And when the daylight comes, I'll have to go...

- Maroon 5, Daylight

Part I.

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"I'm telling you we should start from Neverwood."

Hook now knew where Emma had gotten her stubbornness, and he would have probably been more amused if not for the fact that her delusional bolt of a father thought he knew Neverland more than he, Captain bloody Hook.

Clicking his tongue along the roof of his mouth, Hook answered His Royal Highness in a dull response, "And I'm telling you that's a foul move that'll get us all killed before we even have a chance at fighting back, much less rescuing Swan's boy."

"But maybe if we go to Neverwood, the Lost Boys can help us," suggested Snow White.

At this, Hook scoffed, memories that still haunted him surfaced clearly into his mind. "Not likely. If Greg and Tamara are in Neverland, they're no doubt in an alliance with Pan. And not to mention his shadow."

"A shadow?" Charming groaned in disbelief. "We're up against a shadow?"

"How does that even work?" asked Emma.

Hook smirked, but the amusement was left out of his eyes. "I don't know what stories you've heard, but this world works a little differently from your Storybrooke."

He turned to face the sparkling ocean as he spread his arms wide behind him, as if he were motioning the entire land. "Here, the Lost Boys rule. You are to fear them, and believe me when I say we have plenty to fear. I know from experience."

Emma paused, still unaccustomed to the thought of Peter Pan, the boy who never aged, as the head of some kind of evil kidnapping club. "What would he want with Henry?"

Hook's eyes flickered to hers and held her meticulous gaze with equal intensity. "He has quite a reputation of taking children from their homes and leaving them in Neverland. The only way you can leave is if you have the Shadow's permission."

Emma stared back. "Is that how you were able to leave?"

His lips quirked up just slightly. "No. He doesn't quite enjoy the company of adults, which is why we won't have a problem. It's your son that we'll have to worry about."

"So what do you recommend we do to get Henry back, Captain?" spat Regina.

He ignored her sarcasm dripped tone. "If you want to get the boy back, it would be wise to ask the assistance of others. I'm sure I can round up a few of my old crewmates who'll be happy to help."

Emma's eyebrows raised in question at his offer. "Your crew..."

"What makes you think we can't hold our own against them?" Charming questioned.

Hook replied, nonchalantly, "You can try, but I just don't think it's the brightest idea."

"We've used magic to shield the ship," pointed out Emma. "We could do some kind of sneak attack and get to Henry."

"Yes, love, but that would only buy us time. As long as we are in Neverland, they will sense my ship. They'll know we're here."

"How much time do we have then?"

He glanced at Regina. "Perhaps by the rise of the moon. Depends on how strong your magic is though. If you can best them, then we'll be safe until tomorrow's sunset. They only attack at night, so if you think you can shield the Jolly that much longer..." he trailed off.

Snow eyed him warily. "What happens when they find us?"

The pirate captain looked morbid as he contemplated the answer. It was like he was revisiting his past. He spoke almost monotonically. "They'll board my ship and raid our belongings. They'll begin to question our reasons for sailing in Neverland, and they'll be even more suspicious once they see you lot here. If we're lucky, they'll let us go without a fight. We must have the advantage if we plan on going against Pan. Which is why I insist we wait for my crew before we start infringing into their hideout like heroes."

"No offense, Hook," intercepted Regina. "But we have two expert magic users, a master swordsman, a princess turned vigilante, and the Savior. I think we can handle a couple of kids better than your...friends."

With no mention of him, Hook pouted. "I am more than my striking appearance, you know."

Charming laughed. "Oh yeah, what are you going to do? Freeze them with your pretty face?"

"As flattered as I am that Your Highness finds me attractive—" Charming gave him a blank stare. "I do have a magic sailing ship that can fly wherever you desire and centuries worth of knowledge of this land, compared to you folks who have been here for, what, fifteen minutes?" He grinned and waved his right hand. "I also have a nice right hook."

The blatant eye rolls and groans at his attempt of comic relief did not go unnoticed. Hook sighed. "You lot are no fun."

Emma crossed her arms and stood a serious stance. "Now that we're done joking around. Hook, how soon can you get word out to your crew?"

"As soon as you need me to, darling," he drawled.

