Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

As often in modern tales, all good things must come to an end. More often than not, a person's story doesn't end with the phrase "Happily Ever After". Sometimes, their stories continue and grow into something far bigger and far more complicated than they feared. Unfortunately, Mara's story does not end after she released her parent's from their dreadful curse set upon by a man she thought she was in love with. Although she had some time to relax, all good things must come to an end, whether it is desired or not.

The Jolly Roger, in all its might and power, was the most feared vessel upon the seven seas, no matter who or what was upon it. If a skull and cross bones flag was flying in the air, anyone who encountered it knew they had something great to fear. It made a simple Jones family vacation much more enjoyable when no other pirates or thieves crossed their path. It was summer, after all, and they were happy to be able to relax and take a day off. Killian, Emma, and Mara Jones had packed up all their things and isolated themselves to the outskirts of Snow White's kingdom to the summer palace. Mara spent her days occupying herself with new training skills in battle and trying them out on her father while meeting talking animals and fairies every day. Meanwhile, Killian and Emma spent their days occupying each other. It was a blissful vacation, indeed, but all good things must come to an end.

Mara had slightly missed the feeling of sailing after all those weeks in the forest. It was nice to feel drops of the ocean hit her face as she stood on the edge of the ship. She missed the salty smell of the air and the chill that filled her bones followed by the wind, pushing back her long black hair. However, leaving the summer palace wasn't a total loss; they did have a whole other family to return to, after all.

When the boat docked in its home port at Storybrooke, the expected people were there, standing with smiles on their faces as they waved to them happily. Mary-Margaret, David, Henry, and little Leo, clinging to his mother's leg and jumping up and down as quickly as he could.

"Look mommy! Look!" he chanted, "They're back!"

"I see, honey," Mary-Margaret said, picking up the 4 year old in her arms.

Killian hooked the rope onto the metal steps of the dock, but he wasn't quick enough for his high spirited daughter, who swung her way down from a rope onto the concrete ground and threw herself into her older brother's arms.

"Henry!" she cheered, kicking her feet up in the air behind her.

"You haven't changed a bit," he chuckled.

Mara got back down on her feet and sighed, "That's because I stopped aging 3 months ago, silly."

"To be 21 forever," Henry said, shaking his head, "You're so lucky."

"Why? Because I took the de-aging potion faster than you did?" Mara chuckled.

"I don't need the de-aging potion, I'm 22 forever without any fancy liquids," Henry laughed.

"Someday, we really have to figure out what the hell is going on with this aging this around here and why some of us do it and why some of us don't," Mara shrugged.

"Oh sister," he said, wrapping his arm around her and walking towards the rest of their family, "So hung up on the little details of life and not focusing on the big picture."

Mara chuckled and threw her hand into her hair, "Wow… it sorta feels amazing to be back again."

"So now what? You think you got your mojo back so you can kick Tristan's ass?" Henry teased.

"Stop," she joked, pushing Henry's shoulder, "Don't be like that."

"Like what?" Henry said, raising an eyebrow, "I'm honestly curious as to how you're going to react to seeing him after you two called it quits."

"I don't know," she shrugged, crossing her arms across her chest, "I don't necessarily feel good about it, you know? We were together for a LONG time."

"I think a long time would require at LEAST 2 years of dating, you guys were only together for, like 1."

Mara raised her eyebrows at him and suddenly began to feel a weight in her chest that she hadn't felt since she threw it overboard on her way to the summer palace. The sad thing about vacation ending, is that one must return to reality.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Henry said, not waiting for her permission to let him hug her, but instead wrapping his arms around her. She uncomfortably uncrossed her arms to hug him back, "I know you loved him, but sometimes things just don't work out the way you want them to."

"Unfortunately," she said, sadly, "It's a shame too… he was a decent lover."

Henry slowly began to back away from her with a look of suspicion and disgust growing on his face.

"What?" Mara said, "I didn't mean it like that… although-."

"Okay!" Henry protested, covering her mouth with his hand, "That's more than enough information I needed to know about my baby sister."

Henry's dislike of the subject didn't stop Mara from remembering what happened on that night of her 21st birthday. After everything in the party at Granny's had concluded and Henry and Mara cleared off every last chocolate chip off their pancakes, Tristan took Mara back to her brand new apartment which her parents got for her right underneath theirs in the same building. Neither Hook or Emma protest to letting Tristan and Mara go off by themselves at the end of the night, considering that Mara was now a grown woman who could make. So, that night, he got her alone in her apartment and things began to be more heated and more accelerated than Mara had ever dreamed of. It was a night she'd never forget, and that had turned into a negative thing in the more recent days. One things more difficult than falling in love is falling out of love. Of course, she would have to see Tristan and accept him as part of her life, but for now, things would have to stay distant, at least that's what Mara truly hoped.

"Come on, kid," Henry said, wrapping his arm around her as they walked towards the town, "How about we get some chocolate chip pancakes."

"I thought that was only a birthday thing?"

"Well… considering that we're not getting any older, I think we should dine for special occasions, like coming home for the first time in a month. How does that sound?"

"Hey, if there's chocolate involved, who am I to protest?"

He chuckled and the took the usual route from the Jolly Roger all the way to Granny's diner. While eating, Mara relayed the events of her vacation with her parents and the new friends she made while making herself quicker and stronger. Henry wasn't surprised that she'd spend her vacation days making herself a better fighter. After their little breakfast was over, Mara went back to her little apartment just underneath her parents'. It was bittersweet to return back to reality once more. Then again, this was Storybrooke and nothing would ever truly be like reality.

Mara threw herself down on her couch and reached for the black remote control when she heard a knock on the door.

"It's open!" she called. There wasn't anyone in Storybrooke she didn't trust after all this time.

The door opened too fast for Mara so she couldn't even turn on the television by the time the visitor entered the apartment.

"Welcome back, Monster," Tristan's voice came in, laughing.

Ever since they remembered the time when Mara was named "Mara the Monstrous", he had playfully nicknamed her Monster as a small inside joke between the two of them. Mara was glad that he had used the nickname is dissolve some of the tension that would rise when she would see him again.

"Tristan…" she said, getting up off the couch and walking towards him slowly until they awkwardly decided to hug each other, "How was everything while we were gone?"

"Good," he said, removing himself from the hug and taking another step back, "David did most of the sheriff work. I was just the clumsy deputy."

"Thanks for watching after the town," Mara said.

"It's my town too," he added, "I was just doing what needed to be done."

She smiled at that and stared at the blank television screen. The awkward silence gave Tristan enough time to re-examine her apartment. He hadn't been there since their heartbreaking separation. He sighed.

"Do you wanna… maybe… take a walk?" he asked, gesturing towards the door.

The pirate princess looked up at him, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, then nodded, "A walk sounds good…"

Tristan nodded and started to head out the door. When Mara walked to it, she saw him leaning against the door, holding it open for her. She thanked him quietly and the two of them walked in silence until they reached the outdoors.

"So how was your vacation?" he asked.

"It was… refreshing," she sighed, "I needed the time off from everything…"

"Everything…" Tristan repeated quietly, slipping his hands into his jean pockets, "I see… and how did that go for you?"

"It went well," she nodded, "I really got to take my mind off things and spend time with my parents. My mom told me some really good stories about her younger life when she was my age."

He smiled at the pavement, looking at how it moved beneath his feet, "About her life of thievery and crime?"

"You know about that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Neal and Henry told me," he said.

"Ah," she replied, "Yeah, I guess after the last few years, there really wasn't any way to avoid all those stories."

"It's only been 3 since everything kinda went back to normal…"

"HA!" she huffed, "Define normal."

Tristan laughed, trying not to tilt his head to look at her, "I guess you have a point there."

There was a moment of silence as the both of them stared at the ground, walking beside each other and absorbing the awkward silence that lingered between them. All Mara could think about was what could have been if they were still together. The thought ran past Tristan's mind as well. They both imagined a romantic reunion after so much time of separation. Mara would come running from the docks towards the apartment building, but Tristan would already be outside, running to find her once word reached to him that the love of his life had finally returned home. The second they'd see each other, they'd run into each other's arms in a full and powerful embrace that would lift Mara off her feet and cause Tristan to lose his center of gravity. What they had was strong, but not sturdy enough. It would break eventually, like the titanic did. It certainly felt like a giant ship had broken in half and sunk on two separate parts of the ocean when he faced her and told her it was over. Tristan had a lot to apologize for now that he saw her again. Before he had said goodbye to her when she left on vacation, he had told her straight out that being with her felt wrong. That crushed Mara. It was the only thing that could crush her, however, here she was, walking beside him as if the wound was carefully patched up and cleverly hidden from him.

"Mara, about what happened-."

Mara sighed, "I thought we were going to avoid the awkward stuff, but apparently I was wrong."

"Let me just say one thing," he begged, stopping his walk and standing in front of her, "I know you may not want to hear it from me now, but I have to say this, otherwise, I might never forgive myself… I am so sorry for just abandoning you like that and for saying what I said-."

"Don't be," she assured him, "You have the right to feel whatever you want to feel. It's not right for me to keep you from feeling something out of pity. If you didn't feel comfortable around me, then that's okay. I'm not going to force you into anything."

"But that's just it," he spat, "I don't feel uncomfortable around you. I don't know… it just didn't feel right between us anymore… like every cell in my body was telling me know, but my mind was telling me yes."

