A/U I made up a pretend pixie legend. Yay for me! In other notes 104 follows!? Seriously? I love you guys. By the way, if I'm a little slow on the uptake it's because holidays are ending and I may or may not be in the process of writing a Criminal Minds themed CS AU. No hate, appreciate.

Have a fantastic week guys!

Chapter Seven: Lilith's Lagoon

Sure enough, the next day when Killian entered the candidly named 'Inn,' Blackbeard sat at the bar, perched comfortably on his stool with a mug of ale in his hands. He nursed the alcohol idly, apparently contemplating something as the pirate strode towards him. So consumed by his inner musings was the old man that he didn't register Killian's presence until a hand landed on his shoulder. Blackbeard jumped slightly in his seat to the utter amusement of his younger companion.

"What thought has you obsessed?" Killian questioned, pulling his hand back.

Blackbeard shook his head and, with an air of nonchalance, replied, "Just some plans I'm making. It's of no concern to you." The pirate scrutinised him out of habit as his gaze flickered down and his former captain reached down to procure the small pouch from a satchel tied securely to his belt.

"One pound of fairy dust, is that enough?" he asked, placing it in Killian's outstretched hand.

A small amount of the substance lined the inner corners and Killian held the pouch deftly as he checked its contents. The fine white-gold dust was packed securely in the brown pouch. He re-tied the opening and put the goods in his inner jacket pocket. All this he did with one hand, still reluctant to let anyone see his namesake and risk recognition.

Blackbeard drank from the cup in his grip as he waited for the young man to reply. Finally satisfied, Killian patted the man on the back, causing him to accidentally spill some of the amber liquid onto the counter top. The bar-keeper gave Killian a withering look and made to clear it up – although as to why, he couldn't fathom (the place was already a wreck and it wasn't as if spilt rum was going to dramatically change that fact).

"Thank you," he said genuinely, "how did you procure it so fast?"

Blackbeard shrugged, "I still have friends in Pixie Hollow and one of them owed me a favour."

Killian paused momentarily, a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled a question that had struck him the previous night. He looked back at his friend and his expression sobered significantly, "Have you heard from Tink recently?"

The old man's eyes glanced downward and he sighed despondently, "No." Killian frowned; his captain had always been friendly with the pixie despite their contrasting agendas. Somehow, the old man's temperament had been amusing to her and he'd subsequently earned her friendship. So, for him to deny having contact with her was an indicator that something was not completely right.

Blackbeard picked up on Killian's confusion and exhaled heavily, staring into his mug ruefully, "She died about three years back – an altercation with one of the Lost Ones… I'm sorry Killian."

So she was dead. Killian's shoulders dropped marginally and he bit back the urge to hit something. His mind replayed their last encounter and it hurt to realise that he'd never received the opportunity to apologise for what he did, what he became. He could feel as a scar etched itself into his being, joining the many others that had been shaped from losing people who had once meant something to him. It took him a considerable amount of focus to keep his expression neutral.

Blackbeard observed him in silence. Finally, Killian replied stoically, "Have you decided your price?"

He shook his head in answer, "Don't worry about it. Just save the girl and see me before you leave – I'll have thought of something by then."

His desire to depart the inn prompted him to agree to the terms of their arrangement and Killian nodded once before striding towards the exit. His eyes were downcast as he marched forward and he could feel Blackbeard's gaze on him as he walked. His concentration was so confined to the recesses of his mind that he didn't realise someone had opened the door to enter just as he reached out to open it. He nearly ran into the person and would have likely knocked them over judging by the slight frame cleverly disguised by a khaki coloured coat. However, Killian was in no mood to jest and so, without apologising for nearly mowing down the person, walked straight out the door.

The person he'd nearly run into watched him curiously before turning around with an elegantly raised eyebrow. Blonde hair peeking from underneath the cloak's hood, the individual walked towards the bar where they sat in the unoccupied stool beside Blackbeard.

"I do hope you have a formidable reason for summoning me here," the person said.

