*notes*

Again the SQSQSQSQSQ line is a scene change in this chapter.

Chapter 6

Emma shot up from the bed as fast as she could when her eyes opened. It took her a few moments to realize where she was. She was confused and disoriented. Pain finally accrued where she got shot and that's when Emma yelled. "Ow! She looked down to her womb and that's when she finally remembered everything. A rush of images started to flood her mind. She remembers jumping in the way of the bullet when Tamara shot Neal. She remembers how Neal was fine but she wasn't. She remembers falling to the ground and that's when everything went black.

Snow comes walking in the room with a coffee in her hand and immediately drops her coffee on the floor at the sight of Emma awake.

"Oh my God Emma. You're awake!" Immediately she ran over to Emma to hug her. Happy tears were now running down from her eyes.

Emma hugged her mother back before demanding to know where everyone was. Snow didn't know where to start.

"A lot has happened since you went after Greg and Tamara and got shot."

"Oh yeah? Well how about you tell me about it! Like for instance, where's Henry and where is Regina?"

Snow looked at her daughter for a few moments, trying to find the right words to tell Emma what was going on, without alarming her. She always wondered why her daughter always wanted to know what Regina was up to. She could tell Emma had taken a liking to Regina already and she didn't like it. She wasn't sure if Regina could be trusted. There was too much baggage between her and Regina and she didn't want Emma to be hurt by Regina as she had been in the past. Yet, nonetheless she responded back to her daughter and told her everything, carefully phrasing the facts so that Emma could dimension how pressing the situation was. Snow told her how Henry had been taken away to Neverland after he had been captured by Greg and Tamara. She also debriefed her on how Regina and David left for Neverland in a haste, and how Neal followed them in this quest.

Emma then started to panic. Was that dream really just a dream that woke her up? Or was it somehow Regina that woke her up by getting in her mind? She didn't know. She only knows how intense and vivid those images had been, and how she felt. But now that she's awake, she needed to find a way to her son and to Regina.

Emma started ripping off all of the cables attached to her body, the IV drip and anything else that tied her to that hospital bed. The hospital had placed on her various monitors and medical equipment to keep track of her brain waves, her heartbeat, her oxygen levels, as well as the IV she had inserted in her left wrist. Emma wasn't waiting around another minute before being able to get to her family. She started looking around the room for her clothes.

"Sweety, do you think that's a good idea? Maybe you should wait for Dr. Whale to give you the okay to go? You have been unconscious for a while and your body must be weak from the lack of movement.".

Snow's concern started to turn into panic, as she knew how stubborn her daughter could be, knowing perfectly well that regardless of what she or Dr. Whale said, Emma wouldn't be dissuaded or stopped.

Emma looked at Snow dead in the face as if she just told her to forget about her family. As if they being gone or missing wasn't such a big deal. No matter what anyone said, Regina was family and she definitely cared for her. Probably more than she should.

"I'm not waiting around another minute to get my family back. I'm going to see Gold right now, to see if he can help us get to Neverland. Something tells me he doesn't know Neal is there yet! And I'm going to use that to our advantage. He's most likely to go after Neal once he hears that he went to Neverland too."

Emma then got off the hospital bed and found her red leather jacket on the nearby chair of the room and grabbed it. She found her clothes neatly folded on the chair's seat. The top that had once been drenched in blood was clean, but still held the hole where the bullet entered her body. She dressed in a rush and put the jacket on with pain from her womb. Yet that didn't stop her. She winced while she put her garments on, but finished the task in less than a minute.

She then walked out of the room and headed briskly to the hospital doors and went straight to find Gold. Snow obviously followed her. She was grateful that no one stopped them on their way out, because things would have gotten pretty ugly. Knowing Emma, she probably would have killed anyone that tried to stop her from leaving the hospital premises.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Meanwhile, while Neal and David are searching for Regina in Neverland, she disappears to a new location every time they get too close to the camp.

"I don't think this is helping. She's literally being moved on purpose to keep us from finding Henry. I think Henry should be our first priority! Not the Evil Queen!" said Neal

David just looked at him for a moment before finally gathering his thoughts to respond.

"Look, I know this is a distraction but we HAVE to find Regina. If Emma wakes up and finds her way from Storybrooke to this island, which I know she will and Snow will be right behind her, I'm pretty sure she will be extremely upset if we didn't try to save Regina as well as Henry. Whether I like it or not, Regina and Emma have formed some sort of bond, a relationship of sorts, and I have to respect that. She would want us to rescue both!"

"Relationship? What kind of relationship are you referring to? I know Emma was more upset to find out I was getting married than anything Regina did or said!"

"Look…I saw something a few weeks ago. I can't tell anyone what I saw because it's not my secret to tell. But let's just say, Emma cares for Regina in more ways than any of us thinks. Okay? Now we need to find Regina. But first, I think I just realized a way we can find out if Emma is okay!"

Neal was going to argue with David before he said he might have a way to find out about Emma being okay or not. That's when Neal shut up and kept his thoughts to himself, instead of continue arguing and told David to continue.

"Ariel! She's this mermaid I know from the Enchanted Forrest. I bet I could call her here to this realm. Mermaids are one of the few creatures that can travel through realms. Which means she can go to Storybrooke and come back without using a portal!"

"How do you know a mermaid? Especially a good one that will do what we ask?"

"This one's different. She's Snow's friend. It's a long story. I'll tell you later!"

David then started walking off in the direction that he hoped the beach was at. Neal followed him, still reluctant but hopeful.

"Where are you going?"

"To the beach! I know how to call her from there! We only need to get to the water and I'll take care of the rest."

"Oh, be glad then that I'm with you, because you're not going the right way! The beach is in the opposite direction. If you keep going that way, as a matter of fact, you'll probably end up in the belly of a crocodile, or something less friendly."

"Are you seriously implying crocodiles are friendly creatures? Or do you just have a strange sense of humor." said David with a mocking grin on his face.

Neal felt all smug knowing that David depended on him to navigate this complex island.

Neal took off in a different direction and David followed suit. The path to the beach was all covered with all sorts of vegetation. Their progress was slow, since they had to remove thick leaves to the sides to pass the narrow path.They still had a couple of hours of daylight to make it to the beach on time to find Ariel.

Neal said the beach wasn't too far. They would have to walk quite a distance for sure, but nothing too terrible. They had already been in worst trails than the one they were currently in. That fruitless search for Regina had taken them to some unpleasant places in the island. At some point they had to cross some quicksand pits to get close to Regina's location. Just to find out that she had been magically relocated to a different place. David hoped Pan didn't suspect what their new plan was, or else he would probably concoct some other trick to get them lost or hide Ariel from them.

After what felt like an eternity, they finally started breathing in the scent of the ocean. They still couldn't hear the waves breaking in the shore, but they were definitely getting closer to the beach. Neal started to worry that in their way here, the island had seemed eerily more quiet than usual. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, maybe he was already spooked enough by this island, but he was on high alert. David noticed Neal's change in demeanor.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes, it's just that I can sense something is different in the air. Maybe it's nothing! Let's keep moving. We are almost there"

Neal didn't elaborate on what was it that made him feel uneasy. He didn't want to worry David. He had felt this sensation before. He couldn't describe it, but he knew they were being followed.