Hey there! Soooooo sorry it took so long to get this chapter up – it was like I forgot how to write! Haha anyway here's the conclusion to this fic and I hope you all like it :)

Alas, I do not own OUAT.

"That was quite the episode you had." Gold limped up beside her, his face passive.

Emma scoffed. "You can say that again."

Not a fan of cabin fever, Emma, once she assured her over-protective parents that she was well enough, ventured back up on deck but made sure that the centre was where she would stay. No more mermaids for her thank you very much. No, she was content to bide her time by the wheel, watching Hook being all pirate-y and aggressive when it came to the sea. At times it was like he had…whatever the equivalent to road rage was when on the sea – sea rage? Ocean rage?

At least it was quite the spectacle. Light entertainment, even.

Gold took a seat next to her but fixed his gaze on Hook. Emma wasn't entirely clued-in on their aggravated history but she was glad that there was no bloodshed…as of yet anyway. Surprisingly enough, so far, the trip had been pretty tranquil for a boat ride full of people who had spent a lot of years at odds with one another. That was a nice change. Weird; but nice nonetheless.

"I understand you were…" he took a deep breath, "you were with Bae when he…"

She cut him off, not ready to hear the words aloud. Saying things aloud made them final and though all she had done was relive that moment, she wasn't ready to face it out in the open. Just not yet. "Yeah. I was."

The man nodded, clearly emotional. Seeing someone who was usually so suave and cunning become so defeated was hard to fathom. Here was this man, Mr Gold, the appropriator of missing objects, the pawnbroker, but also the infamous Rumpelstiltskin, broken over the loss of his son. His son, who also happened to be Henry's father and a man that she had loved. The more she thought about that, the more her head hurt.

"I couldn't save him," she said quietly. "And I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that." She closed her eyes for a spilt-second, envisioning Neal's face as he let go of her hand and feeling the fiery ache settling into her chest. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

Gold sighed. "Bae was always better than me; being good and willing to help others was what he lived by - even as a child. I was a coward." His voice was low and pained, like it hurt him to even say the words. Emma forced herself to stare plainly ahead. "I let him go, made him go alone because I hated being a coward. I loved being feared, I loved how it felt more so than I ever thought imaginable. Magic and power and all the bells and whistles overtook my desire to be the father I had always wanted to be to my boy. It changed my way of thinking of my family and it caused me to do unspeakable things. The truth is I lost him long before he sacrificed himself so that his son wouldn't be alone." Clasping his fingers around his cane, Gold allowed himself a small, proud smile. "I was the coward but Bae was the hero."

"And I've already let him down," Emma whispered. "I was supposed to keep Henry safe – that's my job. And I can't even do that."

Rumpel rose to his feet, suddenly no longer the cool Mr Gold but a very strange mix of his personalities. "Now, now, dearie. Your boy? Well he's got quite the search party looking for him. I wouldn't fancy anyone's chances against us. And who's to say that our dear Henry doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve as well? Considering who his family are, I would expect nothing less from that young man, taking into account the fact that he has already shown how clever he is when he found you and brought you to Storybrooke. He's a young boy; young boys always have plans and schemes. Full of tricks, they are."

Of that Emma had no doubt. Henry had displayed his scheming side the very moment he showed up on her doorstep and ever since then, the boy had been brimming with plots and plans and covert operations.

"Yes, well you can be assured he learned no such behaviour from me." The clacking of heels against the wooden grain should have alerted Emma to Regina's oncoming. She tried not to roll her eyes as she turned her head, only to see her towering figure clashing with the brash sunlight.

"I would never say such a thing," she quipped sardonically. Biting sarcasm seemed to be her default when around her.

Regina narrowed her stare and dragged her attention to Gold. "The next time you decide to sing while you're getting ready in the morning, I suggest you chose something other than the Rocky theme – like nothing at all," she snarled. "It's amazing that your darling Belle sticks around at all."

Emma bit her hand, fighting back the sniggers that were coming thick and fast. They were like an old married couple – a twisted, creepy old married couple – and it was so enjoyable to watch them interact. In a strange way, she felt sort of childlike around them, like they were these older and wiser beings that she could learn from.

Well, technically they were much older. Wiser? Well, that was debatable.

"It's called True Love, dearie. Remarkable stuff. You could do with a batch of it."

Regina's eyes flashed. "What are you trying to say, Imp?"

"Okay," Emma intervened, standing between them. If looks could kill. "I think you guys need some time apart to relax."

"Relax?" the woman barked. "In case you've forgotten Miss Swan, my son has been kidnapped and relaxing is the last thing that I am capable of doing right now."

