The Way Back Home

by CuteMcBeauty

Years after defeating the black fairy, Killian and Emma take their daughter Lizzie sailing when a sudden storm rips their vessel apart. After much searching, they assume she is dead. Killian and Emma deal with their grief while Lizzie Jones desperately seeks to find her way back home to her parents and family, all the while discovering the powerful magic within her.

7. Chapter 7

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS AND LIKES PEEPS! KEEP'EM FLOWING PLEASE! ANY COMMENTS OR IDEAS ARE WELCOME!

CHAPTER 7: THE JONES CHILDREN.

THE MORNING OF THE FUNERAL: 7:10 am

Henry had trimmed his goatee earlier the night before, and the fast growing shards of facial hair had already begun to show around the previously smooth area of his jawline. "Damnit!" he hissed under his breath as he once again took a hold of his electric clippers. He wanted to look his best to bid his little sister farewell, but for some reason the machine didn't seem to give him the desired effect.

He was caught off guard by a soft rap on the door. "Just a second…" he shouted as he turned off his clipper and placed it on the side of the sink. He turned to the door and opened it to find the sullen figure of Killian Jones. His stepdad had been up since the first light and was already clean and clad in a black attire, looking calm but sullen.

"Oh… apologies, lad. Emma's using our own lavatory and from the looks of it she will be a while. I'll come back in a few."

"Nah, I was done with that thing anyway." Henry shrugged in frsutration as he rubbed his jaw. "I can't seem to rid myself of the stubble on my jaw. It's like a lawn. Not even a full one at that."

Killian chuckled sadly. "Nothing bad ever came from allowing your stubble to grow. I've had it since I first grew hair on my face as a lad a few years shy of your age…"

Henry huffed. "Well, not all of us are blessed with a perfectly full beard, Killian. Don't take it the worng way, bu I'm not as hairy as you are. " he chuckled sheepishly. "Therefore, I like to keep the hair limited to my mouth and chin, where it actually grows." He huffed and looked at the clippers. "But that thing doesn't seem to cut it. Literally."

Killian nodded. "Ah. I see. I think I know the answer to your conundrum, lad. Just… allow me to relieve myself and I'll help you out."

Henry stood aside and Killian passed through, closing the door behind him. Once the toilet was flushed, the pirate opened the door. "Right then, m'boy. What you need is a good old fashioned close blade shave. Sit yourself down on the comode. I'll show you how it's done."

Henry frowned, swallowed and nodded in agreement. He had left Storybrooke for college just three years after the Final Battle, still seventeen and barely showing signs of facial fluff. It seemed that Killian's sudden necessity to teach his stepson how to shave may have been direly required a year into his education, but NYU was nowhere near Storybrooke.

The young man, now twenty one going on twenty two, sat and observed in awe as Killian produced a hand blade; he tightened a leather strap between his hook and his knees and ran the blade across it to perfectly sharpen the silver edge. After admiring the shiny sharp edge and grinning in satisfaction, he ran a face towel through hot water and turned to Henry. "First thing, m'boy: very important to open the pores, it will lessen the damage to your skin and make it easier for any stray ingrown hairs to emerge. You really, really don't want those. Here, lean back." Henry leaned his head against the wall as Killian placed the steaming cloth on the lower part of his face.

"Ow, holy shit, that burns!" Henry winced.

Killian laughed softly as he gingerly accomodated the wet steaming towel over the young man's jaw. "I will allow you such language merely because you're a man now and not a boy, just don't let Emma hear you speak that way. Or… don't tell her I allowed it, rather." Killian nodded. "Right. So… keep that there and I will work up a lather."

Henry knew exactly what was going on. As a future lawyer, he had a keen eye for behaviors. Killian had lost his daughter, and was now leaning on the only simile of a child he had left, his stepson. He seemed to be so focused on the process of Henry's close shave, that Henry had the distinct impression, for the first time in a week, that his stepfather was enjoying the moment. He was happy. The young man grinned under the hot towel and took a deep breath, allowing the moment to flow. "Killian, seriously, how the hell do you know how to do this? You don't shave."

