This is my submission for the CS Neverland New Year on Tumblr. I am hoping to have the next chapter finished and posted by the end of the month, but it might be the end of February/beginning on March before it happens as I am taking the month of February off from posting in order to focus on some real life things happening that month.

Much love to Jen (whimsicallyenchantedrose) and Krystal (kmomof4) for being my betas on this! I hope you all enjoy my CS Neverland divergence!

Chapter 1

The horizon stretched out before him, and with it, possibility. A chance for a new beginning. The opportunity to make a life for himself on his own terms. Not one dictated by servitude or service, ruled by expectation or revenge. No. With the magic bean he could go anywhere, do anything he pleased. Sail the seas of a yet to be chartered realm free from the burden of villainy and vengeance.

If only he could truly believe that.

The weight of the bean rested heavily within his palm, encumbered by the guilt gnawing at his insides.

"So... you can join us and be a part of something, or you can do what you do best and be alone.

"It doesn't have to end like this. The ship can be your home, your family. Just say the word. It's not too late to start over. I can change, Bae, for you."

He'd held up his end of that promise. He had changed for Bae, but not for the better. In his efforts to make things right with the lad, he'd become the worst of himself under Pan's yoke, and for what? So the boy could reject him a second time before Hook was finally freed from the accursed island he'd spent too many years trapped on. Free to pursue his revenge without the hindrance of the lad's feelings.

But now the lad was gone. Having somehow escaped Neverland, he'd grown into a man moulded and shaped by abandonment and self-reliance. A man, by all accounts, who also looked out for himself so as to never get hurt. Only… he had gotten hurt. Shot for his troubles and lost through a portal, leaving behind yet another lad who would have to grow up without his father.

Except… that boy wouldn't have the chance to grow up at all, thanks to him.

With the destruction of the town imminent, Hook would finally have his revenge against the crocodile, but at what cost? He'd already lost his chance to make things right with Bae. Could he really condemn young Henry, Bae's son, Milah's grandson to the same fate as his old nemesis? And what of the rest of the town? Oh, he'd done his fair share of killing in his long life, had sat by and watched Cora massacre an entire encampment not but a few weeks ago, but somehow… this felt different. He was different, though he couldn't say why or how. All Hook knew, as he pocketed the bean and wrenched the ship's wheel hard to port, was that he couldn't leave another boy behind. Not again. Not this time.

~/~

Emma could hear the desperate voices of David and Mary Margaret behind her, imploring her to wait on them as she sprinted towards the docks. Rounding the corner of one of the old warehouses, Emma could see Greg and Tamara at the end of one of the long piers with a struggling Henry held between them. Greg threw something into the water and Emma's feet pounded along the wooden boards, her heart in her throat with her pulse hammering in her ears as she watched the three of them jump into the harbour.

Pausing for no more than a split second, Emma saw Greg and Tamara drag Henry towards the yawning mouth of the portal, growing wider and wider as the swirl of its vortex began to pull them in. She jumped after them, the shock of the cold water nearly stealing her breath, but it was nothing compared to the sight of that which now began to crest the edge of the portal.

"Hook?" Emma sputtered, fighting against the waves and her own stunned response in seeing the Jolly Roger return after she was convinced he'd left them all to die.

She didn't have time to consider what the hell he was doing back here, she had to get to her son. She had to make it to the portal before it closed.

Combatting the frigidity that threatened to seize her muscles, Emma let out a sigh of relief when she felt the undertow of the portal take over. Faintly, she heard the shout of her name before two sets of splashes sounded from behind. Her parents, no doubt, were attempting to follow her, but she knew they wouldn't make it in time. She could see the circumference of the vortex starting to shrink and panic set in as the mighty ship, which had begun its descent into the portal, barreled towards her.

As she slipped over the edge of the magical falls, Emma reached out and grabbed hold of the mast, clinging to it for dear life as the ship careened down the cyclonic tunnel. Through the deluge she could barely make out Hook at the helm, bracing himself against the wheel as he navigated the ship as best he could. Her grip failed her halfway through and she slipped from the mast, sent tumbling through the rigging and landing hard upon the deck as the ship finally emerged from the other end of the portal, splashing down with a jarring force.

