Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its characters, but I sure have fun making them do what I want.

Emma still couldn't believe she had agreed to this.

First she was breaking into an apartment and now she and her son had taken off with a stranger without letting anyone in New York know where they were going.

Emma had sent Josef a text message explaining that she and Henry were going on a short vacation so that she could get away and clear her head. It shouldn't have surprised her when he didn't respond after the way she blew him off last night.

Still, if something were to happen to either of them, there wasn't a soul alive who knew where they were.

When Emma had plugged "Storybrooke" into her GPS app, nothing came up. Instead, Jones told her to drive to a small town in southern Maine and that he would know the way from there.

Yeah, this scenario doesn't seem shady at all.

To top it off, it had been twenty four hours since she last had a decent sleep. Emma hadn't pulled an all-nighter since her stake-outs with Neal. She still felt that pull in her stomach at the thought of seeing him again, dreading the moment even more now that there was additional drama involved.

Of course, using the word "drama" to describe this situation was the understatement of the year.

She just spent a majority of this trip listening to Jones weave the story of their supposedly-forgotten lives. It was extremely difficult not to snicker or make sarcastic comments in the face of all this mess.

According to Jones, or "Killian" as Henry insisted on calling him, she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and was sent through a freakin' tree because the Evil Queen, aka Regina, lost her boy toy at the hands of Snow White's treachery. So, this crazy hag cursed everyone by taking their memories, and sending them to a land without magic- Storybrooke, Maine.

He also claimed to be the very Captain Hook everyone has heard of and had indeed lived in Neverland with Peter Pan and the lost boys; except that he claimed Peter Pan was the villain. That part she found particularly amusing.

When she heard Henry gasping and squealing with delight when Jones spoke of their adventures in Neverland, though, Emma couldn't help but smile.

"So I ripped out my own heart to save magic?"

Emma had peered up at her son through the rearview mirror and the enthusiasm and awe in his voice had made her melt. She knew he always dreamed of being the hero of such a tale. Even so, she didn't want him to go through all the disappointment when that part turned out to be a lie.

Once Jones reached the part regarding how they lost their memories, however, Emma watched the man's face and noticed how difficult it was for him to share this experience with them. There was a raw truth found on his features, and if this guy was lying, he was doing a damn good job of it.

Even though Jones did seem genuine, how could she believe all of this fairytale crap? Her, a princess and savior who brought everyone's memories back? And, if she was doing the math correct, (according to Jones' story anyway) he was over 300 years old.

And I'm driving all of us to a town seven hours away that doesn't even exist on a map. Fantastic.

It was all very suspicious and went against her better judgment, but Emma's instincts rarely failed her. With the exception of Neal, she had generally known which path to follow, and this seemed like the right one to take now.

Despite everything, she could no longer deny that there were people and events from her past that she has yet to discover.

Emma just knew that if she didn't go looking for answers, she and Henry would be constantly looking over their shoulders, waiting for something or someone to show up. And if Emma was being completely honest with herself, she'd spent the last year doing just that.

She was done hiding from the truth now, however harsh it might be.

Yawning wide, Emma noticed her eyes starting to droop and she shook herself awake. They still had two hours to go and her lack of sleep was taking its toll. She cursed herself for not grabbing some coffee at home when she was startled by a rough voice.

"You're not falling asleep on us, are you?"

She swerved her head to look at Jones, who was playing with the knobs on the radio like he was attempting brain surgery.

"I'm fine." Emma raised her eyebrows as she watched his continued struggle. "Having problems?"

Jones shook his head in frustration, tucking in his lower lip. "I'm a man of many talents, luv, but this blasted mechanism appears to have bested me yet again."

She waited for him to break out into a grin, but realized quickly that he was serious.

"You don't know how to work a radio?"

He just laughed bitterly, rubbing his hand across his chin, and then looked over at her.

"When was the last time you slept, lass?"

Emma hesitated. Jones had asked her the same question at the pub and she had ignored him. Emma didn't want him to know that his actions, and annoyingly enough-his words, had caused her to stay awake most of the night. If she looked as bad as she felt, though, there was no point in lying about it.

