Later that day they trudged through the woods. Emma instinctively stayed closed to Henry. And while Hook smiled internally at the events of the night before, Emma's behavior towards him today was harsh. Every once in awhile she shot him a suspicious look in the shadows of the purple trees. Maybe it was because he had said the woods were full of dangers and she thought he meant himself, he sarcastically rolled his eyes at the thought. Well, at least he had gotten them this far.
"What's that sound?" Henry piped up. A sound like millions of tiny bits of metal clinking together filled the air.
"Ah needle river, we're half way through." Hook answered.
"Don't tell me," Emma replied dryly as they approached a shimmering river through the trees, "needle river is actually a bunch of needles?"
"Precisely." Hook cleared his throat and walked up to the edge, "they may look like harmless petite sewing needles, but beware, they actually carry a deadly poison on their tips."
"Well, of course they do." Emma sighed and crossed her arms taking in the sight of a million billion tiny needles flowing gently through the forest floor. "So what's the plan to get across?"
"Hmm," Hook looked around at the trees, "how's your sense of balance?"
Twenty minutes later, with the help of Henry and Emma, Hook had set up a fallen tree as a make shift bridge across the needles.
"Alright," Hook dusted off his hands, "I'll go first, then Henry and then Emma. Savvy?"
"Savvy!" Replied Henry with maybe a little too much enthusiasm. Emma smirked at him, he always enjoyed outdoor activities.
"And remember, keep your balance! These needles are poisonous and deadly, so go as slowly as you need to." With that he took off across the bridge. Emma had to admit she was impressed, for a man that swaggered everywhere with a flask at the ready, he had a pretty steady footstep. Then it was Henry's turn. Emma turned to her son and kissed him on the forehead.
"Slow and steady kiddo, if you think you're gonna fall just sit down on the tree trunk and scoot across that way, okay?"
"Yeah, I got this Mom." Henry looked determined. And soon he was joining Hook on the other side.
"Alright Swan, take it easy."
"You can do it Mom!"
Emma raised her eyebrows at both of them before climbing up on the fallen tree bridge. The tree had a slight wobble, but for the most part it was fairly strong and steady. She was just a few steps from the other side when there was a cracking sound of splinting wood.
"Just keep your eyes forward Emma!" Hook ordered, "keep moving, don't stop, you're almost here."
But the tree was breaking below her, her balance wobbled.
"Mom!" Henry yelled, as Hook held him in place.
"Stay there Henry, I'm fine!" Emma yelled as she reached out and grabbed the trunk below her, firmly steading herself before a branch snapped off and fell into the needles below. Emma sighed, "see? I'm fine." She smile warily at Henry. Then she swung herself on to the forest floor beside them. That's when she noticed the sharp pain in her right arm.
"Mom?" Henry pointed to her arm and she looked to see a needle poking into her skin there. "Are you gonna die?!" Henry panicked.
"How did that get there?" Emma mused, starting to feel wobbly.
"Splashed up when the branch fell, can't have that now can we?" Hook grabbed her and laid her down under a nearby tree. "Luckily it's just one needle, enough to be deadly but still little enough to stop." He spoke quickly, removed the needle with a handkerchief and quickly moved his mouth to the tiny wound and appeared to suck at it. He then raised his head and spat far out in the other direction and coughed.
"What on earth are you doing?" Emma looked at him like he was the most entertaining man she had ever met.
"Sucking out the poison, love." He coughed again and his voice was hoarse, the residue of the poison burning his mouth.
He sucked and spit out several more times from the wound before leaning back and sighing and coughing once more. "That should do it." He turned to look at Emma's face, "How do you feel?"
"Oh I'm having a lovely vacation, thank you. I'll take another margarita please!" Emma raised her finger in the air before laying back and closing her eyes. Hook chuckled and just patted her on the head.
Henry looked skeptical at his passed out mother, "Is she okay?"
"Aye. Just a bit loopy from what little poison did get into her system, but luckily I got most of it out, so it won't kill her. She just needs to sleep it off. She'll be just fine." His voice still a bit hoarse, he cleared his throat a bit.
"Are you gonna be just fine?" Henry raised an eyebrow at the pirate.