"Swan?" she heard Hook exclaim.

She could feel the thuds of his rushed bootfalls make their way to her as she groaned and attempted to sit up.

"What the bloody hell happened?" he asked, assisting her to her feet and looking her over with a critical eye.

"They took him," she replied on a note of hysteria, anchoring herself to his forearms for support. "Greg and Tamara. They took Henry."

"Aye," he responded, still checking her over. "I saw them go into the portal with your boy. That's why I followed."

Suspicion and mistrust reared itself as Emma remembered Hook's alliance with the treacherous pair so that he might finally obtain his revenge. Grabbing the lapels of his coat, she forcefully shook him, her anger giving her added strength as she accused, "Did you know? Did you know they were planning to kidnap him all along? You were working with them! Was it all part of the distraction? Pretending to side with us to save your own skin? Making me think you might want to be a part of something so you could take the bean? Was any of it real?"

Hook covered one of her hands with his own in order to stop her volatile actions, but did not attempt to pry her fingers off him. Instead, he tilted her chin up with the curve of his hook until her eyes met his and said, "I assure you, Swan, I had no idea what they were planning beyond the destruction of the town." Her eyes flitted between his and she knew he was telling her the truth. Apart from the time he'd tried to fool them into thinking he was a simple blacksmith, Hook had never blatantly lied to her. "If I had known their plan for the boy, I would have never-"

"Wait," she cut him off. "How are you here? You left."

If she didn't know better, Emma would have thought she'd caught sight of him flinching before the muscle in his jaw tightened.

"I came back," he told her. "To help." His head cocked to one side and his brows pinched together with deep concern. "What about the town? Your parents?"

"We already saved it," she said, dismissing his questions. It's not as if he really deserved an explanation, given he'd left them all to die. Still... "You came back? I thought you didn't care about anything but yourself."

"Perhaps I just needed reminding that I could."

Something in the way he looked at her shifted, and Emma became acutely aware of how close they were. Her hands were still curled around the soft leather of his collar, their bodies practically touching as the adrenaline pumping through their veins also caused their chests to heave with each breath. Releasing her hold, Emma stepped back and tore her eyes from his, searching the darkness that stretched out in every direction for some indication as to where they'd ended up.

"Where are we?"

Hook looked out towards the island barely visible in the moonlight, and Emma thought he might crack a tooth from the forceful way he clenched his jaw before muttering, "Neverland."

"Neverland? Why the hell would they bring Henry to Neverland?"

"Pan," Hook growled. "They've been working for Pan this whole time and didn't even realize it."

"So, what do we do? How do we track down Greg and Tamara?"

"We don't," Hook told her with a tone of reluctant honesty. "They're likely already dead. We need to make land and go in search of Pan's camp, see if we can deduce where they're keeping your boy."

Emma swallowed down the fear his frank statement of Greg and Tamara's death brought up from her gut. "Okay. So, what's your plan?"

Hook scrubbed his hand over his beard then toyed with the scruff below his bottom lip while he formulated a plan. His tongue flicked along his top lip before pressing against his teeth, his eyes narrowing in on the island then looking up towards the stars.

"We should sail to the far side of the island," he told her. "There we can link up with the widest part of the river which will allow us to sail right into its heart. From there we'll have access to the entire island. Perhaps, we might even be able to take Pan by surprise."

Without even waiting for her agreement, Hook turned, his great coat swishing around his legs in a flourish, and headed back to the ship's wheel. Gripping it tightly, he steered the ship widely to the left, forcing Emma to take hold of some of the ropes in order to keep her balance. For several minutes, Emma said nothing and simply let Hook do his thing.

When he adjusted their course so that the ship began to slow down, she couldn't help but demand, "Why are you slowing down? We need to get to Henry."

"Relax, my feisty, tough Swan," Hook needled with a hint of salacious purring. "Mind your Captain and you'll remain in good hands."

Emma wanted to snipe back that this was no time for his antics when she caught a glimpse of the wariness within his eyes and the way he was holding a fresh tension in his shoulders. Stepping forward, she placed herself next to him, following his gaze out onto the black waters.