"Over 24 hours," she murmured, turning on the radio once he had given up. Emma heard a deep sigh and saw him shake his head.

"It must be quite difficult trying to sleep with the image of me in your mind," he pondered aloud.

She could practically feel his smirk, but kept her eyes straight ahead.

"Or more to the point, the image of us togeth-"

"Alright. I thought I told you to lay off the remarks?" Emma nearly reached across the car to strangle him.

Jones chortled softly and motioned behind his shoulder. "Your boy nodded off some time ago."

There was a brief silence as Emma glanced into the rearview mirror at Henry. As much as she was dreading this conversation, she thought it would be better to ask Jones this particular question while her son wasn't listening. Besides, she wasn't sure what to expect once they reached their destination and Emma wanted to be prepared.

"So if everything you said is true, and I'm not saying that it is, then why did everyone else send you? You said Neal and my family were in danger, but you didn't explain how."

She could see Jones struggling with the answer, much like he had in the pub when she asked how he knew Neal. Emma had a feeling there was something more going on here than him playing the hero and devoted friend.

If she did have family other than Henry, and they were in danger, Emma needed to know how and why.

"It's complicated."

She raised her eyebrows sarcastically at that. "Ha! You don't say? Try me, Jones."

"It will make much more sense once we get to Storybrooke. I assume that you're already struggling to believe what I've told you so far, am I right?"

Well, obviously. It wasn't every day someone gets told they're a princess of a fairytale world.

It was clear that this guy was as stubborn as she was, but Emma was determined to find out as much as possible. If only her head wasn't a clouded mess, she could try to con him into telling her more.

Emma glowered at Jones and changed the subject, hoping she could find another way to open him up.

"I guess I can grab some coffee since we need to stop for gas anyway." The needle was much closer to "E" than she usually liked it to get.

"Is that what allows this vessel to move then?" Emma looked over at Jones who wore a completely deadpan expression.

Was this guy for real?

"Yeah, it's kinda necessary if we don't want to end up stranded in the middle of Nowheresville, Maine."

The radio played softly around them and Emma noticed Jones blow hot air into his good hand.

"I'm not familiar with that town, Darling, but feel free to take a brief intermission from our journey at any time," he said in a lazy drawl. Emma had an idea where he was going with this and without missing a beat, Jones leaned in close, his lips nearly brushing her ear.

"I'd be more than happy to rejuvenate your senses."

Emma pursed her lips and allowed the tingle he had created to slowly fade from her neck. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself not to look at him and grabbed the wheel tightly, straining her eyes to see whether the next exit had a gas station, before she broke the silence.

"What about before, when we knew each other? Did I make it hard on you then?" Her attention was still on the road, but she could feel him tense up, which gave her a bit of satisfaction.

"Aye. You did indeed."

Afraid to scare him off by saying anymore, Emma remained quiet. If she wasn't mistaken, Jones' voice had broken slightly when he responded before. It was as if it pained him to talk about them; as if something had happened that couldn't be reversed.

Emma remembered he had said they met in their homeland, what he called the "Enchanted Forest," and that he had briefly been working for the Queen's mother, Cora (she thinks that was her name.) Jones had also mentioned them working together to save Henry in Neverland, but he left out any detail regarding personal interaction between the two of them.

Whether it was for Henry's sake or not, he was hiding a great deal more and Emma was going to do whatever she could to find out what it was. Deciding to change her approach, Emma leaned over slightly, and grasped his good hand in hers, pressing it against the heating vents.

"Here, I increased the temperature, so it should keep your hand warm."

As she went to pull back, he kept their hands linked for a moment longer and the two briefly made eye contact. Emma was sure Jones wanted to say something, but he never got the chance.

"Ooooh, I love this song. Turn it up, Mom!"

Emma was relieved that she hadn't swerved off the road at Henry's sudden interruption. She had jerked her hand away from Jones', and felt a pang of loss immediately. His gaze had put her into a small trance and Emma knew her instincts had been right.

There was more to them that he wasn't telling her.

"We thought you were sleeping, Kiddo. Are you still buckled up?" Emma strained her neck to check his seatbelt as Henry nodded.

