Sorry but this is gonna hurt a bit guys. I wanted to do this chapter nicely, but it came out a bit muddled, which I found worked for me. Sorry for any mistakes in advanced and let me know what you think! Also for those of you who were wondering, yeah Regina was affected by the mermaids as well but she went to get help for Emma.

6 : The Neverwood

"Forget the Fae and their tricks! We need to find Henry now! The globe says he's in the forest! We can track him." Regina nearly shouted at Hook, her usual composure cracking at the proximity of her son.

"We need the help of the Fae, highness. We cannot hope to get away with Henry in one piece without it."

"The pirate is correct, dearie. We need their magic."

"No we don't. Regina's right, we need to get to Henry as soon as possible," said Snow, her fingers entwined with her husbands in a show of solidarity. Apparently they made decisions as one. Emma looked at everyone around the table and thought through what she had been told. The Lost Ones were dangerous, she knew that, but they had two people with powerful magic and three strong fighters. Their odds looked good to her. She didn't understand Hook and Gold's insistence on finding these Fae. Ariel had even told them that they were tricky creatures, always talking in riddles.

"I think we should go for Henry now," she said, arms crossed over her chest. Hook looked at her in surprise. He didn't seem to like it.

"There! Four against two. We go after Henry immediately," said Regina. She was calming a bit at the support, nearly smiled at Emma when she'd spoken up.

"Fine. I'll set course then." Hook got up from his seat, the chair teetering with the suddenness of his movement, and stormed out. It was a stupid decision, but these people didn't like to think things through. Let their emotions get the better of them, he thought. Ah. But who was he to judge really? He'd set out for revenge 300 years ago solely because of his emotions. Foolish.

He trudged up the steps onto the cold deck. A light drizzle of Neverland rain had started during their discussion and the dampness brought him some relief from his anger. She was so stubborn he could hardly take it. She'd sat there the whole time listening to their conversations and, finally, when she spoke up she'd said the stupidest thing he'd heard come out of her mouth. He almost wished the mermaid was awake to convince them herself, but alas her transformation had taken its toll and she was struck with exhaustion.

He unlocked the helm and turned the wheel a few notches starboard towards that dreadful island. It was still only mid afternoon, though the storm clouds made it seem later. They'd have a while to sail yet, so he settled himself and took out a bottle of rum from his pocket, popping the cork off with his teeth and taking a swig. He'd be sober by the time they got there no matter how much he drank.

Damnable woman. It seemed she even had the power to make him go against his better judgment. So he kept drinking, steering his ship every now and then with one hook and grumbling under his breath.

Once they'd all finished their chores on deck everyone shuffled to their cabins, weariness setting in against the anticipation. It was enough to drive her mad, but she couldn't afford it. She had to stay strong. If everything went well she'd have her son in her arms by this time tomorrow. The thought made her smile as she collapsed on her cot, pulling the ragged blanket over her. Images of Henry's smiling face flashed behind Emma's eyes and quickly lulled her to sleep.

Neverwood forest was not an appropriate name for the island she was looking at. Emma's hands gripped the side of the boat as her father rowed them towards a beach of silvery sand. Dense forest lined the edges, rocks jutting out in the air and her knuckles turned white. A soft bump as the boat bottomed out and she leapt over the edge to pull it ashore alongside her father and mother. They hid them in the underbrush near a particularly pinkish boulder and slung their packs over their shoulders, trudging into the brilliant vegetation with vigor.

We're getting Henry back. Today.

A few hours of hiking towards the mountain at the center of the island and they'd almost come upon a clearing. Hook's hand came up at the front of their line, signaling for quiet. Crouching lower into the leaves Emma could make out the forms of a few people huddled about a small fire, voices chattering away with occasional bouts of laughter ringing out through the woods. She looked over at Hook and raised a brow. What now? He smiled, feral, and tapped the hilt of his sword. Fight.

Hook, Emma and Charming slunk over to the right while Snow, Regina and Rumple moved to the left, effectively surrounding the Lost Ones in the clearing. They waited for a rise in the conversation and charged in, magic flying overhead, swords clashing and all around chaos breaking loose. Emma cut down one dirty boy as he charged at her, no older than thirteen with shaggy hair and wild eyes, a dagger in each hand. But another came right after him, older, and he managed to get in her defenses leaving a long gash along her forearm as she tried to spin away even as an arrow flew into the back of his head. She had no time to freak out, she had no time to think and so Emma pushed out the image of blood and hair stuck in dirt and ran forward to engage another and another, until only two boys were left, the oldest. They were back to back, each facing off with David or Hook. Smiles lit their mucked up faces, teeth yellow and bent framed by cracked bloody lips. She only stopped to look for a second, just a second, and then she blinked. She didn't even know where they'd gone until she heard the sickening thuds to her right and spun around. Their bodies were limp and mangled, twisting in on themselves as they hit the forest floor and she gasped as she looked away, cringing.

