Regina was out the door of the mayoral mansion so fast that Robin and Roland barely had time to say goodbye. "Stay here," she kissed him. "Watch the town. I don't know where I'm headed or how long this will take."

Emma had hung up not 10 minutes earlier with the whole tale. The knights had found them. At least one was still alive, and they knew for certain that Arthur had found them again. They also knew that Davy Jones had found them. Emma seemed to think that a relief, but Regina did not like the thought of her son tangling with the Underworld. She threw a hastily-packed suitcase into the car and drove off towards New York. Robin waved at the dust thrown up by her tyres, shaking his head.

He rang Killian. "She's on the way, mate."

Killian groaned. "How long have I got?"

"At the speed she drove out of here, she'll either be with you before midnight, or she'll be arrested for reckless driving before she gets there. So you'd better have a plan in place fast. Any thoughts?"

Killian let out a breath. "Back to the Enchanted Forest. We need to kill him, Robin. It's the only way. I'm just not sure how we're going to get there. We would have stayed before, but Emma needed a hospital."

"Regina has the fairy dust Emma asked for, fresh from Blue," Robin said. "Can you go back the way you came?"

"I don't think so. Emma has some magic here, but it's very unpredictable. Regina doesn't have any. And I don't think fairy dust alone will be enough."

"Yeah, well, good luck with that. And don't send her back here in a rage."

"Thanks, mate," Killian laughed. He hung up and turned to Henry. "Your Mom's on the way from Maine."

"Oh, great. Just what we need. She's gonna be pissed," he said, shaking his head.

Emma set a hastily ordered pizza on the dining table for them. She had rung Regina almost as soon as Jonathan had disappeared in whirl of smoke out of their living room. Despite the clean-up, she could almost see the taped-out shapes of bloodied bodies in her head. She thanked God - or perhaps more rightly the devil – for removing all traces of blood before Henry saw it. Regina could take him back to Storybrooke, where she had magic to protect him.

She felt sick about Jonathan. Their doorman, murdered, yet bizarrely still just downstairs, accepting pizza deliveries and packages for the building's residents so that no one would question his absence. He could also keep an otherworldly eye on comings and goings around the building. Did he have a family? Who was missing him? Emma shuddered. She hoped that Henry wasn't thinking about it, but she knew that he was.

She hadn't noticed that she was pacing until Killian stood in her path and stopped her in her tracks.

"You're frightening the boy, Swan," he said softly.

Henry called from his bedroom, where he was packing up, "Yeah, Mom, you're frightening the boy!" He poked his head out the door of his room. "I am kinda freaked." Emma walked over and hugged him, like he was still 10 or 11. He looked like he needed it, and if Henry was honest, he did.

Killian pulled out a chair for Henry. "Come on, lad, let's eat something and discuss our plan."

Henry let go of his mother and took a seat at the table. He helped himself to pizza as though nothing had happened. Emma took a slice that Killian noticed she didn't touch. She drank the cup of tea he had made her. Emma was clearly shaken; it looked to Killian that she was on the edge of a meltdown, and he just hoped it would wait until Henry was safely back in Maine. They hadn't told him quite how bad things had looked in the living room and the library. He hadn't actually seen blood, other than on Killian.

Henry spent the meal quietly regarding Killian across the table. He'd spent two weeks with the man, tearing part electronics for fun and studying every book on Camelot they could find. He liked Killian. He thought of Killian a bit like he thought of Robin, but Robin blended far more easily into 'substitute father' role than Killian. Robin's past wasn't murderous and dark, and his present certainly wasn't. Henry knew, logically, that his adoptive mother had done things far, far worse than Captain Hook ever had. But Captain Hook was the only member of his family he had seen covered in someone else's blood. And that was just this morning.

They spent the afternoon in their own worlds: Henry packing, Emma watching Henry pack from her seat on his bed, and Killian plotting out the best way to murder his wannabe father.

