A/N: I realized afterwards that the curse took place in 1983 per canon. Just an observation. Doesn't really affect them too much in this story, but if I was to review and write over, I'd go back and change that for accuracy. Fun fact:

Top hits in 1983 included some classics such as the Flashdance album, Billy Jean, Sexual Healing, Hungry Like the Wolf, Total Eclipse of the Heart, and Hot Girls in Love... (Damn it! Could have had some fun with those! I'm a music head so..)

"So, you see, they've all gone. That daughter of Snow's is looking for a magic bean or something to open another portal and go back." Hook summarized what he'd learnt in the last twenty-four hours. He was nervous but acted calm.

"Did the savior say how she broke the curse?"

Hook shrugged. "No, but she does have magic so I'd assume she used that."

"It is worse than I feared. What of the dark one?"

"Gone."

"Then we must go back too. Tell the savior you agree to this plan. We can take them if she finds a way to open a portal,but they mustn't know I am here. Regina will be devasted by this. Lucky for her, Iwill be there to pick up the pieces and give her the two things that will make it all better."

Hook shifted uncomfortably. "What will you give her?"

Cora smiled wistfully. "The savior will lead us straight to her dear mother and then I'll rip out both of their hearts for my daughter's collection. I'llpresent them to her along with her son. She was never very good at sharing. Regina will welcome me back into her life with open arms, and my prestige will be restored. I shall rule by her side as it always should have been."

Hook's gaze fell to the floor. Cora was a mad woman but he knew better than to question her. It didn't matter what she believed, only that she was on board with going back. As long as he still got to kill the dark one, the rest was none of his business. "I'll tell her. Perhaps, don't kill her on my ship, though. I've just had the decks scrobbed."

Cora shook her head with a light smile. "Do you listen to anything at all? I just told you I need her alive. At least until she leads me to Snow White."

The group of travellers had stopped to make camp in Queen's Forest. Snow and David hunkered downon the floor oftheir carriage. "I feel so guilty."

"About What, Snow?"

"When the Captain showed up with his ship, all I could think about was how perfect it would be to bring us all home. I thought that's what I wanted for all of us."

David cuddled her tighter. "I know. I had the same idea. It's going to work out. If there's one thing our family do well at, it's finding each other. Don't lose hope."

Regina looked around the slightly improved cottage and sat on the bed. She'd scrubbed the walls clean of all traces of ash, and added a few flourishes to make it look like someone could actually live there.She didn't feel any better,and now she had nothing left to occupy her mind. Her tears fell again. This was hopeless. She never thought she'd feel thismuch pain again. Every muscle in her body ached and felt heavy with longing to hold her son in her arms and feel Emma's presence. There had to be another way.

She opened and closed her hands, feeling the urge to use her magic. But what? The only useful thing she could do would be to cast another curse on herself. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. That was it. Resolved, she stood up slowly and went out into the forest to find the few things she'd need to make it so. It was a cowardly move, but she'd spent more than enough lifetimes carrying this pain and grief to know it wouldn't pass. Not this. Not losing both ofthem. The only way to get what she wanted would be to kill the one she loved most. If she had a bean, perhaps she could get back. But the verylast one was back in her mansion in Storybrooke.

Regina transported herself to Queen's Palace, specifically the gardens and found her apple tree. There was one ripe apple hanging on the lowest branch. A deep red and begging to be picked. She took it and ran a hand over the bark. "Thank you. One last bite, my old friend. Our time together has been bitter sweet."

As she took the apple, the tree turned gray and shriveled. She released the enchantment from it so that none would ever be tempted to follow in her footsteps. With a wave of her wrist, shewas in her old quarters. Nothing had changed. It was darker than she remembered but after living in a sparkling white mansion for thirty years, it didn't surprise her. The Queen took what she needed from her spell cupboard and flicked her wrist, transporting herself back to the woodcutters cottage. She got to work preparing the apple for its purpose. She sobbed remembering what she did to her son as she mixed the ingredients. She deserved whatever nightmares came from this. They were noworse than what she already experienced being awake.

