Emma studies the map, trying to find the best path to take. They could go the shortest way, but Killian said it was a bad idea because the plants there were extremely dangerous and more poisonous. The other way was slightly longer, but there was a steep cliff they would have to climb. The final path was a long trek around the island it would take them days to reach their destination, but it was also the safest as long as they didn't piss off the natives.
She bites into the apple she had been neglecting. Another one of Tink's gifts. She sighs, "Hi Felix."
Felix laughs, "Well, someone is perceptive. How did you know it was me?"
Emma smiles, "That is my little secret."
He leans against the side of the tree that was directly in front of her, "So, you have finally accepted yourself. Must say I am impressed you did it so fast."
Emma studies his face and shrugs, "I am determined. I will do whatever needs to be done."
He sighs and picks up one of her apples, "So now that you know you are just like us, lost girl, what are you going to do?"
She smiles sadly, "I am going to make it so you can be happy again. Bring back what used to be."
He laughs, "What makes you think that I am not happy?"
She shakes her head, "I am a mother, Felix. I know, plus I have been there I just didn't realize it until everything changed. You will thank me."
He sits across from her, "We shall see. But let's talk about what I want to talk about. You know how you feel about your parents. How you don't forgive them? Henry hasn't forgiven you either."
Emma frowns, "What do you mean?"
Felix smirks, "He hasn't forgiven you for abandoning him. By the time you find him, he won't want you."
Emma sits in stunned silence as he walks away. Henry didn't forgive her? How did she not see that? Maybe she was a horrible mother. She touches her stomach. Was she going to mess up this baby's life too? She holds her head in her hands and cries.
Snow studies the necklace she had been wearing. She smiles remembering the day that Ruth had given her the greatest gift. She just wishes that everything had gone better. She hears a rustling in the bush and looks up to see Emma. She almost smiles when she sees the tears that were drying on her face.
She rushes forward, "Emma? Is everything alright?"
Emma looks at her and breaks down falling into her mother's arms, "I am so sorry. So very sorry."
Snow looks around as the others walk towards them and holds Emma, "its ok, sweetie. Tell me what's wrong?"
Emma sniffles, "He will never forgive me."
Snow pushes her back a little to look at her face, "Who?"
Emma bites her lips to stop the sob that wanted to escape, "Henry."
Regina steps forward, "What are you talking about? Henry loves you."
Emma shakes her head, "I gave him away. I abandoned him. I am a bad mother."
Hook takes her out of Snow's arms gently and touches her cheek, "No you aren't. You are the only reason I am not afraid to have this child with you. That is how great you are."
Emma takes a deep breath, "I abandoned him. I left him alone."
David touches her shoulder, "A bad mother would have kept him when she knew she wasn't ready. A bad mother would have sent him away instead of driving him back and making sure he was safe. A bad mother would have left town instead of make sure that he was being taken care of. You are a great mother who has only thought of what was best for your child."
Emma wipes away the tears, "I didn't even hold him when he was born. I turned my head away so I didn't have to see him. I tried to leave town, but I was in a car accident which landed me in jail because I had one drink at Regina's. I kidnapped him." She looks at Regina, "I told him to sneak out of your house and was going to drive out of town and never look back. He talked me out of it."
Snow sighs, "I remember that. It was before the curse was broken." She laughs, "I was so mad at you because you had packed up without saying goodbye." She shakes her head of the memories, "Let's start with the first one. Why didn't you want to hold him or look at him? And be truthful."
Emma thinks about her answer, "Because I knew if I held him I wouldn't be able to give him up. And if I saw him I would break under the pressure."
Regina smiles, "You were afraid you wouldn't do what was best for him. Why didn't you try to leave town again?"
Emma raises a brow at her, "Because you kept threatening me and I didn't know if that was a safe environment for him to be in. And the way he kept calling you the evil queen didn't sit right. That was before I believed in curses."
