Chapter five

The storm breaks.

Regina is slowly waking up; immediately feeling a strain from her neck as she tries to lift her head. She's disoriented. Her body is soaked and cold but she remembers being colder. When she tries to part her wet hair which is blocking her line of sight she can't move her hands. Her wrists are throbbing and raw. Just then it hits her, where they are. She remembers she's held onto the ropes the whole night. She can barely feel her swollen fingers still gripping for life.

Emma. She remembers now. A moment when she believed she would surely pass out from exhaustion, Emma reaching around her and helping her keep her grip. It's she who she feels pressed against her back breathing deeply. She's still sleeping. If she knew better from operation Neverland Emma is as deep a sleeper as Henry is. Momentarily her thoughts linger on him. She misses him so much. She wonders if he is doing alright.

"Emma.. wake up." Regina's slowly trying to stretch her body, hoping that the movement will stir Emma awake. How long have they been asleep? She tried so hard to stay with it but now it seems as though a whole night has passed.

She repeats her motions. Almost feeling bad for trying to wake her. She doesn't know how long she was out and Emma had to stay awake to keep them safe. 'Always The Savior. Always saving me.' Soon Emma was going to have to list 'Saving Major Mills' as a part time job in her CV. Regina felt safe knowing Emma always seemed to have her back. She was touched and also worried that she wouldn't be able to repay her by saving Captain eyeliner. She knew they would literally have hell to pay if thus far the beginning of their journey had been so trying.

Emma starts to come to. She feels herself pressed up against a body. 'Hook?' No, this body is too soft. 'Wait are my hands tied? What the hell did I get into?' With her thoughts in disarray she remembers: the storm, holding onto Regina and the moment she finally gave out. Emma lowered them to a sitting positing as she tried to brace Regina and herself from the storm. She doesn't remember when she fell asleep.

"Ah," Emma grunts in pain.

"Hold on Miss Swan don't move." Regina who had managed to untangle herself from the ropes gently grabs onto Emma's hands and helps her free herself. Emma is looking over her shoulder as Regina tries a healing spell over her abraded hands but of course, it doesn't work.

"God damn it!" Regina sighs in frustration. If there's one thing she feels handicapped without other than Henry by her side it's her magic. She still doesn't know how the hell she held on without it for so many years. That's probably why she was so bitter and bored.

"It's ok." Emma carefully pulls back trying to avoid too much contact with Regina. Even though Emma essentially slept on her back and she considers her a true friend, she feels Regina is still a very guarded person. And right now Emma concludes she's back to all business after her 'Miss Swan' command. Still, Emma can't help but moan quietly while trying to stand up. It feel great to stretch her body yet she has a fleeting thought of missing the contact. This immediately freaks her out. 'It's probably just because I've never been that physically close to Regina. Of course it feels good to be close to your friends.' Except she's never felt so special before while 'cuddling' with a friend. 'That's because it's Regina..a challenge.' Emma concludes that sleeping next to and protecting the former evil queen is alluring because she is the former evil queen, no one is allowed to be that close.' Yes, this satisfies Emma as a perfectly reasonable explanation. She wonders how many nights Henry must have slept in her arms. What a lucky kid her son is. 'That is because he got to grow up with such a caring mother,' she tells herself. She wonders how he's doing.

There's a moment of awkward silence between the two of them once Regina stands up.

Regina locks eyes with her, "Thank you."

Emma simply acknowledges by smiling and nodding her head. "I think we should check on Gold."

"Yes with any luck he was blown away." Regina quips.

Emma half smiles as they walk towards the mast.

"Man this is a lot bigger than I imagined. No wonder it took us so long to get to the other side."

Regina takes in her surroundings for the first time. Even though they were on the top deck of a ship it felt as though they rode on an immense skyscraper. She felt that a night had passed for even though the storm had cleared and the grey surrounding them never dissipated it now appeared to take on a lighter shade of grey; the equivalent of daylight in this place, she supposed.

When they approached Gold he was already awake.

"Well, well, well it seems he's still alive."

"And good morning to you too Regina."

"THERE IS NO MORNING. THERE IS NO NIGHT. ONLY MY SHIP AND THE ELEMENTS." All three turn to the helm of the ship where death is standing tall looking over the entire deck and sea.

"What about the souls, Charon?" Gold bites back.

It chuckles, "THEY ARE NONE OF YOUR CONCERN MORTAL."

"We could have died last night." Emma's beginning to lose her patience with all of this.

"COULD? YES. A MORTAL CAN DIE ANY MOMENT OF ANY HOUR OF ANY DAY. THAT IS THE ONLY CERTAINTY. BUT YOU SHAN'T DIE ON MY VESSEL."

"You left us exposed, you..." Emma's shouting now.

"IT IS NOT MY JOB TO PROVIDE LODGING. ONLY TO DELIVER YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION."

"But this is a ship!"

"IT IS NOT MY JOB TO PROVIDE LODGING. YES MORTAL THIS IS A SHIP. MY SHIP! NO MORTAL WILL MIX WITH THE DEAD. YOU MUST NOT LEAVE THE TOP DECK."

"Is he in there?! Is Hook inside?" Emma's charging towards Charon. Gold and Regina rushing behind her.

"NO YOUNG EMMA. YOUR FRIEND HAS BEEN IN TARTARUS."

"But in Tartarus there will be many souls, will there not?" Asks Gold. Clearly confused about this "soul mixing phenomenon." Also secretly worried about who he may encounter. Gold wishes there will be "no mixing" in Tartarus.

"THE RULES OF HADES DO NOT CONCERN ME. I TELL THEE THE RULES OF MY SHIP."

With this Charon turns away and Emma makes her way the railing to take a deep breath.

She decides to look down and immediately regrets it. They tower hundreds of feet into the air over the grey sea and Emma feels herself go dizzy from one glance. She quickly turns around and sits.

Regina looks her over and sees she's turned pale.

"Put your head in-between your legs and breathe. It's almost over."

"GRAB AHOLD OF YOUR ROPES MORTALS WE ARE ABOUT TO DESCEND INTO TARTARUS."

Emma quickly stands up and the three of them look over the horizon where they see a giant sinkhole in the ashy sea funneling itself open. And they are headed right towards it.