He turned to face his new companion, a wary smile on his cracked lips, "I have a deal to make."

8888

The sun was half-way consumed by the ocean when Killian reached the ship again, satisfied when he saw that the deck was clear of people. As he stepped on to the gang plank, he checked that the pouch with the fairy dust was still tied to his belt. It was still attached and he untied the straps while he walked. Killian headed below deck and was intrigued to hear hushed voices in one of the rooms that he passed.

In his room, he placed the package of white-gold substance in a crevice underneath a loose wooden board – a hiding place he'd utilised since the first time he'd set foot on the Jolly Roger. Satisfied that the pixie dust was concealed, Killian stood up and headed for the room where he'd heard his companion's conversing. The door creaked as it opened and all eyes turned towards him. Mary Margaret and Charming sat close together in one corner with Neal, Henry and Regina huddled around a game of cards in the other.

"Did you get it?" the prince asked immediately, standing up and approaching the pirate.

"Yes, it's secured in my cabin. We can begin our journey to Lilith's Lagoon," he replied, "Do you still have the blanket?" Charming turned to his wife to check and when she nodded he assured Killian that the token was still in their care.

"Good, in that case I'll set sail. You can come above deck in another half an hour – by then our ship should be out of sight from Calcava Port," Killian said. He turned on his heel at that and headed straight above deck. The Jolly Roger immediately responded to his commands, moving out of the derelict docks and out into the open ocean of the ageless realm.

The ship glided through the opalescent waters, barely rocking against the miniscule waves. Neverland's waters had always been calm, it was why it was so easy to isolate dangers – a ripple, some foam, bubbling; all indicators that a beastie was about to make an appearance. Killian had only been forced to face a few in his time, thanks to the speed that the Jolly Roger was renowned for. It came in incredibly handy when outrunning creatures of the deep that were habitually lazy (unless motivated by something other than hunger, like rage). It wasn't cowardice if the opponent was an incoherent beast with a hankering for human flesh.

Killian watched as the dilapidated docks of Calcava Port faded into the distance and the minutes ticked by. It barely felt like half an hour when the door to the decks below opened to reveal his travelling companions. First to exit was the young boy, followed by his father and then the Swan girl's parents. Apparently, Regina had either retired to bed or was in no mood to be above deck. She'd been out of sorts for a while, and Killian presumed it had something to do with the fact that her magical abilities were severely limited here. The Evil Queen's identity was ruled by her power and, without it, she was lost.

He could understand it; however opposed he was to persons able to wield magic. The mayor didn't have much else going for her – her mother and father were dead (both as a result of her actions), as was her lover (a piece of information that Cora had divulged in their short alliance) and she was probably on par with Killian in the amount of unconditional trust they received from Charming family. Other than Henry, who was not entirely hers, the only thing she had was magic.

Killian was so consumed by his inner reflections that he didn't register the small presence beside him until the young voice infiltrated his thoughts.

"Hook?" Henry said in an attempt to garner the pirate's attention. He was successful and the man turned to face him, eyebrows raised as if silently questioning the boy's presence. "You said we had to go to Lilith's Lagoon, before?"

Killian nodded, "Aye, I did. What about it?"

Henry's lips tugged upwards into a sheepish grin, "Why is it called that?"

The pirate smiled in amusement and the optimistic response was clearly a relief to the child whose shoulders relaxed. He looked down to the main deck where Snow and Charming were surveying their movements. Killian rolled his eyes and turned back to Henry whose face was alight with curiosity. He opened his mouth to dissuade the kid but found himself unable to do it. Instead, Killian walked past Henry to the Quarterdeck stairs and patted the spot beside him.

Henry was instantly at his side, as was the concerned stares of his grandparents who made a point of shuffling infinitesimally closer to the pair. It was obvious that they'd ceased conversing and were now straining their ears to listen to whatever tale the pirate had to impart on the child. Across the deck, Neal seemingly noticed them as Killian began speaking.

