick.

She moved over to her dresser, dressing lazily, paying no attention to the garments she chose, but she was confident she was fully appropriate. Not that that really mattered.

Not that anything really mattered.

She left her room, the surprised guards following at a respectable distance, as she navigated the maze of halls, her mind swirling with the memories she had recovered of that night. It was her fault, she knew. She had ample opportunity to have stopped it. He took everything.

She could never lay with another man, not now, not ever.

Not even Kil-

Emma's attention moved to her surroundings. She realized where she was, before looking up at a painting in order to use her peripheral vision to check on the guards behind her. She turned down the next hall, and ran to the alcove hoping she'd make it before they saw her.

She ducked into the alcove, quickly finding the lever for the secret door, opened it, and squeezed inside.

There were several of these doors throughout the castle, leading to tunnels, most connecting and running through the entire place. She had found and navigated these as a child, never expecting to use them to hide from the guards trying to protect her. But that was exactly why she had to hide from them.

Sadly, there was no peep-hole here, but the walls were thin and she kept quiet while listening for their footsteps. She didn't have to wait long before they arrived, and began to argue with each other.

She faded from the present, her mind dipping into the depths of despair she now called home. No one could love a broken woman such as herself. Why would they? She was nothing now. Less than nothing. Who would even miss her, really?

Her mind tried reaching for people, but they all faded from memory except for the man with the ocean blue eyes, mischievous smirk, and flirty comments in that mesmerizing accent. A small smile crept on her lips as she remembered him, and all that they had been through together, finally landing on their first meeting and their kiss…

Her smile instantly vanished. He'll never want me now. He's too much of a gentleman to admit it outloud. He's waiting for the opportune moment to leave. He'll leave. I'll have to marry someone else. I will never lay with another man. Who would wed a woman who refuses to lie in his bed?

She snapped back to the present, listening in on the guards. Audibly, she could tell that they were upset, even though she could barely hear them. They were definitely not happy. She knew they would get a reprimand.

Possibly even a demotion after she left.

Their voices seemed to calm, appearing to have agreed on something, perhaps their next course of action. She heard their steps leading in opposite directions, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She had no real plan, just wandering the secret halls until she managed to find her way to the outer wall surrounding the castle. It was at that very moment she wished she had been taking more lessons with Regina, who knew how to teleport. If Emma knew how to manage that, she would have vanished long ago. Instead, she knew a block spell, an attack spell, how to keep a canteen full, and break out of ropes. Not much at all.

Not that it would matter after today.

She was about to go out into the open, and did not want to be found. She knew she needed luck, which she doubted was on her side, as well as any advantage she could muster up.

She just wanted to make it to the tower without being spotted. There weren't many hiding places on the wall, nor were there many guards. She simply had to avoid them to make it to the tower without alerting anyone.

She opened the secret door, peering into the hall on the other side. No one was there. All was quiet. She slipped out, closing the door behind her, peering through the window next to the door that led to the outer wall. She spotted a few soldiers along the wall, nothing impossible to manage if she was careful.

She slipped through the door, quickly dropping down and sliding into the curve of the wall. She took in a deep breath, peering around the corner. If she wasn't more careful, someone would surely spot her. Instead, she took a moment to look over the wall, in between the top stones, just to get a glimpse of his ship. Naturally, the Captain was there, pacing away.

Her heart leapt out for him, before crushing under the same old realization that he was likely considering how to move his ship to leave this place, and her, forever. Just fly the damn thing out of here already.

She had to steel herself, brushing away a stray tear. After a few minutes, she looked around the corner again, noticing that the soldier turned just right and she snuck back out to cross to the other side, and hide behind a cannon, pushing her heart longings away.

So far so good.

It took even longer for the soldier to move in a way that helped her, but she could be patient. Had to be patient.

When he finally began to turn around, Emma slipped behind him, ducking down, taking each step in sync with the soldier. He never sensed her presence.

She continued this pattern, managing to slip past every soldier, and each one having a closer and closer call.

~Spyglass~

Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep regardless of his location, Killian spent the night on his ship. His time there was mostly spent pacing, though he had tried to settle down by reading, looking for clues regarding Smee's former actions before he had vanished, checking his inventory, and attending to general ship business. He found the familiarity of the Jolly and his chores among her was a comforting distraction.