…

Regina swept in at nearly midnight. Jonathan, no longer needing sleep, was still on the door. He'd sent his shift replacement home. Regina knew straight away that the doorman was not among the living. She rushed up to the apartment, anxious to get Henry into the car and back to a place where her magic could protect him. She felt nervous that legions of the undead were now protecting her son.

"Regina!" Emma practically fell into her arms. Killian and Henry were huddled on the sofa trying to forget everything by focussing on the Xbox. Emma was shaking slightly. She hadn't eaten all day and still had no desire for food. Regina noticed that both Emma and Killian were wearing swords at their hips.

"Emma, I know Killian will have told you this a hundred times today already, but you need to eat something. You have the baby to think of, as well." She ushered Emma into the kitchen. Regina threw open the cupboards and the fridge. "What might you eat?"

Emma picked up a yoghurt from the fridge and Regina found her a spoon. "Just eat this, and I'll stop nagging, okay?" Emma ripped off the plastic and started eating. She could feel Killian's eyes on her from across the room, and she knew he had texted Regina and asked her to get Emma to eat something. He relaxed into the sofa next to Henry.

"Are you feeling sick?"

"A little bit, but I'm not sure if it's the stress or morning sickness."

"How far along are you now?"

"Not even 4 weeks."

Regina sighed. "Probably stress. Emma, I'm so sorry. This should be a happy time for you."

Emma shrugged. "It just never works out that way. I can't even keep Henry safe." She started crying. Regina hugged her and let her cry.

"Emma, you are the best and bravest mother. Other than me," she smiled. "You rescued our son from certain death this morning." She looked over Emma's shoulder at Killian, shoulders tensed and still resolutely staring at the Xbox with Henry. Regina suddenly wished she'd brought Robin along. Killian probably needed as much support as Emma did, and he would never admit it, least of all to her. Killian and Henry switched off the game and called Emma and Regina over to the sofas with them.

It was late into the night now, and Regina agreed to sleep the night in the guest bedroom and leave in the morning for Storybrooke with Henry. Emma settled herself against Killian. Regina watched the pirate settle his hand over her belly as he let her to lean back on his chest. It cost him something every time he let her wander out of his sight.

"What will you do, Mom?" Henry asked Emma.

"Try to find a way back to the Enchanted Forest, Henry. We have to find Arthur. We have to end this."

Killian opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Jonathan's voice. Everyone on the sofas jumped in utter shock.

"Ms. Swan, Mr Jones, Master Henry," Jonathan announced, bowing dramatically, a tiny glimpse of grey smoke disappearing around his feet. "Davy Jones requests your presence at the harbour, as soon as possible. Tonight." Jonathan noticed Regina. "Oh, well, Your Majesty. I am certain that he would love to see you, too. You particularly."

Regina snorted in annoyance. She addressed Jonathan: "I understand – sort of – how Emma used magic in the A Land Without It. But you… how are you managing it?"

"Death and its minions exist in every land, Your Majesty, even in the ones that try to deny it as strenuously as this one."

Henry balked. "Killian's Dad is at the docks? Why?"

Jonathan smiled his slightly disturbing grin at the boy. "He wants to meet all of you. He says he has a way to keep you all safe."

Killian pulled Emma closer. "I don't think this is a good idea…"

Emma turned around in his arms and looked him in the eyes. "If your father has come here, and has found a way to meet us in this world, it's serious. And he does want to protect us, Killian. All of us."

Jonathan tapped an impatient foot. "Shall I tell him to expect you at the docks?"

"We'll be there, Jonathan, thank you," Emma said.

Jonathan bowed again, and in another swirl of grey smoke, he was gone.

…

The drive to the docks sent them all into a temper. Killian silently ground his back teeth across each other, willing himself to meet his father without turning murderous. Henry argued nonstop with Regina that he was going with Emma and Killian, no matter what she said. Regina argued just as hard in the other direction. Emma tried to back up Regina from her spot squashed between Killian and Henry in the back. Henry was leaning over the headrest in front of him to shout down his adoptive mother in the passenger seat. Killian desperately wanted out of the car; it took all his willpower to keep from slipping the driver a fat tip to open Regina's door boot her out.

