Good Form - Chapter 10

—

The group stopped again to make camp.

As Majo put up a simple tarp and rolled out their bedroll, they thought about the comfortable beds of their home world again. Although they had spent a pretty penny on their mattress aboard the Jolly Roger, it could never quite compare to the comfort of modern mattresses.

"The map is working. We know where Henry is," Emma suddenly said.

"Where?" Regina asked, walking towards the saviour.

Emma gave the map to Killian.

"Uh...we're here at the southern tip of the isle, in the middle of the Dark Jungle," he used his hook to show what he meant, "and Pan's camp lies due north."

"That's where he's keeping Henry," Emma concluded.

Regina looked at the two of them, "What are we waiting for?"

The Captain looked at the Queen, "Well, the terrain's not easy. There will undoubtedly be some nasty impediments along the way."

"We should prepare," The Prince said, looking at his wife, "We only made it out of our last encounter because Pan let us."

He looked at his daughter, "We need a new plan."

"Agreed," his daughter said, "It's time we stop playing his game and he starts playing ours."

"And if I disagree?" Regina asked, her hands on her hip.

Emma looked at her, "Go ahead, but I think you know our best chance is together."

"You better be right," the dark-haired woman hissed.

"Excellent show of patience, luv," Killian said, pulling out his flask of rum, "And that's what defeats a nasty little boy." He popped off the cork of his flask.

"I hope so."

As Killian handed her the flask she asked: "Is rum your solution to everything?"

"It certainly doesn't hurt." With a side glance at Majo, he added, "Most of the time."

He took a swing and offered it to the Saviour again who took it and, after taking a few sips, looked at Majo. The warlock took the flask and was about to take a sip when Killian told her: "Just don't go flirting with the jungle animals."

Majo glared at him through her cat-like eyes and drank some of the rum before handing it back to her Captain and walking over to their camp spot.

—

The group had once again had a change of plan. Pan had been moving his camp and now they had to find a bloody fairy who had taken to living in the trees of the dark forest.

Killian had told Majo about Tinker Bell and she knew her from the stories she had read back in the unaptly named Land Without Magic but she had never really liked fairies.

(They were horrible lovers, either being obsessively possessive, or nauseatingly self-centred. Sometimes both.)

"No one's home," Killian said as he climbed up the ladder to the fairie's treehouse, "Come on up."

"It's pretty bare," Emma commented while Majo waited until the Saviour climbed up.

When it took too long, Majo remembered the convenience of teleportation and appeared in the tree house in a cloud of blue smoke.

As Emma and Snow had a conversation about treehouses and homes, Majo moved towards Killian.

"I guess you noticed too?" she asked, making a hand gesture towards the prince.

(He had been poisoned with Dreamshade when they had gotten attacked by the Lost Boys and was now desperately trying to keep it a secret from his family.)

Killian nodded, "He only has a few days left, I'd say."

Majo looked at the prince who was frantically looking for the dust. "Wait," she said, looking back at her Captain, "What about the water?"

Realization hit Killian but then his look grew sad, "You know that it will kill him in the end."

"But this time we are prepared. Maybe we can find a way."

Killian looked doubtful, "I'll think about it."

—

"Hey, Guys?" Charming said. "I found something," he held up a white piece of cloth, "It's a handkerchief."

Snow grabbed it from her husband's hands. "That's Regina's. How did it get here?"

"She's tracking us, watching Regina," Emma said.

"But if she's been watching her..." Snow looked at her daughter.

"We're in the wrong place," the pirates said in sync.

"Regina," was all Charming said and the warlock quickly teleported them down the ladder.

—

The small group came to a halt in front of the green fairy that had just exited a cave. She lifted her hand as she saw Snow White's readied bow and the swords that were pointed at her.

"Where's Regina?" Emma asked.

"Who the hell are you?"

Emma, her sword still pointed at the fairy, said, "A pissed-off mother. Where is she?"

Tinker Bell looked over the group. Killian was the only one who didn't have his sword pointed at her.

Regina came out of the cave behind the fairy. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"You mind lowering those?" The blonde fairy asked towards the weapons aimed at her, "You may stick me, but I'll take you down with me."

"Spoken like a true fairy," Majo murmured but doubted that anyone heard her.

"She's okay," Regina defended her, as no one but Majo lowered their weapon, "She's not gonna hurt us. Just stand down."

"But is she going to help us?" Killian asked, his sword now resting on his leather-clad shoulder.

The fairy looked at him, "Well, look who the Queen dragged in," She raised her eyebrows for a split second, "Hello, Hook."

"Lady Bell," the pirate smirked and Majo rolled her eyes.

"She's not gonna help us," Regina said.

The saviour looked at her step-grandmother, "Why not?"

"Tink..." Killian said to the fairy with a meaningful look, "After all we've been through together...little assistance?"

"She doesn't have any magic," the Queen told them.

"No pixie dust?" Charming asked.

"Not even her wings," said Regina.

Emma looked at the fairy, "How?"

"I guess people stopped believing in me. And even if I wanted to help you, he's too powerful."

"But you know where Pan is," Snow White said.

"Sure. But that won't do you a bit of good."

"Let us be the judge of that. Does he trust you?"

"If you show us where it is and how to get in, I should be able to manage the rest," Majo told her.

