CHAPTER 4: MAGIC

TWO YEARS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT

After the huge burst of uncontrolled energy that had sent her father flying across the kitchen due to a homework tantrum, Lizzie looked with horror at the mess of broken plates and cups left on the floor, her mother's hand held up and her voice soothing. "Lizzie, baby, it's ok… It's fine."

"No! How can it be ok? Look at what I've done to dad!"

Killian stood from the floor, a trail of blood on his forehead. He groaned as he straightened up and touched his head to look at the blood. "Wonderful…" He swallowed, but any trace of anger fizzled when he saw the look of regret, uncertainty and (worst of all) abject fear on his daughter's face. "Iit's all raight my Lizziegirl… I'll live, darling. I've been hurt far, far worse than this. It's fine, just…" he paced to her.

Lizzie took three steps back, sobbing almost hysterically.. "Daddy, get away from me! I don't want to hurt you again! Please!"

The heat in her hands glowed harder and the lights flickered.

Emma stepped forward. "We're not afraid, sweetheart. It's ok." She approached. "Look, I've been there, I know how this feels, baby, and it's fine."

"Aye it is, Lizziegirl. You listen to your mother." Killian too, closed in.

"But I… I can't control it!" The girl cried desperately.

"Neither could I at first!" Emma smiled. "And also, I lost control once, as a grown up. And you know what I did?" She took another step. "Exactly what you are trying to do. I tried to push the people I love the most away, because I was so scared I'd hurt anybody. But you know… that almost got ME hurt. A bad man tried to take advantage of me being so alone, and… well, it almost ended up with me dying."

"Both of us, actually." Killian added, also taking a step forward. "I almost lost my heart. Literally."

Lizzie looked at both of them, her little hands glowing with light and sparkling static power. "But… you never hurt anybody!"

"I did, Liz" Emma nodded with regret. "I pushed Henry, just like you pushed daddy right now. And he was hurt. He bled. And I felt terrible, so trust me, I know how you feel right now."

She hid her hands under her armpits. "I hurt Violet. Henry will never forgive me! And now daddy! Look! I made him bleed because I am a freak!"

"Emma Elizabeth Jones, you are NOT a freak!" Emma barked. "I will NOT allow you to say that to yourself, You're not a freak, you are NOT a mosnter and you are most certainly NOT to be feared." She sighed deep. "You need to learn to control it, that's all."

Emma reached out and Lizzie jumped back. "Mommy, please…"

"It's ok."

"I am going to hurt you too! Please!"

"Elizabeth, you will not hurt your mother." Killian spoke softly. "All you need to do, my darling, is accept it." The girl turned her limpid blue eyes, his eyes, to him. "Embrace who you are, and you will soon have it under cotrol, I promise."

"And what exactly am I?" She sobbed, shaking.

Emma smiled and reached out to touch her hair. "You are our daughter, and the product of true love. You have powerful magic running through you and you will be able to do amazing, wonderful things, for yourself and others, with that magic. You are a smart, beautiful child, with an amazing gift. And above all…" She finally touched her head. "…you are so… so loved."

As soon as Emma's hand touched Lizzie's head, the sparks of energy emanating from Lizzie's palms subsided and a burst of light shone through the kitchen and out the windows. Lizzie looked at her hands. "Mommy… MOMMY LOOK!" she smiled. "You did it! You stopped my magic!"

Killian stepped forward with a smile and also reached to touch his daughter. "She did nothing of the sort, angel. It was you." He crouched beside her. "You, my dear, you posess the same amazing gift as your mother. In time, you will be as adept at using it as she is. But you needn't fear it." He caressed her face. "It's all right for you to lose control once in a while; we all do."

Lizzie jumped and hugged bith her parents, who hugged her back. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you!"

Emma smiled and hugged her daughter back. "This family has seen a lot worse. " She pulled away and turned to Killian. "OK, handsome, your kid tagged you pretty good. Want me to fix that for ya?"

