The room felt as hot as a sauna. A single drop of sweat trickled out from the roots of his hair, down his neck and into the sheets. The room was hazed and dimly lit making it impossible to get a good view of what or who was around him. When his mind and memories reminded him of those last few seconds prior to him blacking out, the shock set in. His eyes scoured around the room in a panic until he suddenly caught sight of her. She was already sitting by his side. Her blue eyes bared a melancholy weight as she stared down to their entwined fingers.
"Belle," Rumplestiltskin gasped weakly. "You're still here?" She looked up and beamed with relief. Her cool hand affectionately brushed over his unusually smooth cheek.
"Yes of course," she smiled. Still holding his hand with hers, she rubbed circles along the inside of his hot clammy hands. "Where else would I be?" Her brilliant blue irises lit up and sparkled over the dark circles that drifted under her eyes. Her brown curls were loosely pinned back from her face, probably in an effort to deal with the humidity.
"What happened to me Belle?"
Her expression grew tense; the indicators of stress lined in her façade were all too visible. She turned and picked up a silver dagger off of his nightstand. Its curved edges and detailing along the handle were the only recognizable characteristics that the blade had. The flat side of the blade was smooth and now lacked the engraving of his name.
"Belle…"
"Peter Pan is dead. When he left, Neverland was cleansed of all its dark magic." Belle felt his grip tense around hers. His eyes widened with shock, or rather fear. Belle bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "There was nothing anyone could do to help. Your curse was undone in a matter of seconds." He lied there in silence, still trying to process it all. His power, that electric surge within him was silent, nonexistent. Finally noticing the complexion of his hands, he saw that the course impish skin had returned to his natural fair shade. Every part of him felt heavy. There was nothing left besides a reoccurring light throb that came up from his bad leg. Belle swallowed, "Rumple, please don't be angry." Her voice cracked with the lingering trauma of her waiting, uncertain as to whether he was going to survive this or not. He blinked and finally looked back up at her. "You've held on to your power for so long and I know how much it meant to you."
Belle's trembling bottom lip revealed how her composure was inwardly slipping. The sight of those beautiful eyes watering before him washed over any other emotion he could have had. "I'm not angry, Belle. It's just… At that moment when I was sure I was at my end, it wasn't my power that had me worried. You were all that crossed my mind. I'm not ready to leave you." A tear slipped out from the crevice of Belle's eyes and she smiled. "Not after we've only just found each other again."
"Good." She smiled and climbed onto the bed close beside him, "because now I'm not letting you out of my sight." She felt his hot needing breath brush against her forehead. Looking up and leaning in close, she calmed his trembling lips with her own.
He pulled away quick just as a new concern popped into his head. "Henry…"
"Thanks to what the Captain did, Henry survived."
"The Captain?"
She nodded remorsefully, "Hook. He sacrificed his life to save Henry."
He stared back at her with wide eyes, unable to wrap his mind around the news. Were they talking about the same Captain? "He's dead," he repeated to himself. He had always thought the death of the Captain would be like the sounds of church bells ringing in his head. Now that it was all over, he was shocked at himself for feeling a sense of bereavement deep down within him for the fall of one of his oldest adversaries.
The sun was quick to rise the following morning. Emma had Henry in her tight grip all night. Regina soon felt the effects of losing those hints of dark magic that had stirred within her. Much to her dismay, she was forced to retire soon after they returned to the Roger. Emma and Henry sat out on the deck together in silence, enduring the cold night air. He couldn't stop shaking. While it was chilly out there, Emma had a feeling it had more to do with the trauma lined in his apprehensive gaze. It was obvious that Henry had fallen back on the scarring memories of the torture Pan put him through. His eyes darted nervously into the sky, as if he were still expecting the monster to swoop down and grab him. Emma couldn't bring herself to ask or even mention Pan's name to him. Was there anything she could say to make it better? Would it help to talk? Perhaps later but not now; It was still all too fresh in his mind.
Her thoughts were everywhere at once. She had to remind herself of the treasure that was still alive sitting on her lap whenever her thoughts ventured too far over to the Captain's Quarters and worse, what now lied behind its doors.