The fairy crossed her arms over her chest, "Why should I help you."

"Because I'm sure Snow White here believes in you. Just tell me how to get inside and we'll take care of things from there."

"And what's in it for me, other than a death sentence from Pan when you're gone with your boy?" the end was spoken towards the Charming family.

Majo sighed, "Well, the daughter of a Prince of Hell will owe you a favour. And besides, we can take you with us."

Although her companions didn't really understand it, Tinker Bell did. "Your eyes..."

Majo nodded, "Asmodeus."

There was a small moment of silence, "Okay, listen closely. Pan trusts me. He'll let me in. And maybe, just maybe, I'll leave a way open for you. But you've only got one shot, so you better have a good plan."

—

The plan wasn't that difficult: Tink talked her way in and made sure the coast was clear, and then they'd sneak in through the back entrance.

Still, they would have to deal with the poisoned weapons of the Lost Boys.

"Now, when can we put this rescue mission into action?" Charming asked.

"I'm ready to go," the fairy said, "just as soon as you tell me the exit plan."

There was a moment of silence and Majo snorted.

"You do have an escape plan, don't you?" Tink asked.

Snow looked at her, "It's- it's more of a last-minute trip."

"If you don't have a way off this island, then none of this matters."

"We'll figure it out," Regina told her.

"You'll figure it out? No one comes and goes from this place unless he allows it. This is a waste of time."

"You know, you can't really waste time in a place where time stands still," Majo told her.

The fairy rolled her eyes.

"When it comes to family, we always find a way," Charming told the fairy.

"You don't get it," Tinker Bell said, "Here. Let me show you something."

She pulled out a black wristwatch, "You know what this is?"

"Yeah, a watch," the Saviour said.

"I got it from the people who brought your son here for Pan."

Emma jumped up. "Greg and Tamara? Where are they? Why'd they give you that?"

"I got it from the girl's body. Spent half the night cleaning the blood off it. And the other guy...Well, there wasn't enough left of him to find anything useful. This is what Pan does to people he employs. What do you think he's gonna do to you? I'm not sticking my neck on Pan's chopping block without a way off this island. When you figure that out, you know where I live," the fairy walked away.

"Where the hell is she going?" Snow whispered as loud as possible.

"I'll get her, bring her back," Charming said.

Emma stopped her father, "Don't. She's right. If there's one thing I've learned, you never break in somewhere unless you know the way out."

"And where'd you get that," Regina asked, "in bail bondsperson school?"

"Neal taught me that."

Charming turned to Killian, "What about you, Hook? You got off this island before."

"Yes, aboard my ship, which would require some form of magic to create a portal, which...I got from Pan in a deal I don't think he's ready to repeat."

Regina looked at him, "So no one's ever left the island without Pan's permission."

"One man did, although he wasn't much more than a boy back then," Majo spoke up. "Baelfire."

"How?" Emma asked.

"Maybe we can find out," Killian told her and with a look to Majo started walking into the jungle again.

—

The group was now standing in Baelfire's cave and looking at their surroundings.

"Hook! What is this place? What are we doing here?" Emma asked.

Killian began lighting a torch but Majo threw a fireball at it to hurry him up.

The flickering torchlight revealed the chalk-covered walls to the little fellowship.

"Neal," Emma said, "This is where he lived."

"Aye, Baelfire spent some time in Neverland as a boy. This was his home."

Snow looked around, "So you think he may have left a clue as to how he escaped from here?"

"Well, let's hope so, or we'll be lost just like he was."

They all began looking through the cave and Majo was surprised as she found cat eyes drawn onto the stone.

Majo turned around again as Killian put out the fire of the torch.

"Look up," Emma said.

The warlock tilted her head and the little spots of light that went through the holes of the coconut the Saviour was holding shone onto the ceiling of the cave, building what appeared to be-

"Stars." Snow spoke out Majo's thoughts.

"It's a map," Majo told them with a side glance at Killian. It was Killian who had taught the boy how to read the stars.

"To where?" Charming asked.

His daughter smiled, "Home."

"How can you be so sure it's a map?" Snow asked.

"There was a short time in Neverland," Killian began, "When Baelfire was aboard my ship. I taught him to navigate using the stars. What you're looking at is the fruit of my labours."

"Then you can read it?" Regina asked.

"Sadly, no."

Charming looked at the Captain, "I thought you just said you taught him how."

"Yes, but I also taught him something else. The key to being a pirate-secrecy. The best Captains conceal their maps in a code. He was an apt pupil."

Snow looked at the brunette, "So you're saying the only person who can read this map is Neal?"

"Which means the only person who can read it is dead," Emma added and walked out of Baelfire's old home.

—

"I'm coming with you," Majo told her Captain as he announced that he would take Charming to retrieve the sextant his brother had lost on Dead Man's Peak.

Majo knew it was a lie and she also knew what actually was up there. The water that could heal the prince.

"No, you aren't," Charming told them.

"Well, Prince Pretty-Face, I can get us up there faster than your ropes can, which means you spare time and that is very important for you now, isn't it?"

The look in her eyes told him that she knew about his injuries.

"Take care of him," Snow told them.

The warlock nodded, "I'm used to stubborn men doing reckless things, I can handle your prince." With that, she walked into the jungle, "Come on boys, there's a sextant waiting for us."