Emma remembered hearing the sound of a sword being pulled from its sheath outside of the cabin. Mary Margaret's head gently rested over their hands. Something didn't feel right. "Mary Margaret," Emma mumbled quietly. Her mother was quick to lift her head up as if she weren't even really sleeping. She seemed to have heard the sound too.
"Shh," she whispered to Emma as she reached over to her bow that rested on the floor by the bed.
They listened to the uncomfortable silence outside the door. It was too silent. If David felt even remotely threatened, wouldn't he have given some sort of warning to them? The light from David's lantern went out. Mary Margaret gently squeezed Emma's hand in reassurance as she stood up, quietly drawing one of her arrows. Her eyes darkened at the door as she listened to the pounding of the rain outside. "Emma, get under the bed," she whispered as she drew the arrow.
A disturbingly cold gust of wind whipped inside of the room and blew out every last light...
The rain was coming down hard. Emma's body was molded in a thick layer of saturated mud. The cell bars dripped large droplets of water onto her face. How was it still raining?
Her eyes peaked open and it felt like no time had passed. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Her body still ached. Her heavy head was impossible to lift up from the slimy dark mud. She stared up at the wooden bars above her head and wondered how long it had been since she fell asleep. She guessed no more than two hours, since the morning was still young. The glimmering sliver of metal dangled on one of the bars: Killian's hook. It was the first thing that Emma saw when she first awoke in the cell. For all she knew, it was the last remnants of him. He could be dead. Pan made sure to hang it where she'd see it. Emma's chest ached as she watched the rainwater trickle down from it.
"Oi, the blonde lady is awake," she heard one of the older Lost Ones shout from a short distance away. He walked over and knelt down to get a better look at her. "I take it you're not much of a morning person," he chuckled as he tossed two soggy slices of bread onto her stomach. He leaned in a little closer to the bars. "You know, you're gonna have to start talking soon. I don't think Daddy has much left in him to keep you from a good beating."
"We don't know anything." Emma was shocked to hear her voice come out so hoarse.
"Emma," David grunted as he rolled over in his cell to face her. Emma winced as she turned her head to the side towards him. She hadn't seen him since last night. They had taken him away for questioning and must have just brought him back before dawn. The sight of his crooked nose, swelled jaw, and dried trail of blood that ran from his temple made her want to cry. Both of his bruised eyes weakly fluttered as he gave her a reassuring smile. He didn't seem to notice the rain, which was beginning to drown him in a growing puddle.
Emma wanted to say anything and everything to him. She opened her mouth but the words couldn't be found. Her thoughts were everywhere all at once. She couldn't find it in her heart to say goodbye to him after all that he had been through in the past days. He had fought through every minute of the torture. He was still fighting.
The Lost Ones gave them just enough water to stay alive. The scraps of food were already soiled by the flies once it reached them. Four long nights had passed since they were taken from the Roger.
Emma looked around as far as she could. The limitation of how her body was positioned kept her from being able to see her mother's cell nearby. "Mary Margaret?" She asked urgently. Please, God, let her be alive.
David's breathing picked up as her looked over at his wife's cell. He pursed his lips together as they both waited for a response. Anything would suffice. Just say something. Just be alive. A few seconds passed and Emma felt the ball of anxiety grow at the bottom of her throat. "Mom!" she yelped out louder.
"Emma," Mary Margaret responded in a weak raspy voice, "David." She let out a few pained coughs before going quiet again. Time was clearly running out.
The three boys on duty suddenly straightened themselves out and gripped their weapons. Their attention went beyond Emma's cage at whatever it was that stood behind it.
"G'morning, boys!" Pan chuckled excitedly as he walked around the cell to the center of the clearing. He looked down at David, then to Mary Margaret and finally to Emma. His white face looked even more savage than before. There was barely a physical trace of Henry left. He gave her a mocking grin before turning his attention to the other three boys.