But having done these same chores almost daily, finding very little left to accomplish on his stranded ship, left much more time to pacing than he had ever desired.

Internally, he was struggling. He knew she needed her time, and space, to be alone, yet he was also restless to help. It had only been three days. He knew any attempt to help would likely just make matters worse, but doing nothing was intolerable. But it wasn't his place to help, he had to constantly remind himself, as much as he hated that fact. He wanted it to be his place.

He shook his head as he realized just how far Captain Hook had fallen, now pining for a woman who, likely, never wanted to see him again after that swordplay show. He grinned at the memory despite himself. He'd at least have pleasant memories to take with him when she finally voiced her rejection.

Yet he felt truer to himself than he had in a long time. He was finding Killian Jones again, without completely losing Captain Hook either. The mix would have to do.

He had already begun pacing again, contemplating his next distraction, when a curious movement caught his eye. Something was abnormal up on the top of the castle wall, though he couldn't quite see what was going on.

He scrounged up his old spyglass out of his pocket, turning it upwards to look at the least interesting place - until today.

Bloody hell. He could make out a golden haired goddess matching the steps of a soldier as she stepped around his back as the soldier was turning to walk back the way she came. She had successfully swapped placed with the man, without him noticing.

Brazen minx. Perfect example of how she was stealing his heart. But what was she up to?

He chuckled as he saw her duck from another guard. He moved his spyglass in the direction she was heading towards.. A tower?

His smile was short lived,, any semblance of mirth within him, vanished instantly.

No.

Dread began to fill the pit of his stomach, as he began praying to whichever God would listen, to let a damn soldier stop that blasted woman!

His mind raced with options. Prayers were not helping, and he needed to do something, anything. He knew he could never make it to her in time. Even if he could, would she listen? The likeliness of that was… finding a goose that laid golden eggs.

He dropped the spyglass on the deck, spun in a circle, looking for something, anything, that might help.

He knew he was desperate when he heard himself yelling, "REGINA!" without thinking. He was out of options, and out of time. "I know you can hear me! Bloody now would be nice! I'm only trying to save a life!"

Purple smoke materialized in front of him and he squinted to peer through it. The first thing he could make out was her eyes, rolling as per usual.

"What, Pirate?! It's not even a respectable hour-"

He completely ignored the fact that she stood there in just her night shift.

"I don't bloody care, she's going to jump!" He pointed, and Regina's face twisted in horror as her eyes followed his finger. She gasped, surprised for once, and disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

He lunged for the spyglass, which was about to fall from the ledge of the ship, before turning it back toward his princess, praying the sorceress would make it in time.

So many blasted prayers for so early in the damned morning -

~Captive~

Emma finally made it to the top of the tower, leaning just enough to view the beautiful green grass and colorful flowers peppering the landscape below.

It was a beautiful place to end.

She attempted to get up to the ledge, finding it more difficult than she'd originally thought. Eventually, she'd made it to the edge of the tallest tower.

Never had she felt more alive.

She spread her arms out wide so she could fully feel the effects of flying, bending her knees to jump, when a crackling sound from somewhere behind her caught her attention.

She lowered her arms, turned carefully, just in time to see dissipating lilac smoke. She sighed audibly.

"Regina."

And there it was, the other shoe, looking like a very underdressed, very cross sorceress. Her face surprised Emma more than her sudden appearance. This is what the Evil Queen looked like on her worst days. Fire in her eyes, a scowl on her face. She forcefully grabbed at the princess' wrist, tightly, pulling her down from the ledge.

"Hey-"

Regina silenced her with a mere look, snapping her fingers, calling that same purple smoke back to engulf them both.

Next thing Emma knew, she was standing in very small wooden quarters that she had never seen before. It was only big enough for a small cot, a desk and wardrobe, all seemingly built into the walls, and the space to maneuver around them.

Regina pointed to the chair at the desk, which pulled itself out and turned to face the duo, before more magick from the sorceress roughly pushed Emma to sit into it.

Startled, Emma looked at her wrists as vines wrapped around them, tightly, feeling the same thing happening to her ankles.

She looked up. Regina was standing in the middle of the open door.

"What the hell Regina?"

Regina simply smiled, a sinister smile that had Emma wondering how the hell her mother had ever gotten the upper hand against this witch.

Emma tried struggling, but the vines only grew tighter.