Letting the 'my son' comment slide, Emma shoved her hands into her coat pockets, her face softening. "I know," she said lowly. "I know." They exchanged a look of understanding; their past cast aside in that moment. They both wanted nothing more than to have Henry back. "You know, you can call me Emma. That is my name."

Regina offered a slight smirk and nodded before striding away from them, her black jacket sashaying as she moved.

"Oh I wouldn't worry about her, dear," Gold interjected. "She's a creature of habit. And old habits die hard."

Emma turned to face him, her eyebrow arched and her eyes amused. "Rocky? Really?"

"Mr Gold has fond memories of the film," he mused, backing away from her. "I always did like an underdog. There's something so inspiring about a rise from the ashes isn't there? Something so dramatic and instinctive that captures our wildest imagination and gives us hope."

The blonde did a double-take. "Your favourite film is Rocky?"

"I would have thought you of all people would have enjoyed such fare; considering you have threatened to punch me in the face on a number of occasions." His smile was sly as he backed further away and turned on his heel, his hand doing some sort of giddy dance that unsettled her. Gold was so weird.

She focused her attention back on Hook and watched him stare at the sea intently. It was then that she realised that she hadn't thanked him for saving her life. Ugh, adding fuel to the fire. He was going to enjoy this.

"What exactly are you looking at?" she questioned, stepping up beside him.

He made another adjustment with the wheel, his lips curling into a smile. "Can't keep your eyes off me, eh?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "How far away are we?"

"Not long now." And suddenly his voice was distant and aware. She assumed that was to do with his relationship with Neverland. Admittedly, Emma wasn't a fan of Peter Pan growing up (princesses were more her thing) but she was vaguely aware of Hook's affiliation with the place. But there was no way she was going to ask him about it; any information on how dangerous the land was only made her worry that bit more about Henry and she couldn't let her imagination take her to those dark places. She's been there enough times.

Taking a deep breath and shuffling her feet self-consciously, Emma cleared her throat. "So, I, uh, never thanked you for…you know."

Hook gave her all of his attention, his eyebrows doing…that thing that they always did. They could be so…distracting.

"So thank you," she blurted.

"I never could resist helping out a damsel in distress. I'm gentlemanly like that."

"Can't you just accept it without trying to change it into something else?"

He leaned in close to her and winked. "Now why on Earth would I want to do that? Besides, Swan, I know for a fact that you can give as good as you get. You can't resist a little friendly banter –especially with me."

"Oh, you caught me," she drawled, raising her hands in the air and shaking her head. Men were clueless at times.

He allowed himself a chuckle.

"Only you would flirt with me when my son has been kidnapped and his father has just fell through a portal." Though she had said it teasingly, the truth behind the statement cut her to her core. She swallowed hard and hoped he didn't notice her immediate pain.

But he did. "I am sorry about that," he said sincerely. "No child should have to go through such terrible circumstances. But I'll make sure that he returns to you safely."

If she wasn't so taken aback by his sentiment, she might have even scoffed at his abrupt mood change.

"I'm familiar with this land. I know its dangers. Nobody there will suspect my arrival which means we'll have the upper hand and from what I gather, your parents are rather adept when it comes to winning a battle. They won't know what hit them." He grabbed the wheel again and gently turned to the left. "I'm looking forward to seeing you fight, Swan. I imagine it'll be quite the sight," he called over his shoulder.

Just when she thought there was a real man hiding behind all that guyliner and arrogance he opened his mouth again. Typical.

As the sun set, spewing flashes of reds and yellows and oranges across the horizon, Emma sat on the deck and let what was left of the rays heat her face. She could have sat there forever alone with her thoughts, freeing herself from all the baggage that weighed her down. There was something so reassuring in the fact that the sun rises and sets within a day; life goes on, the world turns and that's the way it has always been and the way it will always be. Simple facts like that spring hope and optimism and Emma could do with as much of that as she could get.

The sky grew into a dark shade of blue, the stars showing themselves for the first time and she was still there breathing in the now cool air.

"You okay?"

She wondered how long it would take before her mother would join her. She turned her head to the side to see the woman position herself next to her and smiled. "Yeah. It's just so beautiful here; it's easy to get lost in it."

"I know. I used to feel that way about our land." Mary Margaret crossed her legs at the ankle and leaned backward on her hands. "At sunset I used to stand in the window of your nursery and just look out. At that time of the day, there is nowhere more beautiful than the forest. You would have loved it," she said thoughtfully.

