Chapter 6: Vanishing Island

Liam stood at the helm as the sun rose in the distance, the water roaring against the ship as he made his way toward the coordinates that Killian had deciphered the day previously. He had no idea what they were going to find once they got there, the map showed nothing but miles and miles of ocean.

"Anything?" Killian wiped the sleep from his eyes as he was brought to the deck with Neal following behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief when Emma followed closely behind, a soft smile on his face when he met her eyes. He had worried all night after she had been dumped in their room and he had been taken away to sail the ship. If anything had happened to her, he wasn't sure how he would react. Knowing she was with Killian the rest of the night, at least gave him comfort that she was being taken care of.

"Nothing yet." He responded shortly as Walsh looked on anxiously.

"What are we even looking for?" Emma asked quietly as she looked at the horizon in front of them.

"No idea." Killian leaned over the side of the ship and looked down. "I guess we'll know when we see it."

Emma walked toward the post and started to climb when Walsh grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her back down. "Hey!" Liam advanced toward him. "Let her go." Walsh turned the gun on him. "It's the crow's nest. It's how we can see what's out there." He looked up above them. "Unless one of you wants to climb up there."

Walsh seemed to consider his options before nodding at Emma and allowing her to climb. Liam relaxed and returned to the helm as he stayed his course for what felt like ages.

"Land ho." He heard Emma's voice above him. "You're not gonna fucking believe this…" She yelled down. "Vanishing island."

Killian ran to the edge of the ship. "Well, I'll be damned."

"What's a vanishing island?" Walsh inquired.

"Land that isn't always there. Depends on the tides, the water conditions. Usually it's close to shore, not way out here." The boat swayed to the side and Liam pulled hard on the wheel to steady the ship in the other direction. "Dangerous waters…" He exclaimed. "Currents are unpredictable. You might want to hold onto something."

Suddenly the swell around them grew and water splashed onto the deck. "We can't get any closer, Lee. Not safely." Emma hollered down toward him.

"Now what?" Neal asked.

"Gonna have to take the boat." Killian grabbed the life jackets and threw one to Neal.

"You want to get on a smaller boat to go out on that?" He asked incredulously as he pulled the life jacket onto his body.

"You want an invitation from Poseidon or something?" Killian growled.

"Fuckin' wise ass." The man barked in return.

"Enough. Just get out there and bring back what we need." Walsh shouted. "You too blondie." He yelled, pointing the gun at the Crow's nest. "Get down here."

He held the wheel steady as the group prepared to leave the ship. "Let the current guide you, don't fight it, it should take you right to it." He warned his brother. "Be careful and don't do anything stupid."

"Who me?" Killian joked. "We'll be careful." He added seriously and Liam watched as they disappeared down the ladder.

Emma watched the ship dip below the horizon and then come into view again as the small boat bounced about in the water's current. She licked her lip, the cut still healing from the previous night's interaction with Neal. While he hadn't spoken to her since depositing her onto the floor of the room last night, he continued to glare in her direction from his spot in the tiny boat.

She wasn't sure if the woman sitting next to him had been aware of the events of the previous evening, but based on the angry glances she was receiving, she knew that something had happened between her and Neal.

The island came into view before disappearing again as she small boat was tossed about. Emma could tell they were closer to the tiny cave built into the rock jutting out of the water. "Straight ahead." Killian's voice lofted above the sound of the water. He and Neal dug in with their paddles, getting closer and closer.

The moment the boat slipped beneath the surface of the giant arch; Emma released the breath she was holding. The waters calmed around them as the boat slid through the glass blue ripples. "Over there." Tamara pointed toward a small ledge jutting out into the water. Killian guided the boat and tied it off against the rocky outcrop.

Killian offered his hand as he helped her out of the boat, his fingers gliding again her knuckles reassuringly. She bent over, crawling through the small hole in the rock face until they found themselves in a large room, the sound of water dripping all around them.

Emma felt the other woman at her back, pushing her forward. "Would you get off my back." She spun around, staring the woman down as she pushed her backwards.

"Don't you fucking touch me." The woman shrilled angrily, and Emma narrowed her eyes, not letting the woman try and intimidate her.