"No need to explain," she said, turning her head so she wouldn't look at him, "Seriously, you can spare me the details… just know that after all this time, I'm ready to forgive you and move on with my life. I think you and I should be friends again."

"Friends…" he grinned, looking down at the pavement again as he stepped beside her and continued walking, "How refreshing."

"Besides, we looked out for each other even before we started this whole love affair thing," she continued, "I think it'd be nice to keep looking out for each other. We always thought twice as fast when we worked together."

"Yeah, of course," he nodded, "I honestly don't see how we can't stay friends after all the history we have… it's like a reminder to keep protecting you no matter what."

"I couldn't agree more," she replied, picking her head up and looking at the horizon in front of her.

The two newly reunited friends journeyed to the docks, the place that held their fondest of memories, even when they were friends. They would use the boathouse as an obstacle course for their training if ever another threat should find their happy little town. Emma would always send Killian to go and get them whenever it was time for a family dinner, but he couldn't find it in his heart to stop them from having so much fun.

Once Tristan stepped foot on the wood again with Mara by his side, he let out a satisfactory sigh and stretches his arms out, spinning around and taking in the sight around him.

"The fresh air of the sea!" he cried, "It's been forever!"

"When was the last time you were here?"

"About 5 months ago," he said, closing his eyes to avoid the judgemental look on Mara's face.

"That's awful," she gasped.

Tristan opened his eyes just to look at the horizon line of the ocean and admire how the water rocked the boats with the sea breeze. It was time for Tristan to remember who he truly was before he became a part of small-town law enforcement. Tristan was a pirate, first and foremost. It was one of the reasons he was so close to Mara, and why Killian liked him so much. Becoming a pirate also gave him the encouragement he needed and craved when he was younger. If he hadn't set sail that day when he was a child, he would have stayed a parentless and lonely child, forever wandering around the village with nothing to do. He was grateful for the sea, and he was grateful for the people he met.

As he looked further out towards the sea, he saw a ship, bouncing on the water as it turned towards the town. He squinted his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead to block the sun from his eyes. He saw a wooden ship with white sails and a black flag at the top, but he couldn't quite catch what the design was.

"Mara…" he said, "Do you see that?"

"See what?" she asked.

He walked over to her and moved her by her shoulders to where he was standing and pointed to where he was looking.

"I don't see anything…" she shrugged.

Tristan squinted again, but this time saw nothing.

"Strange…" he whispered, "I could've sworn I saw-."

"Saw what?" Mara asked.

"A… A ship," he said hesitantly, "It had white sails with a black flag… I thought I saw it coming this way.

Mara turned around and looked back at the horizon line, squinting her eyes as well as she tried to look for what he had described to her.

"I still don't see anything like that…" she said, this time understanding the curiosity of this event that he had just experienced.

Even though he knew that there was nothing there, he also knew that there was something out in the water when he looked out to sea. For some reason, the image disappeared when Mara looked at it. Either this was a product of magic or madness. In a town like Storybrooke, it can easily be one or the other.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! It's so good to be back writing about these characters. I've missed it so much since we last left off. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. **

**Since it is Father's Day today, I thought we would start off this chapter with a little Father's Day bit. It's not much, but it's really sweet and I think you guys will like it.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

It was a very special evening at Granny's diner. There were balloons hung up all around the room that all said warm messages of comfort and love. It was father's day in Storybrooke, which meant it was time for a big pot-luck meal with a bunch of happy families surrounding each other. In one of the booths was taken by Mary Margaret who was sitting across from her husband, David, with their son, Leo, in his lap, bouncing him up and down, causing him to giggle. The Jones family came in fashionably late, gaining the attention of everyone inside. They had a habit of making themselves known when they entered a place.

"Killian!" Mary Margaret cheered, "Happy Father's Day."

"Thank you," he said, waving his hand to her.

Emma slid into the booth next to her father and kissed him subtly on the cheek, "Happy Father's Day, dad."

"Thanks, sweetheart," David said humbly.

"So what has mom done for your special day so far?" Emma said as her little brother smiled at her and held onto her hand.

"Mommy dressed me up!" Leo chanted.

"Did she?" Emma asked, glaring at her mother.

"Just in the cutest Prince Charming outfit the costume store had to offer," David bragged, "When I woke up, this little guy was waiting downstairs with a card in his hand."

"What can I say?" Mary Margaret shrugged, "I'm one for theatrics."

"Mara," Emma said, sliding out of the booth, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Mara raised her eyebrows, then saw her grandfather sitting there with an empty seat next to him.

"21 years and she's still teaching me manners," Mara laughed, then slid into the booth, "Happy Father's Day, grandpa."

"Thanks honey," he said, leaning over a little bit and kissing his granddaughter's forehead.

"What did you guys do for father's day today?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, I have promised my husband a very special surprise when he gets home tonight," Emma joked, leaning in towards her husband, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, why don't you keep that promise and wait till you get home," Mara said, disgusted.

Emma and Killian laughed and enjoyed the ability to scar their daughter's innocence with their intimate life. It was only slightly amusing to David because of how much he enjoyed being able to do that to Emma with painful memories of him and his wife on Taco Day.

"I was actually wondering what Mara did with her father today," Mary Margaret corrected herself.

"Dad and I went sailing today," she said excitedly.

"On the Roger?" David asked.

"No, on a real sailboat, actually," she added, "We didn't go very far from the docks, but it was really exciting. Dad even let me sail by myself while he waited at the back. He nearly cried because he was so proud of me."

"What's wrong with getting emotional at the sight of my daughter finding her way around a sailboat by herself?" Killian defended.

Mara laughed and got up, leaning herself against her dad's shoulder as he kissed her on the head.

"Thanks for being so awesome, dad," she said quietly.

"Thanks for not being a difficult child," he chuckled.

Emma looked around the diner for a few moments and felt a little bit like something was missing.

"Where's Henry?" Emma asked, "Did you see him come in, dad?"

"No, I didn't," David shook his head.

"Mom?" Emma asked.

"Sorry honey, I haven't," she responded, "Do you think he's okay?"

"I hope so," Emma said, "This is his first Father's Day without…"

The booth grew to silence as the sound of conversation and music played over them.

"I'll talk to him," Mara said, "I know where he is."

"I do as well," Killian said, pushing himself in front of his daughter, "Perhaps I should speak to the boy alone."

Mara nodded and scooted into the booth next to Mary Margaret. Killian heard the sounds of their conversation as he left the diner and headed towards the play area where he often found him as a small child playing with an even smaller child. This time, it was darker outside, and Henry was sitting in the castle, completely alone.

"Henry?" Kilian called.

Henry looked from the ground to Killian, the darkness that came with a loss of innocence filling is facial expression.

"What do you want?" Henry asked.

"I came to talk…"

"I'd rather be left alone, thanks. That's why I came here."

"No offense, my boy, but if you wanted to be alone, you shouldn't have come here. I can name a number of people on one hand who know to come here when you're nowhere to be found."

Henry snickered and turned his back to him. That's when the pirate started to climb up the castle up the tiny ladder and sit next to his step-son.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, "Is it the holiday?"

Henry shrugged.

"Look… I get it, mate," Killian said, attempting to comfort him by nudging his shoulder lightly against his, "My father wasn't the kind of man who'd want to stick around to see his kids… My brother and I went most of our lives without a father at all. He never approved of what we wanted to be. It killed me. Liam never showed his emotions about it, but I knew all the same."

"At least yours had a chance to come and see you if he wanted to," Henry spat back, "I know my dad loved me and he can't even be here to tell me that he does. That's way worse than having a father who just won't show up. At least you have a reason to hate him…"

"Henry…" Killian said softly, wrapping his arm around the boy and pulling him to his shoulder, "Do you want me to tell you what your father told your mother right before he died in the hospital?"  
He looked up at his stepfather hopefully.

"After he got into that car accident on the way into town," he began, "Your mother found him and brought him to Dr. Whale. She didn't leave his side for one moment, nor did I, for that matter. Right before he was about to die, and say goodbye to his father, he took your mother's hand," he took his hand in his good hand, "and he said, 'I'm so proud that you've finally found Tallahassee'. I had never seen your mother so happy to hear a sentence in her entire life, other than 'will you marry me?', of course."

"Tallahassee?" Henry asked confusingly.

"Ay," he replied, "That was where your parents planned on settling down before all of that nonsense happened. Unfortunately, after 11 years, your mother had not found Tallahassee…"

"You mean a home," Henry said, "Someone to love her where she could be happy?"

"Exactly that," he nodded, "Your father was happy to see your mother with a life of her own. A happy one, at that… he let her find her own Tallahassee… now I think it's time you found yours too."

Henry looked at his stepfather for a few more seconds, then turned to hug him.

"Thanks for being here," he said quietly, patting him on his back.

"Of course," the pirate answered, "You understand, I'm not just your stepsister's father or your mother's husband… I can be your stepfather too."

"You already are," Henry nodded, "I just needed some time to really accept it as my own reality."

It could not have been easy, losing his father within a few years after everything seemed so peaceful, but what made it much more bearable was the fact that he had someone looking out for him who wanted to be like a father to him. Henry had rejected Killian's example of how he understands his pain, but that really only proved how much he would try to be different than the man who raised him. He seemed like a wonderful father to Mara. It was time to give him a chance as well.