"Aye, she packs a wallop, I'll give her that." He chuckled. "Look, Lizzie, see what your mother can do with her magic."

Emma grinned and ran her hand over the cut on Killian's hailine and immediately, it was gone under the power of her magic. He turned to his daughter with a bright smile, his eyebrows raised. "See there? Good as new! No harm done!"

The little girl gasped. "Wow… mom… can you teach me how to do that?"

Emma grinned at her and pulled her to kiss her forehead. "That and many other fun tricks, sweetheart. But for now, there is one thing you need to be tackling, and that, is your homework." She caressed her cheek. "We will leave the Magic for a later time."

Lizzie frowned and huffed. "But I hate homework! It's arithmetics! I'm only five! I hate math!"

Killian stood and pulled his daughter up with him, carrying her so she'd be face to face with him. "Aye, well, that's because that lady in school that tries to instruct you isn't too adept at making the subject any fun. But I know a certain someone who can make your math as amusing as magic itself."

She looked at her dad with enthusiasm. "Really? Who?"

He grinned at her and winked. "Why, me, of course. I was a skilled navigator and that requires quite the array of mathematical knowledge. I am the best math tutor you can ask for, Lizziegirl." He rubbed his nose against hers. "Now, you go on upstairs and get your books, while your mother and I clean up in here." He raised his finger. "And no more histrionics, little lady; once is forgivable, but twice is no allowance for three weeks. Is that clear?"

He kissed her cheek and placed her back down on the floor. Lizzie looked sheepishly at all the broken plates on the floor and swallowed. "Will… those come out of my allowance?"

Emma laughed. "No baby, this was an accident. God… if I had to pay for everything I've broken with my magic I'd have enough debt to sink the economy of a small country." She bent over to pick up a broken place. "You do as your dad told you Lizzie, we'll call you when it's safe to come back down."

Lizzie sighed. "I'm… sorry mommy."

"It's fine, honey, just go get your books."

Lizzie nodded and ran upstairs to collect her schoolbag and prepare to do her homework. While it had been her reluctance to do her homework that had started the whole magic snafu, she was now kind of looking forward to sitting with her dad to work out her math problems. Because he always made everything fun. And because she did NOT want to lose her allowance for three weeks.

Killian and Emma remained crouched down as they picked up the pieces of broken crockery. Emma shook her head. "She's much more powerful than I was…" She looked at Killian. "Do you think I can do it?"

"Oh, aye. I'm positive love." He replied as he placed a busted glass in a plastic trash bag he had pulled over. "She needs to embrace it, Only then will she control it fully. You know how important that is."

Emma shook her head. "She's just… so little. I didn't start making things sparkle till I was about fourteen."

"You are the product of true love. You carry quite the magical endowment yourself, Swan." He reached for her arm. "But her? Lizzie's the daughter of the savior… AND the product of true love as well. What did you expect? Her capabilities are bound to have far more vigour. But…" He turned to her and smiled. "…she is equally bright and amazing as you are, Emma. She WILL be able to control it with your tutoring and guidance."

"You really believe that?"

He reached out for her hand. "I've yet to see you fail."

Emma sighed and nodded. "Okay, then. Seems we need to set some hours apart every week for magic one-oh-one…"

"Indeed we do, love."

xxxxxxxxx

FIVE DAYS AFTER THE SHIPWRECK

Lizzie woke in the middle of the night and looked around her. The sound of the crickets outside overwhelmed her as she silently tiptoed through the hut of the two friendly old cockle-mongers. She hated to leave like this, but the see'er had been clear: Blackbeard was probably searching and the longer she remained with them, the more she endangered these nice women who had helped her.

She reached for a piece of bread, a large lump of cheese, an apple and some grapes, and she carefully placed them in a satchel she found in the women's broom closet. She quietly tucked her father's cahrms under her ragged blouse and realized she'd have to find different clothes; she had been wearing her jagged Storybrooke duds and, for the eyes of a rtreasure-hunting pirate, she would stand out like a sore thumb.

