AN: Happy New Years from Europe! Hope your 2022 is better than 2021, and that you're staying healthy and safe.
-The Random Writer 4.0
Chapter 27
I hadn't seen my father since the day before Regina and I were taken, so to say I was surprised when he appeared by the entrance to the mines as Skulduggery and I were climbing out would be an understatement. He took a few hopeful steps towards me, his hand stretched out to touch my cheek, but I stepped away before he could reach me.
"Why are you here?" I asked, the anger at Greg and Tamara leaving for a moment as I stared down Rumpelstiltskin. He looked surprised at the question, but I couldn't bring myself to feel anything other than apathy for him in that moment. My brother was dead, my nephew gone, and if he had just helped us earlier, none of this would have been happening.
"I came to find you, dearie." A scoff escaped Skulduggery as he passed us, and I shook my head at my father, dimly aware of Emma and her parents quickly moving past us, Regina pausing beside me briefly before following.
"Well, you found me. Alive, though that's no thanks to you." He flinched back, and I sighed, reigning in my anger towards him for the moment. "Now, if you don't mind, we have a young boy to find, and a pair of idiots to kill." His hand shot out to grab my arm as I passed him, bringing me to a halt.
"Let me help you." He pleaded, remorse clear in his eyes as his gaze met mine. "Please. I just want to help." I considered him for a moment, eyes flickering to Skulduggery who stood a few paces away, before I nodded. Emma, Regina, Mary-Margaret, and David had already taken off towards the docks and we were losing time.
"Alright. Let's get Henry back."
By the time we caught up with our group, it was too late. Henry disappeared into a portal with Greg and Tamara, and David had to hold Emma back from following them. Ruby, who had joined them at some point during their race through town, stood a few steps away, devastation written on her features. Fletcher, who I hadn't even been aware was back in town, sat miserably on the ground, a magic binding cuff covering his left wrist, and a broken and bloody nose.
Emma turned on us as we approached, misty eyed.
"Gold, help us." She breathed out, my stomach sinking as I spotted the look on my father's face. David glared at the older man.
"You're the Dark One, do something."
"There's no way." Gold exclaimed, eyes darting to me. "I spent a lifetime trying to cross worlds to find my children. There is no way in this world without a portal." My mother sneered at him, tears gathering in her eyes.
"So that's it? He's gone forever." A terrible silence rang out in the wake of my mother's words, my nails biting into the skin of my hand as I clenched them. "I refuse to believe that." Lacey, or, rather, Belle as I had found out on the jog over here, pushed past the Charmings as she spotted something on the horizon.
"What is that?" She asked, squinting against the late afternoon light. A ship was sailing directly towards us, and almost in unison, Emma and I breathed out the same name.
"Hook."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma spat out as we raced to where Hook had anchored his massive ship. I glared up at him as he walked casually down the gangplank.
"Helping." He responded, as if he hadn't nearly killed us with his bean shenanigans. I frowned internally. Bean shenanigans? This town has ruined your metric for magical bullshit.
"Well, you're too late." Emma responded, unaware of my idiotic train of thought.
"Am I?" Hook pulled another leather pouch out of his coat, handing it to Emma who took it with a surprised look.
"I thought you didn't care about anyone but yourself." His eyes found mine for a moment.
"Maybe I just needed reminding that I could." I blinked at his response, shifting my gaze to watch Emma pull a magic bean out of the pouch. After all the fuss that had surrounded the damn thing I had expected it to be slightly more...impressive. It was milky white with a strange shimmer to it, but maybe my appreciation for magical items was just bias after all the cool things I had hunted down over the years.
"Enough waiting around." My mother cut in, glancing between the two. "Let's go." Hook started, looking around.
"Go?" He asked in confusion. "Where? I thought we were saving the town." David opened his mouth, but I beat him to the punch.
"We already did." I met his searching eyes head on. "We have bigger issues now."
"We need to get Henry." Emma explained, though Hook didn't break his gaze on me. "Greg and Tamara took him through a portal."
"Well," He nodded, finally turning away from me towards Emma. "I offer my ship and my services to help follow them."
"Well, that's great, Hook, but how will we track them?" Regina cut in, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see my father move closer.
"Leave that to me." He called out, immediately meeting Hook's glare with one of his own. "I can get us where we need to go." Mary-Margaret nodded.
"Then let's do it." She sighed out in relief, following Hook up onto the ship. I began to follow, but found myself coming to a stop in front of Ruby, who was seemingly going to stay in town. I met her eyes for a moment, and in that moment I wanted to say something, to apologize for the destruction my family had nearly brought down on her home, but the soft look in her gaze stopped me. I smiled gently up at the werewolf, reaching a hand out to squeeze her shoulder affectionately before following my family onto the ship, leaving my father to speak with his girlfriend.