"Enough." Neal yelled. "Just look for whatever the hell we're trying to find."

Emma watched the woman until she walked away from her, Killian's nervous glance relaxing as she retreated. Neal was suddenly at her back. "You're with me sweetheart." He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her with him to the edge of the wall as they searched the cave.

Emma's fingers were digging in the dirt, pushing small rocks out of the way to find anything out of the ordinary. She felt fingers against her leg and looked down to see Neal's hand against her thigh. She slapped at his hand, and he growled. "You'll give in eventually." He whispered hot against her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Looking up she saw Tamara watching them with a murderous stare. Emma pushed him off her, standing up to search another area of the cave.

She heard Killian grunting as he tried to move a large boulder. "A little help." He groaned, gesturing for Neal to assist him.

"You like touching things that aren't yours?" Emma turned to see the woman standing behind her.

"Him? Trust me sweetie, he's all yours." Emma shook her head with an incredulous laugh. She didn't honestly think that Emma could be interested in Neal.

"That why you were all over him last night?"

Emma spat a sarcastic choking laugh. "You're kidding me right?"

"He told me what you tried to do."

Emma walked closer to her. "You mean after he gave me this?" She pointed to her split lip.

"You forced him to do that after you hit on him."

"I hit on him…" She shook her head. "Oh girl, you need to wake up and smell the bullshit."

"You're a whore." She shrilled, advancing toward her, and grabbing her by the hair. Emma stomped on the woman's foot the moment she felt the blade against her neck. "You think you're so pretty…" She growled. "You won't be pretty when I'm done with you bitch." The pain burned against her cheek as the blade sliced through her skin.

Emma screamed in anger, bringing her hand up to swipe at the arm holding the blade, lifting her knee up to collide with her stomach. Tamara was caught off guard and Emma used it to her advantage, mustering all her strength to throw herself against the woman as they both fell forward, her body hitting the ground with a thud. Emma's body was vibrating with the force of the ground, pain shooting through her knee from where she hit it on the rock below her.

"What have you done?" She heard Neal's voice above her and Emma shook her head, as if shaking out the cobwebs of her own confusion. Hands were grabbing her by the shoulders, yanking her off the woman below her. Emma scurried backward into the wall, curling into herself. "You killed her." Neal's scream broke through the soothing sound of the water dripping behind her on the wall.

She could see the woman still lying on the ground, not moving as she lay on her back. That was when Emma saw the dark red stream pooling around her shoulders. The large rock sitting behind her bent head. Neal was rocking back and forth next to the woman, his fingers ripping at the strands of hair on his head. "What the fuck, God." He was repeating the words over and over as he stared down at the woman.

Killian was frozen on the other side of Neal, staring at the scene in front of him anxiously. "Ok everyone needs to relax." His voice was calm yet assertive.

"Relax? You want me to relax. She killed her." He howled before getting to his feet. "Don't tell me to relax." He turned toward Emma murderously before advancing on her with his gun in her face. "You'll fucking pay for that."

"Neal." Killian's voice cut through her fear, loud and booming. "You touch her, and I swear to God it will be the last thing you ever do."

The barrel of the gun was against her chin, and she knew there would be a bruise by the end of the night. Killian moved closer to them as Neal chewed anxiously on his bottom lip, his eyes wild and crazy as he stared at her. His hand was at her neck as he pushed her against the wall, the rocks digging into her back.

"I promise you, mate. If you hurt her, I will tear you limb from limb and this place will become your tomb." Killian touched his shoulder and Emma felt Neal flinch. "Let her go and I'll help you, otherwise you're on your own to explain to Walsh why you came back with nothing." Killian pulled on his shoulder once more. "Come on, Mate. Don't make me bloody hurt you." Killian's voice was strong and reassuring to her as his eyes met hers. The pressure from the gun became lighter until he removed it from her face.

"Let's just find it and get the fuck out of here." He stepped away from her and returned to the boulder they were trying to move.

Emma fell back against the wall, slipping down until she felt the ground. She glanced at the woman, the blood pool growing against her body. Emma felt the tears on her cheek and reached up to wipe them away. She had killed someone.