* * *

Henry was often told by his mother and stepfather not to bother his sister now that she had a life of her own in her own apartment, but that didn't stop him from having fun every now and then with her. On mornings when he wanted his sister's full attention, he'd use his mother's spare key and break into her apartment, running into her bedroom and shaking her until she woke up. He knew he wasn't going to walk in on anything suspicious because he knew his sister far too well. What Henry failed to realize, everytime he did this, was that it made Mara red with anger.

One morning, she simply took her pillow and threw it in his face, catching him completely off guard and causing him to fall back onto the floor with a thud.

"Wow," she sighed, "If I had known a pillow could take you out, I would have started carrying one of these around a long time ago."

The large boy on the floor laughed and picked himself up, brushing off his plaid button down shirt.

"Ha ha," he mocked, "Before I was so rudely interrupted by your pillow to my face, I wanted to see if you would like to go for a morning walk."

"Henry," she said, "Just because the second world I occasionally live in has no technology doesn't mean I don't know how to use a cell phone. Why didn't you call me or something?"

He shrugged and walked towards her bedroom door, "Eh, I guess messing with you was WAY more fun."

Mara sighed and threw her hand on her head, rubbing her temples in a circular motion, "Fine. I'll be changed in 10 minutes. I'm eating some cereal, then we'll go for a walk, okay?"

"Really? 10 minutes seems like a long time-."

Henry was cut off by the image of Mara clutching the material of her pillow case, and so he bolted out the door just in time for the plush to hit the door after he closed it behind him.

No matter how irritated Mara was, she still kept her word and was up and dressed in 10 minutes time, then they were out the door, walking down to the shores and the docks of Storybrooke with the tall grass blowing in the wind, the sand piling up on top of the grass, and the smell of sea salt accompanied by the sounds of the waves on the shore. Henry watched how Mara looked at the water as she walked past it, slowing her pace once she got closer towards it.

"You miss it, don't you?" Henry asked.

Mara looked at him and paused for a second, widening her eyes as she came into focus again, "What are you talking about? I just got back home after months of-."

"Being on land at the summer palace," he finished, "that wasn't my question. My question was, do you miss it out there?"

Mara sighed, then pushed one strand of her hair behind her ear, "This is my home now… If my dad can adjust, then so can I, right?"

"Your dad also has another reason to love the land more…" he said, "Our mom."

She smiled and looked at the ground, "Sometimes I wish I had enough of a reason to want to stay here…"

"How about a big brother who loves you," he said, wrapping his arm around his sister's shoulder and pulling her in for a hug.

"It's a start," she said into his shoulder, "Tristan surely doesn't make it any easier…"

"Hey, come on," Henry sighed, holding her at arms length by her shoulders, "You are Mara Jones, the one that everyone in the Enchanted Forest fears. You practically fear nothing."

"Not true," she said, crossing her arms, "Everyone fears something."

"Yeah, and everyone also has the chance to get over their fears."

"but who knows how long that could take-."

Her speech was interrupted by Henry's finger to her lips as he looked out towards the town with a cautious look on his face. Mara grabbed his finger and shoved it out of her way.

"Henry, what's wrong?" she asked, looking over her shoulder briefly.

"I thought I heard something…" he said quietly.

"What?" she asked.

"Like… a rustle," he said, walking towards a group of tall bushes, "Mara, I don't think we're alone…"

"What? You mean someone's been listening this whole time?" she asked.

Henry stepped towards the bushes when another rustling sound came from it.

"Stand back," Mara said, reaching into her holster and grabbing out her shiny new handgun she had received upon her return to Storybrooke.

"Whoa!" Henry said, backing away with his hands in the air, "You sure you know how to use that?"

"Hi, I'm Mara Jones, are you new?" she sassed, keeping her focus on the bush.

Moments later, a branch in the bush shook and Mara clicked the gun with her finger ready on the trigger, when something emerged from the bushes. A man dressed in green to blend in perfectly and a woman dressed in brown at his side. Their backs were facing Mara and Henry, and both of them were laughing hysterically.

"I guess it doesn't take much to get you fed up nowadays, does it, love?"

The voice of the man made Mara drop her gun to the ground, having it land with a thud by her side. She reached down and grabbed it, putting it back in her holster as she watched the man turn around to reveal a perfect round shaped head with a few dirt marks on his cheeks with his perfect dirty blonde hair on his head.

"Peter…" Mara whispered.

Peter Pan's eyebrow raised up as he grimaced, stepped out of the bushes, then said, "Did you miss me?"

"Like hell I missed you," she breathed, running towards him and throwing herself into his arms.

"Lily!" Henry cheered as Tiger Lily stepped out of the bushes behind Peter, "It's great to see you!"

"You too," she said, hugging him gently, not nearly as intensely as Mara and Peter seemed to be.

"What are you guys doing here?" Mara asked, still tightly embracing him.

"We missed you, of course," Peter smiled.

"Neverland isn't as amusing as it used to be," Tiger Lily groaned, "Now that we've saved magic and whatnot, it's been getting a little boring."

"And it only took us 3 years to get that way," Peter joked.

"Are you planning to go back?" Mara asked, rubbing her hands on his shoulders.

"Not quite," he squinted, "I'd like to get to know this place, you call home, a little better."

Mara smiled as her insides exploded and danced rapidly.

"This is great! Everyone will be so happy to see you guys," Mara said cheerfully, taking Peter's hand and running off towards the town with him, laughing behind her.

Henry shrugged and held his arm out to Tiger Lily, "So I guess we're going?"

"I think we are," she laughed and took his arm as they walked calmly back towards the town square.

The four of them reached the apartment buildings as Mara begged for stories about what Neverland has been like since she last laid eyes on it.

"Believe me," Peter bragged, "I have a thousand breath taking stories to tell you."

"You have to tell me all of them," she said excitedly, "I don't want you to leave any small detail out."

"But that would take ages," he said.

"I know," she smiled, "All the more reason to keep you guys around for longer."

They headed up just one more flight of stairs when Henry looked very confused at Mara.

"We're not going to your place?" he asked.

Peter widened his eyes, "You have your own place now?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Right below my parent's place."

They reached the door and Mara gave it a good 3 knocks before it was opened by a tired-looking Emma.

"Hey Mara" she said, a smile growing on her face, "What brings you by?"

"Henry and I went on a morning walk and guess who we found?"

Peter came into Emma's sight and a look of surprise and happy suspicion grew on her face.

"Peter!" she said, clapping her hands together, "Welcome back to Storybrooke."

"It's good to be back Sheriff Jones," Peter said.

"Please," she scoffed, "That's Mrs. Jones to you. I'd say we're all pretty well acquainted that you don't have to use my job title."

"Is dad around?" Mara asked, stepping into the apartment.

"Yeah," Emma answered, then taking sight of Tiger Lily, "Hi Lily, how are you?"

"I'm fine," she nodded, "How have you been doing?"

"Just fine, thank you," she said, then directed her head up the stairs, "Killian! We have company!"

Moments later, the pirate dressed in mostly black came down the stairs with the usual shiny silver hook where his hand should be. He gave a smile to his daughter once he caught sight of her, but then saw whom she was standing next to, and his smile grew even wider.

"Well I'll be," he grinned, "If it isn't Peter Pan!"

"Pleasure to see you again, Captain," Peter said, shaking his hand.

"What brings you back?" the captain asked, "Neverland wasn't enough for the two of you."

"Afraid so," Peter said, smiling at the ground, "Ever since your daughter restored our magic, it's ironically been a little boring around there, so we'd thought we'd stop by for a change of scenery."

"Indeed," Mara's father grinned as he looked between his daughter and Peter Pan, "How long will you be with us?"

"Just until a change of scenery is needed," Tiger Lily interjected, "I believe that's what we settled upon."

"Splendid," Killian said, "I say we all have dinner tonight at the diner. You'll bring your parents and your brother, won't you, love?"

Killian walked over to his wife and put his good arm around her, patting her shoulder with is hand.

"Yeah, I could give them a call," Emma nodded.

"Don't even worry about it," Mara insisted, "I'm sure Peter and Lily will want to meet the newest edition to the Charming family anyway."

"Sounds good," Emma replied, "Why don't the four of you meet us at the diner tonight, say 7?"

"7 is perfect," Peter said.

Mara smiled, then looked around at the three friends surrounding her, "Why don't we go say hi to mine and Henry's grandparents and uncle, then we'll head towards Gold's shop so Peter can see Rumple."

"And Belle too," Peter said with a childish grin on his face, "She kind of promised me she'd bake me something next time I saw her."

Henry laughed and patted his back, "Believe me, man, ever since she learned how to use an oven, my mouth has been blessed with the gift of her muffins."

"Then I really see no point of us standing here," Peter shrugged, then looked at Mara's parents with their sassy grins on their faces, "No offense."

"None taken," the captain said, "If my wife weren't here, I'd join you."

Emma rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Go," she said, "We'll see you tonight."

"Okay," Mara said, running up to her mom and kissing her on the cheek, "Bye mom," then she hugged her father gently, "Bye dad."

"Bye, love," Killian said, waving after her as the four of them exited and shut the door behind them.