"What is it?" she asked in a hushed tone, hesitant to speak even above a whisper in case her words sparked the charged atmosphere quickly settling over the ship. "Something's got you worried, I can tell."

"Perceptive as always," he murmured.

His words took her back to the beanstalk when he'd first uttered that insight, not long after he'd called her a tough lass the first time. She would have laughed at the fact she was now standing at the helm of his pirate ship after he'd once claimed she'd make a hell of a pirate, if she weren't already riddled with worry and about to be choked by the unknown suffocating her from all sides.

"I'm keeping an eye out for mermaids," he said, snapping her attention back to his concerned countenance. "Their lagoon is just up ahead and I'd rather avoid any entanglements with them if I can help it."

Emma's mouth fell open and she felt as though her brain might short circuit. "Mermaids?"

"Aye," Hook replied, still too intent on the waters before him to notice Emma's incredulous response. "The other way would have forced us to give the island a wide berth as to avoid the shoals, and would have taken precious extra time. This way is faster, but with the added danger of some fairly vindictive creatures."

If she weren't currently having another mental breakdown, prompted by her entire reality crumbling to pieces around her, Emma might have pressed him as to why the mermaids had a vendetta against him; not that she really wanted to know, or had to take too wild a guess.

Instead, she couldn't stop the soft snort that accompanied her humorless chortle as she groused, "Just when I thought my life couldn't get any weirder."

"What's that, love?" Hook inquired with his eyes still trained on the inlet they were now slowly sailing past.

"Huh?" Had she said that out loud? "Oh, uh… I was just thinking how none of this should surprise me anymore."

"None of what?"

"This!" she said gesturing to her surroundings. "Being in Neverland, sailing on the Jolly Roger with Captain Hook, evading mermaids, getting ready to take my son back from Peter freaking Pan."

The corner of his lip twitched and he took his eyes away from the lagoon, settling his amused gaze upon her. "Aye. One would think the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming would have a much easier time accepting realms of fantasy."

Emma rolled her eyes and let them lapse back into silence as the ship glided past the lagoon without incident. Though some of his tension did release once the danger was behind them, his demeanor remained solemn.

She was just about to ask him what could possibly be wrong now when he professed, "I am sorry they are not here to assist you, Swan. Your parents, I mean."

She hadn't expected that response, and quickly shoved down the warm feelings his sincerity threatened to bring up. "Yeah, well… you should probably be glad David isn't here. He'd most likely be second guessing your every move and motive."

Hook hummed in consideration of her words. "Your father does seem a rather distrustful fellow. If his punch and threat of deadly force back at your abode were any indication."

Emma shrugged. "He's just not used to working with the bad guys."

"I assure you," Hook responded with an emphatic tone and a flash of warning in his too blue eyes. "On this island I am not the bad guy."

Emma wet her lips and swallowed nervously, sensing the truth in his words. "Yeah, well. Pan isn't supposed to be one either."

"What ever gave you that idea?" he scoffed.

"Every story I ever read as a child."

Her explanation had his brows raising in that infuriating superior sort of way as he teasingly chastised, "Would these be the same stories that also had you believing a boy once climbed a beanstalk for a harp? Or was it a cow? We both know how reliable a tale that turned out to be."

Emma's cheeks flushed with equal amounts of anger and embarrassment. He was right, though. When had any of the stories she'd been told proven themselves true when their fiction met the reality recorded in Henry's storybook and revealed itself to her in the people she'd met and the places she'd seen? Why would Neverland, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, or any of the rest of it be any different?

"Tell me something, love," Hook mused. "In these stories… what was I like? Other than a villain. Handsome, I gather?"

Despite the seriousness he'd imparted in the first part of his question he couldn't help but apply a roguish tone and cheeky wink to the latter. Once again, Emma rolled her eyes.

"If waxed mustaches and perms are your thing."

"I take it by your tone, perms are bad?" he replied with furrowed brows. "Seriously though, Swan. I think it best you tell me what you think you know of this place."

Emma sighed, exasperatedly. "I'm not going to waste time reassuring your ego, Hook."