"There, see that…" Emma barely looked up as Killian and Neal were bent over something they found beneath the large rock they had managed to move.

"What is that?"

"Step back." Neal moved away and Killian picked up a large rock and smashed it against the ground, he bent over and picked something up from the ground.

"What is that?"

"It's a ship's log." He thumbed through the pages before stopping on one of them and staring down at whatever was written there. "We need to get back to the ship. I know where we need to go next."

Liam leaned against the bow of the ship, rocking back and forth with the current. He hoped his brother would be back soon, they needed to get out of this area before the ship started to come apart. "There they are…" He looked up as Walsh stared at the small boat making its way toward the ship.

Walsh ran anxiously toward the ladder when Liam noticed that only three people seemed to be sitting on the tiny boat, he found himself relieved to see the familiar blonde hair and the man sitting protectively beside her. He immediately made his way to where Walsh was waiting for the boat to arrive, he knew he would need to be on guard once it dawned on him who was not sitting amongst the group.

He leaned over the edge and saw Killian bend down and lift Neal's companion onto his shoulder as he began to climb the ladder. As he got closer he helped pull the woman's lifeless body onto the deck. "What the fuck happened?" Walsh growled when Neal's face appeared.

Emma was right behind Neal, and he grabbed her by her hair, pushing her down onto her knees in front of Walsh. "She killed her."

Walsh dug into his boot and pulled a knife, brandishing it in Emma's face. "What the fuck happened?"

"It was an accident." Killian offered. "The woman attacked her, and they fell…"

"I don't remember asking you to speak." Walsh turned toward Killian who stood taller.

"Yeah well you're gonna need to hear what I have to say if you ever want that treasure." The man stared at his brother and then back at Neal.

"Do I need to guess what you found or is someone going to start talking." He growled.

Killian reached behind his back and revealed a ledger. Walsh reached for it before Killian pulled it away. "You need all of us alive." He paused, then put the book in Walsh's hands.

"We'll see about that." The man thumbed through the book. "What the hell does any of this mean?"

"It means I know where the treasure is, but it's going to take all five of us to retrieve it."

Killian stared at the man as he waited for Walsh to respond. The man thumbed through the pages of the book, reading through the text that was scrawled on the tattered pages. Killian knew he had no idea what he was deciphering. But Killian had spent his entire life living the legend of this treasure. His father had been consumed by it, his brother had followed him down that rabbit hole, but Killian only remembered the tales his father would read to him at night. Those moments still played in his mind, vivid in his dreams when his father would haunt them.

Memories of a child who more than anything missed his father.

"What is all this shit?" Walsh shoved the book toward Killian.

"It's a ship's log, Blackbeard's log to be more specific." He looked over at his brother who was suddenly staring intently at the book in Walsh's hand. "It's real brother."

"Someone going to tell me what is going on?" Neal asked.

"It's all real. The stories, the tales. All of it."

"That's impossible. Everyone has searched those caves." Liam exclaimed excitedly.

"Not in the right places according to that." Killian responded, pointing to the book as his brother's eyes widened. "But it's not as simple as just searching in the right place, it takes five people to pass the test."

"A test?" Walsh inquired.

"Aye. A test of wills…you need us. All of us." Killian stood taller.

"Fine…" He turned toward Liam. "Take us there." He growled.

"What about Tamara. She deserves revenge." Neal said angrily.

"You'll get over it. Besides, now you have a new piece of ass to help get you over her loss." Walsh stared in Emma's direction before disappearing beneath the deck. Killian stepped protectively in front of Emma, shielding her from Neal's hard stare. He felt her hand at his back as she gripped his shirt.

"Come on, get back in your room." Neal growled, leading the three of them to the room and slamming the door shut. The moment the door closed he wrapped his arms around Emma.

"Are you alright, love?"

"I didn't have a choice." She breathed out, staring straight ahead. "She didn't give me any choice."

Killian pulled her into his arms, shooting a concerned stare at Liam as he squeezed her assuredly. "It wasn't your fault, Emma."

"What happened out there?" Liam limped to the corner of the bed and sat down next to Emma, patting her back soothingly.