Instead, he looked down at Emma, who gazed back up into his eyes with a look that begged him to fix this. Emma knew that if he calmly agreed with she and Regina, then Henry would back down. Sadly, she chose a difficult moment to ask Killian to intervene in parenting matters, given the enormity of what awaited him at the docks.

"I agree with Henry," he said, effectively silencing everyone in the car. Even the driver sucked in a breath, knowing that coming down against what sounded two him like two mothers was a poor, poor choice. "The only way to keep Henry safe is to… " Killian censored himself in front of the driver, "confront Arthur. We can't do that from here. All we can do is wait for his next move. I think we'd all rather decide the next move ourselves than wait for him. Besides… Henry is practically a man," Regina actually growled at this, "and he should be able to decide his own fate."

Henry was beaming, absolutely beaming, across the backseat at Killian. Regina looked ready to murder him on the spot. The driver looked a bit afraid for him, as well. Emma turned to him, ready to gently remind him that Henry was her son and Regina's, and that he should respect their decision, but before she opened her mouth, she saw something in his face that stopped her. He was looking at Henry, and not with the conspiratorial grin she had expected, but with respect. Killian had appraised the situation and made a decision he felt best for Henry. He wasn't just playing at being a father; in a few short months, he would be a father. And along with Robin, Killian was a parent to Henry.

Good Lord, she had made Captain Hook her son's father.

"Perhaps Killian is right, Regina," Emma began, everyone in the car, including the driver, stopped breathing. Before Regina could start yelling, Emma continued calmly, "Henry is 13. In the Enchanted…" and here Emma had to censor herself in front of the driver… "in some places, he'd soon be old enough to go to war. I don't think he's making a snap decision, or an uninformed one. He wants to help us hunt down this threat. And so do you, Regina."

At some point in her little speech, Killian had slipped his hand into hers. He did not overtly smile at her, as baiting Regina with the fact that Emma had taken his side would not help Henry. But Emma felt powerfully that they presented a united front.

Regina seethed. "We will discuss this at the docks," she said through her teeth. She turned to stare out the windscreen at the street whizzing past.

When she turned to face front, Killian risked placing a kiss below Emma's ear. Henry had her other hand gripped in hers, and was giving it a squeeze while Regina wasn't looking. Emma suddenly understood the meaning of 'united front'.

…

They piled out of the car at the docks, Killian 'helping' Emma out in a way that involved running his hands quickly over her breasts. Emma gave him a hard look. "They are not bigger. Stop that," she hissed. Killian kept his thoughts to himself; they were bigger.

The car pulled away, and Jonathan appeared before them. Henry ran off down the quayside to investigate and to avoid Jonathan.

"Mr Jones, Ms Swan, Your Highness," he bowed slightly. "Follow me. Mr Jones, your father hopes you won't mind; he's brought something of yours…"

At that moment, Henry skilled to a halt at the corner of a warehouse that blocked the adults' view of the docks. Henry stopped dead for a moment, his jaw dropping open. Then he turned to the adults and yelled,

"Killian, come quick!"

Killian took off at a run, afraid that the final knight had found Henry. Regina and Emma ran after him. But when Killian arrived at the boy, ready to draw the sword he'd been keeping hidden under his winter coat, he saw why Henry had called to him. There, standing tall and proud against New York harbour was the Jolly Roger.

Killian momentarily felt his knees weaken. He put his hand on Henry's shoulder and gripped hard. Henry grinned at him. "Captain, she's back!" he said, his voice full of the same awe Killian was feeling.

Emma and Regina caught up to them. Emma immediately felt tears fill her eyes. The ship he had given up to find her; all that guilt she still carried for robbing him of his home, stood rocking on the waves and tied fast to the dock. Emma came up behind him and wrapped her arms around Killian's waist. She stood on her tiptoes, staring at the Roger with her chin rested on his shoulder.