Snow nods "See. And you kidnapping him, though wrong, was you wanting to be a parent. And you learned from that and you realized what you had to do to make sure he was getting the best care. The way people from your world do. Unfortunately…"
Regina sighs, "I tried to kill you and Henry was the one who suffered. I wonder how different everything would be if I just let you leave and visit Henry every once in a while."
Emma shrugs, "I guess that might all be true, but there is still the fact that Henry won't forgive me."
David smiles, "He will. With time. Just like you will forgive us."
Emma still wasn't sure if she could believe any of that. But she wanted it to be. She would work harder and make Henry see she was no longer that person. She looks at her side and sees Killian sleeping peacefully. He looked so angelic and a little innocent in his sleep.
He sighs, "You know it is rude to stare, darling."
Emma jumps, "I thought you were sleeping."
He opens his eyes and looks over at her with a grin, "Nah, you think far too loud for me to sleep."
Emma frowns apologetically, "I'm sorry. I just don't want Henry to feel the same way that I did…do."
He touches her cheek, "Don't worry, love. All you have to do is give him time. Just like your parents are giving you time. It doesn't mean he will love you any less."
Emma scoots closer to him, "What if he doesn't want to see me?"
Killian kisses her lightly, "He will."
She smiles, "How do you always make me feel better?"
He kisses the tip of her nose, "Because I love you."
Emma pulls his mouth back to hers and kisses him. He urges her to open her mouth wider with his tongue and she does. She moans as their tongues explore each other's mouths. He pulls back and nips at her bottom lip, "Shhh…we don't need to wake the whole camp."
Emma rolls on top of him and he closes his eyes, "But you are so irresistible."
He bites back a groan as she nibbles along his jaw, "You are tempting fate, love. I don't need David and Snow hating me any more than they already do."
She whispers in his ear, "I want you to ravage every inch of my body."
He rolls over on top of her, "God, woman, are you trying to kill me?"
She laughs, "Just the opposite actually. I am trying to make you feel alive."
He kisses her so deeply and so passionately she can no longer think and then rolls off of her and pulls her closer so her head rests on his shoulder. She looks up at him and pouts. He just shakes his head, "Now, now, Emma. We have plenty of time to be all over each other, why don't we sleep for the night."
Hook listens to them argue in front of him, for once on the outside. None of them could agree on which path to take. Emma kept insisting on taking the longest route because it was the safest. Regina thought that it would be waste of time and that they should take the shortest route and just use their magic against the dangers. David and Snow Thought the one in the middle of the two was best. Hook wasn't sure why, but he suspected they just liked to disagree with everyone. The Crocodile looked like he could care less which way they went.
Hook speaks up, "Magic won't work against the forests here. So I say we get rid of the shortest route completely. The one in the middle, well, that cliff is next to impossible to scale and with Emma's condition I am not willing to risk her falling even slightly. The longest way is the best. Plus, I am friends with the natives and they might be able to help us. But no one usually listens to the slimy pirate."
Gold smirks, "I say we use the flick of a wrist and just get there already. I am not a very patient man."
Regina sighs, "If Hook thinks the longest route is best then I won't argue."
David scowls, "Since when are you so agreeable?"
Regina scowls back, "Since my son went missing. Plus, Emma was right. We use our strengths. This is Hook's."
Emma grins at her, "Regina gets it. They are going to expect us to go the short way, but I am pretty sure they are going to have people posted at each entrance. That is where our protective barrier ends."
Snow studies the path, "If there is a barrier, how did Felix get in?"
Emma shrugs, "It only protects us against a threat. He wasn't threatening anything. Just came to talk. If he touched me wrong he would have been forced out. That is why we can walk in and out of it although sometimes I am surprised that all the arguing doesn't kick one of us out."
Hook looks around, "So if they wanted to follow us out of sight, they can. So how do we know they won't ambush us once we get to the end?"
David shakes his head, "We don't. We just have to hope they will abide by their own rules. "
Emma snorts, "Highly unlikely, but we don't really have much choice."
Gold smiles, "So we have a plan, let's execute it."