"You're welcome, dearies." Gold smiled, completely predator.

"You didn't have to kill them Gold!"

"Oh but I did, highness. They had makeshift bombs on them. Would have blown you up if I hadn't intervened."

Emma just stood there as a daze washed over her. Too much blood. No time. "We have to keep moving." She didn't even recognize the voice as her own.

Hook looked at her, momentarily concerned until he saw the anger in her eyes, the flame growing brighter. "Aye. There will be more camps the closer we come towards the mountain. Best to keep moving."

Snow didn't say a word, just stared at her daughter and walked on after Hook, Regina close behind. Gold shrugged and followed, David glaring at his back. Emma stood there for a moment trying to shake herself out of it. Her eyes traveled the ground around her, blood mixing with dirt around small bodies, scrawny and deformed from lack of nourishment. Too much.

She walked on.

More cutting, more death, more blood and Emma was starting to fray at the edges, stumbling after her companions as the sun began to dip below the tree line. She could see it in Regina's eyes too, that desperate feeling of hopelessness and the one thought keeping them going.

Henry.

Clothing stuck to her skin and heels chaffed from their hike, she was sure it would be the end of her. Nothing could compare to this burning, this falling. Everything was swimming and she was only faintly aware of more metal on metal, more magic on flesh, more bark screaming and bending and breaking in protest to the violence. She managed to keep herself alive, her consciousness retreating back in to hide from the reality of what was happening around her.

It occurred to her that she might just look strong to the others even while she was fracturing underneath, always a broken being in a fortified vessel.

Too much.

"Henry!"

And suddenly everything snapped back into focus as she kicked her enemy's body off her blade and looked up to see her son struggling to get away from the hands of another Lost One.

"Henry!"

She rushed forward and was cut off by more bodies as daggers flung past her head and arrows shot at the chests of her adversaries. Her hand reached out for her son, fingertips brushing as his guard was blasted away by Regina. And then the worst thing imaginable happened and she nearly fell face first into the ground. Tamara flitted in from one of the trees and took him away, dark arms curled around her little boy as he screamed for her, hands reaching out in vain to grasp her.

And everything went black.

She was aware they were on the ship again. The gentle rocking of her cot was soothing, making her forget how she got there in the first place, but Emma was anything but calm without her boy and she shot up like a bolt, looking around the dark cabin and wincing. She surveyed the covered wounds on her arms and legs, one reaching up her hip and over her waist. Minor, but they still hurt. Just like her head. Her hand came up to push against her temple as if she could shove away the pain, a temporary relief.

It was quiet around her and she was sure everyone else had long ago gone to bed. She swung her legs over the side of the cot and got up, steadying herself against a wall as a wave of dizziness washed over her, spotting out her vision for a moment. As soon as it passed she made her way to the deck, the cold air nipping at her skin and the smell of the ocean invading her senses. She stood there for a moment; arms out and head back feeling the wind as it whistled around her. And then she fell forward, her knees hitting the deck, her hands coming to cradle her face.

She'd lost him. She'd lost him! She'd failed as a mother and now her Henry was in the clutches of that bitch again! Her frame shook as she sobbed into her hands, cheeks stained and wet as the tears left trains through the dirt and blood still on her skin. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. It was too much.

"I'm sorry, Henry. I'm so sorry," she chanted as she rocked back and forth, no one to hear her.

After a while she found herself lying on her side, her arms wrapped around her knees as they pressed against her chest. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but the crying had stopped finally, the pain had subsided leaving nothing. She felt numb. She just stayed there, eyes locked on the deck, moonlight sparking off the word wood. Everything was her fault. Everything. She was worthless and stupid and it was all her fault. She should have fought harder, should have been stronger, but she wasn't and Henry was gone and she couldn't do anything about it.

She didn't know if she had it in her to go on again after all that blood and death only to fail. Fucking fairytales and their fucking magic. She was sick of it, of all of it. Why did it have to be real? Why did it have to happen to her? To her child? Her eyelids fluttered closed and her arms slipped from her legs. She was so weak now, so tired and al she wanted was for it to end.

She wanted to feel something.

Her eyes opened and she looked at the stars. Feel something? Was that what she'd need to go on? And suddenly the idea was gripping her in its clutches, her brows furrowing as she pushed herself up and wiped at her cheeks. Need to feel something, got to feel something.