"Oh, God, Killian, she is more beautiful than I remembered."

Killian advanced wordlessly towards his ship. When they were nearly upon it, he noticed the figure at the bow, loudly calling orders for minor repairs. Emma recognised him instantly. "Killian," she wound her arm around his, as much to hold him back as anything. "Killian, I told you, he has missed you. He loves you. Please listen…"

But Killian's hand was already gripping the sword at his hip and his face had tensed. She could feel the hatred coming off him in waves. Regina took a step forward for a better look.

"So that's Daddy. How fitting. An actual demon…" she raised an eyebrow at Killian. "Let's go get a few parenting tips, shall we?" Killian shot her a dark look. Regina stopped in front of Killian and turned to face him. "If you want him gone, tell me now. I'll go make it happen," she said softly.

Killian shook his head, shook free of Emma's grip and stepped around Regina. He stalked up to the gangplank of the Jolly Roger with his sword drawn and a murderous look on his face. Before his foot hit the gangplank, though, Snow rushed up to the side of the ship and shouted down: "Hook! David, David, it's Hook!" Her eyes swept down the docks. "Emmmmmma!" Snow launched herself down onto the docks, stumbling into a thoroughly surprised pirate. She hugged him close pressed a kiss into his cheek. "Thank you, Killian, thank you," Snow cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Thank you for bringing back my little girl." Killian temporarily forgot his rage, faced with Snow's love and gratitude. Emma reached them then, barrelling into her mother for a hug.

As Emma sobbed into Snow's arms, Killian made his way carefully up to the ship. He jumped down onto the deck, feeling the solid thump as he landed, reassuring him that she was really here and no mirage, no trick of his father's to win his favour. He ran his hand over the smooth railings, the riggings, the ropes… and then he noticed David. The prince had pulled him into a hug before Killian could speak.

"Hook… thank you," the prince said solemnly. David gripped his arm, smiled and then moved past him to welcome Emma aboard. Killian saw Belle and Will out of the corner of his eye; he nodded to them, overcome. His ship, his home, Emma's family, their friends… he was finding it hard to keep up the hatred. Until he turned to the bow and saw Davy Jones in front of him, tall and sure, looking as if he owned the place, and all the anger came rushing straight back into his veins. The man who had abandoned him, and Liam, and his mother.

Killian sauntered proudly around the mast, giving it an approving pat, and then moved towards the helm. He would not let that wanker see him so much as blink.

Davy Jones approached his son carefully. "Killian…" he said evenly, but Killian could he a waver in the voice. "Son, I know…"

"Noooo, really, I don't think you do," Killian clipped, no betrayal of emotion showing in his voice. "Is she ready to be underway?"

"Ready, son, anytime," Jones answered, a bit sadly.

"Then let's weigh anchor and be gone. We have a king to murder and no time to waste," Killian called sharply. "You have crew…?"

"Aye, a few men from Blackbeard's crew who I haven't sent to the locker. There's Jed, the first mate," Jones pointed him out.

Killian looked him over. "Jed, get the hell off my ship, and take the rest with you," Killian ordered. "I don't require a crew to sail the Jolly Roger, and I don't trust outsiders with my family at the moment." Killian tossed a bag of gold coins to the astonished first mate. "Enjoy New York."

The remaining pirates slunk off the ship and onto the docks like so many rats.

"David, Will, Henry," Killian called. "Haul up the anchor and let's set sail." Everyone set to work, including Emma, who had no time to tell her boyfriend to cut his father some slack. Her man was in a hurry to leave New York before any authorities intervened with the very visible Jolly Roger, and moving fast meant he didn't have to speak to his father.

Jones took the helm and steered them out of the harbour as Killian worked with her family and their friends to right the sails. As soon as the ship had cleared the harbour, Killian stood back, near Emma, and looked at the helm.