"Killian, do you like this song?" Henry was leaning forward, one arm over each of their seats.

She noticed Jones relax beside her as he turned to smile at her son. "I do recognize it indeed, lad. I started familiarizing myself with the intricate workings of this odd music box back in Storybrooke."

Emma had heard the song before when Henry downloaded it to his collection months ago. She glanced over at Jones to gauge his reaction as the young artist's voice began:

Hold on, to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this wave (wave) is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home.

Henry's sang along as her and Jones listened. His voice was small, slightly higher pitched than the singer's, but it harmonized well. In that brief moment, Emma felt somewhat at peace and forgot the stress she had been carrying for days.

Settle down, it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons
They fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
Cause I'm gonna make this place your home.

As the song came toward the end, Emma allowed herself to appreciate Henry's innocence. He had such a passion for life that she admired and hoped he'd never lose.

"That was pretty great, right? He's one of my favorite singers," Henry added, glancing out the window.

"Your father introduced me to it, actually. He enjoys the young man's voice, among many others."

Emma saw Henry's face light up as he leaned forward over their seats again. "Really?! You guys must be close friends, then. What else does he listen to?"

Emma noticed Jones' smile fade as he turned his head to look at Henry directly. "Indeed we have been, my boy, and for quite some time. Perhaps you can ask him that yourself."

Emma tried to be happy for her son's excitement to meet his father, but it scared her to think that Neal would be a part of his life after what he did to her. She didn't want Henry to go through that too.

"That song was perfect for our road trip. Don't you think so, Killian?" Emma noticed that Henry's arm was draped over Jones' shoulder and something gripped her stomach.

"It certainly seems relevant to the current situation." Jones was looking at her with a serene expression on his face, which she saw out of the corner of her eye.

Emma suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Ok, well we should stop for gas and I'm going to need some caffeine before we have a real problem on our hands."

Emma turned on her signal and veered off the exit ramp. She could hear Henry rustling around in his pack behind her.

"Why didn't you say you were tired? I have some energy shots in my bag of snacks!"

She raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "You know where my energy shots are?"

Henry's toothy grin was clearly visible in the dimly-lit car, the evening now turning into night. "Come on, Mom. How do you think I stay awake for those weekend videogame marathons?"

Emma laughed in spite of herself, glancing over at Jones. "This kid's a trip," she muttered.

"Darling, I haven't a clue as to what either of you are talking about."

According to Jones, they were only minutes from Storybrooke, as he was now giving her directions without the GPS.

"And you're sure you know where we are? I haven't seen a building or sign of civilization for miles."

"I traveled a great distance on this road by foot, luv, and I assure you that this is the way."

Jones squinted in order to see up ahead, the pitch black of darkness surrounding them. There weren't even lamp posts or passing vehicles to provide additional visibility.

"Besides," he mumbled as he continued looking ahead, "I'm not the kind of man who generally needs instruction, if you catch my meaning."

She noticed his smirk and rolled her eyes.

Emma had half a mind to pull over and make the arrogant bastard walk the rest of the way, but she needed him to find this place; assuming he actually did know where they were going.

"Mom, watch out!"

Henry had pulled her attention forward, where a wolf was standing smack dab in the middle of the road. Swerving to the right, Emma hit the brake and slowed the car safely to a halt before any damage was done.

Breathing heavily, she turned around to check on Henry. "You ok, sweetie?"

Henry appeared unfazed by their close call and was already moving to get out of the car. "Look how cool he is!"

"Henry, stay in your seat." Emma glanced over to Jones to see that he appeared fine, before peering into her rearview mirror. The wolf was staring at them, apparently unaffected by the encounter, his eyes glistening like stars in a clear night sky.

"Better get a move on," Emma said as she went to shift the car back into drive.

"We're here, luv."

He had said it so low that Emma wasn't sure she heard him correctly. Looking over to Jones, she opened her mouth to question him, but saw him pointing to something off of the road. She turned on her high beams to try and see what he was pointing at, but couldn't make out anything in the darkness.

"Where's here? Storybrooke?"

In the rearview mirror, Emma could see Henry looking around apparently baffled too. She felt the heat in her neck rising at the thought of being outsmarted.