"I wouldn't." Regina said casually. "If you manage to break them, they'll only grow back even tighter." Her smile was menacing. She bent to make eye contact, that fire still blazing. "They're clever little vines."

Emma sighed in defeat. "What's this about?"

Regina stood straight, tapping her finger to her chin making a show of pretending to think. "Lets see. Hmm. Oh, yes, you tried to kill yorself. And I'm the bad guy for saving your life."

"I ceased being important the second that man-"

"He ceased being important in that second, Emma. You're more important than you know."

"Why? I'll get married, have kids, and govern like my parents? They don't need me for that. They can have another child."

Regina scoffed, rubbing a few fingers across her forehead.

"Clearly you have no idea what happens to couples who lose their children."

Emma didn't respond. She didn't have a clue, so she kept her eyes on the ground.

Regina looked at her, that vein in her forehead throbbing visibly. "They seperate. Because they blame themselves and eventually each other. Your parents would never get the chance to have another child. Your death at your own hand is the recipe to make one of them a villain, just like me, and my mother, and Rumplestiltskin."

Emma tried to keep it in, but she couldn't help it. Her emotions resurfaced in that moment, her body betraying her by shedding the hot tears she could no longer keep in.

"Just let me go…" Emma felt every tear burning down her cheeks.

"So you can end your own life?" She scoffed. "Not today, dear."

"You can't keep me here!"

Regina swiftly closed the space between them, her face an inch from Emma's. "Watch me." She moved away, holding her palm out. A candle materialized in her hand, and she set it down on the desk next to Emma, who was still trying to hold in her tears, though both knew it was a losing battle.

The Evil Queen dissipated a bit, showing a caring Regina instead. "It's partially my fault you didn't have magick to protect you that night. I didn't realize telling you about your gift would make it harder for you to use it instinctively." She sighed. "Anyway, it's about time you practice. You don't have much else to do in here."

Emma tried to speak in between her sobs, giving up when she realized speaking was a lost cause.

"You can light, and extinguish, this candle with your magick. It'll help pass the time."

Regina's hands clasped together as she looked around, spotting a space above the bed and moving toward it, placing both hands on the wall. A mirror appeared there as if it always belonged there.

Regina snapped her fingers, flashing words across the walls, ceiling, and floor in a very old language Emma did not know. The words glowed for a split second, before vanishing completely.

Regina took one long look at Emma. "When you finally leave here, child, you will not want to harm yourself any longer."

Regina closed the door after her, leaving Emma alone.

Again.

~Mirror, Mirror~

Regina closed the door tightly, pausing. She hadn't channeled that side of her in a very, very long time. She breathed, placing her head on the wood of the door. As much as she wanted to help Emma, she had no idea how to - really - go about actually doing it.

She knew the stages came and went, though for the life of her she hadn't realized depression would be next, or how severely it would encompass the girl. Now, Emma just had to get through this, then one more, before she'd be able to find acceptance, and a new normal.

A happy ending.

Regina stood straighter, crossing her arms in determination, moving through the ship's hallways. It took her a minute, remembering her time - her time? - on this ship in Neverland. It wasn't difficult to navigate, and she finally found her way on deck, spotting the pirate leaning his elbows on the railing, his head hanging.

"Is- is she-" He hadn't moved, but clearly knew Regian was there.

"She's safe." Regina assured him.

"Thank the Gods she's alright."

"Oh, she's not alright. But she is alive."

Regina allowed herself to lean her elbows on the rail next to him.

"How are we to keep her safe from her own hand?"

"I've already got that covered." Regina held out her palm, a pocket mirror materializing there. She muttered the spell, and handed him the mirror.

"She's here?! You tied her up?! On my bloody ship?"

Regina shrugged, knowing he must be feeling a mix of relief at her safely, and pain for her confinement. He certainly wasn't comforted, staring at her, tied up, in one of the crew quarters on his ship, her head hanging, tears streaming, all while rocking back and forth in her chair.

"I'm going to go get dressed, and wake Snow. They need to know. I think we - and I do mean all of us - need to leave Emma alone for the time being, and I'll tell them that, too."

He tried handing back the mirror, but she held up her hand. "You can keep it. Help me keep an eye on her."

"You're still evil." He accused.

That stung her more than she cared to admit.