"She attacked me; all I did was fight back." Emma's voice seemed far away, almost detached. "I wasn't trying to…she was just lying there…staring at me. I didn't mean to…" Killian pressed her knuckles to his lips, lightly grazing them against her skin. Liam's concerned gaze settled on him.

"It all happened so fast." He said softly. "But Emma, this wasn't your fault. She attacked you, and she hit her head. You didn't do anything to her that she didn't cause herself." Emma rested her head against his chest, a soft cry vibrating against him.

"This is horse shit." Liam growled, standing up from the bed and looking around the room. "There has to be something we can do. I'm not going to just sit here and wait to die." Killian looked down at Emma, resting against him.

"We need to be smart. Neal is digressing, he isn't thinking. And Walsh only cares about the treasure, he's not paying attention to anything else."

"Then we need to wait for our moment." Liam nodded in understanding as Killian locked eyes with him. "And then we strike."

They heard a scuffle at the door and Liam leaned back against the wall as Neal entered the room. "Boss wants you to get us moving to the next location."

"It's too dangerous at night, we should wait until morning." Liam protested until they heard the click of a gun.

"The danger is worse if you don't do as he says." Walsh walked through the doorway, the gun pointing directly at Killian's head as he continued walking toward him, stopping only when the nose of the gun was pressing cold and hard against his temple. "Either you sail us where we need to go, or he finds a new resting place at the bottom of the ocean." Killian didn't release his hold on Emma, using her as a beacon to calm his heart.

"There's no need for that. You want to sail into the black of night, it's your funeral." Liam announced in annoyance, pushing away from the wall. Walsh removed the gun, a smile forming on his face, pleased with his obvious control of the situation before leaving the room.

Neal stepped back as Liam walked through the door and then he turned a murderous glance at Emma. "You and I have some unfinished business to tend to later." Killian wrapped his arms protectively around the woman who was still falling apart against him. He wasn't going to let Neal anywhere near Emma tonight or ever again. He would see to that. The door slammed shut and Emma flinched.

"Don't listen to him. I'm not going to let that bastard touch you." He growled protectively against her scalp.

"It doesn't matter what he does to me. We're dead anyway." Her tone was full of despair, a tone of loss and despair as she spoke.

"Don't say that. You can't lose hope, love. We've been in bad spots before. A Jones never gives up."

"I'm not a Jones." She said softly.

"No, you're better. You're a swan. The most stubborn, determined, bloody amazing one I know." He felt her laugh beneath his chin, and he looked down, running his thumb against her chin as he tilted her face to meet her eyes. "This isn't an ending here, Swan. There's more to come."

She swallowed for a moment, her teeth jutting out to bite her lip. "We don't know that for sure. What if we don't get a second chance."

"It's gonna be ok. I know it may not feel like it right now, but we're going to get out of this. All of us."

"How are you suddenly so positive?" She laughed.

"Because I have you, and I've yet to see you fail at anything. You were bloody brilliant out there today. When Tamara attacked you, I thought…well I thought I might lose you. And just the thought of losing you, well honestly it paralyzed me. But the way you stood up to her, the way you didn't back down, you're amazing Emma, I would never bet against you."

"I wish I could see the same thing you see, Killian, but I'm just a lost orphaned kid whose parents died when she was little. I'm the definition of someone you would bet against because I always come in last. If you're hanging your last little bit of hope on me, then we're really screwed."

He reached down and took her hand, holding it up in the light, the tiny bottles of her bracelet clinking together in front of her face. "Do you know that I've been collecting the sand in these bottles since the day you came to live with us?"

Emma's brow furrowed. "What?"

"You remember after your parents died, and you came to live with us, after the first week you ran away from home." He sat back on the bed and looked at her. "I remember my mom was so worried because she couldn't find you, but I knew where you would be."

"You've always been able to find me, even when we were kids."

"That's because I had the biggest crush on you." He laughed.

"You did not."

"I did. I used to tell Liam that one day I was going to marry the little blonde mermaid who would sit down by the beach and build sandcastles."

She laughed even louder. "You thought I was a mermaid?"

"In my defense, I was 8." He shook his head. "But that is not the reason I brought this up." He inhaled. "I knew you'd be down at the beach that night…"

"They loved the beach…" She said softly. "It's the one place I still feel them."