I can't believe I let this guy trick me. We are in the middle of nowhere. What if that was his plan all along, to bring us out here and…ok, just stay calm.

Emma took a deep breath. "Jones, you better not be messing with us right now. If you think that-"

He moved to get out the car, shutting the door behind him without even a word to her or Henry. Emma could see in the moonlight that he was proceeding with caution and he looked like a soldier walking through a landmine, ready for any type of danger that could befall him.

"Henry, wait in the car." She looked back at her son who was about to protest. "Just stay here, Kiddo."

Getting out of the vehicle, Emma made her way over toward Jones, who still looked like he was searching for something in the middle of the road.

"Jones…?"

Holding up his gloved hand behind him to keep her at a distance, he continued reaching out with the other as if to feel for an object in mid-air.

"Shh. Be still, lass. I need to be certain of its location before we proceed."

And just when she thought this guy couldn't get any weirder. Emma didn't have the faintest idea of what he was talking about, but was sure they were nowhere near a town. Surrounded by forest and marsh, the area was completely abandoned, with only the sounds of insects and rustling leaves to be heard.

She took a quick glance toward her car to see that Henry had moved his way to the front seat, probably to get a better view. Emma motioned for him to stay put, which earned her a death glare in response.

Her patience running out, she turned back to Jones and made her way over to stand beside him. This had gotten his attention, and he swung his arm out to stop her.

"Don't go any further, Swan. I'm almost certain that it's only feet in front of us." He disregarded her look of confusion and craned his neck in the direction of her car.

"You can come out now, lad."

She heard the passenger door open and Emma pushed past Jones in a flash, pointing her finger at Henry.

"Henry Swan, I said to stay in the car and I meant it!"

She swung back around to face Jones, who she nearly lost in the darkness with all the black he had on.

"Just where the hell do you get off telling my son what to do? We're out in the middle of nowhere, and the town that you claim exists, isn't here."

Jones face was impassive and for the first time since she's met him, Emma couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking. Instead of speaking, though, he moved in closer to her.

Oh great, he's going to try this with her son watching?

She held out both hands, keeping him at arm's length. "What are you doing? Answer me now, Jones."

"Allow me, please." He gave her a look as to ask her permission, and she lowered her guard enough for him to slowly reach into her pocket.

"Hey, what are you-"

Jones pulled out the vial that she had shoved into her jacket before they went to the pub. Quite frankly, Emma had forgotten it was there.

"This was why I had you wait in the street earlier today, Darling. You and Henry need to take this now in order to enter Storybrooke. The liquid won't activate until we are standing next to the town line."

After seeing him wave Henry over, Emma kept her eyes on the vial as if were about to explode at any moment. He wanted them to drink the liquid from the vial, after all. She couldn't possibly take a chance with them in a remote area and no witnesses nearby.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. "You take it then."

Emma nodded to Jones, indicating the vial and its substance. Henry had reached them and was now looking at the liquid too.

"Killian, what's that?"

Looking down at the vial, Jones shook his head slowly and responded to Emma's earlier request. "I'm afraid I can't do that, lass. This potion was created for you and Henry specifically. I have already taken mine and can enter as I please."

Emma felt the fire rise in her throat again and she pulled Henry to stand beside her. "Enter where, Jones, there's nothing here."

He didn't even hesitate for a second. "Storybrooke is on the other side of this barrier. An invisible shield protects it from being seen or entered by anyone from the outside world."

"Oh, I get it! So it's kinda like the force field protecting the Death Star?"

Emma wasn't as amused as Henry was and she gave a huff of frustration mixed with disbelief.

Jones moved closer to them both, keeping his voice low. He was looking at Emma with the same expression of desperation from when he was arrested, and he reached out the vial to her once again.

"Regina made this potion for you using the swan keychain you received from Neal all of those years ago. Apparently he had worn it after you gave it back."

Emma darted her eyes to meet his.

She thought she'd lost it years ago, but never really missed it since then. It had been Emma's lucky necklace until the man who gave it to her left her to rot in prison.

Emma looked at Jones, frowning. "What do you mean, Regina made the potion?"