"How can we be sure your crewmates are reliable?" asked Charming, doubt sparkling clearly in his eyes. "For all we know, this could be some kind of scheme to sell us out to the enemy. Hell, how do we know you aren't going to just leave us here?"

Hook wasn't quite sure why he looked to Emma when he did, or even why she looked back with equal vigor. Perhaps it was to see whether she believed in him or not. Believed that he could actually—what was it she said—be a part of something.

And then he saw it. Granted, it was a sort of flicker, but it was there.

"If you're insinuating my services rely on a hidden motive, then you're greatly mistaken." Leaning against the side of the deck, he took a more serious demeanor. "I promised you my services to help and I intend to stay true to my word, and that goes for rescuing the boy and returning you back to your world. As for my crew, they may be pirates but they're good men. I can vouch for them."

"Funny." Charming stood by stoically. "Who'll vouch for you?"

"I will," said Emma, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Eyes flew to her, and she planned to stand her ground until she felt the burning stare of one individual who had been all too observant over the past events. Emma made an attempt to ignore making eye contact with her mother, partly because she didn't feel like having Snow read her like a book and questioning her later. They didn't have time for that.

It was silent for almost forever, and Emma wanted to scream in relief when Rumpelstiltskin intercepted.

"He isn't the only one with connections. Someone in this land owes me a favor. I'll be happy to use it to help us plan a rescue for Henry."

Regina perked up. "You made a deal with someone in Neverland?"

He shrugged. "I like to think of it as a public service."

"Can you contact them?" Emma anxiously asked. They were getting closer, and considering a day hadn't even passed, this was good progress.

Without a word, Rumpelstiltskin walked to the edge of the ship and stood beside Hook. With a snap of his fingers, an object materialized in his palm. Hook's eyes widened as he saw the shiny pearl through the indigo smoke.

"A Mermaid's Tear?"

Snow voiced the question that was searing into everyone's minds. "You made a deal with a mermaid?"

He rolled the pearl gently between his thumb and index finger, almost with admiration. With a quick glance to the pirate beside him, he dropped the pearl, his eyes trailing his deal carefully until it made a small plop into the water.

"Help should be arriving soon."

Charming nodded. "We should get ready." He turned to Hook. "Is there a map of Neverland aboard?"

The other man nodded mutely and pointed to his cabin.

Hook waited until the group disbanded, leaving only himself and Rumpelstiltskin. Rolling his eyes over the older looking man, he sauntered over to a specific rope and tugged on it with one hand, pulling until the pirate flag went all the way up. After tying it to a hook on the pole, he turned back to Rumpelstiltskin.

"Relying on the help of magical creatures is slightly beneath you, don't you think, Crocodile?"

Without sparing a glance, Rumpelstiltskin replied, "If you have something to say, then say it."

Hook tilted his head as if he were contemplating the right question to ask. "Why are you really helping?"

"Same as you. I want to get Henry back."

The captain chuckled in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe. No offense, but the Dark One isn't usually known to help others without something in return. And to waste such a valuable deal? What are you getting out of this?"

Rumpelstiltskin smirked, apparently finding the interaction amusing. "Why, simply the gratification of rescuing my grandson from the clutches of a much larger enemy."

"Stop joking around," a leery Hook warned, moving closer. "We both know very well that mermaids rarely want anything. The fact that you've made a deal with one is unheard of, and to use such a deal so soon..." He paused, suddenly crossed by a thought. "Crocodile, if you hurt Emma's boy, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" spat Rumpelstiltskin. No longer remaining as calm as he was, he approached the captain until they were almost bumping chests. "Do you think saving that boy will be your redemption? That it'll make up for all the lives you've taken? If so, then you are truly mistaken, because nothing can make up for what you've done; and you'll live with those sins for as long as you live."

He didn't hesitate to reply, "I could say the same for you."

"At least I'm not holding onto ghosts in order to live." Rumpelstiltskin eyed him one last time before swiftly turning and walking into the cabin to join the others, his cane clicking beneath him.

Hook's jaw tightened as his teeth clenched together. The anger and resentment burned through the blood in his veins.

"Oh, and speaking of which..." He suddenly paused and reached in his jacket pocket to reveal an all too familiar drawing. After he glimpsed at it, he handed the parchment to Hook. "By the way, I know the feeling of losing a love, but I also know there is a time to give up and move on when there is no way in bringing them back. Three hundred years is enough, don't you think, dearie?"