"Yes, just a little burning aftertaste. Nothing a little rum won't cure." He took a swig from his flask and then winced looking around at their surroundings and Emma's sleeping body. "Unfortunately this does mean we'll need to camp here tonight and I was hoping to avoid the woods at night. Alas." He shrugged and looked at Henry who just stood there with wide unsure eyes. "Tell me boy, anyone ever teach you to sword fight?"
Henry looked at him like he had just asked him to sprout wings and fly. "No... But I took chess lessons for a few years..."
"Hmm, nonsense. Let's jog your memory, shall we?" And with that Hook picked up a nearby tree branch, snapped it in two and handed half to the boy.
When Emma came to, the purple woods were shaded and dark, a dying glow of the fire burned nearby and the sleeping figure of her son made her smile gently.
"How you feeling?"
Emma turned to see Hook perched nearby keeping watch. She leaned forward and stretched, sitting more up right and yawned.
"Alright, bit of a headache but fine. What happened?"
"Needle poison knocked you out, but I think you had a lovely holiday." He grinned at her.
Emma rubbed at her arm, remembering the events from earlier that day. It slowly came back.
"Oh yes, you saved me." She recalled and looked at him. "Sucked out the poison. Why put yourself at that risk?"
Hook's face had that sad look again, "If you need ask, love, no point in answering." He looked back towards the fire.
Emma contemplated this for awhile and his face in the firelight. "You say we knew each other before, how well... Did we know each other?"
Hook turned to face her, "perhaps not as well as I would of liked." He answered.
"And whys that?" Emma tilted her head.
Hook let out a deep breath, "I suppose circumstances."
"Hmm, well circumstances change." Emma stated before standing and dusting herself off. She looked down at Hook, "Why don't you hit the hay? I feel plenty rested to keep guard for the rest of the night."
"Aye aye captain." Hook smirked as he laid himself down on the forest floor feeling plenty drowsy.
"Night Swan."
"Night Killian."
Hook was just closing his eyes when he suddenly sat up. "You know my name!"
Emma looked at him like he had three heads, "yeeeah, Killian Jones, otherwise known as Captain Hook. Of course I know that."
"But I didn't tell you. I mean I told you before, when we first met... But not now.. Your memory is coming back!"
Emma shrugged and smiled a bit, "I guess so, now go to sleep you look exhausted!" She whispered loudly at him and laughed.
The next morning Henry couldn't help but notice that his mother seemed more at ease in the woods. She didn't act as up tight or as intensively protective of him as before, she seemed more relaxed. She let him run ahead a bit on the trail even.
"These woods don't seem so bad, really," Emma commented as they stomped through the undergrowth. "Maybe a bit dense, but not so bad."
Hook chuckled, "You mean besides the near death experience with the river of poison needles?"
"Well," Emma shrugged and grinned over at him, "a girl has got to have some excitement in her life, doesn't she?"
"Certainly." Hook felt surprise by the change in her, but also relieved, he was reminded of their old flirtations. And that, made him a grinning pirate indeed.
Perhaps it was all the grinning, but both grown ups failed to notice that Henry had run ahead a bit too far. Suddenly Emma looked for the back of his bobbing head through the trees and saw nothing. Panic gripped her.
"Henry! Henry!" She called loudly but was met with no reply. She turned to Hook in horror, "Where is he?!"
"Don't panic Swan, like you said the woods are dense, I'm sure he's just up ahead."
Emma broke into a run through the trees calling her son's name. Hook took off after her.
They soon broke into a clearing, but Henry was no where to be seen. Emma doubled over and breathed heavily, gripping her knees with her hands trying to catch her breath. She was still a bit weak from the poison. She looked up and around frantically on every direction, "Henry!" She turned to Hook again, "Where is he?" She demanded.
Hook looked bewildered and shrugged, surely the boy couldn't of gotten that far ahead of them.
"I swear if anything happens to him.." Emma's voice was fierce but she was cut off by Hook.
"Shhh.." He held up his hand.
"Don't 'Shh' me!" Emma was furious.
"No seriously," Hook grabbed her shoulder, "be quiet, listen.."
