Three months later...

It doesn't feel like it's been that long but Emma knows it is when she wakes up one week before the actual three months mark. Every night for a week, Emma wakes up a little bit past midnight, sneaks out from their room and goes down to the kitchen for a late night snack. It started out with late night cravings, seeing what she could find and then eventually turned into trying to find solace.

Emma knows she agreed to leave with Killian once she hit the three month mark but getting closer to said date, she is beginning to get nervous. She remembers her vision, the one where she gave birth to Clare here and Killian took her away to the wardrobe. They were here when the curse hit and still, she's leaving with Killian for Neverland, leaving her family and friends behind.

"Emma?"

She turns around, facing her worried mother.

"What are you doing up at this late hour?" Snow asks. "You should be sleeping, the baby..."

Emma smiles at her thoughtfully. "The baby keeps me up," she lies. "and sometimes, I get hungry and I don't want to wake Killian,"

"You shouldn't neglect your sleep Emma," she advises, studying her, "but somehow I sense, you being up has less to do with the baby and more to do with something else troubling you,"

"You always know how to read me so well,"

"I'm your mother," Snow muses, "When I was pregnant with you, your father always knew when something troubled me and he would be there for me,"

Emma sighs. "I haven't had a new vision in awhile," she mentions, "What do you think that means?"

Snow shrugs. "I don't know; maybe we know everything that we need to concerning the future. This curse is coming Emma and it's true, we may not be able to stop it but we have hope. Your baby, your Clare – she's going to be the one to save us all. I know it,"

"But what if she's not?" she counters. "What if when she's born, it's too late and the curse takes her too?"

"It won't happen; you saw it. Killian brought her to the wardrobe and it saved her. The Blue Fairy's magic is powerful, Emma; it's the most powerful magic in the land and she gifted you with the ability to see the future. Your Clare will save us,"

Emma smiles at her wearily and stands. "I think I'm going to bed. You're right; getting up in the middle of the night for a snack just because this little one craves it, isn't good for me," she says, leaving and then stops, turns around and hugs Snow.

Snow welcomes the hug and pulls away, looking at her.

"What was that for?"

"Just thank you. I know we haven't always had the closest relationship but I love you, mom always. I value your spirit, your love and your advice," Emma laments, "and I hope one day, I can pass on the same wisdom to my own daughter,"

Snow reaches out and fixes a curl in her hair. "You will, Emma," she says. "You need to have faith,"

It's a long walk back to her room but Emma's grateful when she gets there, that Killian is still asleep or at least she hopes so until she walks in and she finds him sitting wide awake on the bed, waiting for her. He turns and looks at her, not angry but worried and she comes over to him, lying down on her side.

"I couldn't sleep," she says, "so, I went down to the kitchen for a snack,"

"I know," he breaths and she looks at him. "You may think you're being stealthy when you leave this room, but you're actually lot louder than you think,"

Emma presses her fingers on her belly and bites her lip. "You know, we're getting up to the three month mark..."

"I know love," he whispers, "I talked to Starkey a day ago and he said everything is in order for our departure,"

"Do we really need to do this, Killian?" she cries, "I know I agreed to go with you but what if, going to Neverland doesn't protect us from the curse? What if we're dooming everyone?"

Killian doesn't say.

Emma sighs.

"I love you and if I could stop this curse from coming, to spare us a lifetime of misery, I would do it but you can't always stop destiny," she reasons. Killian doesn't flinch and Emma sits up, kissing his shoulder. "I'll still going with you to Neverland my love, but I have to wonder if it's the right thing to do,"

He turns around and looks at her. The last time he lied to her, it cost him dearly and while he hates lying to her now, it all comes back to wanting to protect her; protect them both. "Neverland will protect us, all of us from the curse," he promises and kisses her sweetly. "You know I would do anything for you and our baby,"

"I know and I love you for that," she coos, kissing him one more time and smiling contentedly before going back to bed.