"She made one for you and one for your boy. His potion was created from a lock of his hair she carries with her, I believe she said."

Emma shot him a look of disgust and looked over to see Henry's similar reaction. Now he's claiming that some lady who thinks she's an evil queen has a lock of her son's hair? What was he trying to do, upset her even further?

She was about to start yelling again, when Jones knelt down in front of Henry. Emma moved to pull her son back, but the look of genuine concern on Jones' face stopped her.

"Henry, my boy, do you believe that I would ever let you or your mother come to any harm?"

Emma caught a glimpse of her son's initial reaction. He had a slight frown on his face, the same one he gave her when she tried to explain why she kept the truth about Neal from him. It lasted only seconds, though, and he suddenly gave the man a soft smile.

"No, I don't."

Her son surprised her by taking Jones' hand in his, pulling the vial from him. He looked up at her and gave Emma a reassuring look.

"He won't hurt us, Mom. I know that deep down you believe that too, or you wouldn't have brought us here."

Jones broke into a wide grin as he stood up and ruffled Henry's hair. "Such a smart lad."

As much as she wanted to disagree, Emma couldn't. Henry was right, as he knew her so well. She had followed her instincts to this point and now they were telling her that she'd have to trust this man again.

She saw Jones pull another object from his coat and realized that this one was meant for Henry.

"Stop! He doesn't try anything before I do."

Leaning down toward Henry, Emma whispered in his ear low enough so that Jones couldn't hear. "If something were to happen, Henry, I want you to run to the car. You lock the doors and use the cell to call for help, got it?"

Henry gave her an exasperated look but nodded in understanding.

Well, they've come this far…

Emma grabbed the vial and uncorked it, inspecting its contents more closely as to detect any danger. She took one last look at Henry, then swallowed every last drop of liquid and waited.

Well, she certainly didn't feel any different. Emma peered over at them both for any reaction, but they merely looked back at her expectantly.

While the substance itself had been odorless, she was surprised to find that it tasted a bit like rum, only it didn't burn like alcohol did. It also had a hint of coconut in the aftertaste. Although she detested it most of her life, she had oddly taken a liking to the exotic fruit quite recently.

Emma glanced over at Jones and saw that he appeared to be relieved, which meant there must have been some sort of risk in taking it.

Why am I not surprised?

She watched Jones hand Henry his vial, and the kid didn't even hesitate for a second, downing it in one swig.

"Henry wai-"

She felt a flash of fear, and then realized after a few seconds that her son appeared unscathed. He smacked his lips in appreciation.

"That tasted like cocoa and cinnamon!"

Emma let out a breath she had been holding and glanced over at Jones to see that he wore a smug grin, back to his usual overconfident self.

"Well, there's no time to waste. Let us be on our way." She saw Jones head back to the car, Henry close on his heels and talking excitingly about their upcoming adventures.

Emma looked around one last time as if to find something that could change her mind. The wolf was nowhere to be seen, and she inwardly wondered what else was waiting for them on the other side.

Getting back into the driver's seat, Emma realized Henry must have rolled down both passenger side windows in order to see and hear what was going on. He was practically bouncing up and down behind them and Emma told him to buckle his seatbelt.

She hesitated a moment, trying to justify going any further. Jones gently placed his gloved hand on her arm and she looked over to see that his expression was no longer cocky, but reassuring.

"Try something new, Darling…"

Suddenly there was flash of Jones in her mind, wearing his usual pirate leather and giving her a pleading look; and in that moment, Emma was certain that they had met before.

'…It's called trust.'

She mouthed the words out silently, and looked up to see Jones acknowledge them with a quirking eyebrow and a hesitant smile. He knew she had remembered their moment.

It was time to take one last leap of faith.

Gripping the wheel and telling Henry to hang on, Emma pushed down the gas pedal and the car lurched forward toward the so-called "town line."

She saw the hazy purple light appear around the car, and as they crossed over the border into Storybrooke, Emma could hear the faint howling of a wolf in the distance.

Disclaimer: Song they listened to on the radio: Phillip Phillips. "Home." The World from the Side of the Moon. 2012. Interscope.