Killian tilted his head to the side with a shrug, his good hand whipping up the brush into a bar of soap. "What makes you think I never shave, lad? I have shaved many times in my very long lifetime." He seemed to hesitate at that particular wording, porbably wondering why he'd been alive for over two hundred years while his daughter's enxistence had been snipped at merely seven years of age. He quickly shoved the thought aside and grinned again. "I very well know it can be a huge pain in the arse to do so, so I just avoid it and limit myself to clipping." He turned to Henry and nodded. "You can remove that now."

Henry obliged and pulled the cloth away from his face. "What should I do?"

"Observe… and learn." Killian sat the foaming cup of soap on the vanity and produced the blade and a hand mirror for Henry to hold and watch "So first things first, Henry. The underside of the chin. The neck. You want to get that first.". He leaned in to look at the growth on the boy. "Huh… not much there… but quite a bit right here, under the jaw. So…" He reached for the brush and evenly soaped Henry's jaw, underneath his ears, under the chin and up to his nose, carefully avoiding the nice growth around his mouth. "There we go." He then reached for the blade. "Secret to this lad, is, first of all, the blade must be very, very sharp. A blunt blade will not to. Second, always go against the grain. Upward motions, all the time. Then third, and quite vital, " He said as he began to run the blade up his stepson's jaw, the crackling sound of facial hair filling the void between Killian's smooth velvety words relaying instructions. "Never lean the blade in. It must always be at an angle, not vertical. That's a guaranteed way to cut yourself."

Henry spoke, his lips pressed tight. "This will take forever."

Killian looked slightly stung. "You'd rather use that power operated mosntrosity and complain about it not doing the job right? If there was one thing I never abode from my crew, it was slopiness, but since you are your own man now, I suppose we can stop and you can go back to…"

"No, no Killian, it's ok." Henry sat up. "I'm sorry, I suppose I can use the knowledge. Just keep going."

Killian recomposed and grinned shyly, as he went back to his work. He cleaned the blade on the now cold rag and looked back at his handywork under Henry's chin, smiling. "There we go. Take a look."

Henry raised his face and looked in the mirror. "Oh… WOW!" He smiled, legitimately impressed with the outcome. "That's awesome!"

Killian huffed and smiled fully, the sadness in his eyes not completely dissipating but with a gleam that Henry recongnized as legitimate joy. "Well, glad you like it. Allow me to finish the job, lad? Or do you want a go at it?"

Henry could easily have done it. But Killian seemed so excited and focused on the joy of the bonding, he grinned. "Nah. I'm lazy. Besides, you're good at this. You do it now and I'll tend to it from now on."

Killian happily completed the job and then splashed a healthy doze of lotion that made Henry wince and hiss in pain. But once he looked at the cleanliness of the shave and felt how smooth it felt, he was happy to have allowed Killian the honor. The pirate seemed pleased with his work. "How does that feel, lad?"

"Pretty pro!" he turned to Killian. "Thanks Killian. " He looked down at his feet. "Seems we didn't get a huge chance to get you to teach me all this stuff."

The pirate shrugged. "Ah, it's fine, m'boy. You were encumbered with your studies. I can understand that."

Henry nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Did you ever… teach this to my dad?"

Killian shook his head. "Alas, he was but a boy. Bae hardly had any kind of body hair at all, when I met him, and since he remained in Neverland for the duration of his stay on the Jolly Roger, he never grew enough for me to instruct him on that, nor on how to do many things a man should know of." He shrugged. "Then I had a daughter and well, it sort of falls to the mother to instruct her about life's little tricks, and before you became a man you had to leave to pursue your education, so…"

Henry sighed and nodded. "Well, if it helps to know…" he looked into Killian's eyes, his own filled with tears. "It doesn't matter to me… who you were, what you did. You changed honorably and… well…" He shrugged. "…as far as I am concerned and for all practical matters, Killian… you… you ARE my father. The only real one I've ever had that lasted more than a few months actually being a dad. So…" he reached out and hugged the suddenly emotion struck pirate who gingerly returned the embrace. "Lizzie may be gone, but… you haven't lost both your kids."