"Aye, and you told me that you went there that night because you wanted them to know that you were alright. So, after that night, every year when the anniversary came around, I would go down there, and tell them that you were still alright. And each time I brought back a part of the beach with me…in these little bottles." His fingers grazed one of the bottles of sand at her wrist.

"What?"

"So now, you can always have them with you, even when you can't be at the beach."

"Oh Killian…" She cried quietly, crawling toward him to lay beside him, burying her head against his chest.

"She's still alright, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan." He whispered against her hair, his fingers lazily touching one of the bottles at her wrist. "I won't let anything happen to her."

"What are you doing?" She questioned as her fingers swirled in circles against his chest.

"I promise your parents every year on that beach, that I will always be there for you. That one day I'll get up the courage to tell you how much you mean to me. That one night when you crawl into my bed, I'll convince you to stay. My story begins and ends with you. So that's how I know that everything is going to be alright, because my happy ending, it's you, Emma.." He could hardly recognize his own voice, the way it trembled as he spoke, cautious yet full of longing, as the truth spilled from his lips.

She lifted her head, glassy green eyes staring into his. "Killian, what are you…"

"I love you, Emma. I always have." And there it was, the words spoken into the void, it was his truth, and he couldn't take it back.

Before he had time to think about the consequences of his honesty, her lips were pressed to his. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to her actions, his body sitting still, almost frozen in place. It was her fingers against his scalp that woke the reaction inside of him. Emma was kissing him. It was a moment he had wished for most of his life, had practiced in the solitude of his room with the pillow lying beside him, her name falling from his lips as he tried to imagine what her mouth tasted like. And now it was real, and it was more than he imagined, almost as if he were suddenly in a dream that he had no interest to awaken from. A soft moan left her lips and his hands found purchase in her soft blonde locks, pulling her body against him as he breathed her in, an intoxicating scent he could easily find himself getting lost in.

"Emma…" Her name fell from his lips as if he were uttering it into existence as a prayer. A wish.

She pulled away from him, her lips swollen, her cheeks a rosy shade of pink, a playful smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, I…I've just always wondered what it would be like to kiss you." She chuckled.

"You could have bloody well told me that, you know!"

She laid her head against his chest. "Sorry, it was…complicated."

"Aye." He agreed softly. "I believe we are the definition of complicated." She sighed against him.

"It was better than I imagined."

"What was, love?" He questioned.

"Kissing you." She smiled shyly, hiding her face against his chest as he looked down at her.

"Aye, I concur, better than my most vivid dreams."

"Guess we didn't exactly pick the best moment…"

He hooked his thumb under her chin. "I wouldn't change a thing; it only confirms what I previously said." His thumb brushed against her jaw. "You're my happy ending and I don't intend to lose that now." He smiled down at her. "Your last name may not be Jones, but you are a Jones through and through, and a Jones never gives up, they fight for what they want, and right now I want to live."

"Me too." She smiled sadly, continuing to draw circles against his chest. He placed a hand over hers, bending his head to brush his lips lightly against hers.

"Then I have a promise I intend to keep. No harm will come to you, love."

"Fuck Neal." She said affirmatively.

"Did you not just hear me profess my love for you?"

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "That's not what I meant." She bit her lip. "Did you really mean it? I mean…that you…"

"Love you? Aye. I have for years."

She pushed up on her elbows and her mouth was on his again, this time it was slow, yet full of meaning. "I love you too." She whispered, their mouth's ghosting against each other. "I think I always have." When she pulled back, he brushed his fingers through her hair, amazed at the words but more at the sincerity of them.

"And that is why we're going to defeat them. You, me, and Liam, we make a good team. Nothing, not some jackass with a gun, or a moron with no manners will stop us from getting out of here and getting back to our lives." He smiled down at her, a glimmer of hope in his eye. "I'll never stop fighting for us."

"We're really going to have to sit down and talk about this when it's all over." She gestured between them.

"I'd very much like to do more than just talk about it." She slapped playfully at his chest, burying her face in his neck as she nuzzled into him. In that moment, he found a new determination to survive, because nothing was going to stop him from having a chance at happiness with Emma.