Just then, a large grin grew across Emma's face as she looked at the closed door.

"I know that look," Killian teased, walking over to the sofa.

"What look?" Emma asked, trying to resist the urge to follow him, but failing at the attempt.

"That one, right there," he said, pointing in the direction of her mouth, "that's your hopeful look."

"I have a hopeful look?" she asked, leaning against the back of the couch as Killian fell onto it.

"Sure do," he said proudly, "I saw it when the two of us were reunited with our daughter, when your brother was born, and just now… now tell me, love, what are you so hopeful about?"

Emma sighed and looked at the ground at first, "It's just… Mara's break up with Tristan took a lot out of her."

"Aye, I'll attest to that," he nodded, "Poor girl wasn't the same after that event."

"But did you see the way she looked just now?" Emma asked, looking back at the door, trying to replay everything in her head, "That was hope."

"Aye," he agreed, "I'm familiar with that look, as I mentioned earlier."

"and it's not even a glimmer of hope," Emma said excitedly, "It's like her world has been put into balance again, you know? That kind of feeling isn't easy to come by, and a whole lot of pain comes before it, I can assure you that."

"I'm aware," Killian said, "As I recall, all 3 of us have had to endure that moment. Am I wrong?"

"You're most certainly not… for once," she grinned, causing him to chuckle quietly, "but isn't that what makes us the happiest family in all of Storybrooke."

Killian opened up his position on the couch and looked up at his wife with a smile of happiness and expectation, so Emma followed his signals and made her way over to the couch, sitting on his lap with her back facing his good hand so he could rest it there comfortably. This way of connecting with her husband wasn't unfamiliar to her.

"So what are you getting at, love?" he asked once they were both comfortable, "You think Pan is Mara's source of hope?"

"Easy there, captain," she said, "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here… all I'm saying is when she walked in with Peter by her side… she was happy."

"And isn't that all we want for our little girl?"

Emma raised her eyebrows, "She's not our little girl anymore, Killian."

"I know, but can't we just pretend like she is," he begged, "At least when she's not around?"

"Hey, if you wanna cry about how old your daughter is getting, you and my dad should start a club."

Killian laughed, burying his face into his wife's shoulder, then paused for a moment and looked up at his beautiful wife with her blonde hair still flowing like a waterfall of pure gold, after all the time that had passed. He loved how things hadn't changed despite how much time flew by them, because she looked the same as she did that night outside Granny's diner, when Emma finally let him into her life. That was the beginning of something truly magical, and the magic was still going. He believed it never stopped.

* * *

The lights inside the diner were the brightest thing in the town while everything else was dim and dark amongst the night. Inside, there were people from wall to wall. Even if some townspeople weren't fond of Pan or Lily, they still couldn't refuse a gathering at their favorite eating establishment. Mary-Margaret and David had brought Leo and sat him down right at the counter while he was spinning his chair, his legs flying around in abandonment. Henry caught a sight of this when he walked into the diner with Tiger Lily by his side.

"This this the new prince I've been hearing about?" she asked, leaning in towards the black haired child.

"Yes he is," Henry said, "Come on, I'll introduce you."

Lily looked bright eyed at him and followed him past a few people towards the counter.

"Hey Leo," Henry said, patting the child on the back. He looked up from the counter and saw his beloved friend beside him, and his smile grew wider as his arms stretched out in the air.

"HENRY!" he shouted.

Henry picked up the child and spun him around in his arms, "You havin fun over here?"

The boy nodded, "Mommy let me spin in the chair."

"That sounds like so much fun," Henry said excitedly.

Lily simply watched at Henry continued to converse with the 4 year-old. As they continued talking, she saw the window of opportunity to talk to him herself close inch by inch. Another window opened, however, when the door opened and shut, letting in a slight breeze. In the doorway stood the one person Lily was most anxious to see.

"Tristan…" she whispered.

He couldn't hear her mumble his name due to the abundance of noise, but that didn't stop him from looking straight at her as soon as he stepped all the way inside and the door closed behind him. There was so much to be said between the two of them. Tristan remembered their great conversations that they shared during her last visit. They understood each other in a different way, which is what made her so unique to him. He stepped towards her.

In the midst of everyone talking at Granny's, there was a booth towards the front of the building, tucked into a small crevice right next to the entrance. That was where Peter and Mara sat, cut off from everyone else around them. Mara looked over Peter's shoulder and saw Tristan and Tiger Lily, hugging each other like they had just breathed air for the first time.

"It's about time," Mara said, grinning as she took a sip out of her cup.

Peter looked behind his shoulder and smiled, "Yeah… she hasn't been able to shut up about him since we left."

"She hasn't?"

"Nope," he nodded, "She couldn't forget him, no matter how hard she tried. She'd try and talk about something else, but it would always come back to Tristan."

Mara chuckled to herself, "Who would've thought I had competition in a different realm?"

"But… not anymore, right?" he asked.

"not anymore what?" she repeated.

"I mean, she's not your competition anymore, right?" he rephrased.

Mara's eyes widened and she nodded intently, "Yes, of course. Tristan and I broke up a while ago."

"Oh, that's reassuring," he said, staring at the table.

"Why?" she asked.

He looked up, his face feeling warmer as he looked her curious and eager expression. He sighed.

"S-So I won't have to be interrupted by him when I tell you all my stories," he hesitated, "If I go on and on he might get jealous and tell me off or something."

"Oh, I get it," she agreed, "but just in case," she looked around, "Why don't we head outside?"

"That sounds nice," he agreed, pulling himself out of the booth, then holding the door open for her as she stepped past him.

The two of them walked, their hands lingering beside each other, as they headed towards the shores where there were hardly any street lights that were fully functioning, and the wind was blowing as the tides started to get higher and higher.

"So which one would you like to hear first?" Peter said, jumping up onto the lamp post as if he were soaring over her, "The time the indians and I fought rogue pirates? or the time I hid a treasure chest from the lost boys and made them go on a scavenger hunt to find it?"

"You pick," Mara said, looking up at him.

"Hmmm," he said, scratching the side of his head, "So it was a dark night in Neverland, the Lost Boys and I were lying around the fire, sleeping, when suddenly, we heard a noise coming from the woods. My boys are clever, so they got up immediately after hearing the noise and picked up their arrows. Next thing we knew, we were surrounded by rogue pirates dressed in red with yellow teeth and skin covered in dirt and sweat. They wanted our land for themselves, but we didn't budge. The boys and I fought as valiantly as we could, but the arrows couldn't reach the hearts of the pirates in order to kill them. We were still outnumbered. I didn't think there was any hope for us at all, when out of nowhere, Tiger Lily and her warrior jumped down from the branches of the trees and finished off the rogue pirates herself. There was still one left. A pirate with the look of the devil in his eye."

"His eye?" Mara asked.

"His one eye," Peter said, dramatically covering up one of his eyes, "The other eye was covered by an eyepatch. We assumed we could defeat him easily because of it, but Tiger Lily and I underestimated him. So we backed him up all the way to the water's edge where the cliffs were and pushed him off until he fell into the water. Then we tied up the rest of his crew and pushed their ship into mermaid territory, and we never looked back."

"Whoa," Mara said, "I could tell you stories like that from my dreams while I was on vacation. I never did anything like that."

"Oh please," he scoffed, jumping down from the lamp post, "You live like that everyday."

"I haven't in 4 years, Peter," she explained, "I'm a family woman now. I stay here and protect the people I love with all kinds of new weapons greater than that of a sword."

"Ha!" He laughed, "Never underestimate the sword, Jones."

As Peter approached her, he looked past her shoulder and stopped, staring off towards the sea. He squinted his eyes several times, trying to get rid of the light that was blocking his view of the dark horizon. He eventually ended up pushing Mara to the side as he walked forward towards a tiny figure that was lingering on the sea, rocking menacingly like it was calling to him.

"Is that…?" Peter whispered.

"Is that, what?" Mara asked, looking off where Peter was looking.

"Over there," he pointed off towards the sea.

Mara stood next to him and looked from his perspective, but she still was confused as to what had both Tristan and, now Peter, so startled.

"I don't see anything, Peter," she said, "Maybe it's all in your head or something."

"No," he protested, "I swear I saw something out there at sea."

"It's dark outside," she argued, "You could have seen anything."

"I couldn't have 'just seen' this, Mara," he insisted.

"I don't know what you're talking about because honestly, I can't see it," she said, taking a few steps back towards the town, "Come on, we should get back…"

Peter looked between Mara and the ship. He had made the mistake of choosing the adventure over the girl before, and he wasn't going to make that mistake twice, as it cost him the girl for 4 years. He knew better this time, although, that sight he saw out on the sea itched at him on the back of his head like a tick that kept buzzing. He would have to try and ignore it for a while, at least until he'd leave Mara's apartment.

They made their way up a few flights of steps before Mara pulled on her keys, revealing a string that was attached to a device on her hip that could allow her to wear her keys around. She unlocked her door and then stood in front of it.

"Am I not allowed inside?" he asked.

"Not just yet," Mara grinned.

"Then this is goodnight," he said, taking a step closer towards her as he tried to lift a hand to hold her waist gently, but Mara could feel his arm bumping up against hers. The reflex made her grab his forearm with her hand gently.

"None of that," she whispered, shaking her head, "What kind of girl would I be if I let a guy kiss me on the first date…?"