"You've heard about pixies, no doubt?" he asked and Henry was quick to affirm. When Killian spoke again, his voice seemed to deepen. "A very long time ago, Neverland was host to a pixie who called herself Lilith. It is said that she was incredibly beautiful, and it disguised her cunning and cruel nature like a mask. However, one day her true colours were revealed and she was quickly banished from Pixie Hollow."

"What did she do?" Henry asked.

Killian shrugged, "Nobody knows – it was so long ago that those whom were primary observers are either dead or have forgotten. Nevertheless, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Lilith quickly made plans to steal the lights of all the pixies. She planned to use it to gain full control of Neverland and eventually plunder the remaining realms.

"Though she was incredibly powerful, Lilith did not possess the magic required to remove the lights of the pixies. So, using what power she had, Lilith utilised dark magic to mould a beast that would consume the lights and act as a weapon. But, before she could send it away, her own pet quickly divulged that souls provided it much more power than the pixie light." He paused for effect, unable to restrain his storytelling tendencies in Henry's presence. The child was hanging on his every word and, as Killian looked around, he realised for the first time that Snow and Charming were now openly facing him as they too were consumed by his story. Neal, too, had moved closer to them and was focused on the pirate. He looked down when he noticed Killian's eyes on him and folded his arms across his chest.

Henry's patience withered, "What happened?"

The pirate turned back to him and a grim smile formed on his face, "Lilith was its first victim. She died soon after her soul was stolen and the pixies burned her body for good measure. However, the beast was still on the loose and it took the combined efforts of the entire pixie coven to send the monster through a portal into another realm where it would roam -"

"That's the wraith," Snow interrupted suddenly, realisation dawning on the others as they put the facts together and watched Killian for confirmation. He smiled and bowed his head to the princess.

"I'm impressed, milady. Yes, that is how the wraith came to be," he said and was surprised to see that Henry's eyebrows were now drawn together in confusion.

"What's wrong, lad?" Killian asked.

"I still don't understand why it's called Lilith's Lagoon," he explained and the pirate nodded in understanding.

"Well, the Lagoon in the South is where the wraith was fashioned and the realm where the souls are incarcerated borders on that Lagoon – it is Lilith's final resting place and thus the lake is named for it," he answered and the deck was silent as everyone took a moment to think about it.

"My mother told me she knew a descendent of Lilith but I didn't know what she'd meant at the time," Regina's voice broke the silence, surprising Killian. She walked around from where she had evidently been next to the door and out of his line of sight. The woman crossed her arms and frowned in thought.

It was David who spoke next, "How did she know there was a descendent?" Everyone seemed to have though the same thing and the mayor was suddenly the centre of attention on the ship. She shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know," she said, "I was never privy to details when it came to my mother." Her tone conveyed bitterness and Snow looked down at the reference to Cora. At the mention of the witch, tension seemed to roll in like smog and the two women shifted uncomfortably on the spot. Killian rolled his eyes at their temperament; it was slightly pathetic, the degree to which Cora's death had affected these two women. And while Killian could sympathise over a daughter losing her mother, Cora had never displayed any of the typical maternal instincts nor had Regina ever shown special affinity for her mother. Their alliance in the end had been short-lived and fuelled by two separate agendas – not familial love or affection.

Therefore, Killian thought it unreasonable that the woman should feel particularly injured by her mother's death (even if it had been by her hand). He was especially disappointed in Snow, whose entire personality retracted under the subject. The woman who he'd met in the Enchanted Forest was very different to the woman who still acted as though she'd slaughtered an innocent. Cora had been a necessary casualty in the fight for her family's safety – anyone with common sense knew as much.

The pirate shrugged off the ability to lock the women in a room to sort out their issues and turned his attention to Regina.

"Did your mother ever mention a name?" he questioned and she shook her head in response, "Did she ever tell you anything that may give us an indication as to the identity of this pixie?"