It took until early evening for the spell to take. She placed the apple carefully on top of a silver dish and left it to absorb completely. She didn't want to rush it and not reap the full benefit. While she waited, she prepared herself as if for her own funeral. She styled her hair, made up her face and poofed herself into her favourite outfit. The blue silk shirt Emma never remembered to return, her black leather pencil skirt and knee high boots. It wasn't time appropriate, but she didn't care. It didn't matter what anyone thought when she was asleep. She wanted to feel like the woman she was now, not the person she used to be.

Around the room, she conjured some candles and spelled them to burn for as long as she was cursed. They gave offa soft glow and made the room smell like cinnamon and apples. The cinnamon reminded her of Emma. It looked like a grotto now. One final thing completed it. Henry'sblue patchworkcomforter onthe cot. Again, it was all replication, but it made her feel closer to him. She tucked herself under it, as she would Henry and picked up the apple. The framed photograph faced her on a small stool beside the cot and she smiled at it. "Yours are the last faces I wish to see before I go to sleep, and the only ones I will ever wake up for. Good night, my loves. Sweet dreams." Her breath felt ragged as she took a bite. She instantly felt the curse taking effect, forcing her heavily against the pillow. The apple rolled from her hand into her lap atop the comforter, and her arms fell against her sides. Her finest curse yet was the thought that passed through her mind as it took her to the fiery chamber.

"Hook! Are you here?" Emma shouted from the dock. A few of his crew were on deck and ran off to call their captain. The pirate jumped down onto the pontoon beside the ship.

"Good day, Princess. Have you come for the grand tour? May I suggest the captains quarters first?" He winked with a cheeky grin.

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and stood firm. "Ah, you're sweet. You'd give up your bed for me and my kid? And there was me thinking all pirates were pillaging perverts."

He was confused. "Erm, that's not what I meant. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We aren't going anywhere without a portal.".

She grinned. "What, you mean something like this?" She held the magic bean up between her forefinger and thumb and it sparkled in the sunshine.

"Bloody hell! You work fast! Or have you just been saving it for a rainy day?"

"Well, it does rain a lot around here. You just never know what the storms gonna drag in." All things considered, Emma was in high spirits.

"Congratulations, Princess. I'm impressed. We had a deal. When would you like to set sail?"

"As soon as possible. If you want, we can go to Granny's and stock up on food and drinks. I'm sure she'd prefer it was made use of rather than go to waste. Do you need anything else?"

Hook nodded. "We'll need a few gallons of ale forthe crew, salt meat if you have it, and a few barrels of oats. I'll bring a team. And some rum, for me and my special guests."

"Fine. Let's do it now. The sooner we're loaded up, the sooner we can go find them." She checked on Henry in the car who gave her the thumbs up. Hook went back on board to fetch his crew and a small army of men got off and unloaded some barrels. They followed her car to Granny's diner and Emma used her magic to pick the lock discreetly. She knew her juvenile petty crimedays would come in handy at some point in her life. She showed the crew into the storage roomand directed them to the best things to take. Mostly grains and flour. The day was spent lugging various supplies from the town to the docks with Emma overseeing the work. Even though there was nobody in town, she still had a responsibility to the place as Sheriff to keep it orderly.

By the end of the day, they'd managed to get enough to last six months if necessary, and the crew were particularly pleased with the addition of a solar poweredcooler on their ship. Emma got back in the bug and blew out an exhausted breath. "That's it then. All we gotta donow is pack some stuff for us and let Ariel know we leave at six. You sure you're okay with this?" She looked over the head rest of thedriver's seat at Henry.