He smiled and blushed, hiding his face by looking at the ground between them, "Some other time then?"

She nodded, "If you're lucky," and then took a step back away from him, using his arm she had in her hand to push herself away from him.

Mara kept grinning at him until she opened her door and watched him stare at her and shut it in his face. She was going to have to make up for that one; she was positive about that. It didn't really matter, though. What the future had in store for the two of them, Mara had absolutely no idea, but for now, at least it was certain that she was well on her way to getting another opportunity to start over and find a different kind of love. She had a good run with Tristan, but it sadly wasn't meant to be. Now it was time for something she'd never thought she'd have in this department of her life; a second chance.

* * *

Off into the distance of the night, where the waves pushed and pulled each other by the light of the moon, there was a cricketing sound of wood bending and swaying along with the tide. The white sails were tied up firmly, but the black flag that rested the tippy-top of the boat was waving proudly. The sound of a boot clicked against the wood along with another sound of a stick of wood hitting the floor as well. This happened in a pattern; boot, stick, boot, stick, boot, stick. But it was slowly happening, which made the man standing at the edge of the boat quiver with fear. He always feared that sound, and he never understood a single soul who wasn't.

"Well?" the low, guttural, and terrifying voice asked.

The man turned around and grinned, "It's done… Peter Pan is in Storybrooke."

"Good…" the voice menaced, "You've done well thus far, my friend. Now it is time for phase 2. Make your presence known to our friends. I think they could use a good scare…"

The man nodded and soluted him, "Aye sir."

He looked out onto the sea and towards the docks where the little town of Storybrooke resided with the street lights illuminating the city in a cute and quaint way. It seemed like a beautiful and happy place to live, and these men couldn't wait to see it burn.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Jeez! Is it Sunday already? Very well then, here is Chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it!  
**

**Also, please keep up with the reviews. It is important to me that your voice is heard, whether you like the story, or you have a question about something. I'm always excited to hear what you have to say.**

**xoxo**

* * *

It wasn't an abnormal morning in Storybrooke on that early fall day. There was soft guitar music playing on the radio as Emma stood at the kitchen counter throwing together whatever she could find to make for breakfast. The door front door swung open and Mara came walking in with her jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt with her hair in a tight pony tail towards the top of her head.

"Something smells really good in here," Mara said, making her way to the stool at the counter.

"You could knock, you know," Emma sassed.

"Oh please," her daughter scoffed, "If you really wanted me so out of your life that I had to knock every time I come back, you wouldn't have given me an apartment directly beneath yours."

"Didn't your father or I ever teach you manners?" she snorted.

"I was raised by a pirates," Mara shrugged, "What else would you expect?"

"Still, you should at least knock before you come barging in like that," Emma suggested, "You never know what could be happening in here."

"Like what?" Mara scoffed.

Killian was more than grateful to be walking down the stairs in that moment, still in his pajamas, as he came to greet his wife.

"You know," he said, "Your mother and I might be… indecent."

The sneaky pirate went up behind his wife and started to kiss her neck while she laughed and Mara cringed with disgust.

"Ew," she shivered, "You guys might look young, but you're still old to me."

Killian and Emma laughed together and he kissed her cheek lightly before taking a seat next to his daughter.

"You look well-slept for someone who was up late last night," Killian joked, nudging her shoulder.

"What do you mean 'up late'?" Mara asked, "I must have gotten home towards 9pm."

"Oh really," he said, raising an eyebrow, "Peter didn't keep you up late?"

"Dad," she said, throwing her face in her hands, "Nothing happened between Peter and I last night."

"Of course, of course," he said, raising his eyebrows and getting up to head to the fridge to pull out the bottle of orange juice, "Whatever you say, darling."

"It's not like I'm some rebellious teenager or anything."

"Exactly right!" he said, grabbing a glass from the cabinet, "You're not. You're 21 and you should be free to make your own decisions… but that Pan has really tried to prove himself to you. It'd be a shame to reject him after all these years of separation and him pining for you."

"Your father has a point, Mara," Emma said, "He did tell you he'd always wait for you when you left him in Neverland."

"And now I regret telling you that," she muttered to herself.

"Look, all I'm saying is," Emma began, placing a plate of French Toast with butter thinly spread on the top, "we know that Peter didn't make the perfect first impression on us, but he's done a lot to prove himself, not only to you, but to everyone else in this town. It's clear that if Neverland can't be his home, he would want us to be his home."

"Don't use that phrase on me, mom," Mara said, rolling her eyes, "That's what Henry told me he used to say to you whenever you doubted getting together with dad."

"And she listened," Killian grinned, "See how well that turned out for you?"

Mara groaned and stuffed a large cut of French Toast into her mouth.

"Speaking of Henry," she said with food in her mouth, "Mom, you keep forgetting something…"

"Right!" Emma said quickly, "Cinnamon. Sorry."

"It's okay," Mara shrugged, continuing to eat her breakfast, "In actuality, you're halfway through your life, so you still have half a lifetime to try and get it right. Plus, I'm not going anywhere. I'm forever 21."

Emma firmly placed the cinnamon on the counter, causing a little bit of a sound as landed.

"Ha ha," she mocked.

* * *

The sun was close to reaching its highest point, but not quite yet. The wind wasn't picking up very much outside in Storybrooke, but Emma always enjoyed the gentle breeze the town gave her. Her commute to work was always peaceful, considering she was on her way to the police station. She would walk past the diner as it opened up, she'd see Jiminy walking his dog, and even see some kids on the school bus, depending on the time of year. It was a quiet day today, so there really wasn't anything unusual to watch out for.

Emma arrived at the sheriff's office and pushed the door open, moving around the corner to the room where her desk sat. Normally, there would be paperwork from her father alongside her wedding photo, a family photo with her parents, her husband, her daughter, and son, a picture of Henry and Mara, a baby picture of Mara, and a current photo of her daughter and her husband.

Instead of everything being in perfect order, there was a boy who was sitting on top of the sheriff's desk, holding the photo of Killian and Mara in his hands, smoothing his fingers over the glass in a circle.

"Can I help you?" Emma asked cautiously.

The boy looked up at Emma. She got a good look at his face at that point. It was a little roughed up with scars and dirt, but he looked to be about Henry and Mara's age. He flipped the frame around and showed Emma the picture in his hand.

"Her…" he said, tapping Mara's face in the photo, "Is s-she… Mara Jones?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at the suspicious character. He could have been an innocent, but she never took that kind of chance at first.

"Who wants to know?" she answered, taking a step towards him with her hand on her hip.

The boy took a sharp deep breath and stood up from the desk, scrambling to his feet and knocking over a couple of the frames in the process.

"Y-You're her mother, aren't you?" he breathed, "Her mother is Emma… you look like her… almost."

"Thanks?" she said awkwardly, "Now who are you, and why are you looking for my daughter?"

"Oh yeah, that," the boy said, tapping his foot and looking down at the floor while he fidgeted with his fingers, "I-I'm lost…"

"Lost?" Emma said, taking her gun out of her holster and putting it on her desk in front of her, "Where are you from?"

"I don't think you'd know of it in a place like this…"

"Try me."

He looked around the room, then tensed his arms together, "It's called the Enchanted Forest…"

"Well you're in luck, kid," she said, patting his back, "Turns out, most of us are from the Enchanted Forest, including my husband and my parents."

"I know who your husband is," he said quietly, "He's Captain H-Hook."

"And how do you know that?" Emma asked just as quietly.

"I'm lost…"

"I know, you told me… can you tell me what you're trying to find?"

"M-Mara Jones…" he shivered, "She was my captain."

"Your captain?"

"Yes…" he nodded several times, "I-It was years ago… I was in the crew of the Jolly Roger when the captain was young. S-She gave me a home… I left to find my father, but I'm afraid I've found myself lost again…"

Emma knew what it was like to find herself lost again after thinking she had found something. It was hard not to resist this kid who seemed so helpless and so alone. If she had assumed something bad of him, then she'd never hear the end of it from her mother, father, or herself. The guilt would be far too great.

* * *

It was a quiet morning at Granny's. Considering it was a weekday and fairly early in the day, it was understandable that business was a little slow. It gave Red and Granny a chance to relax a bit. However, in the diner, there was only 1 person sitting in one of the booths, slowly sliding a cup of coffee between his hands as he stared pensively out the window out to the street. Tristan didn't mind being the only one in the diner on that morning. In fact, he knew who was staying at the bed and breakfast, so it wouldn't be long until someone would notice him sitting there all by himself with just a cup of coffee in his hands.

Thankfully, he didn't wait long before he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"I was hoping you'd be here," Tiger Lily said and made her way to the other side of the table.

"And I you," Tristan replied, "Please sit. I wanted the opportunity to talk to you at the party, but it seemed as though Henry had most of your attention for the evening."

"Oh, you think…." Tiger Lily trailed off, "No, no. It's not like that at all-."

"I wasn't saying it was," he said, "but it doesn't hurt to have your suspicions assured."

Tiger Lily blushed and attempted to look away from him, but that only made Tristan lean in closer.

"So how have you been?" he asked, "Peter has been intriguing Mara with whimsical stories of adventure and peril… you wouldn't happen to know any exciting stories of your own, would you?"

Lily looked up excitedly and threw her hands on the table, pushing herself forward, closer towards him.