She looked down at her hands and sighed. Never before had she been on her own, but never before had she been do desperate to find her way to her own home, to her mom and dad, and her brother. Never before had she needed to use what little magic she could control.

Now it was the time to begin to put her meager knowledge of magic to practice with whatever her mom had taught her.

She closed her eyes and held her palms up. "Feel love… think of who you want to protect… feel it…" Her fingers began to glow and a sudden wave of warmth surged from them, ensuring everyone in the house would remain asleep for at least the time she needed to make enough distance.

And the following monring, neither of one of them would remember her at all.

She looked at the women and sighed. "Thanks… I'm sorry. I have to do this or he will find you and hurt you. And I need to get home." She grinned and kissed the now deeply-asleep women on their heads before quietly making her way out of the hut.

The distant sound of burly, groaning, snarling prates below the slope of the hill made her swallow. She had no clue where to go, but since this was apirate's island, she at least knew that leaving through water was probably not the best idea. Perhaps a cloaking spell? Her mother had taught her how to do those more than once. It would probably be a lot better than a glamour spell. She was a child! It would not be normal to see an infant, no matter what her appearance, walking around by herself in the middle of the nigt, in a sea of bucaneers. That would be a dead giveaway.

Lizzie knew one thing: Blackbeard and his crew were seeking her out. There was no chance she'd be able to leave this island without help. Question was, where to begin? Did the dreadful pirate Blackbeard have any more enemies that might be willing to help her without pay or the value of her title?

She walked underneath the moon, trying hard to not allow herself to feel the vast woodland surrounding her get into her heart and fill her with gloom; if she stood any chance at all of getting back home to her parents, she had to block all sorts of negative emotions out of her and, as her granda Snow had always told her, always believe that there was hope.

She reached a cliffside that overlooked the ocean and she was amazed at the beauty of the landscape: The sea extended out on every other direction, the shadows of distant clipper and corvette ships glistening under the glow of a silver moon, reflecting on the quiet waves, like a shiny coin under the water of a shallow fountain. She understood why her dad loved the ocean.

She was pulled out of her musings by the sound of approaching footsteps and her heartbeat quickened its pace. "Feel, don't think…" she whispered to herself as she whisped her hand up and a cloud of lilac smoke enveloped her, cloaking her unde a shroud of invisibility. Satisfied to see her magic had worked well, she sat in silence on a rock and waited.

Two men were climbing up the same trail path she had taken not ten minutes before. No pirate would be hiking in the middle of the night with so many pubs and wenches available in the village down below, unless they were on a quest. She could bet her entire savings back home that these guys were from Blackbeard's crew.

"He will not be lettin' us off the 'ook, pardon the pun, should we not find the little welp this eve…" One man, toothless, bald and skinny, spoke in a slurr of alcohol and the need to catch his breath. "And truth is, we're no closer to findin' 'er than we are to finding the crown jewels."

"Aye aye. But you know we got to at least report that we found a clue as to 'er whereabouts, or it's the plank for us, mate. Remember wha' happened to Pete Daggerfingers last night. Bloody good meal for the barracuda!" Another heavier, tougher-looking man replied. "Aw me achin' bones. I'm a soddin' cook, not a bleedin' nanny." He bent back and stretched. "You don't suppose the brat would be around 'ere, would ya? I mean, it's the middle of the night, we're in the woods, children fear the forest at night."

"Odds are, we will 'ave to raid the houses." The other man replied as he reached for his belt and took a swig out of a flask. "Might not be so difficult where it not for the Cap'n telling us not to raise any suspicions or shed any blood."

"Get on, 'e probably was speakin' figuratively!" The bigger man smiled. "We go in, find the suckling, and slash the throat of anyone who begins to get rowdy."

Lizzie gulped.