"This isn't about my ego. It's about belief." His vehement tone caused her to blanch, but her taken-aback response didn't soften his insistence or the desperation she could now hear underpinning his words. "This place is run on belief, and if what you've been told, if what you've been led to believe does not match up with the reality you'll face, then it could affect our mission." Hook's Adam's apple bobbed and he schooled his features, masking the trepidation that had come to the surface. "Besides," he continued in his typical flirtatious tone, "We've a ways to go yet if we want to slip into the island undetected. So, go on, love. Tell us a story."

Not for the first time, Emma recognized a bit of herself in the leather clad pirate before her. She'd been right at Granny's; they did understand each other, and in this moment Emma understood that the rakish, devil-may-care persona Hook liked to project was nothing more than a tactic employed to guard a vulnerability he couldn't risk others sussing out. Drawing her red leather jacket more firmly around her shoulders, Emma tried to bat away the renewed sense of camaraderie this revelation tossed her way, and focused her attention on remembering as much as she could of the Peter Pan tale she'd read or seen brought to life in countless adaptations.

During the course of her recounting, Hook corrected false accounts, filled in some blanks, and chaffed a bit when details were a little too on the nose. His mood had fluctuated from amused to irritated to downright offended and back to mildly entertained by the time she'd finished, which coincided with them finally rounding the island. The change in course brought with it a shift in the winds and Emma shivered. Her clothes were still wet from the harbor and portal waters, and try as she might she couldn't keep her chill hidden from Hook's watchful eye.

"You'd best get out of those wet clothes," he commented, nodding his head towards one of the hatches. "Go below to the crew cabin. You should be able to find some garments to change into, as well as a place to hang yours to dry. There are a number of bunks there as well should you fancy a rest." With a hitch of his brows his eyes turned scandalous again. "Unless you'd prefer the use of my quarters… and my bed."

Emma rolled her eyes at the suggestive waggle of his brows and went below, wondering if this time his scoundrel act was more for her benefit; a way to alleviate her of any feelings of weakness her exhaustion had exposed. It bothered her how quickly he fell back into their alliance, channeling the understanding they'd briefly worked under atop the beanstalk… until she'd double-crossed him. Just as it had back then, Emma's instincts were telling her she could trust him, that he'd keep to his agreement and be true to his word, that she could rely on him to have her back as they worked to rescue Henry, and yet…

~/~

With the Jolly Roger set on course up the river that led into Neverland's heart, Hook made his way below to check in with Emma. He knew he had much to atone for with her. Asking for her to place her trust in him after everything that had been said and done between them since the beanstalk would be a tall order indeed. Taller than those walls she barricaded herself behind with pragmatism and logic guarding their elevations. But they would need to come to an understanding if they had any hope of success, and her fortifications would have to be lightened as well. If not for their sake as partners in this endeavor, then for her boy's. There would be no success without belief, no hope without faith and trust, for these were the foundations on which the island was built and the very weapons they would need to defeat Pan.

Their fight would not be an easy one, but Hook held little doubt Swan was up for the challenge. Evident in the way she was gearing up even now. Hook watched as she did a number of pull-ups in the crew cabin, admiring her strength and form for a scant moment before making his presence known when she briefly paused.

"Oh," he drawled, seductively. "Don't stop on my account."

He could practically feel the roll of her eyes when she deadpanned, "Wouldn't dream of it," before resuming her exertions.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for a fight."

"I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight. I thought it was a natural state."

Emma's booted feet thudded against the floor as she dropped down. The breeches she'd managed to find were ill fitting, not nearly as enticing as the jeans - she'd mentioned the name of the garment whilst they were atop the beanstalk - she wore as a second skin. However, the sleeveless tunic, with one side slipping off her shoulder as she stood with her hands braced at her waist, had its merits.

"Shouldn't you be steering the ship?" Emma stated. Her pursed lips and hitched brows told him his appreciative perusal of her wardrobe change had not gone unnoticed.

Impassive to her disapproval, Hook merely shrugged and casually leaned against the doorframe with his thumb tucked into his belt. An action that caused Swan's eyes to follow, her gaze glancing over his lower half.

Hook's lips twitched into a smirk as he answered, "She knows the way."

