"Hook!"

Killian started awake, rolling to his feet to face the danger and nearly sank his hook into Ariel. She fell backwards into the sand and he reached down to help her to her feet.

"Apologies, lass," he said. "This place sets me on edge."

Ariel nodded, brushing herself off. "That's understandable. Have you seen anyone?"

Killian shook his head. "No, I'm quite alone. Did you make it to Storybrooke? How is Emma?"

Ariel's mouth set in a grim line. "You'd better sit down."

"Is she all right?" He looked at her beseechingly. "Please, Ariel - Is she all right?"

She plopped down on a log nearby. "How does it feel to wonder? To be eaten alive with worry?"

Killian's jaw tightened. "I deserve that. But I still need to know. Please."

She let out a sigh. "I don't know." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry, I really don't. And neither does Henry."

"Henry's all right?" He asked, clearly relieved.

"He is, but there's a lot that isn't all right in Storybrooke. Henry took me to see Regina and they think they might know what's happened - they just don't know how it happened."

Killian sat down. "Go on."

"A strange woman has appeared in Storybrooke and moved into the place where Emma used to live with Snow and David. She's taking care of Snow's baby."

"What?"

"She calls herself Dora," Ariel went on. "I got a glimpse of her, but she's no one that I recognize, and so far, no one in town knows much about her. They don't seem to care, either, because they've all resorted to their cursed memories."

"They've been cursed again?" Killian asked, incredulously. "What about Emma?"

"That's just it - they haven't all been cursed. Some have disappeared. David has no memories at all, and Snow is under a sleeping curse. Regina is trapped in Marco's house - he thinks he's her husband - and she can't get out. Some kind of magic is keeping her prisoner."

"And Emma? What's happened to Emma?" Killian's hand curled into a fist as he fought the very real urge to shake the answer out of her, he wanted it so badly.

"When I told Regina where you were, she thought that confirmed her theory," Ariel explained. "Somehow everyone in Storybrooke has been sent back to a time in their life when they were most troubled. For you, that's Neverland. For Regina, it was trapped in a loveless marriage. For Henry, it was trapped in a town full of disbelievers when he knew the truth."

"So that means that Emma is -"

"In prison. At least, Henry is pretty sure that's where she'd be."

Killian got to his feet pacing with agitation. "I've got to get off this accursed island!" he turned to look at Ariel. "Can you swim me to Storybrooke? Above the water?"

She shook her head. "No. The barrier is too far down in the depths. Even if you could survive the crushing pressure, you'd drown before I could get you through."

"There's got to be a way. A ship, perhaps? Something!"

Ariel got to her feet, reaching down for the pouch slung across her body. "I think I have something. A friend knew I was looking for Eric, but I'd already found him when she brought it to me. I think it might help you." She opened the pouch, digging inside, and pulled out a beautiful shell. It was brilliant, iridescent blue on the inside and so smooth it looked like glass. Killian took it from her, turning it over in his fingers.

"I don't understand."

"The shell holds a wishing star," she said. "Sometimes they fall to earth. This one fell in the sea."

"A wishing star!" He broke into a wide grin, scooping her up and twirling her around. "Ariel, I could kiss you!"

She stepped back, smiling and raising a brow. "Save the kisses for Emma. I've got a man already."

Killian's eyes softened. "And he's lucky to have you. You're a far better soul than I am, Ariel." His eyes widened, and his mouth turned down in a grimace. "And that's why this will never work," he said, handing the shell back to her. "Thank you anyway."

"What do you mean?" She looked at him in confusion.

"A wishing star will only work if you have a pure heart," Killian said. "Suffice it to say, I don't meet the requirement - as you are well aware."

She gave him a begrudging smile. "Maybe not," she agreed. "But I might qualify. I can try to wish you to wherever Emma is."

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do it to help Snow and Belle," she said. "And for you, too. I think everyone deserves a second chance."

"Thank you, Ariel. I don't know if I can ever repay this. If you ever need anything from me, ever again..."

Ariel's lip twitched. "Don't go making rash promises, Captain. It's not your style." She held the shell up in front of her face and closed her eyes. "Hook," she said. "I wish you could be wherever Emma is."

And when she opened her eyes, he was gone.

###

Emma pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, then reached up in exasperation, pulling out her hair tie and fixing her ponytail again.

"Swan! No daydreaming!" The guard called out.

Emma gave him a dark look, then reached back inside the oven, scrubbing with the sponge before dunking it in the bucket of soapy water next to her.

"I'm pretty much done here," she said. "You want to come check?"

The guard started to walk over when a ringing sound interrupted him, signalling the opening of the unit door. The female guard walked in, followed by someone in stained coveralls, and it was good thing the first guard had turned away because Emma suddenly squeezed every bit of water out of the sponge, splattering it all over the open oven door. Bright blue eyes met hers from under the brim of a stained baseball cap with the logo of a local service company on it.

Emma bit back her smile, quickly wiping up the water and closing the oven door as the other guard approached.

"He's here to fix the fryer," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder at Killian.

"I can supervise him, if you want to log Swan's work detail hours," the male guard volunteered.

The female guard gave him a look, then lowered her voice. "Are you kidding? I'm not going anywhere."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever. Just make sure he doesn't leave any tools around."

Emma stood up, picking up her bucket and preparing to dump the soapy water into the sink. Her mind was working furiously. If Killian was impersonating a repairman, that meant he had a vehicle. She just needed to get to it.

"I could really use a miracle," she whispered under her breath, and as she looked up her eyes landed on Jelly, who was stapling flyers up to the bulletin board in the dining hall.

Jelly looked up, as if sensing Emma's eyes on her and gave her a wave. Emma waved back, then made a great show of dropping the bucket loudly on the floor.