Killian's embrace tightened, his eyes clenched tight. "Oh… Henry…. Thank you. Thank you…."

The two men (because, yes, as far as Killian was concerned, his "son" was a man now) walked downstairs to find a tired Emma, dressed also in black, waiting for her boys. The sight of Henry also brought a sporadic and bright smile to her face. "Henry…" she reached out and touched her son's cheeks. "You look…"

"I know." The boy smiled, chin up, and Emma rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Seems Killian's had a crtain influence on you, huh…"

"I would hope so, Swan." Killian concurred, swallowing the tears of mixed emotion that had just formed in his eyes. "He's my son."

Henry nodded with an emotional grin, still staring at his mom. Emma's eyes darted from her man to her (very adult) son, and she cried through a smile as she reached to touch the faces of the men before her. "Oh… my boys…" She pulled them in to hold them. Killian and Henry returned the embrace. "I love you guys… "

"Love you too, mom. I'm right here for you. For both of you. We're a family. You guys… we're together, we can pull through this."

The trio silently held each other before finally emerging, cleaning the tears from their eyes with knuckles and sleeves… and made their way to the dock to bid Lizzie Jones farewell.

THE EVENING OF THE FUNERAL: 9:35 PM

"Rumplestiltskin has played us before…" David shook his head. "Can we trust him?"

Everyone looked attently at Killian, as he hung his head and sighed, pressing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his index. "I don't know mate… but, and despite my long years feuding with the old Crocodile, I can say that I… I didn't see a trace of his old scheming ways in his eyes. I've known him long enough to tell when he's fibbing and I can say that, for the first time ever, he was most likely telling the truth."

"But how would he know?" Henry shrugged. "I mean, how did he know?"

Regina sighed and paced around the table. "Magic creates some kind of… aura. Whenever a portal opens, that aura can be shaken and some magic wielding people might be able to feel it."

Henry squinted his eyes. "So my grandpa is a Sith Lord who felt a disturbance in the force? Is that it?"

Emma frowned. "If he's a sith, Regina, Zelena and I are practically Jedi." She looked at Regina. "How come we… I, din't feel it? I was right there."

Regina sat before Emma. "Emma, I hate to ask you this, especially today. But I need you to tell me… that storm. What was it like?"

Emma shook her head and slid her fingers into her hair, her elbows on the table. "I don't know, Regina. I… It's like I blocked it out, all I remember is the wind and… Killian holding on to us. That's all."

Regina turned to Killian. "And you? Do you recall anything?"

Killian raised his eyebrows. "Practically the same thing. One minute we were sailing, the next the vessel had capsized and I was struggling to keep both myself and my family afloat. It's al hazy after that, until I awoke at the shore." He clenched his jaw. "Why would anyone want to killy my daughter?"

Zelena interjected. "No offense, Captain." She spoke as elegantly as ever. "But even while you, my sister and I may have changed, we do have a past that ocassionally rears it's nasty hairy head to bite us in the arse when we least expect it. You, most of all. You've lived the longest, who knows who you may have wronged."

"But why Lizzie?" Snow shook her head. "It makes no sense. And why does Gold want to be apart of this quest?" She looked up at the rest of her family. "As much as I may want to believe him, we all know that even though he may trully be on our side ther has to be some kind of gain for him."

Regina looked up at Snow. "Maybe it's the kind of magic only a dark wizard might detect." She looked at Emma and Zelena. "Might explain why none of us felt it. Not even you Emma." She stood again and nodded as realization hit. "The Dark One is immortal, but his wife and son are not, and his son is still only nine. Any indication that there might be some other new villain trying to get into town or using dark magic would be like… territorial invasion to him." She looked at Killian. "You are right, captain. He IS telling the truth. But there is a definite underlying interest beneath this." She turned to look at the others. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I suggest we listen to Gold. If anything, you will at least know where Lizzie rests and hopefully…" She pressed her lips together and nodded woefully. "…bring her back home."