"How was your trip?" One of the taller boys asked hesitantly. His head lowered to the ground in an effort to stay clear of Pan's gaze.
"It went well enough. I must say Storybrook is a lovely little town. I look forward to making a second trip." He began to pull on the finger tips of his leather gloves. "I've brought back a souvenir for you boys to keep an eye on." Emma's heart skipped a beat. The guards walked around her cell far out of her view. All Emma could do was listen and observe the horror now evident in David's eyes. He clearly recognized whoever it was that they caught. "I've got special plans with this one, so play nice with her."
She felt her stomach drop as she heard the new hostage dragged into a cell nearby. She wanted to turn over and see who it was. "Keep your mouth shut and don't touch the bars," the Lost One sneered, "then perhaps you won't end up like those three."
Pan smiled menacingly, "She's a feisty one. Do let me know if that mouth of hers comes back."
The boy chuckled as he shut and locked the prison door. "I can tell this one is going to be fun. The other three are getting boring."
Pan raised a brow towards Emma, "This one? Boring?"
"You're not going to win," Emma muttered as she glared up at him.
Pan laughed and looked back at the boys, "I told you she was lively. It's a shame she's been holding out on you lot." He looked back at her, "Sorry to disappoint, Miss, but I've only just started having my fun. I don't think there's an ounce of fight left in you by the looks of it."
Emma slowly shook her head, "It's not me you should be worried about."
"Oh you're absolutely right. I took the Captain's lady!" He mockingly shuddered, "I bet he's coming for my head!" Laughter erupted from the boys behind him.
Emma weakly smiled. "I meant my son. You can't fight him forever."
Pan chuckled and knelt down to Emma's level. "Let me clue you in, Miss Emma. Your boy has a feisty little spirit at most. He's certainly got a mouth on him." His boyish grin curved into a snarl, "But he's mine. This body is mine. I will be glad to torture the little shit for all of eternity because I can. And don't you worry; he'll learn his place soon enough. First I'll gut you and then move on to that other Mommy of his. If I run out of crew and he still has some fight in him, I'll move my business to Storybrook. I'm sure he's got a lot of friends eagerly waiting to see him."
"If you really can read Henry's thoughts you would know that I'll never stop fighting for him. You won't keep us apart forever."
She felt something begin to stir within her again. It was a warm feeling. It gave her focus and gave her a sense of control. She felt stronger. Hook was right. Henry was fighting and Henry heard what she had to say. Deep down behind those crazed black eyes Henry was there giving Pan hell inside his own head.
Before another spiteful word could escape Pan's mouth, a sharp flying dagger stabbed deep into his thigh. Pan fell to the ground in an agonizing cry as the Lost Ones drew their swords and set their arrows. A tall ring of fire blazed out from the wet ground surrounding the prison cells. The ties that held the corners of the cells together disintegrated into thin air, allowing the wooden bar walls to fall to the ground.
Pan viciously ripped the dagger out from his leg as he stumbled back up.
"If you were looking for fun," Regina suddenly stepped out from the thick foliage, "You really should have come to me first."
Pan gasped in a deep breath and recomposed himself. "Gentlemen, may I present mother number two." Regina hesitated once she caught sight of Pan as his true horrific self. His white skin, pale lips and disturbing gaze caught her off guard. Emma could see the aggression flare up in Regina's eyes. Finally Regina understood. Henry, her son, was truly in danger. Regina took another step forward, "I see your little masquerade has ended. Very well, I suppose it's only fair that I play along."
With a quick twist of her wrist, a dense magical cloud surrounded her. She emerged from the violet smog looking completely different. Her ragged clothes from Storybrook were replaced by a form-fitted black gown that was magnificent even in the rain. Her hair had grown long, really long, and was pinned up in elaborate curls. Her face was no longer shrouded in a layer of filth; her eyes were accented with vibrant shadows of purple and silver. "We heard you like games. Might we have a go?"
Pan calmly crossed his arms and smirked, "You've got some guts; I like that. A game is only as fun as its players."
