"Come on, let's get to the trees," Emma said. "I don't trust Belle not to send the guards after us."
"She looked pretty defeated," Regina said. "I know what it's like to have your powers ripped from you," she cast a sideways look at Killian, who gave her a forced smile in return. "Trust me, it's quite sobering."
"In my defense, you were trying to kill me," Killian pointed out.
"I tried to kill a lot of people," Regina shrugged. "Don't take it personally."
"And I've evaded death from far worse people than you," Killian countered. "So you don't take it personally, either."
Emma stopped, turning around and gave them both a look. "Okay, we're all buddies here. Now let's move." She turned back around and stomped off into the forest.
Regina raised an eyebrow at Killian, Robin raised his hands as if to say, "Leave me out of this," and Killian gave Regina a bow and courtly wave of the hand as if to say "after you."
Snow followed after, shaking her head, followed by David, who clapped Killian on the shoulder.
"Good to have you back, mate," Killian said.
"It's good to be back," David replied. "But that's still my daughter up ahead. Don't forget that." He gave Killian another pat and a friendly smile, then sauntered off after his wife.
Killian blew out a stream of air, ruffling his hair, then followed them all into the trees.
They were almost to the spot where the elevator let out when Emma's hand came up, signalling them all to stop. Killian ducked behind a tree, pulling her with him, and she peeked her head around slowly.
"No need to hide," Rumple called out. "It's only me. Besides, you were making enough noise for an army."
Emma stepped out from behind the tree, followed by the others. "It's about time you showed up," she said. "Did you find anything else out that can help us?"
"Now that I'm not The Dark One anymore, you should have your powers back, right?" David asked.
"That's correct." Rumple eyed him cooly. "From what I hear, you did a credible job. I'm quite impressed."
Snow's eyes turned to David and he held up a hand, shaking his head. "No...you can keep the title," he said. "I have no desire to go back to that again."
"I'm fine with you like this, too," said Emma.
"I definitely like you better this way," Killian chimed in and Emma elbowed him in the ribs.
"Do you know where Henry is?" Regina asked.
"He's not here," Rumple said. "Not in the kingdom at all."
"Then he has to be in Storybrooke," Emma said.
"No, he doesn't have to be anywhere," Rumple replied. "For all we know, he was thrown clear when we were sucked in."
"So he's just out there somewhere...alone?" Snow asked, horrified.
"Perhaps." He turned eyes that weren't unkind to Emma. "It's also possible he didn't survive."
"No." Regina nearly shouted it, her denial was so forceful. "I refuse to accept that."
"I don't accept it either," said Emma. "He's somewhere. We're somewhere. We just have to find out where."
"And that, Miss Swan, is the problem," Rumple replied. "Now that I've gotten my powers back and have studied the situation at great length, I have reached the inescapable conclusion that we're going to remain in this reality. So perhaps it's best if we all learn to adjust."
David looked at him like he was crazy. "Learn to adjust?" he said incredulously. "George has my son. My grandson is missing. People have been separated from their families, their lives - "
"And all those families can be restored, once we locate their personal talismen," Rumple pointed out. He looked over at Snow. "You're good at organizing, put some people on it and set the kingdom to rights. And as for you - " he looked at David. "You go topple George again and take your son and your kingdom back."
"And what about my kingdom," Regina said, crossing her arms. "Belle seems to think she's in charge."
"I'll take care of Belle," Rumple said. "In the meantime, there are plenty of castles about. Pick one and throw the occupants out."
"I don't do that anymore," Regina said.
"And if Belle is motivated by evil, she shouldn't be ruling," Robin pointed out. "Unless you know the whereabouts of her talisman?"
Rumple looked perturbed. "You're all treating this like it's another curse," he said petulantly. "You've gotten your homes back. You can even vacation in Storybrooke if you'd like." He looked over at Killian. "You have your ship back," he looked at Robin, "You have your bow and endless forest to use it in. You've all got the best of both worlds now."
Emma stepped forward, her jaw set in a hard, stubborn line. "This isn't the way things are supposed to be," she said flatly. "Not here. Not like this. And not without Henry. Now, we're going back up to Storybrooke, and we're not going to stop looking until we figure this out. Are you with us, or aren't you?"
Rumple stared back at her a moment, then gave a casual wave of his hand. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline," he said, with a cold smile. "And I'm afraid I'll have to nip your little adventure in the bud. There will be no solving this. You're wasting your time when you could be getting on with your lives. So I'll just be taking my leave, and taking this with me, as well."