She turned and walked briskly for the Captain's Quarters, sure he could give her what she needed, sure he could help. She knocked loud as the adrenaline of the thought pumped through her veins and when he opened the door, all groggy and shirtless, she shoved him forward, kicking it closed behind her. Her lips crashed into his as her hands smoothed over his chest and up his neck, fingers tangling in his hair to gain better leverage.

He was surprised, she could tell, and probably more than confused even as he responded, arms slinking around her waist and pulling her up to him, lips slanting over hers, nipping. But as soon as he'd started he stopped, hands moving her away from him as he looked into her eyes. He was worried and she didn't want that. Not that. Anything but that. So she growled at him and his lips almost twitched into a smile, but his hand held her a safe distance away.

"Emma, what's going on, lass?"

"Make me feel something. Now."

He frowned at her, taking in the tearstains and puffy eyes. She was angry and hurt and he didn't want to take advantage of that so he pushed her away again, this time towards the door.

"No. You need to leave."

She clawed at his arms leaving long red marks with her sharp nails, but he didn't pull back. She spun around and made to go, but as soon as he let his guard down she was back, hand pulling at his trousers insistently.

"Help me," she hissed against his skin. "I need something, anything, to go on. I can't do this anymore." She cupped his groin and kneaded and a groan slipped from him. "You've been talking about this forever so come on."

He pushed her back and she hit the wall as he surged forward, mouth locking onto hers as his hand gripped her hip, hard enough to bruise. Good. One of her legs came up to wrap around his calf and he took the chance to hoist her further into him, hooked arm sliding under her thigh and lifting her suddenly, jarring her against the wood and she gasped. Her head fell back, fingers sliding through his hair as he left a trail of dark marks down her neck, biting and licking and sucking to his heart's content. She could feel his hardness pushed at her core through their clothing. She ground her hips as best she could and he growled against her skin, teeth coming down harder than before on her collarbone. His good hand snaked down to tug at her pants; his hook tore through her top before she could react. She pushed down her trousers and flung them across the room, wrapping her legs around him again as he discarded of the useless clothe on her torso.

He dipped his head, pulling one erect nipple into his mouth forcefully making her arch against him. Her head hit the wall and she felt herself spinning as he maneuvered them towards his bed. They crashed into the mattress, him hovering over her as his hands smoothed over her flesh, nudging her panties aside and slipping one long finger into her. She moaned, nails raking up her biceps and he smiled. She could feel it. He sat back a bit and watched her face as he slowly pumped in and out, the shark point of his hook trailing down her neck and between her breasts, a warning not to move. She shuddered and he added another finger, chuckling before he pulled out and got up. She hissed in retaliation and looked at him. He was kicking his pants off his feet, his long, thick member bobbing against his stomach. He came back down to her, pushing her further back up his bed and looked straight into her eyes.

"Is this what you need, Swan? Hmm?" He slipped in a bit, teasing. She groaned and twisted under him, but he held her still with his body, pinning her in place. "Well? Did you simply need a good fucking?"

"Yes so just do it already!" And he slammed in, knocking the breathe from her lungs as she clutched at his back, gasping at every thrust of his hips. It ached and burned and it was just so good. She ground her teeth and rocked back against him, cupping his ass cheeks and squeezing. His dark smile only fueled her more, her movement erratic and suddenly, without warning, she came apart. Sparks flew behind her eyes as she nearly screamed at him, eyes rolling back and body arching painfully towards him. He just kept fucking her through it all though, even when she came down. She felt limp, but the delicious burn between her legs soon had her crawling back towards her high again, desperate for more, desperate for release. He didn't disappoint. His fingers caught one nipple and rolled it hard, his mouth biting and pulling at the other as he pounded hard, faster, deeper and she was nearly coming apart again as he began to pulse. He twisted one bud hard and she came again, scratching down his back, red lines in her wake. He collapsed when he was done, lying on her for a moment and she basked in that afterglow for as long as she could.

But of course it didn't last long and he rolled away. She got up and began to gather her clothes as he watched her. She could feel his eyes on her skin, but she didn't look back at him, just pulled on her pants, gripped her boots and ruined tunic to her chest and left, slamming the door behind her.

She hurried back to her cabin and changed into something more comfortable. She collapsed on her cot, the lumpy mattress suddenly very inviting. Her muscles hurt and she couldn't feel anything. She let her eyes flutter closed as sleep overtook her, darkness drawing her into it's embrace.

Yeah... Don't judge me. This is how I saw this going... A lot of what happened this chapter will be discussed more in the next so don't worry. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think/thought! Theories? Analysis? What you liked and what you didn't like?