Everything could go horribly wrong, Killian realizes. Emma and the baby may not be protected from the curse in Neverland, and if that happens, then there will be no savior to save them. For three months, Killian has had this back and forth dilemma about whether to go ahead with the plan and getting closer to the actual date of departure, doesn't help his resolve. He knows the plan may not work and if it doesn't, it will be all on him. Still, he doesn't believe the future isn't written in stone and he can change it.

He has to at least try.

Snow's worried about Emma. She doesn't know why but there is something off about her attitude and her concern leads her to Red's room. Snow finds her friend, reading a letter and she tilts her head to the side, watching her curiously. A red blush grows on her cheeks and Snow smiles, quietly knocking on the door, forcing her to look up.

"I hope it's nothing scandalous.." she teases, referring to the letter. "I haven't seen you receiving letters before. Do you have a secret admirer I don't know about?"

Red hurriedly puts away the letter. "It's only from a friend," she deflects and then notes her friend's worried demeanor "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know, maybe," Snow offers, "I caught Emma sitting alone in the kitchen. She said it was only for a late night snack but clearly, there's something else bothering her. With the curse coming in another six months, there's plenty of worry to go around but I feel like there's something else going on,"

"You want me to ask?"

"Whatever's bothering her, if she doesn't want to talk about it, she won't but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her and you're better at tracking than I am," Snow offers.

Red smiles at her. "I'll keep an eye on her, very stealthy," she promises.

Snow glances at her bureau and then back to her. "So, are you going to tell me about this secret admirer of yours?" she teases.

"He's...well...he's someone special and that's all I'm going to say,"

Two Days Later...

The only time Emma's traveled outside of the castle was when she was on Killian's ship for a week. Now, she's preparing to go on a longer journey to a different far away land she had only heard about from her husband. Killian instructs her to pack light, as to not draw attention and it would be easier to move around without a lot of baggage.

Emma packs light and stores her belongings nearby, looking around the room that has been hers for more than a decade. It still breaks her heart to leave everything behind but she's confident that they won't be gone long. They will find a way to stop the curse and save everyone. After dinner with her parents, she sneaks into the kitchen and gathers some scraps of food, telling the cooks that sometimes she gets hungry at night because of the pregnancy and they don't question her.

A pregnant princess needs to eat.

By the time she reaches their room again, Killian's finished with his packing and Emma stuffs the food scraps into a small satchel. "We'll leave later after everyone's gone to bed," he says. "I'll wake you when it's time to go,"

Emma sighs and crawls beneath the covers as he lays down beside her.

It's a restless sleep for Emma but she doesn't feel groggy when Killian nudges her awake. Emma grabs the satchel and another bag as Killian checks the hallway to make sure it's clear. Once he's satisfied he grabs his things and holds out his hand for Emma. She comes forward, takes it and they leave the room, heading down the hallway.

But not as stealthy as they think; Red steps out from the shadows, puts on her red hood and follows them.

Red doesn't where she's going, not at first anyway; that changes once she smells sea water. She tracks Killian and Emma to a dock, and there's the Jolly Roger and Starkey waiting for them. Killian helps Emma on board and things are all but settled until Starkey calls to undock the ship and Red races towards the ship, sprinting onboard. Starkey calls his crew to hold the ship and Red studies Killian and Emma.

"Red, what are you doing here?" Killian ventures.

"I followed you, on orders from Snow because she suspected something going on," she says, glancing at Starkey. "So, this is the reason why you said in your letter that were going away for awhile?"

Killian raises an eyebrow and looks over at his mate. "You wrote her a letter?"

"I'm sorry for deceiving you but Killian swore me to secrecy,"

"Why? What is going on?" Red demands, looking finally at Emma. "Emma?"

"We're leaving," Killian says.