David and Snow were the ones that carried Hook and Rumplestiltskin back to the ship. They now stood by the wheel in silence. Their hands were kept warm in each other's grasp. Snow leaned her body against the wheel and peered over to where her daughter was sitting. Go over or give her space? Reading Snow's thoughts, David wrapped his arms around her stomach and held her close. "Leave her be for tonight, Snow."
It seemed that no one knew what to do at this point. There was nothing to be said or done to help the situation. How strange it was that they all could feel so low after accomplishing what they had come to Neverland to do and more.
The sun was peeking out from the horizon of the sea. Henry was able to stop shivering once the sunlight started to warm the two of them. Emma's eyes were fixed on the shifting waves. Just looking at anything on the ship was beginning to hurt. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay on the Roger for much longer. Regina calmly walked out from the door that led down below deck. She sauntered over and coolly sat beside Emma to be close to Henry again. Emma didn't acknowledge her presence, though did feel a sense of relief that Henry had her close. Maybe she would know how to help? Despite her hopes, Regina didn't say much to either of them.
Emma eyes continued to scan over the tide. Her heart skipped a beat when suddenly she noticed the small shimmering ball of light that was skimming over the rolling waves. It flew out from the island shore and made its way towards the ship. As the light got closer, Emma realized it wasn't just a light. It had a body as well. It was Tinkerbell.
"Didn't think I'd be seeing you again." She grinned as she landed on the railing close to where Emma was sitting.
"Yeah, you got your body back. Everything worked out for you." The bitterness came out stronger than she anticipated.
"I'm sorry about the Captain. Really, I am. Someone had to do it and it just came down to him valuing your life over his own."
God, Emma wanted to scream at her... or better yet go find a fly swatter. She shoved her balled fists into the pocket of her jacket. "Yeah it was just that simple," she gritted. "Why are you here?"
"I've come to deliver these two." She turned and with a flick of her wrist, Tamara and Greg appeared on the other end of the deck. Emma felt bad for them when they were shadows. She might have even been merciful to them if circumstances were different. However given the recent events, they were perfect targets for her newfound agony that had been harvesting in her gut throughout the night.
"No," she growled. "I don't care what they've been through. I'll be damned if they stay the same ship as us. After what they did to Henry, they're lucky I haven't killed them by now."
Henry finally snapped out of his blank stare and looked up at Emma with shock. "We can't just leave them here." Both Regina and Emma looked down at their son in surprise. "It doesn't matter what they did. Leaving them in Neverland would be wrong."
"I'm siding with Miss Swan on this." Regina gave Tamara and Greg sharp, hostile glares. "If they come any closer to my son they'll wish they were still shadows."
"Emma," Tamara interjected. "We were just following orders. I'm sorry that Henry got hurt but it was the only way..."
Emma slowly moved Henry off of her lap and stood. Her eyes widened threateningly, "You're sorry Henry was hurt?" Henry tried to grab her jacket to pull her back down but it was no use. Tamara took a passive step backwards. "Is Henry really the only person you regret hurting over the past few weeks or have you already forgotten about your late fiancé?"
"No of course I haven't." She lifted her hands calmly. "What I did to Neal wasn't fair. I know that."
"It wasn't fair?" Emma half laughed, half screamed. David and Snow quickly ran down the steps and got between their daughter and her prey. "You killed him! You shot him in the chest and that's all you have to say to me? Try looking my son in the eye and tell him it wasn't fair!"
"Emma calm down," David warned. "You don't want to do this in front of Henry."
Tamara leaned around David in desperation to get through to Emma. "I'm really sorry..."
"Don't you dare say you're..."
"Everyone stop." Henry pushed Regina's arms off of him and weakly stood on his own two feet. The adults looked at him tensely as he slowly made his way across the deck. Greg pursed his lips together uncomfortably, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "I don't know who they were working for, but I understand why they did what they did. It was never about hurting me, my Dad, my granddad or Captain Hook. They had a mission. Someone had to defeat... Peter Pan." Pan's name trembled off of his tongue like a curse. "I was only just starting to get to know my Dad. There was still a lot I wanted to do with him. Now I'll never get a chance to see him or talk to him again." Tamara's eyes dropped to the floor of the deck. "But he still wouldn't want us to leave them here in Neverland."