A quiet knocking sound came in intervals, over to the left, deep between the trees.
"Wha-" Emma started again but Hook held his hand up again.
"Shh.." He beckoned her with his hand and she followed him quietly into the trees. Knock. Knock. Knock. They followed the sound. Knock. Knock. Knock.
They eventually came to a stop, "Ah, of course, squirrels." Hook sighed.
"You brought me to see squirrels?" Emma kept her voice down but she still sounded furious.
"Don't be unimpressed by squirrels, love. They are the fiercest creatures in these woods."
Emma leveled her eyes with his and raised her eyebrows, "squirrels?!"
"Yes squirrels, is there an echo?" Hook shook his head at her, obviously enjoying this back and forth, "Well it seems the lad unfortunately wandered into the squirrel king's territory. And the squirrel king does not take kindly to strangers.."
"Oh please, stop messing around." Emma walked forward from behind the tree where they were hidden. Hook tried to pull her back but too late, a fierce rain of acorns showered down on top of her, Emma yelled and ducked her head raising her arms like she was caught in a down pour. Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
"What on earth?!" Emma ran back to where Hook was by the tree.
"In not sure if this is earth.." Hook mused and Emma shot him a look, "What? I told you they were fierce."
Then a shrill high pitch voice rang out, "Trespassers!"
Hook looked at Emma knowingly, "The squirrel king speaks."
Emma rolled her eyes, "Where is Henry?"
"Oh I think we are about to get our answer." Hook pointed forward and Emma looked.
The voice rang out again, "Trespassers, we have your bodyguard and shall return him for a price!"
"Our bodyguard?!" Emma responded bewildered.
"Henry," whispered Hook.
"You could not terrify us with your bodyguard though you tried. We have captured the beast!" And with that a vine was lowered from the tree tops with a wiggling figure tied up, it was Henry.
"Squirrels are terrified of 12 year old boys," Hook whispered a playful glint in his eye.
"Oh this is ridiculous," Emma shook her head and stepped forward, "Henry! Henry we're gonna get you d-" then another storm of acorns came down and Emma was forced to return to behind the tree.
"Retreat!" Squealed the shrill voice and finally Emma looked up and saw the source, a small squirrel on a tree branch wearing a crown. The squirrel king. Seriously? Where was her gun? Emma made a move to grab her gun but Hook stopped her.
"Oh no, you kill the squirrel king and you'll have the whole army after you, that won't solve anything." He shook his head at her. Emma responded by sighing loudly and leaving her gun where it was.
"Trespassers to regain your bodyguard, we ask for a price. That price is MORE ACORNS!" The squirrel king's voice echoed through the trees and was met with thousands of equally shrill squeals of excitement, echoing through out the whole forest.
Emma turned to Hook, "What kind of ridiculous children's book are we trapped in? Are we really going to take orders from squirrels who just want more acorns?" She gestured to the fact that the forest floor around them was already littered with millions of acorns.
"More Acorns! More Acorns! More Acorns!" The squirrels chanted clearly mad with power, or something.
"Aye, Oz is not my favorite world either." Hook grinned.
"Well then why are you grinning?" Emma was just getting annoyed now.
"Because," he raised his eye brows at her, "squirrels may be fierce here, but they are stupid. Watch."
Hook stood up and took off his leather coat, Emma briefly noticed his biceps but then told herself to focus, her son was tied up in a tree. Hook then quickly laid his coat on the ground gathering up as many acorns as he could and when his coat was full he turned and winked at Emma then walked forward towards the tree where the squirrel king was.
"Oh fierce some king of squirrels," Hook cried out, "I offer you these acorns as humble payment for the return of our meek bodyguard!"
The squirrel's chanting doubled and tripled in intensity. Clearly they were thrilled with this.
"Very good Trespassers!" The squirrel king's shrill reply came from the tree top, "We shall release the beast!"
With that Henry was cut free and he fell on the forest floor, he stood up, shook himself off and looked at his mother and the pirate, "This place is really weird." Was all he said before walking back towards the path.
Emma nodded and followed, as did Hook. And even after a half hour of walking they could still hear the chanting, "More Acorns! More Acorns!" Echoing from behind them.