He vanished in a poof of purple smoke, and Emma stood, open-mouthed, staring at the place where the elevator door used to be.
###
"Honestly, you boys! Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" Angela asked, as she finished filling out the paperwork at the police station.
"Sorry," said Vince, staring at the floor. Jared gave her an eyeroll.
"Save it," Angela said. "Underage drinking? Running from a police officer - that's resisting arrest, you know. What were you boys thinking?"
"We just wanted to go to the party," Jared said sullenly. "We didn't know the cops would come."
"When there's a bunch of drunken juveniles thundering music and getting into fistfights in the backyard, the cops come!" She said, waving her hands as she spoke. "You two don't have the sense God gave a goose! I leave you home with Henry while I'm meeting with CPS about an emergency foster, and this is what I come home to." She shook her head. "Come on, out to the car."
Angela thanked the officer, then marched the boys out to the car, where they slid into the back seat. She fastened her seatbelt, then turned around to look at them. "Okay," she said. "Now, where's Henry?"
Vince looked confused. "Henry?"
"Yeah, Henry. Skinny kid. Brown hair. Lives with us..." Angela raised her eyebrows expectantly, but Vince and Jared just looked at each other and shrugged. "Come on, guys," she prodded. "I know he was with you."
Jared shook his head. "He wasn't with us. He stayed at home."
"He stayed at home." Angela gave them both a look that said she clearly didn't believe them. "This is Henry, we're talking about. If the two of you tried to take off, he would have called me. It's not like he owed you a favor."
Vince's eyes dropped, and Jared looked uncomfortable.
"He told you he'd cover for you?"
"Yeah," said Vince. "He said to take as long as we wanted."
"Shit." Angela ran a hand across her face. "He's running."
###
Emma stood at the bow with her hands on the rail, staring out at the open sea. Killian approached her from behind, but he stopped a few paces away, content to lean against the rail himself and simply look at her for awhile.
The wind was lifting her hair, and she closed her eyes as the seaspray feathered her face. They had relatively calm waters tonight, and the moon played over the water with a serenity that belied the face of the woman in front of him. Emma was clearly troubled, and she pulled her arms in, wrapping them around herself as if for comfort. Killian pushed off the rail, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her, over hers, pulling her in. She leaned back with a grateful sigh, laying her head back against his shoulder.
"You look troubled, love."
"I'm worried about my parents." She turned in his arms. "I know we need to get to the beanstalk, but I'm the one with the magic. Maybe I should have stayed with them. George is a madman - he's capable of anything."
He reached out, cupping her face with his hand. "They've taken on old George before, more than once. They know what he is. And as for your parents, I would say the same - George is always underestimating them. There is nothing they won't do to get to your brother."
Emma nodded. "I know. I know." She put her head against his chest and his arms went around her again, and they stood for a time, just rocking with the motion of the ship. Killian kissed her hair softly.
She pulled away with a sigh, then looked across the deck at Roland, where he sat playing with his rabbit toy with Robin and Regina sitting next to him, shoulders touching, laughing at his antics.
"At least Robin got his family back," she said.
"Aye, and now he's determined to get Regina's back for her. And look at Archie," he said, tilting his chin up to the wheel deck. "He's a natural."
Emma considered that a moment. "He is, isn't he? He looks like he's having the time of his life at the wheel playing pirate captain."
Killian shook his head. "There's only one captain on this ship, love."
"Two," she deadpanned.
"We can fight over supremacy later," he promised, tapping her nose with his finger. "I only mean that he's content just to be here, out on the open sea. I think the freedom of it calls to him. He always seems so...confined."
"Well, then maybe this whole debacle hasn't been for nothing," Emma said. "It's definitely done Archie some good." She turned back to look at the water, eyes scanning the horizon, and wrapped her arms around herself.
"We'll find Henry, love," Killian promised. "The clues have to be in Storybrooke somewhere. We'll walk the entire perimeter of the town, search every single place he might have been...we'll find him."
Emma shoved her hand through her hair. "God. It's like Neverland all over again."
"Look what he faced there - and he still stayed strong," Killian reminded her. He wrapped his arms around her again from behind. "He's your son, Emma, and Neal's. And Regina's. That's a potent combination."
Emma closed her eyes tightly.
"I hope you're right," she said. "I really hope you're right."
###
The dark-haired young man stopped at the counter briefly in Boston. He looked around nervously before clearing his throat to get the ticket agent's attention.
"Um, excuse me," he said. "Where do I go to get checked baggage? Oversized?"