He put his hand held game away. "I'm better than okay with it. We're going on a real life pirate ship to a different world. The world I've been reading about for years. Plus, no school "

Emma smiled. If only it was that simple. She would have liked a bit of his optimism and hope right about now. She pulled off and headed back to the mansion. "I just need you to know I'm only doing this because there's no other choice. I would never put you in harms way, and this isn't a vacation. It's dangerous what we're doing. You can't go running off or disappearing. If I ask you to do something or stay somewhere, you need to listen and just do it without question. I know that sucks, but trust me. I just want to keep you safe." Her heart was pounding in her chest. She really didn't want to do something this crazy with Henry in tow. If anything happened to him, she'd never forgive herself and neither would Regina.

"It's okay, Ma. You don't need to worry about me. I won't do anything unless you say so."

They got back to the mansion and Emma filled Ariel in on the plan. "I'll come after you've left. I can swim up under the ship and do what I can from there."

Emma was fretting. "Okay, how are we going to communicate with you after we set sail?"

Ariel remembered something from a long time ago. "You have magic, right?"

Emma nodded. Ariel reached inside a pouch bagshe carried everywhere and took out a clam shell. She flicked it open and revealed a mirror. "The Queen gave me this when she was helping me. We could talk through it. I believe she had one just like it "

Emma's eye pricked. She reached in her pocket and pulled out the compact mirror. "She does. Let's see if it still works." She went out into the hall and sat on the bottom step. The compact light up as she thought of the mermaid and Ariel appeared smiling in view.

"Can you hear me? Is it working?"

Emma grinned. "Yes it's working. Doyou hear and see me?"

"Perfectly."

Emma went back in the room and they finished sorting out the finer details before she went upstairs to help Henry pack. It was a busy day all inall,and by the time they'd finished and had a light dinner, it was almost ten in the evening. She tucked Henry up in bed and ruffled his hair. "Good night, kid. Early start tomorrow. I'll call you at five. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Ma. Love you."

"I love you too, Henry." She clicked the door closed behind herself and went off to Regina's room. She took out a small travel bag and put a few of Regina's essentials in it. She probably didn't need them with her magic, but she felt she should take something, just in case. She had no idea how long they'd be gone or if they'd be back and she wondered what Regina might miss most from thisworld, other than Henry and perhaps herself.

Emma looked around the room for something that stood out. Nothing did. The room was completely cream and had absolutely none of the vibrancy Emma knew Regina had. It was strange now considering the room. The house in general, there was nothing personal about it. Emma realized the only reason the place shone as it did was because of Henry and Regina. Remove them and it was just a box. A nice box, but still. There were no photographs or paintings, only generic artwork. There were no trinkets or personal items out and about. She realized Regina didn't attach much sentimentality to objects, unlike herself. That's one area they differed vastly.

Emma kept anything that held some sentimental value. She had a hard time letting go of stuff. Even a silly key chain she still wore around her neck. She'd kept the receipt from their date at Tony's and put that in her special box back at the loft, along with a stolen navy shirt. She laughed to herself thinking about it. It was silly. She realized she kept these things because she'd lost so much over the years. Things, she could keep safe, but people always seemed to disappear. Some savior she was.

She resigned herself to that fact Regina didn't need any of this stuff and slipped under the covers. She cuddled the pillow and inhaled the scent. Maybe she'd take that on the ship too. Hook probably didn't have pillows, after all. It was a practical item to take. She flicked open the compact mirror and the image of Regina's face sleeping peacefully popped up. "I'll see you soon Gina. Sweet dreams." Her eyes felt heavy and she reluctantly flicked the mirror closed, letting sleep take a hold of her.

Her alarm sounded obnoxiously at four-thirty and she got up without complaint. She took a long shower and washed her hair, not sure when the next time she'd get one would be and quickly poofed herself into her most comfortable outfit. Jeans, knee-high flatboots, a gray pullover, and her red leather. She figured it would be windy on the ship and decided to take her black zip up coat and beanie too. She went and made Henry pancakes and herself coffee. She felt sick and she hadn't even stepped on the boat yet.

As she was walking through the hall to go and get Henry up, she passed the mirror again. She stopped and decided to try it one last time before leaving. It was pretty early but she almost managed to reach herthe last time with the big one. It lit up and showed her the full HD view of Regina and the room now. The compact only showed faces. "Regina, if you can hear me, we are coming to you. We are taking Hook's ship and Ariel is going to try to swim us through to your realm."

