(Present, Storybrooke)

Emma flicked the Author's pen between two fingers as she paced the sheriff's office. She walked from dartboard to couch and back again, sorting through the day's damage: Zelena (back from the future), Blackbeard (has magic now), Henry (forced across the town line), the Jolly Roger (crippled and careened on the beach), babies Robyn and Neal (kidnapped), Date night (cancelled).

Nearly nose-to-bullseye, Emma turned on her heels and stalked toward the couch, toward her heartbroken parents, and tears of frustration burned in her eyes all over again.

The she-pirate touched her forehead to the bars of her cell, her hair still wet from the water, and made a snide remark. At least, it sounded snide; Emma couldn't be sure. The woman had spoken nothing but Spanish since her capture, and Emma's foreign language skills began and ended with broken Elvish.

Killian, already at the cell bars growled back something that needed no English translation and the woman fell silent. Emma might have been impressed if she wasn't so pissed.

The station doors banged open and Emma felt the burn of Regina's anger even before the harsh click-clack of Regina's heels brought the queen around the corner, a bruised but determined Robin in tow. When her eyes fell on prisoner in the cell, a dark look passed across her face and

Regina stalked forward. "What have you done with Henry?"

Emma stopped her pacing to block Regina's path. "Tried that, we haven't even gotten a name out of her."

"Give me five minutes," said Regina, a fireball lighting in her hand.

The prisoner stared at Regina just long enough to take in her pantsuit, then burst out laughing. She spat something between breaths that caused Regina to toss the flame at the cell. It fizzled harmlessly against a shield and the rolls of laughter started all over again.

"I already spelled it against dark magic," Emma huffed, dragging Regina away from the cell by her shoulder. She made a mental note to download DuoLingo because this was getting embarrassing. "Mal and Lily are keeping watch on the Revenge. They swear Henry didn't turn tree."

"And if Blackbeard decides to take off to who-knows-where?"

Killian turned from the cell. "Judging by its sails, the Revenge is dead in the water," he said. "Without magic, it's not going anywhere fast."

Regina put her hands on her hips. "How the hell does Blackbeard get magic?"

"The ship," Killian added with a growl, "the bloody Queen Anne's Revenge. It's dark magic, from stem to stern. Any and every scoundrel on Tortuga would give anything to command that ship."

"Just what we need," scoffed Regina, "Another nutcase pirate with more dark magic than sense."

Killian made to reply, but a voice from the cell cut him off. "No harm will come to the boy," said their prisoner. Her words were perfect English, but her syllables twirled with a Latin momentum.

"So long as we get what we want."

Regina stepped toward the cell. "And what would that be?"

"A new story."

Killian leaned toward the bars. "Seems we've been down that road once already and all it Blackbeard was a black eye, but we'd be happy to repeat the performance."

Brown eyes glared back at him and she whispered back, "I will carve your heart from your chest with your own hook if I have to."

This time Emma lunged toward the cell, but pulled back as a puff of green smoke came between her and the cell.

"Angelica, dear," Zelena said, feigning exasperation even before her smoke dissipated. "Enunciate. A lady always makes her threats clear to the whole room."

Angelica's gaze slid to the witch and her knuckles tightened around the bars. A collection of rings on her hands tapped and scraped against the bars.

"Zelena," hissed Regina.

"Lucky for you, Sis, I'm not here for round two."

Emma stepped in front of Regina. "No matter how powerful you are in the future, I'm still the Savior here."

Zelena rolled her eyes at that. "And still self-righteous. But no matter. you're going to do exactly what I want anyway because I brought leverage."

She flicked a wrist and a double seat baby stroller, emerald green, appeared in front of her. David and Mary Margaret each took in a breath and stood to see their son.

"What do you want?" Emma asked.

Zelena smiled. "In exchange for little Baby Neal, you give me Angelica."

Zelena motioned to the cell. The girl shifted her weight in the cell, feigning disinterest, but Emma noticed the steady press of white on nervous knuckles.

"You've never come back for one of your pawns before," Emma replied.

"Aye, and Blackbeard has left entire crews to their deaths to keep from sharing his prizes," added Killian. "What's to make us believe either of you would actually honor a deal?"

"Because she's his daughter," Zelena stated, simply. All eyes snapped to the woman in the cell, to her dark hair and dark eyes and the mad fury that gleamed in her eye. "I don't think I have to elaborate to you lot what a father would do for his child?"

Regina glanced between Zelena and Angelica. "You said you raised another child, did you and-"

"Egads, no!" Zelena scowled in offense. "Pirates are Emma's thing, not mine." The green skinned witch straightened with pride. "However, I like to think she has benefitted from a feminine influence."

"And what do you want for my daughter?" asked Robin.

"My daughter stays with me," Zelena replied, a sharp glare in her eye. "But for the safe return of the Author, I ask a stiff price."

Emma glanced to the cell, the she-pirate glaring as if sheer will could slit her throat. "What do you want for him?"

"I need to get back to the Revenge," Zelena replied. "And since I don't want all you goody-two-shoes bothering me, I'll need passage across the town line, which means I need the only person who can cross the town line without turning into a tree-the one who cast it," Zelena's gaze turned to Killian. "Oh look, he also has a ship. Wonderful how this all works out."