"Just past gate eleven," she said. "You'll see it on your right-hand side. Have your claim tickets ready."
"Thanks," he said, reaching in his pocket for the ticket. He re-adusted his backpack, then headed off to baggage claim. He dutifully handed the ticket over, then moved to the side of the busy concourse, pulled a wrench from his backpack and re-attached the wheels onto the mountain bike. He gave one more check to his map before wheeling his bike out the door to the street.
Henry gave the backpack a pat, reassuring himself that the book was still inside, its weight a heavy comfort on his back. Then he threw his leg over the bike and fastened his helmet over his newly-darkened hair.
"Storybrooke, here I come," he said, and he started riding.
###
Emma came awake with a start, realizing the candle had burned down and out. It must be the middle of the night.
"Sorry," Killian's voice carried on a whisper, his face slowly becoming visible in the moonlight streaming in through the windows as her eyes adjusted. She heard first one, and then the other boot hit the floor.
"Thought you were going to be at the wheel all night?" she mumbled, her voice still husky with sleep.
"Archie wanted another go at it after sleeping for a bit. I didn't have the heart to tell him no." Emma could see his teeth gleaming as he smiled. "I didn't mean to wake you, love."
She heard the indiscriminate sound of clothing shuffling, and then he slid into bed next to her, pulling her back up against him and smoothing her hair out of her face. "Go back to sleep," he whispered softly.
Emma let out a quiet laugh.
"What?" Killian asked.
"I'm supposed to sleep with that in my back?" she smirked.
Killian was grateful for the darkness, so she wouldn't see his chagrined look. "Sorry, love," he apologized. "Can't help an honest reaction. And why are you sleeping in the nude, anyway? There are children aboard."
"I thought you might want to come down here and argue over supremacy," she replied dryly. "But if you'd rather sleep..." She sighed and stretched, rubbing her bottom suggestively against him. His answer was instantaneous, causing her to let out a whoop and then cover her mouth as he neatly flipped her onto her back and came down over her.
"Captain Swan," he said in a threatening voice. "Prepare to be boarded."
"Killian," she laughed, reaching for him, only to find herself clutching air. A moment later, she was clutching the sheets with one hand, twisting them in her fist as her other hand buried in his hair, her back arching hard at the first touch of his lips on her heat, softly kissing and pulling at her. He used his shoulders to nudge her legs more widely apart, and she made a strangled sound as his tongue joined his lips, teasing and stroking, suckling and tormenting her until everything tightened and exploded under the searing heat of his talented mouth.
Her legs went lax but before she could get her breath back, he was positioning her and sliding into her, his hand reaching beneath her to cup her and pull her in tight. Emma let out a gasp as he hit just the right spot, and his wicked, gleaming smile said he knew it, too. He reached up, twining his fingers with hers and pulling her hand up over her head.
"Admit it, Swan..." he said, huskily, his hips rolling slowly, pressing into her and pulling away, setting a rhythm that she wasn't able to resist, her own body arching and sliding with his.
"Admit...what?" she said, ending in a moan as he pushed deeper, quickening his rhythm.
"My ship..." he said, flexing more forcefully within her, drawing another moan from her lips, "And I'm in charge." The tightening fingers around hers were all the warning she got before he gathered himself and rode her hard, pushing her into a realm that began and ended with his mouth, pulling at her neck, the surging of his hips against her, the feel of him, thick and hard, stretching and sliding inside her.
"Now, Swan," he ground out. "Give it to me."
And she did, her heels digging into the mattress as it swept through her, pulling him along, taking them both over the edge and riding the wave until, with a last shudder, they lay panting in each other's arms.
"I can't move," Emma said sometime later, after Killian had rolled to her side. He reached over, pulling her into him and settling her on his chest.
"Here, love," he mumbled. "I've got a place for you right here." He kissed her forehead, then ran his hand down to rest on the small of her back.
"Okay," she sighed. "When it comes to the lovemaking, you might just be a little more qualified than me."
He chuckled softly. "Well, you're easy."
"Excuse me?" She tried to sound annoyed, but she was grinning.
"I meant, you're easy to love," he said simply.
The word hung between them, and the cabin suddenly seemed incredibly still and quiet. Emma couldn't help the way her body tensed as she waited, but he said nothing more. Maybe he drifted off, she thought, slightly relieved. She relaxed against him, falling into sleep herself, but still managing to register the feel of his lips as he kissed her hair, and the warmth of his hand as he pulled her in closer.