His words and the amused tone in his voice had her eyes darting back up to his; a beguiling shade of pink tinting her cheeks as she attempted to make sense of what he'd just said. "She… The ship? The ship is, what? Steering itself? How?"

"She's enchanted," he stated with another shrug of his shoulders, momentarily forgetting that such an answer might not be so obvious to her. Pushing himself off from the doorway, he sauntered into the room, stopping just short of her personal space. "She's attuned to her Captain, and once she's sailed certain waters, she often remembers the route instinctively." Reaching over her shoulder, he heard a small gasp escape her lips before her head whipped around to follow where his hand was going. Running his fingers over a stress fracture scarring the wooden wall behind them, he added, "She's also capable of repairing herself, which is fortunate seeing as she took on some damage going through the portal." Retracting his hand, Hook's eyes fixed themselves on Emma's. "Not to worry though. She ought to be ship shape by the time we return with your boy."

The sudden sway of the ship forced Hook to brace himself on the bulkhead above Emma, lest he lose his balance - an all too common possibility whenever he was in the woman's presence - and topple into her. He expected her to extricate herself from his close proximity, especially after the Roger corrected her course, causing Emma to grab onto the sideboard for support. Instead, she chewed her lip and held his gaze, piercing him with her veridian stare.

"Hook? Why are you helping me?"

"Someone has to," he replied in a hushed breath, not having yet reconciled his full reasonings even to himself yet. "Most don't last a day on this island. It's fraught with dangers I spent more than a century learning to overcome. You'll need someone to guide you past them."

Hook's brows pinched together, his eyes dropped to the floor, and his jaw clenched, remembering the last time he had offered to be her guide. After she and the other princesses had dug him out from beneath a pile of bodies and his ruse on Cora's behalf had begun. Wondering if his words had conjured up the same memory - and any uneasy feelings it may have dug up with it - Hook flicked his gaze back to Emma's. Instead of finding a look of distrust, a spark of curiosity shone from their green depths.

"You know," she mused with a mixture of inquisitiveness and epiphany, "I don't remember how the story says you got to Neverland," she began. "I know that Captain Hook wanted revenge on Pan for taking his hand, but Pan didn't do that to you. Gold did. So… how did you end up in Neverland? Why were you here for so long if it's so dangerous?"

"I came here after Rumplestiltskin took my hand and my…" his voice fell away and both sets of their eyes furtively cast themselves to his right forearm where Milah's name was inked into his skin. Clearing his throat, Hook stepped back and took a seat on one of the bunks on the opposite side of the room. "I knew I needed time to formulate a plan for my revenge and to… recover something the Lost Boys had taken from me, so I struck a deal with Pan."

"What kind of deal?" Emma asked, warily, as she sat across from him, her question forcing the memory to the forefront of Hook's mind.

Hook watched the dinghy disappear into the fog that shrouded the island. A coal of white hot guilt burned in his belly as regret washed over him.

What had he done?

He cast a meaningful look to Smee that said he was not to be disturbed, and headed down to his cabin. Flicking the stopper of his flask open, he took a long pull of rum before he could even secure the door to his quarters behind him. Dropping down into his chair, his eyes fell to the parchment laid out upon his desk, Milah's eyes gazing up at him from the page.

The burn of the rum was exchanged for the burn of bile creeping up his throat. He flipped the parchment over, unable to stomach the judgement he now saw reflected in his love's eyes. The betrayal. He hadn't just betrayed Bae, he'd betrayed Milah as well, and for what? Would she really thank him for avenging her if he had to sacrifice her son to do it? He wanted his revenge, but at what cost?

Perhaps it wasn't too late. Maybe in a few days, he could-

"Hello, Killian." Icy dread slithered down Hook's back, making his blood run cold at the sound of that voice. "Though, I suppose you prefer to be addressed as Captain now. Congratulations on your… promotion, by the way."

Hook growled as he stood and spun around to face the voice. There, making himself as comfortable as he pleased, was the demon boy, Pan, reclined against the hatch steps, arms crossed casually over his chest with one ankle draped over the other.

"Aye," he answered through clenched teeth. "It is Captain now. No thanks to you."