"No, Cobbleton!" The skinier one turned and faced the bigger guy. "No blood will be shed this night. For two main rasons, mate: One, tis full moon! It's bad bloody luck if we're not onboard the ship." He spat on the ground adn spun in a circle. Lizzie knew some odd rituuals her own supersticious father often practiced to avoid jinxing hismelf, but this one was completely new. "Besides, it's the cap'n's orders and I'm not about to go provoking 'im if I'm to keep me skin on me."

The other guy nodded. "Right then. Well, best be off. We need to at least be able to say we got a lead."

Silently (and praying her cloaking spell would hold), she followed the men around, trying to catch their conversation. Unfortunatley the were now silent as they focused on the search (although they seemed far more focused on finding their footing on a rather difficult, rocky trail leading to the bay below).

"Aye. Wha' the bloody hell does 'e want the whelp for, anyways?"

The bigged guy laughed as he began to walk away. "'E needs 'er as leverage, I think… and for that, e first needs to find 'er, and keep 'er in one piece…"

"But what for? I mean, is this lass a royal? Is she worth 'er weight in gold?"

"'Ave you not 'eard?" The man replied. "The brat we seek is the child of Cap'n 'ook."

"Aw get on!" The man laughed. "THE Cap'n 'ook?"

"Aye., one and the same."

"He'd not be 'avin' a child, at least not one he'd acknowledge! What makes anyone think Killian Jones would 'ave 'imself a daughter?" He chuckled, almost tripping over a vine.

The man sighed. "Well, believe it or not, 'ook apparently lost 'is bearings completely over some snip. 'E abandoned piracy altogether. Some sort of mighty white conjurer folk call the Savior. Lost 'is 'eart to her siren magic."

"Bloody 'ell! Who'd 'ave thought it!"

"Oh aye. They 'ad this infant together, te cap'n says. And this suckling is what 'e's lookin' for." He huffed. "But we'd best be on our guard. If she is indeed the offspring of this sorceress, you can bet she knows the ways of the magical arts. I'd rather walk the plank than end up a snail on the trail we passed."

Not a bad idea if you decide to turn on me, Lizzie thought as she tried to stiffle a giggle.

"And why on earth would anyone want to take 'er for?" The other guy moaned. "A pirate's loinsprout? What could she possibly be worth?"

"Well, first and foremost, this pirate's "loinsprout" was born to the daughter of princess Snow White and Prince David, of the Enchanted Forest."

"Whoa wait…" the skinny pirate laughed. "Are you sayin' 'ook's paramour is not just a white witch but… also a bloody princess?"

"Oh aye. And the cap'n 'as some business 'e needs seein' to with that particular family. With the brat in 'is power, 'e can easily find these bloody royals and do 'is business with them. Especially Hook."

"You mean, 'is royal highness, Prince Hook of Mist'aven!" The skinny man laughed on. "Well, Blackbeard's right about one thing, 'e did go softer than a babby's stool."

"Regardless, it's important we find 'er first."

First?

The skinny pirate huffed. "Why?"

The larger man stopped and turned to him. "Becasue, we need 'er in one piece; basically, this is about us gettin' to 'er first, before Blackbeard's men do, otherwise we will ne'er get her and Blackbeard will win… "

Lizzie's eyes widened. Had she heard right? These men also looked for her… but were not part of Blackbeard's crew?

Maybe this was the chance she had been hoping for.

As they reached the shores, Lizzie smiled at the sight of the vessels, much like the Jolly Roger back home. It was like something taken out of Henry's book (which it actually kind of was).

As best she could, she followed the men into a ship that read "Forsaken Mermaid Joanna". A tall, thin silhouette, cloaked in darkness, greeted the men. "Cobbleton! Spyke! So what was the catch, men?"