"I gather that," Red retorts, "but I want to hear from Emma,"

Emma removes her hood and looks at her godmother. "I made a promise Red and I'm sticking to it. I'm going with Killian to Neverland but we're going to come back once we find a way to stop the curse,"

"Emma?" Red breaths, looking incredulously between her and Killian and Starkey. "So, you're just going to abandon us, your family, your friends? This isn't right and you know it,"

She shrugs. "We're coming back, Red; we will,"

Red looks at her sourly. "I know you want to believe that but I don't think you will,"

"We'll be safe in Neverland from the curse Red," Killian declares, "It's protected us before and it can do it again,"

"But will you really be safe?" she counters. "Can you honestly guarantee that Emma and the baby will be safe from the curse, Killian? I understand why you want to protect them; they're your family now but Emma has family here too. Your mother and your father, Emma; they will be devastated about your leaving. Don't do this to them,"

Emma glances at Killian and Starkey and then to Red again. "We're leaving," she says defiantly. "The future is not set in stone. We can change it, Red,"

"Emma, listen to me," Red pleads, coming over and taking her hands in hers. "You're not thinking clearly;

you're confused and you're scared – we all are but don't make this mistake. I know you want to believe that you're saving you're child and everyone else but deep down, you know that this is wrong. Trust your visions, Emma. You were here when you gave birth, not in Neverland,"

"No, we're coming back Red!" Emma cries, "We won't be gone long. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Killian, please take me to my old room,"

"Come along love," Killian says, ushering her below deck.

Red sighs and looks over at Starkey. "You know what's really sad about this?" she starts, "I thought you were better. I trusted you. You know this isn't right René,"

"Killian is my best mate, my friend and Emma's my friend too. I care about both of them and I'm doing what I can to help them because they're family, Felicia. You should understand that," Starkey bellows.

"I understand what it means to protect family, René; but protecting them also includes protecting them from themselves when they're about to self-destruct," she retorts, sighing. "You can't honestly be alright with this? What if your plan doesn't work?"

Starkey doesn't say. "Killian and I have been to Neverland several times; it's a harsh place but it can be a safe haven if you make the right connections," he says evenly.

"What connections?" she ventures.

"Connections," he says, "Now, I have to ask you to leave the ship,"

Red crosses her arms defiantly, glaring at him.

"Then, I guess we'll have to take you with us; though I doubt your attitude will change," he says, making his way to the wheel.

Three months ago, Killian was convinced taking Emma and the baby to Neverland was the best way to protect them from the curse. Now, helping Emma get settled back in her old quarters, his doubts are closer to the surface than he would like. And he knows, even though Emma is in strong denial now that one day they will come back, he knows that they won't. But he foolishly let her continue believing that they could come back because she needed to hold onto that hope. It would be selfish of him to take that away from her.

It was selfish of him to steal her away from her family and drag her to Neverland, even though she had her doubts about going to begin with. Emma always believed in her visions, knowing that she would give birth to their son or daughter just before the curse hit would be enough, but Killian knows now that he can't continue this charade.

"Emma," he starts, kneeling down in front of her, "We don't have to do this,"

"But you said..."

"I know what I said," Killian cries, "I wanted to protect you and our baby but I think Red is right,"

She pulls away from him and looks away. "What happens if we go to Neverland? Can we come back?" she asks.

Killian rakes a hand through his hair. "I was hoping that you would never ask that question, but – no. Once we step foot on land, we can never go back," he says.

"You lied to me again,"

"Can you blame me for wanting to protect you and our baby?

"No," she whispers. "especially since I wanted to believe that you could save me,"

"...and I couldn't tell you the truth because I knew if I did, you would never agree to this and I couldn't steal that hope from you that we could one day return. I'm sorry Emma," he cries.

Emma doesn't say anything, looking away and closes her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away but they're stronger than she is. Deep down, she always knew the truth but she never wanted to acknowledge it because that would mean facing reality and doubting Killian. Doubting him was the last thing she wanted.

"I didn't want to be separated from you and our baby when the curse hit,"

"Killian, I don't want that either but sometimes, you can't fight destiny," Emma cries, "If this curse is as powerful, it'll still find a way to separate us, no matter what land we're in,"

"I know," he breaths.

Emma stands suddenly "I was a fool too for believing that we could still come back; Red was right. I was scared and I let my fear take over, numbing me to the point that I wanted so badly to believe that we could save everyone," she says.

"I'm sorry Emma," he cries, "I wanted to do what I thought was right to protect you,"

"Neverland," Red starts, coming up behind Starkey. "Why is it called that?"