Emma stared blankly at nothing and sighed. "Another villain… after eight years, another villain… " She looked up at Regina. "I am not sure I have it in me right now to be the savior. I don't think I een know how to be the savior any more. I was just so happy…" Fresh tears that she didn't believe she could produce any more shone in her eyes, "…so happy just being a wife… a mother… the Sheriff. That's it. That's all."

Killian walked around the table and rubbed his hand on her shoulder, while David reached out and grinned. "Emma…we will all do this together. Like old times. The kids can stay with Granny, she did mention the other day that she misses being the official baby sitter." Zelena and Snow agreed with a nod.

"We will get to the bottom of this, mom." Henry grinned.

"Agreed, but if this is the ne plan, for now I want to pick up my daughter and enjoy the rest of the evening with her." Zelena sighed as she stood up. "What time should we convene in the morning Captain?"

Killian shook his head. "I've no idea. Gold didn't say. He just said he'd be back in the morning."

Zelena shrugged. "Well, my pretties, be sure to let me know as soon as any of you gets an inkling; I'm not leaving Robin to a babysitter more than I need to. If I have learned anything from this is that I will cherish every second I can get with my little girl." She looked at Emma and gave her a sympathetic nod before poofing away.

Regina huffed and looked at all the Charmings, one at a time. "I know Rumplestiltskin. He will probably be here after breakfast, which means we should all be ready by nine, the latest." She looked at the Joneses. "Will you be needing anything? Hook? Emma?"

Emma stood up and sighed. "No. Not tonight. I think we just need sleep."

"Aye. It's been a trying time, love."

Regina nodded and looked at Henry with a tender little grin. "Stay with me tonight?"

Henry nodded and stood. "Yeah. Yeah I'll go with you mom." He walked over to Emma and Killian and hugged them simultaneously. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. If you need anything at all, call me; I'll be here right away, ok?"

Emma kissed his forehead (had to stand on the tips of her toes now to do that) and Killian hugged the boy back with a reassuring pat on the back. "Thank you for everything, lad."

One by one, they all left, leaving Emma and Killian to the cold silence of their empty home. He looked at his wife as she focused on washing the plates. "Emma…" He touched her arm. "Love…"

Emma spun suddenly, fiercely, and shut the tap off, running her hand through her hair. "I can't believe I just returned from the fueral of our child to hear we're about to embark in battle again. AGAIN, Killian, after all this time!" She looked at him. "How do I even know I can do this?" She paced to him, her gaze changing from fiery to worried. "And you? If Gold is telling the truth and someone killed Lizzie… what will you do? Will I lose you? Will I lose you too, to anger and vengeance?"

Killian had not thought about the possibility of his darkest impusles taking over once more, but the mere notion of facing a culprit to blame for the death of his daughter could easily become a trigger that could once aain launch him into a dark quest to sate a thirst for vengeful blood. But then he looked at Emma, eyes slightly swollen and her beautiful face tired and ashen, and a soft grin traced his lips.

"Emma, before all this, before I met you, I was empty. I had nothing, I was an orphan slaveboy whose only family died at the hands of powerlust. Liam's death turned me into a pirate and Milah's murder, into a drunken villain." He reached for her shouders with hand and hook. "But now… even if we do find the villain that took our baby girl from us, I will refrain from giving in to any murderous impulse. I will not become that man again. Not when I have you, and Henry… and your parents, who are practically parents to me as well." He pulled her into his arms and she getly hugged him back. "I promise, love. I will not be weak as I was when the darkness took over me. I will not become a villain ever again." He kissed her head and rocked her from side to side.