"If I were, I would have let her die. Possibly even implicating you." She looked around, waving her hands, stepping away from the rails. "In these circumstances, I could have easily gotten away with something like that, and you'd take the fall for it, Captain Guyliner."

"Guy-what?"

She sighed, annoyed. Times like these, she really wished someone would understand her quips. But she didn't have time for that.

"Shut up and listen. Emma's bonds are her own. Only she can free herself."

"I'll just go in-"

"You can't." She wiggled her finger from side to side. "Magick. You can't enter, she can't leave. Not until this death wish of hers is squashed."

He ran his hand through his hair, eyes tightly shut, clearly agitated. Having said everything she needed to, she took advantage of the moment to poof back to her guest quarters in the castle.

Once she was there, she collapsed on the bed, hugging a pillow, only allowing a moment to cry softly into it. She needed to tell -

She needed to breathe. You're not that woman - that monster - anymore.

~Magickal Hullabaloo~

Emma found herself sniffling, her tears slowing down. It was entirely possible she had run out of tears, considering how damp her face felt. She had no idea how long she'd sat there since Regina had stuck her there.

Utterly alone. Again.

She heard a soft thump against the door, making her jump. The vines tightened in response to her movement. Then came the sound of something scraping against wood, followed by a softer thud. For some reason, she could have sworn she felt his presence. But that was impossible… Right?

"Jones?" It felt strange to say, her voice was strained, shaky, her mouth felt cottony.

"Aye, love. It's me."

She shouldn't have been surprised. Regina never did anything accidental, always had some sort of plan even if made last minute.

She mildly wondered what he knew of the events of that morning. "What did she tell you?" She was barely speaking, wondering if he had heard her. The only thing she really felt were the tears as they threatened to reemerge. She thought they'd completely dried, but no, they're just around the corner waiting to slip over.

She was tired of crying.

"I know everything, Swan." She didn't know she'd feel regret… if she were capable of feeling at the time. "I don't blame you, love. I just…" He wanted to make it all better. Pesky hero crap.

"Yeah." She sniffed. "I know."

"Would you care to talk about it?"

She didn't want to talk to anyone. About anything. All she really wanted, was to be free of her bonds. But that wasn't going to happen right now, was it?

She was startled as the chair slid back until it was against the wall, and she heard a thud outside the door.

"What the bloody devil just happened?"

She began to realize, she was on the Jolly Roger. Jones finally got her here.

"Are we on your ship?"

"Aye. Don't move, I'll be back."

"Seriously?" She got no answer. "That's okay! I'll just wait here!"

The image of a much more put-together Regina appeared in the mirror. She still sported that cross look on her face.

"What's going on Regina?!"

"I see you haven't been lighting that candle. You might want to practice. Just don't burn down the ship. You know what they say about Captains who can't save everyone - I'd hate for Hook to go down with his ship."

"What have you done with the Jolly?"

"Only what was asked of me. Repeatedly, actually." She smirked. "I finally fulfilled a favor for both your father, and your boy toy there."

Footsteps alerted Emma to the return of the pirate.

"She's back in the water." He called through the door.

Emma was done with this charade. She called to the mirror to watch, as she quickly lit and extinguished the candle several times.

"Excellent! Now burn the vines, and you're free from your bonds."

"Seriously?" She did, and she was. She stood, stretched, glaring at the mirror only to see her own reflection glaring back at her.

"Emma?"

"I'm no longer tied up." She told him.

"That's excellent. Now, how do we get this door open?"

"Hell if I know." She muttered, looking around. Her new perception didn't change her chances. There was nothing here. "She didn't tell me shit."

"She told me you'd get yourself out of this, love."

"And then what? Swim to shore?"

He chuckled. "I do know a thing or two about sailing."

"I don't. Don't you need a crew or something?"

"Not if you'll help me, darling. You're still my partner."

She felt her heart swell at that, his voice so genuine. There was no ping of a lie anywhere within him. Despite the overwhelming sense of gloom trying to plant itself into every crevice, every fiber of her being, she felt a pang of hope.

Maybe he wouldn't leave.

Maybe she would get her happy ending.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for all the comments, all the favorites or follows, and every view to this. I appreciate you all so much for sticking with me! Any future comments or advice is welcome! While this story isn't over in my head, and it could be continued, I am marking it as complete since I have no idea when or if I'll ever get to finish it.