"I didn't come here for your gratitude."

"Then why are you here?"

"Why… to offer you passage out of Neverland," he said cheerily, before turning serious and cold. "Now that I have what's mine, it's time for you and your crew to go."

Go? He couldn't go. Not without Bae. Though, it sounded as if Pan wouldn't be too amenable in letting the boy leave with him, not yet anyway. There was also the matter of the crocodile. Bae had given him vital information on how to defeat his foe, but he still needed time. Time to decide his next course of action. Time to plan.

He needed more time.

"Actually, we were hoping to stay for a bit."

Pan lifted a brow. "Were you? Now, that is interesting."

"How so?"

Pan didn't immediately respond, looking almost lost in thought as a sinister smile toyed at the corners of his mouth. Something dark and angry washed across his face, before it was wiped away with his usual false charm.

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed, pulling himself off the steps and sauntering towards Hook's desk. "What matters is that Neverland isn't meant for grown-ups, and as you told Felix when he came aboard… there's nothing but men here. So, you have to go. Rules are rules, after all."

"Let's not be hasty," Hook countered with equal charm. "In my experience, rules are more like… guidelines. Malleable. Flexible. Easily twisted for one's own purpose. I'm sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement."

"An arrangement," Pan parroted, mulling over Hook's words. "What sort of arrangement?"

"You give us leave to remain in Neverland, and we'll be at your service," Killian offered with a flourish of gravitas. "Think of it. A band of pirates to do your bidding? A ship to ferry supplies? And all you have to do is allow us to remain."

"For how long?"

Hook's countenance darkened. "Until I have everything I need to skin a crocodile." Or find a way to win Bae back.

Pan skimmed his fingers along the top of Hook's desk as he paced in front of it, his eyes fixed on the pirate before him. Hook fought the shudder that threatened to run over him from the predatory gleam in the demon boy's gaze.

"There'll be other provisions we'll have to work out," Pan thought aloud.

"I'm sure we can manage to work out the details."

"And I think it would be better if we had a fixed amount of time, don't you?"

Hook huffed amusedly. "Does it really matter in a realm where time stands still?"

"I'd prefer to not be caught off guard. Without a fixed amount of time, you could declare at any moment that you had what you needed, and where would that leave me? Without a pirate crew and its esteemed captain, whom I'm sure I will have grown quite dependent on. You see how that doesn't really work in my favor?"

"What did you have in mind then?"

"One hundred years."

"What?"

"I'll accept your deal in exchange for one hundred years of service from you and your ship."

"That's madness!"

"Those are my terms, Captain. Take it or leave it."

Hook's finger grazed along the underside of his bottom lip, it and his thumb toying with the stubble just beneath it as he considered the option before him. One hundred years of service. He'd meant the offer of his ship's service to be that of a business arrangement, but the provision of time would veritably cast him and his crew into indenturement. How many times had he sworn to never again serve under the authority of others? Was he really willing to put himself back into the role of a slave? Was anything, even his revenge, worth that?

"How about this," Pan suggested with a tone that denoted his growing boredom in the face of Hook's vacillations. "I'll sweeten the deal for you, by agreeing to give you a boon before you leave. Something that will aid you in your desire to kill the… crocodile."

Hook ran his fingertips over the pad of his thumb in a calculated fashion. A boon. Something he could request to take with him. Or someone. Bae. Milah's boy. Making good on the plans they'd shared, doing right by his love's son, that was worth a hundred years of service. Besides, they still had the details of the agreement to hammer out. He could still work the deal in his favor.

"Provided we can come to an equitable agreement with the fine print," Hook said as he rounded his desk to stand before Pan, hand outstretched before him. "I'd say we have a deal."

Pan grasped his proffered hand and a chill ran up his arm before settling into the pit of his stomach as a lump of cold dread. "Welcome to Neverland, Captain."

"You stayed so long because of Neal?"

"In part," he replied, thickly. "Baelfire and I spent some time together. Here on my ship, as well as on the island. Until my deal with Pan was complete."

"How long was he with you?"