Killian's eyes narrowed. "Nimue cast the curse."

"Through you," Zelena pressed as if the obviousness of the point pained her. "That's all the magic cares about. Now do we have a deal or not?"

"Fine," said Killian.

"No, no deal," said Emma.

The corners of Zelena's lips tipped up in amusement. "Oooh, Emma, are you really willing to risk the safety of your son for your boy toy?"

"No, but-" Emma searched the floor as if the words to explain herself might be strewn there. She wanted Henry safe more than anything, but she needed time, too.

"But the Jolly Roger is shipwrecked," Regina broke in, "thanks to your pirate. So if you want the matching set, you'll have to wait."

Zelena glanced between the two mothers, a self-satisfied smirk showing she's picked up on the Savior's distress, and she took a step back.

"Alright then, Sis. You have til sundown to fix the ship and bring me my demands," she tugged the stroller closer, "or Blackbeard's crew gets two new recruits."

With that, Zelena disappeared.

-0-

Henry's fingers had long grown numb in Blackbeard's grip by the time the towering pirate and his cronies dragged Henry through the galley below deck. Though Henry's muscles burned with the strain of tugging and struggling, and he could feel his furor weakening.

"You'll forgive us if you've found us unprepared hosts," prattled Blackbeard, "however, our royal suite is recently vacated." One of the other pirates shuffled ahead and pulled open a door. "I assure you I heard no complaints about the lodgings, however, that may have been owing to the gags in their mouths."

Blackbeard shoved him in and Henry didn't stumble far before he hit a rough wall. The "suite" was little more than a foul-smelling storage closet, with only a slime coated porthole for light.

Blackbeard's scowl under his streaked beard was the last thing Henry saw before the door slammed and locked, plunging Henry into near darkness. Henry shook the life back into his numbed limb, wincing against the wave of prickles. An extra weight pressed against his wrist as the feeling returned, and Henry ran fingers over a cuff-style bracelet. Blackbeard must have shoved on him as they sped toward the town line. He guessed this was what stood between him and a new life as a sapling.

Both hands working again, Henry felt his pockets for his phone but found them empty, his phone no doubt confiscated by his captors. His pen had gone over the side of the ship with the girl pirate, and right now he was happy it escaped Blackbeard's clutch. He made the effort to pat around his cell for anything useful but found only that there wasn't much room at all to move around. He'd never really considered the cramped, spartan hold of the Jolly Roger particularly comforting, but the Revenge seemed to sway and lurch with a kind of menace, and he realized, perhaps for the first time, he truly felt scared aboard a pirate ship.

Weariness washed over him, and he slumped to the floor. It looked like once again he had to sit on the sidelines while the heroes carried the story.

His eyes drooped and he considered taking a nap when a faint scratching sound drew his attention to the door. Something scuttled through the crack under the door, a large bug or a small mouse, he guessed, and Henry again found himself pining for the comparatively cleaner Jolly Roger.

"Henry?" a woman's voice whispered. "Are you in here?"

Henry blinked.

"H-hello?" he tested.

"Oh thank goodness!" exclaimed the other voice, and a little blue light suddenly appeared at his foot. He recognized a fairy instantly, even if he did not recognize this particular fairy. She had wild red-brown hair tied back in a bandana and a tiny longcoat with holes cut for her wings and a little sword stuffed in her belt. In fact, if not for her fluttering wings that filled the small room with a soft glow, she looked patently un-fairy-like.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Zarina, a friend," she replied, floating forward to inspect him. "Are you okay, Henry?"

"How do you know my name? Are you from Storybrooke?"

She shook her head. "Storybrooke, no. But I'm from your kingdom. Well, your future kingdom, I guess. We've never actually met, but I heard your mother's screams and put two and two together."

"If you're a friend, what are you doing here? Are you a prisoner too?"

Zarina, content with his current state, landed on his kneecap. "I used the last of my dust to sneak aboard just before the ship went through the time portal. I don't think they know I'm here yet."

"Can you get me out of here?"

"Out of the room, possibly. Off the ship, I'm not so sure." Zarina zipped into the air and hovered over the cuff on Henry's wrist. "Were you wearing this before, or did Blackbeard put it on you?"

"Blackbeard," Henry replied, "Why?"

"That is what's keeping you from turning into a tree. If Zelena had the foresight to take this cuff, she might have had the foresight to bring other magic with her."

"Whoa, wait, Zelena is here?"

Zarina nodded absently. "Zelena and Blackbeard are in on this together, that's how we came through the time-"

Zarina clapped a hand over her mouth and stared at Henry. "Oh no. No, no. There are rules for this kind of thing. I'm not supposed to tell you anything about the future!"

"I don't think Blackbeard or my nutty aunt have any interest in following rules."

Still, Zelena frowned and gazed at her wings. "Sorry guys, you were fun while you lasted."

She turned back to Henry. "Zelena's here for her daughter. Blackbeard's involvement, well," Zarina rubbed a hand against the back of her neck, "that is a much longer story."