The two men slouched and the tall,broad-shouldered one spoke first. "We did not find 'er. Scouwered the whole bloody village for a day. "

"For all we know, cap'n, she may 'ave drowned while passing the portal. She's a wee lass, wha' chance 'as she…"

"Nay sailor. The child lives! And she's in this village." The man emerged from the shadows and Lizzie was very surprised to find a rather young and handsome-looking man that looked less like a pirate and more like an officer. "Now, here is the catch: You find her, and you bring her on board the Joanna, and you get your reward. Fail to do so… and she will be nabbed by Blackbeard. That, I fear, will be a death sentence for all those who fail to retrieve her safely. She is worth her weight in gold, that girl, and I want her alive, unspoiled and in one piece, is that clear?"

The two men saluted. "Aye aye, cap'n."

The man sighed and scratched his ear; the gesture seemed to eerilie resemble her father's common mimicking and Lizzie frowned. "Very well. You sleep this night. Tomorrow at the crack of dawn, you and three more men will be scouwering the village once more. I want that little girl alive and well and as far away from Blackbeard as possible."

The two men took off and the handsome young captain hung his head. "I will find you, Elizabeth Jones." He sighed with a voice that sounded far calmer than the voices of the pirates.

Lizziequietly made her way to a heap of sail crumpled on the far end of the bough, to settle for the night.

Perhaps tomorrow she'd find it in her to negotiate with the misterious captain of the Joanna for her freedom; Being held for ransome felt considerably better than the prospect of a life of servitude to an avengeful Blackbeard.

Xxxxxxxxx

STORYBROOKE, FIVE DAYS AFTER THE SHIPWRECK

"Have you tried the mirror, Emma?" Regina sighed. "You found Ariel like that, remember? Maybe you can …"

"Of course I have. Did you think I didn't do that first?" Emma spoke, her voice wavering. "It only shows a black haze of smoke, either she didnt cross realms or my magic is just not enough to find her."

Killian shook his head from the couch. "She… went down into the water, love." He swallowed. "If she lived though that, it is most likely she would have been dragged ashore, either here or in the next town."

"And we already checked there, by radio." David shook his head. "There are no reports of a girl, dead or alive, washed up on the shores nearby."

"Bloody hell." Killian huffed, his head still hung.

"What about a tracking potion?" Regina huffed.

Emma looked at her and her eyes filled with tears. "I… I wanted to make that my last choice."

"Why?"

"B… because if she is … if she is d… gone, the tracking spell will lead us directly to the water and…" she sobbed. "I'm too afraid."

Killian looked up, his own eyes rimed with red. He stood up and paced to Emma, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Emma…" He whispered, his face broken. "Perhaps it is time we… we start embracing the possibility that she… she might be…"

"No, she's alive!" She turned to him shaking, eyes fiery. "I know she is. She can't be dead!" She then looked back to Regina. "And if she is… I want a body. I want something I can touch! Confirmation that she is… she is gone."

"Love, somethines… sometimes the sea just claims a soul. No remains are evr found. I've lived enoug sea-fairing man to know this." He pced around, somber. "Alas, if she lives, I will be the first to leap with joy, but facing the truth, Emma, the chances that a small child like our daughter would survive that malmstrom are very slim."

Emma walked to him and looked into his eyes, determined and annoyed. "Are you giving up?"

"No. No my love, not just yet." He grinned sadly. "I will look for her till my dying breath if need be and if that is what you will of me. I still have hope. All I am saying, however…" he took her gently by the shoulders. "…is that we should not close ourselves off from the possibility that this might be a futile pursuit. Now, I will search under every rock in Storybrooke. I too, want to hold on to the possibility of finding her. But I also know this: I do not want to chase a fool's errand more than I have to, Swan, and hurt ourselves more than need be. It has been five days as it is. If, by next full moon, we have not found her…" He shook his head. "…then I beg you to allow us both to accept that our daughter has passed. We let her go." He stared into her glazed eyes and walked out of the house, to break down a little bit and away from the prying eyes of his family, hoping that, wherever his little girl was, she wouldn't think of him as a traitor.