Starkey turns to her briefly. "What does it matter what I tell you? You're not going to believe it anyway," he retorts.

"Then don't do this René," Red pleas, "Killian and Emma will see how wrong this is, as I do and I know, you feel it is,"

He looks down at the carved compass in the wood in front of him and feels the magic bean he bartered for in his pocket. Starkey turns to Red. He voiced his objections and concerns to Killian three months ago when he told him about his plan to take Emma to Neverland and now, Red is telling him the same thing.

Starkey turn around and faces her. "I am so sorry I deceived you Felicia. I have never met anyone like you before. You have a wild spirit and a caring heart that is capable of so much love, and you see me so clearly, sometimes it scares me," he confesses. "Believe me, I wish that I could change things and maybe, we could have more time together in this world but I'm not just doing this to save Killian and Emma, but to save myself as well. Because that's what pirates do: they look out for themselves,"

"You are not a selfish person René. The person I've spent the last three months with is someone who loves unconditionally and I hope, he's still here. You can stop everything. You're the Captain of the Jolly Roger now; if you're having second thoughts, now would be the time to put an end to this insanity,"

"Captain!" Smee calls, running up the stairs towards him. "We have our bearing,"

Starkey looks quickly at Red and then to Smee. "Thank you Mr. Smee," he says and the man runs below decks.

"There's still time René to put an end to this," Red pleas. "Six months, we can still find a way to stop the curse and maybe, find some happiness of our own but whether we leave or stay depends on you, and I'm hoping that you'll make the right decision,"

"If you had doubts before over whether this would work or not, why didn't you just tell me?" Emma cries.

Killian crosses his arms, leaning back against the wardrobe. He really wanted to believe that he could save Emma from the curse but when it comes down to it, there are no guarantees that taking her to Neverland will save her. Starkey will be angry with him for changing his mind; everything he went through just to get that magical bean and secure safe passage.

"I couldn't take that hope away from you and soon as you told me about your visions, I had to do something to protect you, to prove that the future wasn't set in stone, as it were. I could change things,"

Emma understands that feeling. She thought that she could change certain aspects about her vision, twist events in her favor but that's not how the future works.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe in you Emma," he says finally.

She looks at him sympathetically. They were both in denial about this plan all along but somewhere along the way, Emma managed to convince herself that everything would turn out fine in the end. She trusted her husband to protect her because that's what Killian had always done for her.

"I never knew how much I loved you until I found out that I could lose you both and I couldn't stand that idea, even if there was the slightest possiblity that our child could save us," he continues. "I know I've always been selfish, mostly looking out for myself but when it comes to you Emma and our baby, it's worse,"

"It's not selfish when you want to do everything you can to save us both, Killian," she reassures him, "It's brave,"

He smiles at her thoughtfully before standing, offering her his hand. Emma looks up at him, knowing how sorry he is about misleading her (she still feels foolish herself for believing the lie, but it's only because she was so scared).

Was.

That's in the past now and maybe, they can't change the future but Emma's faith and her love is the hope that she needs and that is the only reason she takes his hand.

He pulls her into an embrace and kisses her, knowing that they will have to deal with further consequences later but right now, they need to convince Starkey to turn the Roger around if he hasn't already.

They have to go back.

Killian knows he was wrong and he hopes that he can still stop Starkey from finalizing a course to Neverland. He and Emma spot Starkey with Red at the wheel. Red notices them and he turns around.

"You were right and I'm sorry, we both are," Emma cries. "We made a mistake,"

Red looks at her thoughtfully, leaves Starkey's side, walks over and hugs Emma. She glares a bit at Killian but he knows he deserves it.

"We have to go back," Emma declares, "Take us home, Red,"

"Of course," she cries and hugs her once more.

Killian looks solemnly at his first mate. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this Starkey," he apologizes. "I know you told me in the beginning that it probably would not work,"

"So, you did have doubts," Red surmises, looking back at Starkey.

"Perhaps, it's a good thing that the two of you decided against this, since I was considering breaking my end of the deal as well," he says, turning the ship about and returning to the docks.

tbc