Emma stands up and takes Hook's hand, "Yes let's."
Hook grins down at her and they lead the way.
The journey was hard and long and tiring. David loved it. He would have preferred to have a horse, but the walk was good. It reminded him of his world. Of being home. He hadn't realized how much he missed it.
Emma pouts, "I hate this. This is why we have cars. Gets us places faster and I don't get blisters on my feet."
Hook laughs, "Would you like me to carry you, love?"
Emma smacks his shoulder playfully, "Be careful what you offer. I might just take you up on that."
David glowers. He didn't like that pirate. And he hated it even more that Emma was so blindly in love with him. He just couldn't get past it. Hook treated her wonderfully and obviously loved her and everything he does is to protect her.
He runs into the back of Emma and looks up. He sees the lost boys obviously in a fight with someone, but he couldn't see who. Emma gasps and steps forward, "Neal."
Gold's head snaps up, "What?"
Emma doesn't respond to him but runs forward, "Hey! Lost Boys! We had a deal remember?"
One of them turns to her, "That was with your group. Not others."
Emma raises a brow, "That is Henry's father. He is one of us."
The lost boys back up and walk away. Neal looks at her in surprise, "Emma? What the hell are you doing here?"
Emma lifts her hand and touches his cheek, "Y-you are alive." She starts to laugh and hugs him, "I can't believe this. I-I…we all thought you were gone."
Neal smiles into her hair, "Nah, you can't get rid of me that easily." He pulls back, "But seriously, what are you doing here?"
Emma covers her face, "Oh, God. Greg and Tamara kidnapped Henry and brought him here. The shadow has our son, Neal."
Neal shakes his head, "No. We have to get him."
She rolls her eyes, "Really? I thought we would just wander around and climb trees. Maybe go for a swim."
Neal purses his lips, "Ok. I guess that was a stupid thing to say."
Hook walks up behind him, a little jealousy clear on his face, "It really was, mate. How did you get here?"
Neal glares, "I was at first sent to the Enchanted Forest, but then I saw you through a magic ball I found in my father's old castle and came here. It took forever, but I made it."
Emma frowns, "But we have only been here for a couple days. How is that possible?"
Hook puts his arm around her shoulder, possessively, "I told you before, darling, time moves differently here than other realms."
David moves forward, "So what has been a couple of days for us is like a few weeks or months to someone else?"
Hook nods, "Exactly. You are smarter than you look."
Emma rolls her eyes; it seemed she was doing that a lot around this group, "You two need to stop. I…" She trails off and closes her eyes to the dizziness, "I need to sit down."
Hook leads her to a rock and kneels in front of her, "Just breathe, love."
Emma starts to breathe in and out slowly. The dizziness starts to fade and she holds out her hand, "I need something to eat."
Regina rummages through the supplies and hands her an apple, "Here. Eat it slowly. It will fill you up faster."
Neal frowns at the scene, "What is going on here? Are you sick or something?"
Emma shakes her head and chews the bite she just took, "No, I'm pregnant. Though I am not sure why I keep getting so dizzy."
Neal sputters, "You…you…pregnant? Who? What?"
Emma opens her mouth but Hook interrupts, "Yes she is pregnant with MY child. Now shut up and let her eat."
Neal backs up and into his father. He turns around and sees the tears in Gold's eyes, "Dad."
Gold smiles and hugs him, "My boy. I thought you were dead. I was so scared."
Neal hugs him back, "You raised me to survive, remember?"
Emma finishes the apple and slowly stands up, "Ok. We had our fun. Back to walking for miles and miles. Next time we travel between worlds, I am bringing my car. I think it can fit on the ship."
Hook laughs at that, "Let's hope there isn't a next time. This complaining of yours is treacherous enough the first time."
She raises a brow, "Watch it, mister. Or I might just run you over with my car."
Hook tries to hide his smile, "I love it when you are feisty, sweetheart."
David grunts, not this again, and points forward, "Why don't we just go? We are burning daylight here."