Emma sank back to the railings and watched the two men closely. She noticed that Davy Jones had taken an uncharacteristic step back. He had one hand on the helm, the other reaching… yes, indeed… could hardly believe it, but the man was reaching to scratch behind his ear. Something inside her melted. She moved gracefully past Killian and crossed the deck to Jones, greeting him with a kiss on his cheek that he accepted with more circumspection than she had anticipated. The devil was nervous, afraid his boy would, what, reject him? Hate him? She slid her eyes across to Killian, and saw a whole mountain of hate and rejection piling higher and higher by the moment. Walls were being erected around every corner of Killian's psyche. He and Liam were on one side, and Davy Jones was very firmly on the other.

"Son, please take the helm." Jones stepped away from wheel and from Emma and melted against the railing of the ship.

Killian made the wheel in three long strides. He ran his hands possessively over the wood.

"I suppose gratitude is in order for returning my ship to me." Killian levelled his gaze at his father. "As long as we're clear," Killian leaned forward and well-nigh hissed, "she's mine."

Emma rolled her eyes heavenwards, perfectly cognisant that Killian was referring to her in the same terms as his ship. She knew his father had thrown him out of sorts; she ignored the macho possessiveness and slid into Killian's arms. He held her against him with his left hand and gripped the helm with his right. She could let herself play sidekick for a moment while he adjusted his ego to his father's frankly overwhelming presence.

"Of course, my boy, you won her fair and square. I wouldn't dream of standing between a pirate and his prize." Jones grinned at his son.

"Oh, for God's sake," Regina scoffed, speaking the words on Emma's mind. "Are you two going to out-testosterone each other for the whole of the voyage?"

Emma stifled a laugh. She kissed Killian again, whispered to him, "Of course I'm yours. And you're mine. Now stop it." She spotted Henry on the far side of the ship and extricated herself from Killian's grip. "I'm going to talk to Henry, okay?"

Killian nodded. "Sorry, love. No offence meant." He buried his nose in her hair and murmured, so only she could hear him, "He's making me crazy."

Emma smiled and looked up into his eyes. "That's parents. And you're about to be one, so have a little sympathy for him." Emma stroked her hand through his hair with an enigmatic smile. Henry overheard her last comment and snorted in laughter all the way across the deck. "Sympathy for the Devil. Nice one, Mom." She giggled as she crossed the distance towards him.

…

Sir Kay kept himself hidden against the rigging of The Jolly Roger. Obscured by the darkness and the mast, no one else on board saw him. He had crept on the ship ahead of Killian and Emma. He waited. Emma had bested him in that park, but he would drag her away to Arthur, to the magical place where the others waited to end her. She wouldn't access to magic if he could slip the bracelet on her. He tensed his muscles.

The pirate had a tight grip on her, holding her next to the helm. He watched as she finally extricated herself. She stepped away from the pirate and from Jones. The two men were talking, arguing, not paying any attention to the shadow behind the mast. Emma wandered closer, heading for their son at the bow of the ship. Another step closer, and Kay pounced.

Kay grabbed Emma by the waist, pinning her arms with one hand and slipping the bracelet over her wrist with the other. She tried to scream, but Kay leaned back over the side of the ship, Emma gripped tight against his chest. He looked up at the pirate and the prince, already rushing for him. Kay smiled triumphantly straight into the pirate's eyes, and leaned right over the ship, pulling Emma with him into the dark waters below.

…

Killian didn't waste a moment. He reached the place where the knight had dragged Emma under, dropped his coat and shoes onto the deck and, without a second thought, he dove in. David reached the edge a moment later and searched the water for signs of any of the three.

Jones didn't move. He closed his eyes. Regina watched the demon. "He isn't trying to drown Emma, is he? He's taken her somewhere… magical."

Jones nodded slowly. "I need to go make this right. Get Emma out of the water. Her body will still be here, physically. Both parts of her need to survive." With a swirl of red smoke, Jones was gone.