"Did you hear about the one where the lost boys and my tribe fought the rogue pirates?" she asked with a flare of anxiousness and pride.

"Rogue pirates?" Tristan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Indeed," Lily said, proudly, crossing her arms across her chest, "It was one of my more proud victories, if I do say so myself… but I can't take all the credit. Peter helped me… a little."

Tristan chuckled to himself as he sat back in his chair, "Go on, then."

Lily cleared her throat and began, "It was an unusually dark night on the island. The lost boys and Peter had made camp directly next to ours, only the indian camp we had made was much more concealed. My men were watching over the boys as they slept as part of our peace agreement. Suddenly, the boys assume they hear something and all wake up with a start, grabbing their arrows and pointing at all sides of the camp. We all heard the sound of swords crossing blades and men falling to the ground. I didn't see most of the fighting, but I climbed to the top of the highest tree over the lost boys camp to take a good look at what was happening. I ordered my men up that same tree and gave them my signal. Just as the boys thought all hope was lost, we jumped down from the trees in a sudden surprise attack! As bravely as we thought, there was still one pirate left. A pirate with only one eye…"

"He didn't happen to have a J on his jacket, did he?" Tristan asked cautiously.

"No," she shook her head.

"Good. Continue."

She nodded, then took another deep breath, "Peter and I figured we had an easy victory on our hands, considering our opponent had only one eye. However, we greatly underestimated his skills. We couldn't kill him on the spot as hard as we tried. But then we came up with another plan; to back him up to the cliffs. More like he backed us up to the cliffs, but that's when we turned things around and ended pushing him off instead. We weren't sure if he survived or not, but we took the rest of his crew, tied him up, and pushed the ship into mermaid territory. That's the last we ever saw of them."

"So Peter wasn't lying," Tristan said, taking a sip of his coffee, "You two have quite the tales to tell while you're in town."

"Indeed," she nodded, "While I may have had feelings for Peter in the past, the two of us have become quite good friends… it's rather curious how things work out like that. One moment you're pining for each other and the next you're fighting alongside like family against a common enemy."

Tristan sighed and looked at the ground, "Yes… I am far too familiar with that scenario."

"Why?" Lily asked, "Has something happened between you and Mara?"

"Well…" he said, resisting the urge to tell, "I shouldn't really…"

"Then you don't have to… I'm not urging you to."

"But I guess you're going to find out at some point, aren't you?"

"Perhaps."

"Good," he said, then took another deep sigh, "Well you see… after you and Peter left, it didn't take very long for Mara and I to fall in love… actually it did take long… about a year, actually… maybe longer. It's hard to tell. It all went by so quickly… Anyway, we fell in love and we were together for a year. We lived peacefully here with her family and friends. I even ended up finding the woman who was entrusted, by my father, to raise me. It turns out she was on her way to help, but the Evil Queen's curse brought her here instead. I learned that summer that I could have been a prince of high royalty if Cinderella hadn't been taken by that curse. She said she would have raised me like a son."

"But one thing confuses me…" she said instantly.

"What's that?" he asked.

"If you're from the time the curse was cast… wouldn't that make you as old as Mara's mother?"

He nodded slightly, "In retrospect, yes… but the curse didn't just freeze time in Storybrooke, you know… I didn't do any growing up during that time either."

"Ah, I see…" she said quietly, then sat up instantly with excitement, "How exciting it would be to become a prince, don't you think?"

"Yes… do you think that would have made a good first impression on Mara instead of stealing her necklace when I first met her?" Tristan laughed.

"I don't know about Mara… but I'm certainly glad you're not a prince…"

Tiger Lily reached across the table and touched his hand hesitantly, but lightly and gently.

"Me too…" he whispered.

The indian princess took his gaze from their touch to his eyes, and as she leaned closer, using her eyes as her spell to gain Tristan's attention, she swiped his coffee mug from his lightened grasp and drank all the remains from inside.

"Not fair," Tristan scolded, "You had the unfair advantage of being older than me."

"But who could really live for 300 years?" Lily grinned, "That's just unrealistic."

Tristan leaned across the table, catching her hypnotizing gaze, "Then I guess you're just unique…"

Lily slowly lowered the cup from her lips and remembered that same look he gave her when he first showed her the drink that was in the cup she was holding. It was the first time she actually felt loved or desired. She had been respected and feared by those who followed her, degraded and inferior by her enemies, but never desired in the way that could only be described in a love story. She had wished Peter would looked at her that way, but now that she could truly see Tristan, instead of having him blocked by Peter, she liked what she saw.

The door opened, causing a little scare in both Tristan and Lily that it made them jump slightly at the sound of the ringing.

"Lily!" Henry said, rushing in, "There you are! I've been looking all over for you. I thought I was going to meet you on the porch."

"Sorry," she shrugged, "I came down from some breakfast when I saw an old friend."

"Nevermind," he shook his head quickly, "You need to come with me now. Both of you."

"Why?" Tristan asked, standing up at the sound of his urgency.

Henry opened the door again, but in the midst of his panic, he looked back, "Something's happened to Mara."

* * *

After the boy had visited Sheriff Jones' office and told her where he could find Mara, he made his way, limping, to the building where Mara could be found. He looked down at the little piece of paper that was given to him with a number on it. Once he found the door that matched it, he gave it a good, slow, three knocks.

"Just a moment!" a voice called from one side of the door.

The boy took a step back as he waited for the door to open, revealing Mara Jones in all of her glory.

"Mara?" the boy asked.

"Yes?" she asked curiously, "May I help you?"

"Your mother said this was where I could find you," he said, trying to get a glimpse of the inside, which made Mara instinctively begin to close the door a little bit.

"Is there anything you need?" Mara asked, "Are you lost?"

"Lost…" he breathed, "Yes, that I was… but now I believe I have been found."

Before Mara could open her mouth to ask, a knife was revealed behind the boy's back, and he lunged forward.

"Mara!" Killians voice shouted from the staircase above her.

The boy turned around and saw the pirate coming towards him. Quickly, the boy kept approaching Mara and stabbed her in the side as fast as he could without being noticed by the captain. He ran out of the building by the time Killian reached his bleeding daughter who was now lying on the ground.

"How did you-" Mara choked.

"Your mother warned me," he said, trying to cover her wound with his hand.

"Who was that?" she asked again, her groans of pain apparent through her voice

"Shh," he hushed, trying to sit her up with his hand still pressed hard against her wound, "I thought I recognized him… but…. it can't be…"

* * *

Emma Jones was informed immediately by Killian once she was well on her way to the hospital with help from the other doctors and nurses. She was in her office with Tristan and David when she got the call. David and Emma ran to the hospital while Tristan stopped along the way to grab Henry and Tiger Lily from the bed and breakfast. The group arrived at the hospital just as Mara was finished getting all of her stitches in. She was sleep, but with Peter by her side, looking morbid at her sleeping body and his hand clutching her lifeless skin.

"Mara!" Emma gasped as she ran to her daughter's side, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that creep."

"She'll be okay… it's a good thing Hook knew," David assured her, "He knew what to do."

"I wouldn't have known if she hadn't called me first," Killian said from the door of the room.

"Killian," she breathed, then rushed over to him, throwing herself into his husband's arms, "What happened to her? What happened to our daughter?"

"There was a boy at her door," he began to explain, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist as he lead her closer to the bed, "He had a knife hidden behind his back. He was aiming for her heart, but thankfully, I threw him off and he only got her side."

Emma patted his back and grinned at him with water in her eyes.

"Who could have done this?" David demanded.

"I'd like to know too, if you don't mind," Peter asked smoothly.

"I didn't recognize him," Emma said.

"I did," Killian interjected.

"You did?" David asked.

"Go on then, who is it?" Peter said.

"It can't be, though… I only thought he was a myth…" Killian said pensively.

"He claimed to be a member of Mara's crew," Emma added.

"That can't be right," Tristan said, "Anyone who was a part of our crew, left to become a lost boy in Neverland by choice."

"So the boy was obviously lying," Peter said, "No lost boy gains access off of the island without my say."

"So who are we dealing with here?" Emma asked.

Killian took a deep breath as he began to scratch his nose, "You're gonna think this is a little far fetched… but you have to keep an open mind."

Emma placed her hand on his shoulder, then widened her eyes at him. All she wanted to know was who to direct all of her anger to. It was bottled up inside her, at the moment, like a ticking time bomb. Whoever hurt her daughter was going to pay.

Killian looked around the room at the anxious eyes around him. He had only ever heard of this name through the stories of the modern world, and through myths he heard on the high seas after Mara was born. He assumed it was just a story, but the pictures the people drew of him to describe him matched that boy's image perfectly, so he swallowed his doubt and said, "Jack Sparrow."

"Jack Sparrow?" Tristan asked, "The pirate boy people used to talk about? That's a pirate's tale, isn't it?"

"Aye," he replied, "I assumed it was just a story as well until I recognized his face from an illustration that was given to me years ago."

"Wait," Henry interrupted, "Jack Sparrow? The confused pirate captain with dreadlocks and a drinking problem? That Jack Sparrow?"