She huffed,doubting she could hear her but she kept talking for herself. "I found your magic bean. I'm sorry I went through your things, but I needed to find something for a spell to make the ship go faster. I think I figured it out. I would love you to tell me that I'm doing the right thing,and not being ridiculous putting Henry on a pirate ship dragged by a mermaid. Now would be the time to tell me I'm an idiot! " She looked closely at the image now. Regina had made the place look more liveable and she saw an identical copy of Henry's bed spread covering her torso. It made her smile. Then she saw the apple and her heart skipped a beat. She waved her hands in front of the mirror."Zoom in. Lower " Emma instructed the mirror to show her what she wanted to see. Her stomach lurched when she saw the perfect white bite mark on the side of the apple.

"What the hell,Regina? You cursed yourself, are you kidding me? How the hell am I supposed to find you now?" She growled and banged the wall next to the mirror with her fists. She was angry, hurt and terrified all at the same time. This was just like her to do something like this.

The image began flickering and Emma looked back at it focusing again. "Zoom out. More. More. More. Okay, stop." She took out her cel phone and hoped she could get a photo. It worked and she pocketed the phone again. Let's hope her cel worked in the Enchanted Forest, if they managed to get there. Just in case it didn't, she'd print out the image before they left on the PC. The blonde sighed again and wiped the image off the mirror. Henry didn't need to know about this, but he did need to get up. She took the stairs two at a time feeling a renewed sense of urgency with their mission. She couldn't let her herself think the worst.

"Henry. Time to get up. Get dressed in something warm and goeat some pancakes. I'm just gonna run into your Mom's study and print a few things out, okay. Don't go back to sleep."

"I'm up." He croaked and plodded to his closet.

Emma ran back down and printed out the image. It was a bit hazy but it was something. She circled the spot where Regina was in between the trees and folded it up carefully before sealing it in a plastic wallet. Then she printed out a couple of spells she'd photographed from Regina's books she thought might be useful and put those in a plastic wallet too. She wasn't going to take a whole book for a handful of spells.

Next, she went and woke Ariel up in the bathroom. "Hey. We're leaving in twenty minutes. There's food on the kitchen table. Just don't touch anything else. Are you stillokay with this?"

Ariel nodded enthusiastically. "We'll make it work. Good luck and I'll speak to you soon."

Henry and Emma grabbed their bags and made the final drive to the docks. She stopped off at the pharmacy and grabbed some travel sickness capsules and a few other meds for an emergency, and then locked up her car at the port.

The ship was a buzz of activity and Hook stood proudly at the helm. He offered a hand to Henry and then to Emma,helping them up off the board walk. "Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, land lubbers. It's a fine day to sail the seas."

A short, stubby man showed them totheir quarters and they dropped off their bags before heading back up on deck. A whistle sounded and the crew began untying the ropes and pushing away from the dock. Emma and Henry stood beside Hook at the wheel. "We'll sail out a bit deeper into the open sea, then you can open the portal. You need to concentrate exactly on where you'd like to go. I'll get us the rest of the way."

Emma gripped the fake bean in her jeans pocket and hoped their plan would work. "Okay. Let's hope the bean works."

She watched the docks of Storybrooke slowly inching away from the back of the ship with Henry by her side. The clock tower rose up in the sky as if waving goodbye to the two of them. Emma thought it fitting that it was the last thing she'd see of the town. It was the first thing she remembered of arriving there two years ago. She felt a buzz in her pocket and thought it was her phone. It was the compact and she answered it discreetly. "Everything okay?"

"I'm in place."

Emma leant over the back of the ship and focused. She uttered some words under her breath and felt the magic shoot from her fingertips and charge the hull. It would skim faster over the water now and she spoke into the mirror. "Okay I'm done. I'll call you back when it's time."