Regina ran over to David. Will and Henry were tying a rope around his waist. David jumped in after Killian. Minutes ticked by before Henry shouted, "There's Killian! Grandpa, to your left!" Regina could just about make out Killian's dark shape, swimming on his back towards David, with Emma held tight against his chest. David made it there in a few strong strokes.

David took Emma from Killian, and Will, Henry, Belle and Snow pulled the rope slowly up the side of the ship. Killian turned over and swam hard for the ladder Henry had tossed over the side. He scrambled up so fast that he was waiting at the top by the time David passed Emma over the railings to Snow.

Killian, Regina and Snow collapsed onto the deck, Emma cradled in Killian's lap and Snow stroking her hair.

"Killian, your father has gone to retrieve Emma," Regina began.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? We've just retrieved her."

Regina shook her head and held his gaze steadily. "No, we retrieved her body. Jones went after her spirit. The knight wasn't here to drown her, he was taking her someplace else, somewhere magical."

"Can they hurt her there? Kill her?" Snow asked. "Her pulse is so weak."

"I don't know," Regina answered. "I do know that Jones will shift hell itself to bring her back."

…

As soon as she felt herself falling, Emma braced herself not to pass out with the force of hitting the water. Hitting water from that height was like falling onto cement, but Emma managed to angle them so that Kay took the worst of it. He let go as the sunk beneath the surface. She kicked him hard and felt one of his ribs crack under her foot. Free from his grasp, she start for the surface, kicking hard for the moonlight and the vague outline of the ship's hull.

Just as she was about to break the surface, she felt herself gasping down air. She wasn't in the water anymore. She looked around her, dripping on the floor of what seemed a stereotypical dungeon. Locked away behind bars but surrounded by knights, she recognised that she was deep in the depths of a castle; she felt the oppressive top-heaviness of stone towering above her. No magic. She tried to rip off the pretty bangle on her wrist, but it held tight.

The knights cheered Kay. He was cradling his side where she'd kicked him and looking winded from the fall off the Jolly Roger. But he was still walking, and a knight handed him a blade. Two men grabbed her and secured her against a cold, dank wall.

"At long last, princess, we have you here with us in the Enchanted Forest. Arthur is coming, of course. But first, we have a little business to finish."

Sir Kay pressed the tip of the blade into Emma's belly. He made a shallow cut, but it hurt. She tensed and it seemed to press into the muscle. She was powerless to stop him, and he was going to kill her and the baby. She felt tears starting to form.

"Your boyfriend should arrive just in time to rescue your body," he leered.

He pressed the blade a bit deeper, nearer her navel.

"The boys and I don't want to kill you straight away. After all this chase you've led us, we want to take our time and enjoy your death."

He moved the knife along and made a third cut, this one bleeding more profusely.

He moved the knife again. She felt it start to bite into her flesh, when suddenly he was flung against a tree that had not been there a moment before. Emma looked around her. She knew this landscape. The dungeon had vanished. The amazing yellow-leaved tree, the wildflowers, the softest grass, the poisonous, stunning river: this was the riverbank across from the Underworld.

All of the knights, including Kay, had frozen. Davy Jones appeared before them, far from her, separated from her by the cluster of knights. He walked amongst the frozen knights, touching each one as he passed. They fell down dead, their bodies crumbling to dust. When he reached Emma, he held out his hand, "My dear lass, we keep meeting in the most difficult circumstances. I did hope I wouldn't see you here again so soon." Sir Kay and another knight were still left alive, and they watched as Emma took Jones' hand. He swept her up into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Have they hurt you?" He stepped over to the nameless knight, and touched him. He fell dead.

Emma nodded. "Yes, Captain Jones…" She leaned against him, still a bit unsteady. She felt his arm around her back, and if she closed her eyes the image she had was not of Killian holding her, but David. She suddenly missed her own father.