"Why are you so interested?" Regina replied defensively, scrutinising the pirate. Killian ignored her jibe as it was obvious that she didn't know anything. His mind raced as he weighed the risk of running into such a descendent. It was unlikely that he wouldn't have heard about any such pixie's existence by now, either from overhearing about it in Calcava or from Blackbeard's forewarning. So, either it was a myth or the descendent was long dead.

"Hook?" David said, snapping Killian back to the present. He recalled Regina's question and regarded each of them seriously.

"I wouldn't fancy meeting Lilith's descendent. You see, darkness such as that which was rampant in Lilith runs through pixie blood like a disease… Where human temperament depends upon environment, pixies' depends on their descendants."

Again, the ship was enveloped in silence, save for the sound of the waves lightly resisting against the Jolly Roger as it glided through the water. Killian looked at each of the people aboard again, until his eyes rested on Neal who, incidentally, was watching him as well. However, he didn't lower his gaze this time.

"Have you heard how Tink is doing?" he asked and the pirate's eyes dropped this time. He truly dreaded having to reiterate her demise, especially to someone who would share his reaction. To make matters worse, Henry perked up at the name. A grin spread across his face and his eyes flickered between the two men.

"Tink? As in Tinkerbelle? You mean - she's real?" he said rapidly, his voice raising an octave in excitement.

Killian winced and Neal nodded half-heartedly, although his expression had significantly deepened as he registered the pirate's reaction to the question. He raised his head to meet Neal's eyes and let the mask of indifference close off his face as he replied.

"She died three years ago. Blackbeard told me – the lost boys," he said.

Killian immediately turned to gage Emma's son's reaction and was disappointed with what he saw.

Henry's high spirits seemed to vanish like a candle being blown out. It was as if it finally dawned on him that Neverland wasn't the realm he'd always dreamed of. His eyes were no longer glistening with excitement and the smile faded into a thin line. The boy's entire demeanour seemed to sober but he did not cry; in fact, Killian would swear the boy appeared to have grown a year within the space of a second.

The pirate looked back at Neal again and he could see the pain in his eyes, and he guessed they mirrored the look in his own ice blue eyes. It was fleeting but for a brief, albeit silent, moment the two men shared an understanding.

"So I see we're moving – how long will it take to get to Lilith's Lagoon?" Regina asked, effectively ending the moment shared between the two men. Killian stood up from the steps and looked out at the horizon.

"I'd say at least half a day until we reach the closest shore. We'll have to trek to the Lagoon from there which should take us to just before sunset. Then we can do the ritual."

Henry chose that moment to stand up and put a hand on Killian's arm. He smiled meaningfully at the pirate, "Thank you for helping us." The older man nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. The boy turned around then, and headed below deck.

Snow and Charming nodded to the pirate in silent appreciation and followed Henry. Regina followed them shortly after. It was getting dark as Killian and Neal were left alone on the main deck of the Jolly Roger for the umpteenth time since the beginning of their journey. The memory of the other day hung in the air and both men felt unequivocally uncomfortable as the night air declined in temperature. Neal took a deep breath, his breath coming out in a chalky mist, and broke the silence.

"I remember the first time I hit this deck," he said, kicking the wooden boards, and it almost sounded nostalgic.

Killian tried not to grin as he recalled the small boy being heaved up onto the deck; a soaking mess.

"Aye, I do recall. You were conscious for about a minute. My men had to carry you to the cabins below deck," the pirate said wistfully.

Neal chuckled, "I was never afraid of you, you know. I know your men were – but I never was."

"I know," Killian smirked, "I'm fairly sure the crew feared you as a result of that."

"I think it had more to do with my lineage…" Neal's voice drifted off and the momentary joviality between the men slowly faded, replaced by tension. The man stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and made to go below deck. Killian watched him as he walked towards the door and was surprised when he turned around again, eyes downcast as he visibly searched for words.

"Why wouldn't true love's kiss work on Emma? I mean, it's supposed to be the ultimate cure," he said nervously.

Killian shrugged, "I don't know if it would work or not, but unfortunately for us that cure requires her true love and we're sans that requirement." He watched Neal carefully, a dread beginning to seep into his bones as he registered the combined guilt and disappointment in the man's face. The pirate narrowed his eyes, stepping slightly closer to him.

