Alone Together. CHAPTER 2: Someone Else in the Woods.

"So, do you have any idea where to begin? I think I can sort of remember what the map looked like. Maybe I could draw what I remember in the dirt..." Emma trailed off looking for a stick.

"Miss Swan that's not necessary." Gold's irritated voice interrupted her search. "Just... keep up." And her turned and walked off at full speed into the trees.

Emma moved quickly to follow him and found herself surprised at his speed. Then she remembered she'd never walked anywhere with him when he didn't have a limp before. "So if you used magic to get rid of your limp, and you also had magic in Storybrooke, why.." But she didn't get a chance to finish the question before he answered.

"Appearances are a powerful thing. Plus I often found that cane came in handy... quite often." He smirked dryly.

"Yeah, I'm aware..." Emma flashed back to the time she had to practically tear him away from the town florist. "And so.. you know where you.. where we, are headed?" She tried to look at him in the face while keeping up with him, but it was hard.

"Yes, Miss Swan." He pointed vaguely in front of them, "Over the river and through the woods to Grandfather's house we go." He recited in a bored voice.

"To Grandfather's house?!" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice, "Isn't that, like another story...? Or a song? Or something..."

Gold sighed as he walked, "I thought you were a smart girl, haven't you figured out yet that everything overlaps?"

"Right." Emma responded, nodding her head like all of this was making perfect sense. "So, you know WHERE Henry is?"

"See, here is your problem Miss Swan, it isn't about where Henry is. It's about what Henry is."

"What is he?" Emma's eyes wide as she remembered Pan telling her that he was a 'special' boy...

"Precisely what you aren't."

"...Young... and male?" Emma shrugged in confusion.

This prompted Gold to turn to her in aggravation, "You are going to need to stop looking at everything on the surface Miss Swan if you expect to make it anywhere in THIS world. Never mind getting your son back." He grumbled and continued walking at a fast pace.

Emma just sighed and followed. So much for her being the leader.

************************************************** ***********************

They walked through the dark woods for the rest of the day, sometimes Gold would pause and then quickly turn and walk in a different direction. This happen more then a few times and caused Emma to worry that he was just making them walk in circles. But she kept quiet, and bit her lip, because she honestly didn't know what else to do. Following him seemed the only choice. Without him she would of simply been wandering.

Then they finally emerged from the woods to a wide clearing that surprised Emma in the way it sort of seemed to appear out of no where. She looked up with a certain level of relief at seeing the sky again, and saw it was spotted with many many unfamiliar stars. When she finally looked down from the sky she was even more surprised to see a wide river cutting through the entire clearing. At least she thought it was a river, however the water was still, as still as glass.

"What..." Emma gasped and walked quickly towards the 'river' to investigate.

"I wouldn't get too close." Gold mumbled.

Emma looked back over her shoulder at him and then back at the water. A shudder past over her and she found herself backing away from it, for some reason she felt he was right.

"What's the deal with that... river?"

"Still waters run deep." Was all Gold said in response. Emma noticed that he had created a campfire from some near by branches and sticks with just a wave of his hand. Then he created an orb of fire and threw it casually into campfire, causing it to spark to life in a warm welcoming glow. "Relax, Miss Swan. We cross the river in the morning."

"How?" Emma looked around, the river was very very wide and there was no bridge that she could see. Maybe they could swim across, the water was certainly calm enough, but something made her not want to touch that water...

"Sleep." Gold pointed at her and then he sat down under a nearby tree and leaned back on the trunk and closed his eyes.

"Ok..." That answered no questions what so ever. Emma stood there awkwardly for a minute before lowering herself to the ground as well and leaning back on a nearby rock. Hmm.. not super comfy, but she wasn't really tired. She found herself looking over at Gold, wearing those weirdo clothes and leaning against the tree to her left with his eyes closed. She thought about what he said about appearances being powerful. She supposed he was right, this outfit made him seem a bit more... she wasn't sure of the word,...formidable perhaps? Than a three piece suit. At least in these woods. On the streets of Storybrooke it was a different story. She quietly shook her head thinking how a big part of Gold's motivation in the world seemed to be appearing like he was powerful and invincible. Yet, she had seen him laying on what he thought was his death bed, seen him reduced to tears, seen looks of vulnerability on his face when he thought no one was looking, seen him look broken over the loss of his son... Neal. Her mind raced back to Neal, the last time she saw him, in that cursed vortex that took his dying body away from her. She sighed heavily and looked back at Gold trying to imagine him as a father. As Neal's father. She looked for signs of Neal on his face. Tried to imagine Neal as a little boy, being hugged and cared for by this man. She tried, but... she just didn't see it. She just couldn't imagine that Neal had gotten that much love from this man, because Neal had been like her, an orphan, alone in the world. But then again Gold HAD gone to great lengths to find him... and he seemed to be making an effort to find Henry...