"Oh, Emma, my love, please call me Davy, or even Papa if you don't mind. I know you and my boy aren't married… yet… but surely I can consider you my daughter? Now, tell me, daughter, how has this man hurt you?" He indicated Kay. His tone was so soothing, so soft, like Killian when he was talking her down from a temper. He stroked his hand over her temple. "You can't possibly protect him. Please, love, tell me."

Emma had never seen terror like she saw on the face of Sir Kay. But Emma tried to imagine David asking her. She showed Jones the knife wounds on her belly, beneath her shirt, where Kay had tried to torture her and threaten the baby. She didn't need to say more. She suspected that Jones knew without her showing him the wounds in the first place. This was a show, all to increase Kay's terror.

Jones held his hand over the wound and it healed instantly. He held his hand there for another moment.

"My little grandbaby is still fine, just so you know," he smiled at her. "Healthy as can be, so no worrying, okay?"

Emma bit her lip and nodded.

"Now, Emma, I can't have you watch this next bit. It might keep you up nights, and you and this precious babe need your sleep. So I'm just going to..." He passed his hand again across Emma's temple, and she fell instantly asleep. Jones caught her in his arms. He laid her down in the soft grass beneath the tree. That's where she awoke – she didn't know how much time had passed. Kay was gone. The front of Jones' pure white shirt was soaked through with blood. She could smell burning flesh in the air. When he saw her open eyes, he rolled his hand in the air and his shirt was restored, pure white once more. The air smelled of grass and lavender.

"Did you sleep well, lass? Come," he held his hand out to her and pulled her to her feet. Jones rubbed his hand over her wrist and the bracelet fell away. "Killian will be getting anxious. And Henry. That lad is as brave as his mother." Jones looked her over. "You just need a few more minutes before you surface. I have to bring you up slowly."

Emma smiled knowingly. "You are the king of flattery, aren't you, Papa?" She brushed off her top and leggings. She felt well, light and free, untethered. "God, I'm still dressed for a half marathon." Emma felt the magic in the air. She pulled it from the molecules around her, rearranged it and ran her hands over her clothing from shoulders to hips. She was instantly wearing a red gown that fell to the floor, complete with corset and a plunging neckline. "Do you think Killian will like this?" she asked, turning this way and that.

"There's not a bad angle to that dress," he nodded approvingly.

Emma looked down at her bare feet. She clicked her fingers for a pair of stilettos.

"And I think he'll love those, too," Jones added, raising an eyebrow at her. "Not the usual footwear on board a pirate ship, but I suspect he'll accustom himself to it."

"You see, Papa, you aren't the only one who can play these games. I thank you for your protection and your kindness. I am feeling myself again, now. You understand, right? No more knocking me out so that you can indulge in a bit of torture?"

Jones looked suitably called out. He offered Emma his arm. She hooked her hand over the crook of his elbow, and walked down a smooth path towards the water with him. "You cannot deny me torture, daughter. I am a demon, after all. You cannot expect me to watch my son's beautiful lass being hurt and not intervene. I had your best interests at heart."

"I know, Papa, I do. You have done nothing but protect me since we met," she leaned over and placed a familial kiss on his cheek. "But you must let me have my own best interests at heart. I am not a pawn. I'm growing tired of being knocked unconscious."

"Very well, lass," he waved his hand and the flowers and trees all disappeared, replaced by the stony landscape and the solitary, silver river of mercury.

"Oh, Papa," Emma pouted dramatically. "Don't be like that. You know I loved the flowers."

Jones smiled indulgently. He waved his arm and the flowers, the meadow, the birdsong reappeared, brighter than before. "My princess, I cannot deny you anything you ask."

He waved his hand for bench and it appeared – "Can't have you sitting on the ground in that gown" – and bade her sit next to him. They sat for a moment before the stream, watching it undulate slowly along the grassy bank. Emma leaned her head on his shoulder; she knew he liked taking care of her. Like David, he had missed out on fatherhood, and all the urges to protect and defend had nowhere to go now. Except straight at her. She found it much easier to let Jones take this role; he had never been her friend or equal, as David had. Whatever else Davy Jones was now, he was still Killian's father, and Emma knew in her bones that Killian would struggle to accept him as such, even less than she had managed with David. Davy needed to parent someone, and it so happened Emma rather needed a parent at the moment.