"We got the beans back," Greg stuttered. "I don't know what you all were planning to do, but that would be one way we could go home."
Henry turned and looked up at Emma. "Please don't hurt them."
After sitting in silence long enough, Regina stood up. "I'll permit them to come with us on one condition. Once we return to Storybrook, they'll be given one hour to leave town and that'll be the end of it. If I ever see or hear from either of them again, they will receive no mercy from me. And if their employer has a problem with that, then they can personally come pay a visit to my office."
Greg swallowed and looked over at Tamara. She nodded without hesitation, "alright deal."
Emma crossed her arms. "No way."
Snow stood and looked at Emma with desperation, "Emma we have to get home. They can't do any more harm." Emma looked over at Regina though got no reassurance. Regina, to everyone's surprise, had also given in to the temptation of the magic beans.
With Henry's other headstrong mother no longer on her side, Emma knew there was no use arguing. Besides no one on the ship, including her, was about to contest Henry on anything. What he said went. She pushed back her animosity and stormed away from the group. She knew Henry was right. This was the only way they could get back. She also knew she was too screwed in the head by that point to make any rational decisions on her own.
Before she could stop herself, Emma walked straight into the Captain's Quarters by instinct. Seeing him lying there over the sheets gave her another strong wave of nausea. "Fuck," she turned away and stared at the door but couldn't bring herself to leave. Her grip around the iron doorknob loosened. She sucked in a deep breath before turning to get another look at him. She couldn't look away this time. Now, more than ever, she felt so alone and she knew that it was wrong for her to feel this way. Having Henry alive and safe just should have been enough for her.
For the longest time she suffered from the painful supposition that she wouldn't be strong enough to save her son. Now it was replaced with the painful knowledge that she wasn't strong enough to save Killian.
Thankfully his eyes were shut. She knew if they were open she wouldn't see those beautiful stormy blue irises, but rather the whites of the back of his eyes. His lips were parted open and allowed the dust to begin gathering at the base of his throat. Emma took cautious steps closer until she was standing by his side of the bed.
Her fingers reached out and brushed back the stray locks of hair that fell over the sides of his face. He still felt warm. Her thumb slowly brushed over his bottom lip. Emma felt her stomach twist with the memory of how they molded so perfectly against hers. Those were the same soft lips that ghosted over her neck, recited her name like a prayer in the dead of night.
"Hey," Tinkerbell murmured from atop the desk.
"So help me God," Emma snarled without bothering to acknowledge the meddlesome fairy, "if you don't get out..."
"You can hate me all you want, Emma Swan. If the roles were reversed like we planned and you were the one who died, I'd be having the same conversation with that guy right now." She motioned down at Killian. "I really just wanted you to know that in all the years I've known the Captain, I've never seen him so alive than how he was when he was with you. He was a totally different man back then. Thanks to you he died fighting for a legitimate cause." She flew over to his bedside table and peered at him curiously. "Weird, he actually doesn't look half bad."
"Seriously?" Her eyes sharpened like two readied knives. "You have the nerve to come in here and say that to me? After what you just pulled out on deck?"
"All I'm saying is that his heart should have exploded." She hovered over his ribs and unbuttoned his vest a little ways down. "And he doesn't look like a guy with a burst heart. In fact..."
She fluttered down and landed on the center of his torso. Disregarding Emma's horrified expression Tinkerbell pressed her ear against his chest. "Is that a heartbeat I hear?"
"He doesn't have a pulse, I checked. Now get off of him."
"Hmmm no..." she mumbled half to herself. "No, I don't think it wouldn't be something a human would pick up on." She looked up at Emma astonished. "What did you do?"
"What do you mean, what did I do? I didn't do anything! He died because of me. I couldn't get to Pan fast enough."
Tinkerbell smirked and looked back down at the seemingly lifeless Captain. "Well that's just it, Savior. I don't think he is dead."