Neal didn't meet his eyes, "Not necessarily… I… I know it wouldn't work."

"How?" Killian growled, all previous sentiment gone as he felt his spine go rigid.

The man looked up at him and he didn't need to say a word to explain the implication of his words. Memories of the first day of their journey filtered into Killian's mind: he had emerged from her room, sheepish under the gaze of her parents. That was why. He'd kissed her.

"You kissed her?" he spat. Neal stepped around him, hands up as he tried to explain himself.

"I was grieving and I thought it might work," he tried, but Killian would have none of it. The pirate followed him as he walked back, like a predator stalking prey. He was livid.

"Everyone was grieving but no one else violated her unconscious body!" he roared, stifling the urge to impale the man with his hook. Neal's face hardened as he processed Hook's comment, the defensive edge gone as he realised the insult the pirate had dealt him.

"I did not violate her – I have a child with her! I thought it would bring her back!" he yelled back, taking a step closer and clenching his fists.

"Well you were wrong! I cannot believe you would take advantage of her," Killian said, his voice lowering though his voice remained sharp.

"For the last time, I wasn't taking advantage of her! I love her and I wanted her back," Neal said, his voice cracking as he finally voiced what had been circling his mind for days. Killian had no response anymore, though he still shook with anger.

"Why do you even care?" Neal finally asked bitingly, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

The pirate shook his head, "I don't" he mumbled. He turned on his heel, heading below deck and striding purposefully to the room where he knew she would be. He closed the door as he entered and began pacing the length of the small cabin.

"I don't care. I haven't cared about anything other than my revenge for over three-hundred years. I have no claim to you; I have no claim to your family. They don't trust me and neither did you… Why didn't you trust me? Things might have been so very different if you'd just trusted me – but what I'm doing has nothing to do with you… I'm just here to help your son. He needs his mother and your parents need their daughter and I… Bloody hell…" Killian ran a hand through his dark hair, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. He received no response to his rant, and he hadn't expected to. Honestly, he hadn't known what he'd wanted as he'd stalked from the deck and straight to her room.

She still sat motionless on the cot, her hands crossed over her chest like a sleeping angel. Killian knelt down beside her and touched one of the strands that fell over the edge of the cot, studying it idly as he calmed his rapidly spinning thoughts.

He used his hand to tuck the stray hair behind her ear, delicately placing it before surveying her face. She looked so much more open in this comatose-sleep; unlike the woman with walls so high not even her parents could fully penetrate them. He wondered what she was like before Neal, before she'd been broken once and for all. The pirate still didn't exactly know how he had trespassed against her, but he knew the damage it had caused.

He had seen it in the way she stopped herself every single time her instincts had told her to trust him. It had been a small habit of hers that every time it happened, she'd reached for the swan necklace; touching on it as if it was reminding her to stay resolute. Killian's eyes drifted south, and not out of more primitive desires but to study the necklaces she wore. He could swear she had worn two items of jewellery around her neck when he'd met her in the Enchanted Forest, but now there was only the silver one with the unbroken circle. There had been a pendant as well though, he was sure of it – a swan pendant, that was it.

But it was no longer there, and he wondered what she'd done with it. Killian looked back up at her face, frowning as he studied her features, committing them to memory without fully realising it. He didn't know how long he stayed there, his mind blank as his eyes perused every tiny detail of her face. Eventually though, Killian stood up and, with one last glance at Emma, left to retire to bed.

8888

Emma should have been used to it by now, that strange falling sensation, but she wasn't – as was evidenced when she gasped in shock just before her surroundings morphed. Lancelot didn't appear too concerned either as her vision of him subsided and the dull field transformed into the dark room. The blonde blinked twice, sighed in irritation, and sat up. She knew he would be there, just like her past visits, so it wasn't surprising in the least when she turned around and observed him.