"Oh, I couldn't agree more." An impish giggle erupted from the bushes on the other side of the clearing. Rumple emerged as an even scarier sight. He was green. He was fucking green. Emma crawled closer to the foliage away from him. His eyes were wide, yellow and brown. Beneath the shadow casted by the hood of his brown cloak, Rumple smirked at Pan. "You should have known better than to leave the island, Peter. See what a short few hours of your absence can do for our strength."
"You know, Dark One, you're right. I should have known better. I guess I just couldn't help myself," he nodded at the new prisoner behind Emma's cage. Emma felt the magic continue to grow in her as she watched as Rumple's disturbing confident look dropped into pure shock. Even Regina stared wide-eyed at the cage.
Emma fidgeted her sore body. Her strength was returning. Using her hands and feet, she began the struggle to sit up.
"You're going to regret ever laying a hand on her, Dearie," Rumple sneered, "that much I can assure you of."
"Don't look so glum, Rumplestiltskin! It's all a part of the game after all."
Emma heard the rumble of fire emerge from Rumple's hands as he hurled it straight at Pan. The closest Lost One released his first arrow at the imp, but was too slow. Rumple evaporated into air and reappeared behind Pan, though the boy saw it coming. With a swift slash of the knife, Pan cut a deep gash into Rumple's chest and threw him back into the forest with magical force. The roots of nearby trees wrapped up the legs of the Lost Ones and pulled them down deep into the waterlogged earth. Regina twitched her wrist and sent a mass amount of groundwater straight at Pan.
As silent as she could, Emma began to find her footing in the slippery mud. She looked up and was shocked to find David out of sight. Mary Margaret was also gone. The wet mud that lined the floors of their cages was now coated with a strange sparkling white powder.
The fighting continued to commence behind her and Emma finally understood that it was all a distraction. This wasn't an attack; it was a rescue mission. The water began shifting beneath her hand, forcing her to slip. Just before her face hit the mud, another hand caught her arm. She was pulled into stiff arms and sea blue eyes. Hook brought a single finger to his lips in an order to stay quiet. He was crouching half in the bushes and began to pull her closer to him. She followed his slow movements with steady steps.
Emma didn't dare look back to see what was happening. She heard fire, water, and earth continue to fly in all directions.
"Don't let her get away!" A Lost One shouted from a distance. Hook looked up and spotted the group of oncoming boys approaching with haste. He glared back at Emma urgently as he drew his blade, "Get out of here, Swan."
Emma shook her head, "No give me a sword."
"Are you deaf?" He growled. "Leave now!"
Emma felt her strength exponentially growing. Just seconds ago, she didn't have the strength to lift her head. Now she was demanding a sword to fight. Hook nevertheless knocked her behind him into the bushes before the Lost Ones were able to strike. The boys hadn't fought a real battle in almost thirty years, which came as an advantage to Hook. They were rusty. They weren't prepared to meet him in battle after so long. He cut down the first two boys with a slice to their legs.
Emma stumbled back on her feet and grabbed a sword that was sinking into the mud. She met Hook in the center of the clearing with her back pressed against his. He fought them off on one side; she fought on the other. With every advancing swing, she felt her power surge. Her strikes became stronger. Her deflections were faster.
More boys came running down the path. Rumple and Regina were able to keep Pan busy much to their surprise. Emma leaned against Hook's back as the number of Lost Ones kept coming. There were too many them. Hook grabbed Emma's arm and whipped her around. She anticipated his lips before they crushed into hers. His kiss wasn't gentle like before. The passion and drive from the fight translated into fervent movement of their mouths against each other. His arm pressed her waist against him firmly. Their swords rattled against each other as she molded her body against his. He suddenly pushed her away and threw a handful of powdery dust in her face.
In an instant, the setting around Emma changed. She was somewhere else on the island far away from all that was just happening. Emma dropped the bloodied sword and fell to her knees in fatigue. She was alone again in Neverland.