She felt her heart racing as the crew unfurled the sail and the ship sped up. Hook shouted commands to the crew and they scurried about doing their jobs. He called to Emma. "We've got an excellent wind. We're at twelve knots!" He called her over closer and whispered. "Do you know anything about that?" He raised an eyebrow.

She smirked. "I might have given it a push. Sorry."

He chuckled. "That's fine by me luv. I like it fast and hard."

"I'm sure you do."

They sailed out a bit farther and he nodded to Emma. "Ready?"

"One sec." She turned around and faced Henry crouching down and quickly flipped open the compact. To anyone looking, she was giving her son a reassuring talk. "Show time." Ariel nodded and clicked off the call. Emma turned back and took the fake bean out of her pocket. "I'll go to the front and do it."

Hook nodded and watched her go right up to the edge. "Throw it as far as you can. It'll give me more room to maneuver." Emma spotted Ariel up ahead. She was swimming fast in a circle, creating a whirlpool effect. She threw the bean and focused her magic. A bright light boomed around them. It was just for show. Ariel was doing the brunt of the work. The ship sailed faster and faster and began going down as if about to be swallowed by the sea.

Emma held tight to Henry and grabbed hold of a rope, wrapping her arm around it and sitting on the floor. "It's gonna be fine, kid." Hook found he no longer had control of the ship. It was as though it was sailing itself through the portal but he kept a hold of the wheel and hoped for the best.

Ariel swam the fastest she'd ever swam and pulled the ship behind her with the strong rope Emma had given her tied firmly around her body. She'd secured it to the bottom of the ship at the front and crossed it several times over herself. It wasn't heavy. Emma's magic made sure it would be as light as possible for her. She felt herself crossing the first gate of the underwater realmand held her breath,hoping the ship and it's passengers would come too.

Emma looked up and saw a huge bubble surrounding the ship. They were under the sea in a swirling tunnel. It was a bit like being at the sea life center. Hook looked up scowling. This wasn't how his bean had got them there. This was something else and he didn't know what was going on. He stared at Emma until she caught his eye and he shook his head. He signalled for her to come to him. Considering the swirling all around them, the ship itself felt as though it had stopped moving. Emma gulped and got up slowly with Henry still clinging to her. She inched back towards the wheel, holding firmly onto the side in case they moved again. Once she was beside him, he took his hands off the wheel. "We both know I'm no longer sailing this ship, Princess, so who, or what is?"

Emma shrugged. "I guess magic?"

Hook put his hands back on the wheel. He didn't want any of his crew witnessing this. "I'm disappointed you wouldn't tell me of your plan. It's bad form. What is this? It's not like any portal I've sailed through, and I've been through many. This isn't the work of a bean."

Emma sighed. "I don't know what it is or if it will work. I'm taking a risk here and I don't do it lightly." She glanced down at the top of Henry's head pointedly. "I have a plan. If anything goes wrong, I'll fix it in an instant."

He examined her face and for the first time since they'd met, he didn't doubt her. He breathed out heavily and gave a curt nod before looking up at the thinbubble around them. "Alright, I'll take your word for it. What if that bursts?"

Emmaswallowed hard. She didn't know how long it would last or if it would hold for the entire underwater journey. The magic she'd performed was only a simple protection spell. Ariel had done the rest. Whatever that bubble was, hadn't been part of the plan. Maybe because Ariel was tethered to the ship and she had the ability to breathe underwater, that had somehow mingled with Emma's magic. She thought about the amplification magic Regina had taught her. Had she in a desperate moment brought that into her connection with the mermaid? She didn't know but she was grateful for whatever it was providing them with oxygen. "It's not going to burst."

"You're really quite powerful, aren't you? I've met many a sorceress. None of them have ever done anything like this." Hook took a step back from the blonde for a moment. He'd just sailed here with Cora Mills, one of the most powerful sorceresses known in his land and she'd barely lifted a finger. He didn't much like magic. He'd been on the wrong end of it too many times to count. Even the Dark One hadn't ever managed to open a portal under the sea as far as he knew, and he was a bit of an expert in all the movements the crocodile made.