Swallowing past the guilt that had collected like a lump in his throat, and thankful she hadn't asked him why Neal hadn't left with him, Hook murmured, "Long enough for me to know I miss him, too."

Flicking his eyes to hers, a look of understanding passed between them and Hook had to swallow a second time; this time past a lump of envy at the sorrow she must have felt for her former love that he saw in Swan's eyes. Pulling his flask from his pocket, he uncorked it with his teeth then procured a small cup from the cupboard next to where Emma was sitting. Thrusting the cup into her hand, he filled it with rum then lifted his flask in a toast. "To Neal."

"To Neal," she reciprocated, tossing back the rum with the practiced ease of a true pirate.

Stoppering his flask, he returned it to his pocket, then fished out a key from the depths of another. Inserting it into one of the armory chests, Hook retrieved Bae's cutlass and held it out for Emma to take.

"I want you to have this," he said. "It was his... Neal's."

With the blade cradled in her hands, Emma glanced up at him with a look that made his skin prickle uncomfortably.

"I didn't realize you were sentimental."

"I'm not," Hook protested, cracking his tongue hard against the t. Emma's head cocked to one side and her brows lifted as if to say, aren't you? "I just thought you could use it where we are going. You know… to fight. I wouldn't want you to feel ill-equipped or worse, have to put your trust in me to protect you."

Hook turned his back to her to secure the weapons chest, but could feel her presence come up behind him.

"Hey," she said, grabbing his arm and coaxing him back around. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

His shoulders sagged from the deep sigh he released. "Aye, love," he assured her. "I won't let my history with Pan, nor my trepidations over being back here affect our mission."

"That's not what I mean," Emma said with a tone that almost sounded timid. Unsure of herself.

"What do you mean, Swan?"

Wetting her lips, she pulled the bottom one between her teeth nervously, her eyes not quite meeting his. "I know there's a lot of distrust between us," she stated. "You double crossing me with the bean, and me…" her voice trailed off as Hook recovered from the wince her words had set upon him.

Her eyes lifted to his, clear in the sincerity she was about to impart. "I want you to know I don't blame you for that." Hook's brows shot up at the admission, but he held his tongue and let her finish. "I betrayed you first. On top of the beanstalk. I said I couldn't take the chance I was wrong about you."

"Aye, love. I remember."

"Well, I'm… I'm willing to take that chance now. If you are."

"Are you saying," he drawled with a smug smirk pulling at his lips. "That you are ready to try something new, darling?"

"I'm ready to get my son back," she said, giving him a withering look. Although… her stare did not hold its usual impatient disdain normally reserved for him. "And I can't do that without you, Hook. So I'm asking… can you put whatever feelings of distrust you have for me aside, and help me get Henry back?"

"Actually," Hook smirked. "I quite fancy you from time to time. When you're not yelling at me." She rolled her eyes again, and her fists balled at her sides, clearly on the precipice of losing her temper with him. "I offer you my ship and my services, Swan," he replied in a more serious tone, staying her ire. "After all… I still think we make quite the team."

Offering her his hand, a surge of something wondrous and unexpected shot up his arm when she accepted it; sealing their alliance with a firm shake. Before letting go of her hand, Hook grazed the back of it with his thumb and was gratified to witness a ripple of gooseflesh run up the length of her arm. Pulling away, Swan murmured that should probably gather supplies and get ready to go once the ship reached its destination.

They didn't have long to wait once they had everything Hook had deemed necessary for their trek. Making their way back up on deck, Hook manned the helm and guided the Jolly Roger to its mooring as Emma took in the nearly impenetrable jungle surroundings. Though he did his best to hide it from her, Hook's body became tense as old apprehensions and feelings of dread attempted to overwhelm him. When his boots hit the soft shore of the island as he and Emma disembarked, another, long buried memory began to haunt him.

"Enjoy your safe passage off the island, Captain," Pan sneered. "Agreeing to let you go is a deal I'll not likely be willing to make again. Remember that, should you ever consider returning to Neverland."

"No worries there, mate," Hook growled. "I have no intention of ever setting foot on this accursed island again."

"Never is a very long time, Captain."

"Not bloody well long enough," Hook muttered darkly as they set out to save Henry.