Sometime later, I found myself moving to lean against the banister next to Hook, purposely ignoring the way his eyes flashed towards me. The preparations to take us to Neverland were nearly complete, and I had questions for the man. He shifted slightly, and I tilted my head towards him, examining the rugged features that had first drawn me in in silence
"Why didn't you tell them?" I finally asked. Hook blinked down at me, a crinkle appearing in between his eyebrows.
"I don't catch your meaning lass."
"Greg and Tamara. Why didn't you tell them Regina is my mother." Hook shrugged, his gaze drifting to the horizon again.
"Hardly seemed like my business. Besides," He looked hesitant. "I never mean for you to get caught up in all that business. Seemed like bad form to give them more reason to hurt you. Both of you, that is." I considered the man next to me for a few moments, eventually looking off into the distance just like him.
"I think we should call a truce." I murmured, watching the late afternoon sunlight dance off of the waves. "We're about even I think."
"And what makes you think that, love?" He asked curiously, a hint of amusement entering his voice. "I'd have figured I still owe you a debt after the unfortunate events concerning Tamara and Greg." I smirked as I met his gaze.
"Well," I drawled out. "You may have helped kidnap and torture me and my mother, conspired with said mother, which ended up getting my grandmother killed, and stabbed my father, nearly killing him, but I think it all evens itself out in the end. Wanna know why?"
He nodded hesitantly, tensing slightly as I leaned in to whisper in his ear, both of us aware of at least three pairs of sharp eyes that snapped towards us as I did so. "Because you fucked the Dark One's daughter." I watched his face harden out of the corner of my eye. "And the minute you step out of line, betray us, or otherwise try to stop me from getting my nephew back, daddy dearest will be informed of that little tidbit of information, and I'll get to watch him rip you apart." I smirked darkly at his expression as I pulled back, shrugging innocently. "Plus, there was that whole incident when I tried to kill you in an alley. So…even."
A dark cloud lurked over his visage, and Hook stared angrily down at me. "What makes you think I won't turn around and tell him right now, and just get it over with?"
"Because you've already failed Neal several times before." We both flinched at the name as it shot out of my mouth. I continued on in softer tone. "You won't risk doing so again."
I turned, spotting the concerned look my father was sending me from the bow of the ship, and I shot him a tight smile, still not over him giving up on us, on me, so quickly. My steps hastened as I made my way towards Skulduggery. His hat was angled down against the sun, false visage up once again as he leaned against a rail and watched me approach.
"Your parents look concerned."
"Yeah, it's strange." I leaned back against the wooden railing of the Jolly Roger.
"Having concerned parents?"
"Having parents who know I do concerning things." He considered me for a moment, glancing towards Hook, who now stood at the helm of the ship, and then back to me before letting out a mildly surprised chuckle.
"The pirate Valkyrie? Really?"
"Shut up."
"I thought you were over your Pirates of the Caribbean phase."
"Johnny Depp continues to be hot in that, I claim no fault in finding him attractive."
"I think I preferred when you were reading Twilight and sneaking around with Caelan."
"Well I didn't." Fletcher's voice came from behind me, and I sent an apologetic grimace his way. "It took such a long time to kill him, and I really don't want to have to add 'Killed Capitan Hook' to my resume, it sounds lame." A peel of laughter escaped me at that, and I grinned towards Fletcher as he came to rest on my other side, sans the magic restricting cuff. His nose had been set and most of the blood had been wiped away, but it dotted his face in places he had missed when cleaning up.
"So you're saying you approve of Hook?" I raised my eyebrow at him mockingly, grinning wider when a look of faux disgust crossed his face.
"As much as anyone can approve of a pirate." He joked back, smiling when Skulduggery groaned at the two of us, glancing towards the front of the ship where Hook was preparing to throw the magical bean into the waves. He considered the man for a moment, his head tilted to the side.
"If we end up adding 'Went to Neverland to kill Storybook Characters' to our resumes, then Valkyrie has to add 'Slept with a Pirate and a Werewolf' to hers." My head cracked towards Skulduggery in unison with Fletcher, surprised that he had noticed my tiny interaction with Ruby. I slumped back against the railing, watching as Hook threw the bean into the water, a swirling whirlpool forming in the waves as he did so.
"Fine." I grumbled, ignoring the scandalized look Fletcher shot me. "But know that I'll hate doing it."
The boat groaned as we shot towards the whirlpool, my hands gripping the railing as we moved. Skulduggery nodded.
"Noted."
And then we were gone from the Land with 'No' Magic.