"Good." Emma closed her eyes and held him back. "I'll need you to be strong… because I don't know if I will be. If Gold is right and someone killed our little girl, I don't know if I won't want to tear his or her eyes out when I find them."

"You won't my love. You won't. I've curved your dark impulses before, I can do it again. Hush now. Shh."

After a brief silence, Emma chuckled. "Henry has a beard."

"Aye. And a good one too." Killian laughed back. He pulled from Emma's face and touched her chin with his thumb. "He's a good lad. He's grown into a fine man who loves both his mothers fiercely."

"And his dad as well." She grinned at him. "Whatever you guys talked about, I couldn't have wished for a better father for Henry when Neal passed away. You've done well, Killian. Henry adores you."

Killian smiled fully. "Aye. Aye and for that I am grateful. Now…" he gently tapped his lips on her. "Leave the cleaning, Swan. We can do that some other time. For now, let's retire. We've a trying day tomorrow, and you … we, we need our sleep."

She nodded and sighed into his chest. "Will we be ok? Without our baby?"

"She would want us to be." He sighed back. "So aye. I've told you before, Emma Swan. I will never stop fighting for us. Ever."

EIGHT DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

Liam Jones II held his spyglass to his eye and grunted as he caught sight of the Queen Anne's Revenge docked at port. He sighed as he brought the spyglass down and swallowed. "There she is."

"Captain, shall I bring the girl up?" A sailor enquired. "To find her a hiding place."

"No, we will wait for the shelter of nightfall, Harvey." Liam shook his head. "Lizzie's right. If we play too much cloak and dagger they'll pick up on her trail. No." He handed the spyglass over to the sailor. "No, she will remain here." He turned to the man. "You have work to do."

"'Ave I now?"

"Yes. I've a mission for you. You will take Bloom and Jacobson down with you and you will scout for viable places where we can hide the girl. Avoid the inns and whorehouses, that's where his men love to spend their silver. Also, find out whatever you can about Blackbeard's whereabouts."

"I'd wager he will be wanting to show his arse 'ere, Cap'n, seeing as you are in port. He knows you to be kin to the lass."

"Aye, that he does." Liam nodded. "And that is why, by the time that happens, Lizzie must be safely concealed and nowhere near this ship. We probably have but a few hours before dusk, so be off, and do not return without the proper information."

"How about Nemo, sir?" Harvey frowned. "She would not only be safe under his watch, but he might also be able to deliver her directly back to your brother."

Liam turned to him. "Don't you think I've pondered on that option? It would be ideal, but what are the odds that the Nautilus will just randomly emerge today, of all places, in an island that is concealed from all maps by a magic cloak more powerful than any concealment conjurment ever cast? It would be easy for the girl to contact her parents were it not for said cloaking device!" He chuckled and looked back in the direction of Blackbeard's ship. "So unless that were the case, the chances of that happening are rather slim."

"I could find a hiding place for the lassie and maybe also seek out a local see'er or witch." Tha man added. "With the right measure o' gold, she might let on a trick on how to allow us to sail the bloody hell away from this place."

"Lizzie is the key to that as well. The charms around her neck? They were her father's. They serve not only as an amulet of protection, but as a key of sorts that enables an entire vessel to sail through the cloaking spell. Killian had that for two hundred years and only gave it to his daughter because he thought his days of illegal trade were long over."

"Aye so there you have it! Let's just sail off!"

"It's not that easy, sailor. The charms require a spell, one that is tethered strictly to the person who first used them to enter the cove. My brother was here many a time, and I am sure that were he wearing the neck charms, we would probably be doing a few knots in the direction of Misthaven by now." He looked at the man. "You find that sorcerer, and ask how one might activate the charms, or some other information that may enable us to leave. But Harvey…. Have care whom you speak to. These shores are crawling with Blackbeard's spies. Many of the local barkeeps and whores are loyal to him and his men. Trust no one on instant, not until you find them to be reliable." He placed his hands on his shoulders. "when you fund such a person, you come back to me, and relay your information to no one else but I. Is that clear?"