"This struggle feels never-ending. It's like lifetimes since I was walking down mainstreet with Killian, no swords and no guns and no problems. No villains." Emma sighed. "How does this end, Papa?"

"It ends well for you and my son, princess, I promise you that. I will make sure of it," Jones said calmly, hugging her close to his side.

Emma sensed, not for the first time with Killian's family, that she was reverting to a teenage version of herself that had never existed. "Arthur fights like a coward. Never in front, never in danger. He hides away in the shadows and behind battle lines of knights."

"Fear not, my dear, killing people happens to be a speciality of mine. And of Killian's." His eyes sparkled at her. "It's the battle beyond Arthur where you'll come into your own."

"Beyond Arthur?" Emma looked up in surprise.

"One thing at a time, princess." Jones looked across the river. "It's time to get back. Killian and Henry and your parents are waiting. You're ready now. I'm sorry, but it's one more bout of unconsciousness."

"Are you coming with me, Papa?" Emma felt her eyes closing, her head sinking into his lap, his hand patting her shoulder.

"Not right yet, princess. A ship only needs one captain…" and that was the last Emma heard.

…

Killian breathed hard, slumped against the side of The Jolly Roger, soaked to the skin in cold salt water and an equally soaking Emma collapsed in his lap. Regina was leaning over Emma, trying to determine if the problem was physical or magical. Then Emma's clothing shimmered and changed. Her wet running things disappeared and a fitted red gown appeared in their place. Her hair was dry and perfectly brushed out, falling over his wet trousers in blond waves. Her breath came back, even and strong, her breasts rising and falling gently in clear view, given the neckline of the dress. Definitely bigger, he couldn't help thinking to himself.

Killian growled in annoyance, "Looks like dear old Dad is having another one of his chats with my woman."

Regina let out a sigh of relief. "At least she's okay, captain. Looks like dear old Dad adores your girlfriend and has sent her back to you once again."

Emma's eyes began to open. She saw the sails of the Jolly Roger snapping in the breeze against a clear, starry sky. She turned her head and saw Killian above her, his eyes seeming a bit guarded, hair dripping onto her gown as reached up and brought his face close to hers.

"Killian," she breathed, and kissed him. He kissed her back, passionately. She could feel his cold hands inching their way towards her chest, and for a moment all she could focus on was how devastatingly good he looked, all wet and ruffled. She could hear David coughing loudly somewhere in the background and a mumbled, "Gross." She pulled back slightly and shot a disapproving look in the direction of his wandering hands.

"I nearly died, and your mind is still on one thing," she laughed.

"Two things, in fairness." His gaze lingered on her neckline. "And you seem perfectly well. I'm sat here freezing to death and aging badly as I imagine you and my child dead. Meanwhile, what, you're at a ball with my father?"

"No ball, sadly. Attempted torture, Sir Kay threatening to cut our child from my belly while I watched," Killian sucked in a breath, "and then … poof. Back to the Underworld with Papa."

"Papa?" both David and Killian exploded.

"He's looking for someone to parent, Killian, and you're being resistant."

"Send me down there. I wouldn't be resistant," Belle put in.

Snow and Regina nodded furiously. "Oi, I'm stood right here," Will protested.

Killian shot the queen a venomous look. "Et tu, Regina?"

"Killian, your father is the walking embodiment of sex and death," she explained. "There is no ignoring it."

"If we speak of the devil, do you think he'll appear?" Snow mused hungrily.

Emma laughed. "No, he said he wasn't coming straight back." Emma sat up next to Killian. "He's worried that his son doesn't want him around."

Killian stood up. "He's not wrong." He ran his hand through his wet hair. Both he and David were turning blue with the cold. "Let's find some dry clothes, Dave, and get underway. Again."