They reached the halfway point by the time the sun disappeared and find a place to camp. Emma stretches her back and neck and sits down. She really was tired of walking. But it was worth it if she could save Henry and she would walk off the edge of the world it that is what it takes.
Regina smiles and sits by her, "You need to be more careful. It appears this stress is taking more of a toll on you than the rest of us."
Emma touches her stomach, "It's just being pregnant. I would get these dizzy spells with Henry as well. Not as bad, but that's how I know there is no need to worry."
Regina puts a hand on her shoulder, "I know. We will get him back and we will get back to Storybrooke. And we will make sure that my Godchild is healthy as can be in there."
Emma lays her head on Regina's shoulder, "I hope so. I feel like something is coming. Something big. I know what we are doing now is big and saving Henry is big, but this feels like…" She looks up with a worried frown, "I feel I am going to die. Everything in me keeps telling me that I am and I'm not ready."
Regina puts her arm around Emma's shoulder and pulls her close, "You are not going to die. I will not let you." She wipes at the tears, "Do you understand?"
Emma nods, "I want you to be right." She sighs, "Please, be right."
Hook walks over and throws a blanket over the both of their shoulders, then joins them, "So what is this about? Did she ask you?"
Regina forces a smile, "About me being a Godmother? Yes. I am so excited!"
Hook grins, "Well, we couldn't think of anyone better, lass." He takes Emma's free hand, "We just have to get through this."
Emma squeezes his hand as if to reassure him, but it was more for her. She didn't know if she was going to make it home or even if she was going to make it through the night, but she didn't want anyone to know. Except Regina.
Hook looks around as everyone joins them, "So this first part of the journey was the easy part. The path from here on out is going to be more treacherous and we might have to fight a couple things off. Nothing too dangerous. It will take us longer. I predict we will get to the natives in a day or two. And then to the hideout entrance in another couple of days."
Snow frowns, "That long? I figured we would be there by tomorrow."
Hook shakes his head, "Like I told you, easy is over."
Neal sighs, "Are you sure Emma should even be coming with us?"
They all wait for Emma to say something to this, because she normally would. Regina looks down and laughs, "She is asleep. It was a long day for her." She looks up at Neal, "And to answer your question, yes. As much as I would love to hide her away she is the only one who can defeat the shadow."
Hook lifts Emma up gently and throws her arm around his neck. She moans softly, but stays asleep. He carries her over to their tenting area lies her down. He kisses her fore head and covers her. He walks back over to them, "She should be fine. She is stronger than all of us."
Regina closes her eyes, about to do something that would piss Emma off, "I don't know about that. Before you all joined us she said something to me."
Snow leans closer, "What?"
Regina sighs, "She told me that she has this horrible feeling that she is going to die. She said that everything in her is telling her that she won't make it."
Gold finally speaks up, "We all get those feelings sometimes. Doesn't mean they are true."
Regina bites her lips, "I know, but this…this was different. I can't explain it. When I get that feeling it is easy to push aside, because I know it's not true. She couldn't."
Gold nods, "And she is magical. And her magic is stronger than ours. There is a very real possibility that her feeling is right."
Hook shakes his head, "It's not. She is just scared." They all look at him and he breaks apart, "Emma is not going to die. I don't care what it takes. She will not die! I will throw you all in the line of fire to save her! No! No!"
David looks at him with sympathy for the first time, "Hook, we aren't going to let her die. We will save her."
Snow had gotten up when no one was looking and walked over to where her daughter was, "We can't save her if she isn't here."
A/N: Neal is in Neverland. I like the idea of all of Henry's parents finding him. Plus i have a plan for Neal. I wonder what you will think. We shall see.
So where could that Emma have gone to? And is her feeling true or not? Hook is seriously panicked and probably having a little deja vu. But like i said we shall see.
Enjoy and i must thank you for all of your lovely reviews. They mean a lot. Keep it up and if you have an idea of where you would like to see this go please let me know. Maybe I will like it enough to make it happen.
XOXO