And Emma knew she would have. But she didn't want to dwell on what could have been. "Hook says we're getting close," she murmured, taking a deep breath. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on top of them.

"You sound worried," her mother noted.

"That would be because I am. From what I can gather, Neverland isn't exactly a popular holiday destination. I just don't think saving Henry is as straightforward as everyone's saying."

Abruptly, the brunette shot forward and dragged herself to her knees, facing Emma. Her eyes raced across her face as if she was examining every spot and line. "I've never heard you speak like that," she whispered softly.

"Like what?"

"So devoid of that fire you usually have. It's almost as if…as if you don't think we will find him."

She dropped her eyes. "No, no I don't doubt that. I mean you guys possess some kind of crazy skills in that department. I just worry about what state he'll be in when we do find him. I worry about what they might have done to him. Being separated from family has a…certain effect on a kid."

Mary Margaret knew just how true that was as she gazed at her daughter. Emma wasn't just talking about Henry – she was talking about herself too. "He knows we're coming for him."

"Yeah and I always thought you guys were coming for me too," she retorted defensively, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth. Her mother recoiled slightly but didn't respond. "Time works different in Neverland doesn't it? What if, to Henry, a few days on this ship amounts to years where he is? Who knows what he's thinking? Whether he believes we're on our way or not, it doesn't change the fact that he's alone right now."

The brunette, whose orbs sparkled with unshed tears, reached forward to lay hands on the blonde's shoulders. "I don't want to lie to you, honey. I don't know what's going to happen or what we're going to face or even how we're going to save him but if there's one thing I do know in this world – and every other one – it's that Henry will be found. He will return to our family. You will be reunited with him and he will be okay. We don't give up. We never do. That's not to say that it will be easy or that there won't be trouble or hardship but it does mean that whatever comes our way, we will face it together. All of us. Everyone on this ship wants to make sure that Henry is safe and no matter what it takes, that will come to pass." She leaned forward and kissed the woman on her forehead. "He knows we're coming. He'll be the strongest he's ever been. He is your son, after all," she tagged on wistfully, kissing her again.

Sometimes words failed. They were like people in that sense. They held promise, they spoke promise but in the end they weren't enough. Sometimes you just needed something else. Good intentions and well-spoken vows were lovely and all that but they didn't always provide the essentials.

Emma wasn't one for words. She was more of an action kind of girl. All she had had growing up were broken promises and lies. No, words failed her at almost every turn and because of that, she had built up a resistance to them. If someone had something to tell her they'd have to show it to her.

But not this time. Mary Margaret, Snow White, her best friend, her mother, always spoke the truth. Her promises didn't crumble. Her vows stayed true. Her comforts sang to the deepest parts of her damaged spirit. The way she talked and the way she looked at her never failed. She was truth. She was what Emma needed.

So she believed her with all her heart and she closed her eyes, reached out and hugged the woman as tight as physically possible, not caring if she shed a tear or two. Henry would be found and her family would be together. All the stuff in between didn't matter because that was the end result.

"What's going on here?" David asked as he approached – warily it must be said. Hands raised, standing back, assessing the damage.

The women broke apart with thick chuckles.

"Nothing, we were just talking," Emma shrugged off as best she could and wiped away any sign of tears from her cheeks.

"Okay," he replied, still keeping his distance.

"Girl stuff," Mary Margaret threw in, getting off her knees.

"Oh, right."

Emma held a hand up to him. "Little help here, Dad."

He smiled affectionately at the term and wasted no time in pulling her up to him, using the opportunity to hug her. She didn't mind though.

"There she is!" they heard Hook exclaim from behind them. "Neverland!"

The three of them took tentative steps toward the bow, Mary Margaret and David's eyes never leaving Emma in the process, and eventually they all gazed out at the smoky island in front of them. Though it was still a little further away, the sight was ominous and Emma felt her stomach flutter as she thought of Henry being out there.

An arm encased around her waist and squeezed reassuringly. "As a family," her mother said softly into her ear. Her father stood behind her and placed a sweet kiss on the top of her head.

Whatever demons she had to face out there, whatever mythical creature threatened their expedition, whatever troubles may befall them, finally Emma Swan had something that she could rely on: her family. And that was enough for her.

And that is where this journey ends! I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope it was a good ending to this five-parter! I'm on holidays from tomorrow for two weeks but I may or may not have something prepared for when I'm back which may or may not have to do with my story 'Complicated Family Issues' but you'll just have to wait and see if it all works out for me ;) Anywho, thank you to all who read this and if you have time, please drop me a review and let me know what you thought!

Until next time :)