She walked forward lazily, stopping in front of the barrier once she felt it with her hand and placing her hands on her hips. She studied him idly and was concerned when he appeared unsure; it was no secret that this man happened to be quite adept at masking his sentiments. Emma had never truly seen him exhibit feelings contrary to the smug façade he so flawlessly practiced, except fleetingly. She shared that tendency with him and –

"You're an idiot, Jones."

Emma thoughts collided, her eyes widening as she stared at him. Had he just – he had just spoken. The blonde knocked against the barrier, renewed hope blooming in her chest against her will.

"Hook! Hook can you hear me?" she yelled, her voice uncharacteristically open, "Hook?"

"Bloody hell, you're going to end up hurt again," he said, and it was obvious by his words that he didn't hear a thing she'd said. Nevertheless, the blonde continued pounding the barricade to no avail.

"You know better than this – or at least you should," he said bitterly. Emma closed her mouth and discontinued her ministrations on the invisible wall. Something in his voice forced her to stop and listen. Killian frowned, his eyebrows drawing together on his forehead as his eyes searched the ground for some unreachable answer.

"Gods, it shouldn't be affecting you… it's not like you expected any different," he muttered to himself, "Why should it matter, anyway?" Emma watched him carefully, his ambiguous words striking a chord even though some part of her mind refused to link it all together. She was drawn in by his voice, though she couldn't fathom why. He could have been talking about anything.

Killian seemed to be reminding himself of something, "You don't have a claim here, not to her anyway…"

And although he never uttered a name, Emma's mind somewhat suddenly assumed he was speaking about her. She swallowed, feeling unreasonably vulnerable despite his inability to see or hear her. What did he even mean by a 'claim?' God only knew what he was rambling on about.

He didn't speak for a long moment and then, when she was sure he would disappear and the room would dissipate around her, he looked up. The sudden movement caught Emma by surprise and she started. His piercing blue eyes were staring at her, and yet they were unfocused. She calmed the urge to call out to him again, repeating to herself; he can't see you, he can't see you, he can't actually see you.

Emma felt around for the barrier and, after locating it, leant her back against it and slid down to a sitting position. It was a hard surface for something imperceptible and rigid enough that her back couldn't be pressed comfortably against it. The saviour leaned her head against it nonetheless, breathing out softly and waiting for him to continue speaking.

"That bloody infuriating woman, she's the most stubborn creature," he said and Emma almost cracked a smile.

She could hear as he exhaled heavily, "Milah probably would have been amused by her." His voice had dropped significantly in volume and the blonde remembered the name, though she wasn't sure where from until a memory invaded her mind's eye:

"You'd make a hell of a pirate," he'd admired with a smirk, holding out the pouch of knock out powder. The tension still hung thick in the air and Emma took the opportunity to look away from his eyes, staring at the white pouch. However, her gaze flickered to his forearm where the sleeve of his black shirt had dropped back to reveal a tattoo. It was a heart and dagger with an elegant scroll of paper draped lengthways across it.

There was a name, too; Milah. Emma looked up from the tattoo, meeting his gaze again.

"Who's Milah – in the tattoo?" she asked, taking the poppy powder from him as she did. His eyes immediately flickered down to the tattoo in mention, the mirth evaporating like water in heat. He shrugged the sleeve back down and a moment of silence passed between them as the blonde waited for an answer.

"Someone from long ago."

Milah was his lover, the woman Gold had killed. Emma frowned, her stomach clenching uncomfortably at the notion that he was thinking about her in unison with his dead lover. She didn't want to muse the implications of that and, as though the Gods themselves were listening, she felt her surroundings fading.

Emma turned around before the dark room could disappear and, sure enough, he was gone.

Reviews are love for Colin O'Donoghue's eyebrows (therefore I expect massive amounts because who doesn't love those two caterpillars above his eyes?)

Do we still trust Blackbeard? Who's that blonde just walked up-up in the club? (Yes, crappy song lyrics – I'm a loser. But you're still reading so the joke's on you.) And what about Killian finally talking in what I like to call the 'Kindred-Room' ?