I have started and abandoned several different attempts at this chapter to get it right. I hope you enjoy how this one has turned out.

I like the way I framed the last chapter. I hope the ending came across as humorous. That said, I still wanted to show the rescue, so this chapter starts before the rescue has happened.

Killian had pondered the fact that the morning had started well. He had a very willing Emma and companions who didn't get in the way of their fun, but now his thoughts turned to darker things as they trekked toward the dungeon in which Emma's parents and friends were held prisoner.

It was all because of a seemingly innocuous thing that Anastasia had said. About an hour after they departed, she looked over her shoulder at Emma and said, "You're so funny about the whole title thing. You never call your parents king and queen."

"They haven't been the king and queen the whole time I was alive. Why would I hold onto that?" Emma protested. "'Regina the Horrible' took their kingdom."

Anastasia protested, "But that doesn't change the fact that they are the rightful king and queen. That makes you the true heir, too. No matter how hard you fight it."

Killian's mood instantly darkened. The information they had paid for in the port town suddenly had frightening clarity to him. Queen Regina was looking for the heart of the true heir to ensure she could replace him/her with her own child. That had to mean two things. One, she needed Emma's heart, and two, at the bare minimum, Regina knew an heir existed.

Ever perceptive, since he had been a thief, Will walked next to Killian, keeping pace with him. "You have the look of a man who is ready to kill someone. Do I need to be worried or sharpen my sword to help?"

Killian understood exactly what Will meant and decided to trust Emma and the people she considered close friends. "Sharpen your sword. That is if you have the balls to go after Regina."

Will looked over at Anastasia and said, "She stays behind, but I'm in." He knew Killian was upset but didn't want to press him for information. He wanted to wait until the man was ready to say something.

Thirty minutes later, Killian called a halt to the hike and told Anastasia and Emma to rest. Will wasn't surprised when Killian asked him to help him track rabbits to hunt.

"It's going to look odd when we don't come back with a rabbit," Will said after following Killian away from the clearing where the girls were.

"I can multitask!" Killian replied in a clipped tone. Will wasn't offended. He could sense that Killian was only venting his anger.

Killian then strode over to a tree and punched it, cursing in frustration.

Will, not wanting to make a joke, said, "How bad is it?"

"I just put two and two together. At the bare minimum, Regina knows that there's an heir. She knows and needs the heir's heart for her next spell —Emma's heart."

Letting out a low whistle, Will said, "Oh. So it's that bad."

"Yeah —that bad. Shit, this is…" Killian turned, looked at Will, and asked, "What's the chance that I can convince her to run away with me?"

Will didn't dignify that question with an answer. He just said, "So don't let Regina have it."

"It's not just stopping Regina. The Dark One is involved! Regina needs Emma's heart to give him a grandchild! I happen to know he is really fucking good at taking women's hearts out!"

Killian shook his head, trying to ward off the panic that was setting in. The two most powerful people in their realm needed the heart of the woman he loved.

"You're kind of an arse," Will said, annoyance bleeding from his tone. "You aren't the only one who loves her. Let's rescue this group, and you'll have allies to think of a plan."

Killian rolled his eyes, "You mean a group that got captured? Yeah," he scoffed. "They sound really clever."

"They survived on the run for almost two decades. Don't underestimate them because they got betrayed by someone they thought was a friend. They won't make that mistake with Queen Regina."

Anastasia looked at Emma in concern. "Something's bothering you."

Emma sighed and wrung her hands a bit. "It dawned on him —the next ingredient Regina needs for her latest spell."

"And that is?" Anastasia asked.

"My heart."

"I thought your parents hid that you existed!"

Emma shrugged and said, "She needs the heart of the True Heir. That sounds like something she figured out from a spell or an Oracle."

Trying to sound encouraging, Anastasia said, "So she doesn't even know she's looking for a girl?"

"Possibly. She might not know how old I am either." Emma frowned. "I don't like not knowing for sure. It's worse," she added. "The Dark One will help her. It's so she can have a child with Baelfire."