"The Sparrow that's in your movie is not like the Sparrow that has been told in secret amongst the pirates," Killian explained, "In your world, you know him to be… well, a lot like me… except with longer hair, a better sense of humor, and more drunk on a daily basis than I'll ever be. In our world," he gestured to himself and Tristan, "the world of the pirates… Jack Sparrow is a name to be feared. So was Mara Jones, but Jack Sparrow was almost more fearsome than her. There were stories about a boy named Jack who grew up without his father's wisdom, but was instead, raised by a cruel woman who taught him the ways of murder. When he assumed he was old enough, he ran off and stole the first ship he could find, The Queen Anne's Revenge."

"Blackbeard's ship," Tristan added, "No one ever dared to cross paths with Blackbeard unless they had a death wish."

"Except for yours truly, of course," he continued, "Anyway, the young boy faced Blackbeard on his own with nothing but a bottle of rum in his hand. He won by stabbing him in the back with his own sword and throwing him out to sea. In all my years, I had faced Blackbeard once. I bested him, but I could not kill him. Anyone who could kill Blackbeard, obviously, was someone to be feared as well. So he took the Queen Anne's Revenge and sailed in search of blood. He killed innocent souls and left them under the deck of his ship only to resurrect them and make them a part of his skeleton crew."

"A skeleton crew?" Henry asked in disbelief.

"Then again, these are just stories," Killian said, "You heard Tristan, he too assumed Jack Sparrow was only a Pirate's Tale. There's no telling if it really was him or not."

"I am the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming," Emma interjected, "who's married to Captain Hook, and I'm in a hospital room with Peter Pan, whose son is Rumplestiltskin, who's married to Belle, who's friends with Ariel, who is enemies with The Evil Queen, who ran away to the Enchanted Forest with Robin Hood and his Merry Men with Tinkerbell not far behind. Fairy tales and myths aren't that far fetched in a place like this."

"Then if it is true, that Jack Sparrow really is here," Tristan said, "What on earth could he be doing here in Storybrooke?"

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Stay tuned for next week's chapter. I will be traveling all day on Sunday, so that will give me an opportunity to keep writing. However, I will most likely not be updating until late in the evening, it simply depends on how my plans go.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: TA DA the airport wi-fi works! So pumped right now, to be honest. This is the last we'll see of the characters we know and love before everything changes. *dun dun dun***

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

* * *

Mara was let out of the hospital several days later with a shiny new scar on her side that was covered with gauzes. To Mara's dismay, the fact that she had been stabbed in the side, while at her own apartment, scared her parents into never leaving her side for the majority of the time. When she did leave her apartment in the day time, she visited Peter and Tiger Lily at the bed and breakfast. Of course, her parents insisted on walking with her on her way to and from the place. It was never safe, not knowing where Sparrow was hiding at all times. For all they knew, he could be following close by at all times.

"Mom, dad," Mara sighed as she walked down the steps of the porch to her parents, both anxiously waiting at the bottom, "You don't have to walk me everywhere, you know. I know the way home."

"It's not your navigational skills we're worried about, love," Killian said.

"We just want to make sure that wherever you are, you're safe," Emma added, "Now let's get you home quickly."

"I'm not a child anymore, mom," Mara complained, "If I see Sparrow, I'll just shoot him."

"I'd like to believe that, but I'm not taking my chances," her mother said.

"The only reason I didn't shoot him the first time was because I was unarmed," Mara explained, "And as you can see by the holster on my waist, I am perfectly armed and ready to go."

"We're not doing this to baby you," Killian said, "We're doing this for our own peace of mind."

"There's no way you're okay with walking me like a dog everywhere," Mara raised her eyebrows at her father.

"On the contrary," he smiled, "This is the only quality father-daughter time we're going to have while Pan's in town."

Mara rolled her eyes and continued on their walk home.

"You guys aren't still on that Peter Pan theory are you?" Mara asked.

"What theory?" Emma said innocently.

"That he and I are more than just friends," she said.

"To be fair, darling, it was you who gave us the idea in the first place," Killian laughed.

"How so?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps the way you were laughing like a young princess in love when you brought him to our home," he suggested.

"Or when you talked for hours and hours a few nights ago after you scheduled a welcoming party at Granny's," Emma laughed.

"Sounds to me like a woman in love," an unfamiliar voice rang through the breezy air.

The Jones family looked behind their backs to see the real Jack Sparrow. He was the same person who stabbed Mara in the side, only he was cleaner, his skin looked healthier, and he didn't seem as lost this time around.

"We all know those are the easiest to kill," he continued with a sinister grin on his face.

Emma instinctively stood in front of Mara with her gun securely in her hand at her waist.

"You won't touch her," she said.

"We'll see about that," Jack said menacingly, "If you seem to recall, Captain, I'm Jack Sparrow… and I always get what I want."

"Jeez, he really is real," Emma cursed under her breath.

"Yes," Jack nodded, "He's very much real… but here's the thing, I'm the miserable half drunk oaf that your land has come to know and love… I'm much more… young and able. That makes me much more of a threat than you ever could have realized."

"You're just a kid," Emma spat, "Taking you down will be easy."

"Careful Ms. Swan," Jack said, making Emma twitch a little bit, "You of all people should know that being young doesn't make you more innocent… right, Mara?"

"Right, Sparrow," Mara agreed, "That makes me the most qualified to take you down."

Jack pouted sarcastically with his lower lip, touching his side, "But are you sure you won't hurt yourself in the process?"

Mara carefully reached her hand forward, towards her mother, without making a sudden motion to distract him. She kept her eyes locked on Sparrow's with an intense fear. She grasped the gun in her mother's hand and Emma's hand loosened to give the gun to her.

"Positive," she said, her expression changing to her own maniacal grin as she fired a warning shot just above his shoulder, to his surprise, causing Sparrow to run in the opposite direction, away from them.

"He's not getting away this time!" Killian shouted.

The family all sprinted forward after him as they watched him head closer and closer towards the busy part of town.

"If we chase him any further, he'll start finding more people to hurt instead," Emma warned.

"Aye," Killian agreed, "We need to get him out of here…"

He looked down at the ground as he ran and Emma stopped herself, grabbing onto his arm, which caused Mara to stop in her tracks as well.

"What are you thinking?" Emma asked.

"I say I continue this chase on my own," he suggested.

"No way," Mara objected.

"We're not letting you take this one by yourself," Emma finished.

"I wasn't saying that," he argued, "What I meant was that I chase him down and corner him. The both of you, go around this building here, and catch him by surprise at the other end."

Mara and Emma nodded and wasted no time at all. Killian began to run after Sparrow again. Luckily, he didn't need to corner him because Sparrow ran a dead end in an alley way all by himself. He pressed his hands against the brick wall, blocking his path. It wasn't a high way up to the roof, so he figured he could try and find a way to climb it, but Hook was already cornering him by the that time.

"You've nowhere to run, boy," Killian said, pointing his gun towards him.

"Do I?" Jack said, facing towards him.

"Yep," Emma and Mara said from the top of the brick wall.

They jumped down from the roof and Emma had Jack pinned down against the concrete.

"Raise him to his feet, mother," Mara requested.

Emma brought Jack up by his shirt and held him against one of the side walls. There, Mara took a good punch to his face with her right hook.

"That's for the scar on my side," she said, then began to walk away, but then turned around again and punched him once more, "and that was for coming here in the first place."

Sparrow was shown no mercy as David helped Emma throw him into his own cozy jail cell in the sheriff's office. His body hit the wall and the cell was slammed shut. Emma felt something remarkably satisfying about the sound of the metal clashing together whenever a cell door was shut.

"Now you're gonna answer some questions for us," David said, pulling up two chairs for him and his daughter.

"Starting with how the hell did you get here," Emma said, crossing her arms across her chest.

Jack picked himself up off the ground with a bit of a struggle, then wiped off the blood from his chin.

"Your daughter has a very impressive punch," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Emma said with a grin, which flashed to a frown in the same second, "Now answer the question before I show you where she learned that from."

There was a pause as Jack took several deep breaths. There was something chilling about his pale skin shaking around his body and the way he talked by looking at the ground.

"The way everyone else gets here," Jack said, "by portal. We happened to come across one of the rare magic beans still left in the Enchanted Forest… you know the giants stopped growing those, in that realm, a long time ago."

"I'm aware," Emma said, "Now why are you here, and what do you want with my daughter?"

"You seem to be surprisingly unaware of how famous Mara is in our realm," he whispered.

"I'm aware," Emma said, "What's it to you? You wanted to be a better pirate than her?"

"Better?" Jack scoffed, "Please. I want to be more feared, not better."

"So you've come to kill her off, is that it?" David asked.

Jack chuckled to himself, then finally decided to lift his face up from the floor and stare at them with an icy cold look that could frighten even the strongest of people.

"Now, David," he said deeply, "You of all people should know that there are fates worse than death…"

"Why?" Emma asked sternly, "Why is a fate worse than death even necessary? What do you want?"

"Revenge," he said immediately, "Not just on your precious daughter… but on Captain Hook as well."

"You keep your slimy hands off my family," Emma demanded.

"Oh don't worry," Jack laughed, "I'm not going to touch them… me touching them is the least of your troubles."

"Emma…" David whispered, grabbing her shoulder cautiously, "I don't think he means to kill anyone any time soon."

"What are you thinking?" she whispered back.

"Think," he hushed, "What is a fate worse than death that I've personally experienced?"