Once he was out of his sight, a match ignited the firework within Hook as he blew up from the inside out. Swinging his fist against an unused barrel, his hook pierced chunks of the wood, and he stabbed each again and again until the hole in the deck was prominent enough to see through his rage. Panting, Hook kicked the remaining debris and proceeded to place a barrel to cover the hole, silently hoping the Crocodile would be stupid enough to perhaps sit on it and fall into the hold of his ship.

Loud slams and cries echoed into the Captain's cabin and it took all of Emma's concentration not to flinch or jump up. Rumpelstiltskin had entered a few seconds ago and she could only guess what kind of conversation he had with Hook to get him so fueled to the point of trashing his beloved ship.

"Gold, what did you say to him?" she asked, preparing to scold the man and not giving a damn he was the Dark One.

He took a his place next to Charming as they gathered around the table with a wrinkled map of Neverland placed in the center.

"Worried about your pirate, Miss Swan?"

Charming glared harshly at him and roughly pressed the map out flat.

She blinked, unfazed. "Worried you just pissed off our tour guide through this hell hole is more like it!"

"Rest assured, if anything's wrong with him, it's the cause of his own folly. Now shall we get back to matters at hand?"

Although she didn't believe him entirely, Emma didn't press any further into the conversation.

"Do you have a plan, Rumple?" asked Regina. Her voice was flooded with hope.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Rumpelstiltskin pointed to a lonely spot far from the island on the map. "We are somewhere around here. By nightfall, the Lost Boys will no doubt notice Hook's ship and attempt to board it. The mermaids will play as a distraction and we'll attack the Lost Boys and use them to lead us to Henry."

Snow nodded. "It sounds peachy, but the Lost Boys sound unrestrainable. What if they send word to Peter Pan?"

Rumpelstiltskin's features darkened. "Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen, won't we."

Charming's eyebrows propped up as he understood the implication. He was quick to think of an alternative. "Or maybe we can use that magic you're so fond of and petrify them."

His lips tightened and Charming was reminded of his scaly, more golden features in the Enchanted Forest.

"Magic always comes with a price. And considering we're in Neverland of all worlds, I'd rather not risk it."

"So you think killing children is our only choice?" Snow jumped up.

Regina rolled her eyes. She was almost amused the short, black haired beauty with a heart that would soon turn as dark as night would still play innocent at this point. "Is there another way?"

"There's always another way."

The Evil Queen rose up and joined Snow in their fuming display of differences. "Really? Then why haven't you suggested it?"

Rumpelstiltskin took a step back, distancing himself from what seemed like a long aged rivalry soon igniting once again.

"Regina, look, I know you're upset because of Henry. I understand—"

"What exactly do you understand, Snow? You have your daughter and your husband with you. You have your family. Henry is the only family I have left."

"No," Snow replied, potently. "You have me. No matter what happened in the past, you are still my stepmother and that makes us family."

Emma glanced at Regina, who looked like she had been struck by lightning. Her eyes were saucers and her mouth slightly ajar. The long battle between her mother and Regina was nothing shy of dangerous, for Regina had attempted to murder her too many times to count, and Snow was far too stubborn to sit back as others fought for her.

Throughout the time spent in Storybrooke and finding her own parents, Emma had easily forgotten the familiar tale written in books of Snow White. As a child, it seemed like she already knew the two characters, but now, after Henry opened her eyes, Emma noticed how flat her (and possibly many other children) depiction of them had overshadowed reality. ...Or as real as it can get at this point.

Standing before her, she didn't see a princess waiting for her prince, or a woman set on destroying her stepdaughter because she was prettier than she. Emma saw a woman who sought redemption for her one sinful act in order to protect her family. And on the other half, an older woman who had lost love one too many times, whether it was of her own regard or not. This woman who had a greater lack of hope than her mother, and only allowed herself to be emotionally naked to others in order to recover the only person she had left to love—a child she never birthed but loved unconditionally.

Two women that were so distant yet, ultimately, desired something not too different.

Emma struggled to sleep that night. Although she took comfort in the fact that Regina, Gold, and herself had cast a strong protection spell over the Jolly Roger, she couldn't help the uncomfortable nightmares that crawled into her head of Henry being taken away from her time and time again, no matter how short lived they were.