"Apparently so. I'm just learning. Regina was helping me but between curses and crises, it's been slow going."

"Well if this is you just learning, I'd love to see what you can do when you're fully trained."

She smiled lightly hoping it wasn't some sort of come on. He continued. "So, you and the Queen became unlikely allies. Why did you rip her heart out?"

Emma narrowed her eyes at the pirate and Henry looked up gasping. "What are you talking about?"

"You broke the curse. You must have done something big." He was fishing. Something Cora had said got him wondering.

Emma and Henry looked at each other. Project Swan Queen was still on. "I didn't rip her heart out. I didn't even mean to break the curse. I guess my power is stronger than either of us realized." She wasn't showing off. Well maybe a bit. She didn't trust him and had a sneaking suspicion he was up to more than just killing the Dark One. It wouldn't hurt to let him think she might be more dangerous than she felt.

Hook didn't buy it but he recognized she was smart not to show all her hand to someone she just met. He wouldn't trust himself either if it was the opposite way around. He looked at his sailing instruments and laughed. "We're travelling at almost sixtyknots. Never known anything like it. At this rate, we'll be back in the Enchanted Forest in days rather than months. Let's hope we're going the right way." He laughed to himself. "You know, I've sailed the sky and the seas. Now I can say I've sailed beneath them. Not many can claim that victory."

Emma shuddered in a breath. "Let's get there before we start claiming victories." She took Henry below deck. Once they were alone in their quarters, she called Ariel. "Hey. How is it going?"

"It worked. We got through the first gate fine. Your magic really made the ship light."

"Where are we now?"

"We're in a channel under the sea. I'm not exactly sure where, but it's somewhere in the middle realm."

"What's the middle realm?"

"Uhm, the one between the land without magic and the land of untold stories."

Emma nodded but she didn't really understand. "What about the bubble around us? Did you do that?"

"I'm not sure. I think it was you. I can normally give someone breath for a journey but nothing like that. It must be your magic."

"How long will it hold?"

Ariel scrunched up her nose. "I have no idea. Maybe until wesurface. I'll keep an eye on it from down here. I'll need to rest in a few hours time. I'll call you when I'm about to stop."

"No worries. He knows he isn't sailing. I told him it was my magic. He was okay."

"Alright. As long as everything is okay with you, that's great. We're right on track. In fact, I'm swimming faster than I've ever swam. I thinkyour spell rubbed off on me too."

They said goodbye and Emma smiled at Henry. "How you feeling?"

"I'm a bitscared. I didn't think we'd be coming under the sea."

She hugged him hard. "Me neither. Just remember what I've got as back up, okay? You don't need to be scared. Wanna stay down here and get some rest? I need to be up there to keep an eye on that bubble."

He shook his head. "I wanna stay with you."

Emma was slightly nervous about keeping him on deck with her but if anything went wrong, at least he'd be close. "Okay, but bring a blanket and something to stay busy." They went back up on deck and got comfortable. Her eyes fixed on the strange tunnel of water swirling around them. It was surreal and she hoped it wouldn't be too long before they saw the sky again.

Hours passed and Hook called her over. "It seems to be holding well. You should get some rest. If anything changes, I'll send for you."

Emma shook her head. "I'm staying here. Henry is asleep and I don't want to move him." She went back and settled beside her sleeping son keeping her eyes open. Her mirror buzzed and she turned over to answer it.

Ariel spoke. "I'm going to stop for a while and rest. I think if the captain keeps steering, we should just keep going. I stopped already and the ship is still moving."

Emma smiled. "Okay. I'll keep watch while you rest. Thanks for this. Speak to you soon." She flicked the mirror closed and pocketed it before turning over on her back again. She couldn't have slept even if she wanted to. It was darker now but the tunnel glowed with the ripples appearing like shooting stars. It was mesmerizing. She checked the time on her phone. They'd left Storybrooke eighteen hours ago but it didn't feel that long with everything that had happened. The sooner they were safe above water, the better.