"His son?" Anastasia asked in alarm.

"Exactly."

Anastasia was quiet for a while and then said, "Your parents will end up loving him. He's going to kidnap you and keep you so far away from Regina that people around you won't have heard of her."

"Everyone has heard of her," Emma said sadly.

"His ship can jump realms. I would bet he could find a way."

Emma looked off to the east at the sun getting higher in the sky and shook her head. "I owe too much to my parents to be okay with running away."

"What are you talking about?" Anastasia asked.

"My whole life, they have wanted Mom's throne back. It's been their sole goal for decades. I can't walk away and not help them. They've been too good to me for me to abandon them."

Anastasia replied, "They wanted that throne for you."

"I never once wanted it," Emma objected. "I loved living in the woods with everyone I care about around me. Sure, I want adventure, but that doesn't mean I want to be a Princess!"

"They always looked at it like giving you back your birthright," Anastasia said pensively. She was forced to consider that everyone was trying to give Emma something she hadn't even asked for.

Emma shrugged. "Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to be a Princess. I just don't need it. However, I do get that people are suffering under Regina's reign. I care more about stopping her than gaining a kingdom."

"And your selflessness is exactly why we need you as our Princess."

Blushing, Emma smiled at her friend. "I do get that there would be benefits. It's just that I'm happy with the life I have."

"No kidding!" Anastasia said, laughing suddenly. "You have a handsome rogue in your bed. I heartily approve —I did the same thing!"

Emma laughed along, glad for the break from the heavy conversation. Chuckling, she said, "I'll need your help convincing my parents not to skin him for sleeping with me."

"You'll need my help to stop your father. Snow will say something vaguely disapproving to try and fool your father into thinking she's upset —she'll secretly be impressed. I've heard how she encouraged Red to seduce Graham. She's all about being bold."

"But I'm her daughter," Emma objected.

"It just means she'll try to cover her feelings. I mentioned that. Be honest with yourself and admit that the only rules your mother gets upset if you break are hers."

Emma pondered that. "Why?"

"Because she lives vicariously through you most of the time," Anastasia pointed out. "Her father never let her learn anything to defend herself, and she would never admit it since she idolized him, but that bothered her. She's impressed with your wild streak, but she's also your protective mother. When there's tension between the two, her motherly instincts win out."

"So her daughter getting the hottest, most notorious pirate in the realm would impress her?" Emma asked, smiling.

"It's going to impress a lot of them. I'm impressed," Anastasia admitted. "You have Captain Hook in love with you! You tamed the ultimate rogue. How hot is that?!"

Emma blushed as she thought about how very not tame their time had been together.

When Killian and Will joined them, Emma was amused to see they actually had two rabbits with them. She was impressed by how far Killian was taking his ruse. "You're going to carry those until we stop for lunch?"

Killian took one look at her and sighed. "So you know."

"You know," she replied. "I realized what it meant a few days later. To replace an heir, she needs the first heir's heart. Magic always has a cost."

"And you didn't tell me because?" He challenged her.

"I still hadn't told you my parents are Snow White and David."

"When I think about it, Merida told me," Killian replied.

Emma nodded. "She was horrified. I met her when her father agreed to hide my family from the Evil Queen. We owe them a lot."

Killian smiled gently at her. He knew what was happening. She wanted to tell him the truth about her life when she could.

"And that explains your reaction to my crew. No offense, but your parents are at the top of Regina's wanted list. My crew doesn't even rate."

"Exactly," Emma replied. "I kept wanting to laugh every time they tried to warn me that they were 'wanted' pirates."

He sighed, "So much makes sense now."

Killian then shook his head. "Regina doesn't just want you dead. She needs you dead."

Emma took his hand and squeezed. "That's tomorrow's problem. Today, we need to rescue a band of rebels from a dungeon. Want to help, pirate?" she said, smiling at him.

Killian got a gleam in his eyes and replied, "You're right, Emma. Let's discuss this later with your parents."

"Well, crap," she muttered as they began walking toward the castle that held her family. Suddenly, she was worried about them all being protective of her.