With a sour face, Emma sat up from her thin bedding on the wooden floor. Her eyes hovered over the other four sleeping bodies spread out in the room. After a few perverted suggestions from Hook, the group had decided to leave the bed alone. There were four too many people on board, and that was to count a pair already sleeping together. The only pairs that wouldn't pay a second thought were Emma and Snow and her parents. Of course, Charming had insisted he take the floor before even thinking about sleeping in the pirate's quarters, and Hook had similarly rejected the idea of Charming in his bed for reasons of pure awkwardness considering the many tirades they shared. Thus, the decision of preserving the captain's quarters as an emergency room for the ill and injured was born, and all those on crew moved to sleep in the hold.

Emma looked up from her bedding through the hole that had mysteriously made its way on the ship, to see the starry night sky. She had a perfect view of the moon. Surprisingly to her, Neverland wasn't as different as Storybrooke. The moon shone the same, if not brighter and rose with darkness. And if night had arrived and not a sight of any Lost Boys was noticed, it was safe to say the magic had worked and they were getting a rare chance at a good night's sleep.

However, Emma's life had only ever been ironic.

Wide awake, Emma stood up and, slowly and quietly, crept her way out of the hold and up onto the deck. She winced as the floorboards creaked under her toes causing her to glance behind her every now and again. She only exhaled a suppressed sigh when she reached the top and felt the prickling sensation of goosebumps from the cool breeze.

Her eyes closed.

The smell of Neverland was tantalizing and very much different from the fetid stench of fish and the changing temperatures of each season in Maine. Emma had never felt more alive than in that moment, and almost invincible.

Before she could further succumb herself into the beauty of the natures in Neverland, she heard it. It was faint, yet clear to make out all at the same time.

The sound was so alluring it was hard to ignore. And suddenly, her eyes snapped open reluctantly, and she found herself walking towards the edge—her own conscious mind working against her. She saw them in the sea, beautiful beings with hair glistening under the moonlight. Their sea scales reflected a rainbow of colors that shined brighter with each movement.

A beautiful harmony escaped the singing vixen's lips as her arm rose from out of the water, offering a hand to Emma. Emma couldn't help the curiosity that approached her and the sudden need to join this beautiful creature underwater, perhaps to a place even more gorgeous and extravagant as the shore.

"Careful." The dark, tight voice approached beside her. His hand gripped onto her own and pulled her body back to the deck. "Don't want to get too close else you lose your head."

Emma blinked, and immediately understood what had occurred. She cursed herself for letting her guard down so easily. The thought of her teetering on the edge of the ship shook her to her core when she considered what possibilities might have occurred had Hook not saved her. Huffing out a small breath of relief, Emma found her state of mind again but didn't bother pulling her hand away from Hook's, for fear of losing herself once more when she least expected it.

Another head bobbled up along the surface of the water before fully showing her face. She held her head high making sure the pearl tiara was visible and was seemingly the leader of the group. Her voice was melodious and her words articulate.

"Forgive my sisters." She glanced at Emma with sharp eyes glazed in something similar to desire. "It has been some time since we last had such an...enticing visitor in Neverland."

Hook tightened his grip on her hand, and bent down slightly to whisper in her ear, "She's calling you her toy, love."

"I got that," she muttered. With a cough, she spoke in a volume where the mermaids would hear her clearly. "You're here to repay your deal with Rumpelstiltskin, right?"

The leader nodded, her chin sharp and perfectly crafted. "Yes, however, it is not I but my sister who was approached with the irresistible offer."

Even though she had a strong guess, she had to hear it for herself. "And what exactly was this deal?" asked a suspicious Emma.

"And that, is something I think should be kept private from outsiders, if you don't mind me saying." Emma turned around to see Rumpelstiltskin strolling his way on the deck. It was a wonder she didn't hear him approaching them earlier.

She felt Hook stiffen beside her, her hand held in a vice grip. Her heart quickened as she shifted her gaze between both men, waiting for a possible showdown to occur. Instead, both men turned away from each other. Hook, facing away from Rumpelstiltskin, winked at her.

"Go get a good sleep, Swan, because when the sun rises, we'll start preparing for a war."

Edit 7/12: I do understand the difference between sirens and mermaids. The mermaids do not want to eat Emma, they just want to play with her, even if it means she unintentionally ends up drowning.

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