"Aye aye Cap'n!" The man saluted and nodded. "Anything else you might need from me?"

"Liam shook his head. "No. You do that. I will have Higgins and Kwame sneak into Blackbeard's vessel and search for a bean the moment he comes here to parlay with me about the girl."

"You'll need eyes to inform you of the man's every move."

"I've got that covered."

Harvey nodded and huffed. "Very well cap'n. I'll find Bloom first, gods know she's probably in the kitchen stuffin' 'er face. Jacobson was just below deck not ten minutes ago. I'll just realy your orders and I promise, sir… I will find a place for your wee niece to hide."

"Good man." Liam nodded.

As soon as Harvey had left, Lizzie emerged from the quarters. Harvey hissed at her. "Oi! You're not supposed to be 'ere!"

Liam turned suddenly and rushed to her. "Lizzie, what did I tell you? Stay below deck!"

"My magic can work." She smiled. "Not for too long, but it can do things."

Liam frowned. "C… Can you contact your family?"

Her face fell. "Sort of. I can see them. But they can't see me." She looked up at him. "I'm pretty strong but this cloak is too powerful. But maybe I can figure out where to go and what to do, or who can help us."

"Lizzie, that's no guarantee. I know you mean to help but…"

"Uncle Liam, please trust me!" Elizabeth began to plead.. "I just saw my mom and dad. They're devastated. They think I've died. The see'er told me that I have two weeks before they give me up for dead and altogether stop searching, after my funeral. It's already been a week! If my mom and dad lose hope of finding me, I'll never be able to break away from the cove and Blackbeard will eventually find me. Please. Just let me try!"

Liam pressed his lips together and sighed deep as he nodded. "Fine. Pray there are no spies around to see you work your magic out here in the open, or we will be sitting ducks."

She brinned. "No need. You have a mirror below deck, I'll show you."

Liam followed the child back into his quarters and saw in amusement as the girl closed her eyes and wriggled her hand and… began to hum a haunting, beautiful melody that had even him in trance. Soon enough, he was awed by the sight of his full body mirror, twirling and distorting into an image of a young woman.

Lizzie was thinking hard. Show me who can help me. Show me how.

An image began to form in the mirror and Liam narrowed his eyes. There was a beautiful young woman, dancing at a ball, dressed in a flowing blue gown, ginger hair hanging loose behind her back, and a man that looked pretty much like a Prince, smiling at her.

"I don't… understand, Lizzie… How is she supposed to help us?"

Lizzie observed, holding the tune as much as she could, feeding the magic in the mirror while her own energy slowly began to wain. Who was this woman? Suddenly, a clue: She wore a shell around her neck, one she had seen before, in her father's chest. He had called it a shell-phone.

She broke the song and fell to the floor. It was a mere faint and Liam managed to catch her. "Niece! Niece are you alright?" He asked frantically, fanning her with his hand.

Lizzie opened her eyes and smiled. "That… that is the woman who can help us!"

"D… do you know her?" He frowned.

"I don't. But my mom and dad do. I know who she is!" She managed to stand up, feeling slightly light headed. "Her name is Ariel. That sea shell around her neck? She uses it to communicate between realms. She's a mermaid. She wears a bracelet so she can live as a human with prince Eric." She swallowed. "Mermaid magic can cross any realm, even this one!"

Liam began to smile. "So… if we find another shell that can allow you to speak to her…"

"She cna and will find my parents and tell them everything. And hopefully they can find me as soon as they know where I am." She smiled back. "I told you I was resourceful."

Liam laughed. "Indeed you are! A Jones and a child of the savior! You do not dissapoint niece. HARVEY!"

Liam ran up to the deck to intercept his errand man with the new specifications for his mission. Lizzie was indeed to be hidden, and he was to also find a way to make the skull and dagger charm work… and all the more, find a mermaid's talkin shell that would enable them to speak to this… Ariel.