Suddenly her eyes snapped open, had she been asleep?

She looked around, it was still dark and the stars were still out, the fire was perhaps a bit lower and dimmer though. She went to close her eyes again when... "Emma..."

She open her eyes wide and sat up looking around, her hand instinctively going to her sword. "Who.." She whispered into the dark, "Who's there?"

"Emma.."

It sounded like it was coming from within the trees, she stood up and stared in the direction, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the dark and make out who was there... She saw a shadow pass by and she jumped slightly.

"Emma."

She knew that voice. She definitely knew that voice. But... no.

The shadow passed again, but this time she saw it was a fully formed human figure wearing a cloak, she approached the trees,... and took a step into the darkness.

"Emma!"

The voice was right behind her and she spun around, and when she saw the face that was looking back at her, she dropped her sword to the ground.

"Neal?!"

"Emma." Neal smiled his big familiar smile at her, like he had expected to see her here.

"Wha... HOW? Are you..?! I don't..." She stammered trying to catch her breath, she reached out and grabbed his shoulders, he felt real. A warm human body. But he couldn't be, could he? "Are you okay?!" She finally sputtered out feeling that wasn't really all she wanted to say, but words.. words didn't make any sense as she stared at him.

"Yes Emma. Emma, I'm fine." He held on to her shoulders and looked intently into her eyes, "I'm fine." He repeated.

"But... How are you here? How did you..."

Neal laughed a tiny bit, but it sounded sad, "I'm not."

Emma just stared at him... what did he mean. What was happening? Was she loosing her mind?

"I'm not really here Emma. It's this place," He gestured around them, "Imagination is very powerful here, it makes things real."

"So... I'm just imagining you?" Emma felt so very small, and wanted to clutch on to him to make sure he didn't disappear. He did seem very real. She must be loosing her mind.

"In a way, yes." He smiled at her, "It's so good to see you." He wrapped his arms around her.

"Uh.." Emma was torn on how to react, he was just a figment, but would it really be so bad to give into it? "Neal... you are dead." She said it out loud mostly for herself, but was surprised when Neal laughed.

"No I'm not. I'm alive. I'm just not here. But I'm looking for you Emma, I know that you are here. I'm going to find a way to you, I promise." He looked intently at her.

Emma's mouth just hung open... "Alive?! How? You were.. shot. I saw you. Then you.. the vortex... the portal... Where are you?"

"I'm okay. I'm safe. But what about you? This is a dangerous place, I know it well... unfortunately..."

"I'm..." Emma stammered and looked around her trying to remember reality, "I'm,..uh,... with your dad."

"My dad? Really?"

"Yeah, I'm with Gold... he's over there... I guess asleep.." She gestured towards the clearing. "He thinks you're dead too..."

"Good." Neal responded quickly. "I mean,.." He caught himself, "I mean,... I guess it's good that you are with him, he knows this world well enough."

"We're looking for Henry, and I'm so scared we won't find him or be too late. Peter Pan took him and he gave me a map, but I had to accept that I'm an orphan to see it... and then I lost the others and the map... but then I found Gold..." She was talking quickly and felt it all pouring out of her, she really wanted him with her.

"Okay.. Okay Emma." Neal held on to her shoulders gently, "What you need to remember is this place runs on imagination and belief. What you believe is more powerful then anything else here, it's the most powerful weapon you can have. You need to believe in yourself. You need to believe in finding Henry... otherwise you never will."

"But.. I'm scared.. I can't.." She felt tears on her face. Damnit. She felt fragile and broken, She grabbed tightly onto Neal's cloak, she wanted him to be real.

"You need to Emma. You NEED TO. Okay, Emma?" He looked her in the eye intensively. "Okay, Emma?"

"Okay." Her voice small.

"Now wake up."

"What...?"

"Wake up."

Emma's eyes snapped open and she found herself back by the campfire, it was burnt out and the sun was shining through the trees. Gold was standing by looking at her, "Ah, about time you woke up."

"I..." Emma jumped up in alarm. How? Was it.. Was it only a dream? No. No it had seemed real. It.. Where...? She looked around herself frantically.

"You alright Miss Swan? We don't have all day."

"I saw..." Emma stammered at him.. but then remembered their deal and she blurted out, "someone."

Gold sighed, "No one is here." But then he paused and looked at her with curiosity, "but who did you see?"

"No one," Emma stammered, "I mean, someone. But, it was only a dream. I was dreaming..."

"Hmm.." Gold eyed her suspiciously. "No one dreams in Neverland."

"Oh. Really?" Emma tried to behave casually with that information. "Well.. first time for everything, huh?" She shrugged and dusted off her pants from the ground. This was crazy, she had to get a hold on herself. Neal was dead. It could only be a dream. I had to of been. "So are we crossing that river or what?"