"Sorry," she said to the guard. "Slipped out of my hands." He gave her an annoyed look. "Go get a mop and clean up this mess."

"Right." She glanced over her shoulder at Killian, meeting his eyes again as he listened politely while the female guard stammered through an explanation of what was wrong with the fryer. When Emma turned back to the sink again, Jelly was giving her an oddly knowing look. She smiled, inclining her head slightly toward Killian, then raised her eyebrows, as if in a question.

Emma glanced over at the male guard, who was busy opening a nearby cupboard, looking for a snack, then looked back at Jelly, giving the slightest, most imperceptible nod.

Jelly silently mouthed "Good Luck" and then dropped to the floor, her papers scattering and the stapler landing with a clatter.

"Jelly!" Emma shouted, looking over at the guards. "She's hurt!"

The male guard was already in motion, the female guard was reaching for her radio. Killian stopped her with a hand on his arm and a smile that froze the words on her lips. "I need a different tool for the repair," he said. "May I return to my truck?"

She glanced over at Jelly, who wasn't reviving despite the other guard lightly patting her face. She gave a reluctant nod. "I can let you out through the delivery door, if you're parked back there."

"I am," he replied, forcing himself not to look over at Emma. "The truck is right next to the door."

The guard motioned him toward the door and unlocked it, letting Killian out and standing at the door, watching. He re-entered a moment later, bumping into her accidentally as he came through and dropping a tool on the ground near her feet. The woman bent over to get it, completely missing the fact that Killian nudged a small stone into the path of the door with toe of his boot.

"She's not coming around," the male guard called out.

"Is she breathing?" The female guard asked.

"Yeah, but -" he broke off as Jelly started convulsing. "Oh shit!" he shouted.

The female guard started forward, coming around the serving counter of the kitchen. Emma looked over at Killian quickly.

"Do you want me to go get the first aid kit?" Emma called out. "There's one in the kitchen office."

"Yes!" the lady guard shouted over her shoulder, not bothering to turn and look as she crouched down next to Jelly's twitching body. She tried to elevate her head by placing it in her lap as the other guard held Jelly's arms down in an effort to keep her from hurting herself. Jelly cracked open one eye, winking it at Emma before she went back to jerking again.

Emma edged over toward the door and then out, moving the stone and closing it tight behind her. She stayed low, but it really wasn't necessary. Killian wasn't exaggerating - the van was right next to the door, and from the looks of it, he'd managed to take out the surveillance camera somehow - it was dangling from it's frayed wires. She opened the passenger-side sliding door and climbed in, pulling it shut as quietly as possible. There was an unconscious man in the back, gagged and wearing only his underwear. Emma gave him a pat on the arm.

"Sorry, buddy," she said. "You'll be out of here soon. I hope."

Ten agonizing minutes later, Killian slid into the driver's seat.

"Hello beautiful," he said, keeping his eyes forward.

"Get us out of here," Emma whispered. "They're going to notice I'm gone any minute now."

"I told them you had to go to the infirmary, because the kit was empty," he replied. "And they think I'm returning to my shop for additional tools."

"Smart thinking."

It would be helpful if you told me how to start the vehicle," he pointed out.

"Crap." Emma exhaled. "Look for keys."

"I have them," he said, holding them up. "They were in my pocket." He fumbled through two or three choices on the ring, finally finding the one that fit and turning it. The truck hummed to life.

"Thank God it's an automatic," Emma said. "Push in the button on that handle there - that's your brake. Then push the handle down."

Killian did as instructed. "Now what?"

"See that other lever?"

"The one with all the letters?"

"Yeah. Move it to "D". That's right," she encouraged. "Now slowly - slowly press on the pedal under your right foot. That will push us forward. And I assume you know how to steer."

"Well enough to get us through the gates, I would think." He pressed on the gas - a little too quickly - and the truck lurched forward.

"Slow!" She hissed.

"I've got it," he ground out, pushing in on the pedal with more restraint. A few moments later he'd pulled them out onto the perimeter road, and after one last stop at the guardhouse - where no alarm had been raised as yet - they were through.

"Now what?" he said, keeping his eyes forward as he concentrated on keeping the car on the road.

"Turn left up there," she said. "Then as soon as you see a building, pull us behind it so we can switch seats. "We've only got a few minutes more before they figure this all out and we have to be out of this van and into other transportation by then."

Killian did as he was told, but he bypassed the first building, deciding that the first building would most likely be the first place they looked. He found a warehouse down the road and off another street, and pulled them in behind it.

"We're in luck!" Emma said, looking over at the line of cars parked in the parking spaces. "All I need is a screwdriver and we've got a few options," she said. "And if we switch license plates with another car, we won't match when they send out the APB."

Killian was already in motion, peeling off his coveralls and throwing them to Emma. "You get the car started - I'll swap the plates."

Emma eyed the cars, picking out the most mundane looking sedan she could find. She was about to break the back window when Killian tried the door and it opened.

"Look at that," he said, grinning cheekily. "There are still trusting people in the world."

"Get that plate changed and lets get out of here," she said, zipping into the coveralls and stuffing her hair up under the hat. She grabbed the screwdriver, and started up the car just as Killian slid into the seat next to her.

"Drive Swan - drive!"

She peeled out of the parking lot, keeping to the back streets at just a little higher than normal speed and making it to the highway just as they started hearing sirens in the distance. Once they pulled into afternoon traffic, she waited a few exits, then moved off into residential areas, always heading east. Finally, it was starting to get dark, so she pulled off for the night, parking in a new housing development, parking in front of the model home, which was already locked and dark.

She put her head back on the headrest and let out a huge exhale of air.

"Oh, God. We did it." She turned and looked at Killian, and he reached out, pulling her into his arms.

"I've got you, love," he said. "I've got you."