She paused and then gasped, her eyes widening and her hands clutching her stomach.

"A curse…" she mouthed and David nodded.

Emma rose up from the chair and ran to her desk, picking up the phone and dialing a number. While she waited for it to ring, she stared fearfully at Sparrow, wondering what he must have done to enact this curse, and what on earth it was going to do to them next.

"Hello?"

"Mara," Emma gasped.

"Mom?"

"Warn everyone," she said, "Sparrow means to unleash a curse on the town."

"A curse?"

"Yes. Get your father, Peter, Tristan, Henry, your grandmother… just get everyone and warn them."

"Peter says he can try and find a way to stop it if he can find the source of it."

"Okay, but just be careful."

"We will."

Emma slammed the phone on the receiver and looked worriedly at her father. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her while she closed her eyes, forcing herself not to look at the reality in front of her.

"What is this curse?" David said, turning to face him as he charged towards the cell, "What have you done?!"  
"Dad!" Emma said, grabbing his arm, "Let's all just remain calm…"

"She's right, David," Jack said, "I don't think you'd want to go into your new life like this…"

"What new life?" David demanded, "What is this curse going to do to us?"

Jack grinned, "It'll be as if nothing ever happened… Regina's first curse? That didn't happen. The savior breaking it? That didn't happen either. Nothing."

* * *

"Come on!" Peter said, grabbing onto Mara's hand and running outside from her apartment as fast as he could.

"Where are we going?" she asked, "We need to warn everyone."

"Your father and brother got this, we need to find the source of this thing," he said urgently as they headed outside the building and down the streets towards the woods.

"Where do you suppose that will be?" Mara asked.

"The same place where I tried to cast a curse before your mother stopped me and trapped me in Neverland," he said, "Now enough talk, we have to get there before it's too late!"

The two of the raced through the streets until the roads stopped and the forest began just outside of the hospital. Mara secretly wished that Peter would have held her hand under a different circumstance, but now wasn't the time to complain about it. They reached a little fountain that rested on a ledge that looked over Storybrooke. Inside the old well were the beginnings of black smoke starting to spark and grow little by little.

"There it is…" Peter sighed.

"Now how do we stop it?" Mara asked.

"With you," Peter said, facing her and taking her hand again, "Mara, you are one of the most powerful magical beings in this realm. You might be able to stop this."

"But I don't know how to use magic for myself," Mara explained, "I just know how to use it using my-."

Mara held her hand to her chest and felt the little white shell around her neck. It had remained there for years and did not leave that place. She hadn't used it since she freed her mother from that spell, but it was now time to use it again.

"I know what to do," she said, pulling the necklace off her neck and hanging it over the well.

"Mara don't!" Peter shouted, reaching for the necklace, but she swiped it away from his reach before he could take it from her, "There must be another way."

"No!" she protested, "If I'm going to save my home from destruction, I'm going to use everything I have, even if it means sacrificing the one object that is most important to me."

"But you will lose all of your magic if you get rid of it," Peter argued.

"I want to try," she said, moving her voice to a much softer tone.

Peter looked at the ground, then in the well at the terrifying black smoke, then he nodded, "Fine…"

Mara held onto the chain a bit tighter, causing her fingers to turn red as she held on to her necklace for the last time. Then she swiftly stretched out her fingers and dropped the necklace into the well. The black smoke started stir itself in a circular and fast motion until it stopped and changed into red with the sparks dying down inside.

"You did it…" Peter said, looking down into the well.

"I broke it?" Mara asked.

"Not quite…" Peter said, "You changed it."

"I changed it?" she repeated, "How? What's going to happen to us now?"

Peter waited a moment and placed his hand over the well, causing the top of it to glow green, then he grinned. "Sparrow's curse will go as he intended, but there will be an easier way to break it," he said, "The curse is now breakable and it will take all of us back to the Enchanted Forest, or wherever we came from."

"Even Henry?" Mara asked.

"Even Henry," Peter smiled, "Don't you see? Even if we lose all of our memories, Henry will be able to remember who did this to us."

"And if Henry remembers, then he can figure out how to break it," Mara cheered, then threw herself into Peter's arms for a long embrace, "He'll figure it out. He'll break the curse."

"Now there's only 1 question left," Peter said, looking into the well, "What's going to happen to us?"

"I have no idea…" she whispered.

* * *

Emma Jones was at the town line. She looked over into the land without magic, the land where everything seemed much simpler. Several times before her wedding day, she would come to the town line and stand there, watching the empty highway in front of her and wondering how life would have been different if she had just run away when she had the chance. The last time she stood there was the day before her wedding, when she finally decided where she belonged. Now seemed like a better time than ever to wonder if she could escape the curse and bring her family with her.

"Emma!" she heard her husband's voice call to her as he ran towards her.

"Killian…" Emma said sadly, running towards him and into his embrace.

"It's almost arrived," he warned her, "Peter and Mara found the source of the curse. They can't break it, but they're trying to see what they can do."

"It's okay…" she sighed.

Killian looked over her shoulder and saw the land without magic behind her, "What are you doing here, love?"

"I was just... thinking…" she said, looking back behind her.

"No… I know what you think about when you come here," Killian shook his head, "You always came here every day before our wedding. You're thinking about running away again."

"I'm not thinking about running away…" she protested, "At least not without my family with me."

"There is no way to escape this," he said, "The curse will take us all back in time to the Enchanted Forest as if none of this ever happened."

Emma shook her head and looked at the ground to hide the tears forming in her eyes, "but I don't want to forget… I lost you all once for 4 years… that's not going to happen again. If there's a way to keep you all safe, I'll do it."

Killian wrapped his arms around his wife and held her to his shoulder as she tried to hold back the tears that were already spilling down her cheeks.

"My love…" he whispered, "My wife… You and I have been through so much together… and we are going to get through this as well. Have you not been listening to your parents stories close enough? It's the same for us as well. We will find each other. I promise you."

Emma sniffed, "To think we just got our family back together again only to have it torn apart against our will."

Killian chuckled, "Well… we had a good run over these last few years, don't you think?"

She nodded, then moved her head from his shoulder, but still clung to him tightly, "I love this life…" she sobbed, "I love our life together. I love this town. I love our daughter and my son… I love my parents… and my little brother… who knows what's going to happen to poor Leo after all this hits… I love this life too much to let it go against my will… I wanna save it."

"Of course you do," he laughed, "You're the savior. Saving people from a curse is in your bones…"

"But most of all," she said quietly, pressing her forehead against his, "I love you, Killian Jones."

"And I love you, Emma Jones," he whispered, then kissed her gently on her forehead.

"Let's make a promise right now," she said against his lips, "Wherever we go next, we're going to find each other."

"Aye," he nodded.

His closed the little distance between them with a kiss on each other's lips. Emma didn't take advantage of the moment, because something in her heart told her that this might be the last time she'd ever kiss her husband for a very long time.

* * *

The red smoke was now growing and far past spilling over in the well. It was now starting to crawl over and past trees, leaving not even the tiniest leaf untouched. The fear that was struck into everyone's hearts caused the town to turn suddenly colder and completely still while the residents hugged each other for fear of the worst. Mary Margaret and David kissed each other once and held their boy tightly as they watched the smoke trickle down the hills and head straight towards them.

"Grandma!" Mara shouted as she ran from the direction of the smoke with Peter trailing behind her, "Grandpa! Leo!"

"Mara," David sighed and held his arms wide open as Mara ran into them.

"I'm glad I found you guys before it was too late," Mara said, breathing heavily as she hugged her grandmother, "Where's my parents?"

"We don't know, honey," Mary Margaret said sadly.

"Your mother left the sheriff's station earlier today," David recalled, "But she didn't say where she was going. My guess is your father followed her."

"There's still time," Mara called, watching the smoke behind her, "I can find them-."

"Don't," Peter begged, grabbing onto her arm, "Stay with us. Be with the family that's here while you can."

"Peter, I'm not leaving my parents behind," Mara protested.

"You aren't," he insisted, "You will see them again."

"But what if I don't!" Mara argued, then started to run in the opposite direction.

"Mara!" Peter shouted, running after her.

Peter chased Mara all the way towards the exit of the town, then found one of 2 spots where the orange town line rested.

"Where are they?" Mara asked, out of breath, as she turned around to face him.

"Did you expect them to be here?" Peter asked.

"Yes!" she shouted in anger, "My mom comes here when she's upset! Ugh! Now I'll never get to them in time!"

Peter approached her slowly and cupped her face in his hands, brushing away a small piece of hair out of her face.

"You need to be strong now," he assured her, "You need to have faith that you and Henry will break this curse. You did the last time and now you're going to do it again."

"You really think so?" she asked, grabbing onto his wrists, "You think we can do it?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I believe in you, Mara. I believe you will succeed."

Mara started to feel guilty now. Peter truly was one of a kind. She had the chance to fall completely in love with him before, but instead, she decided to let him go and she let years go by without him. Perhaps it was necessary, she thought. Perhaps her letting Peter go was meant to be, that way she could grow up and truly see what she needed. Mara needed to be with Tristan so she could understand what she had with Peter was worth waiting for. Mara told Peter, years ago, that she couldn't pick neither Tristan or Peter because she wanted to spend some time with her family and grow up a little bit. Now that she had grown and her family was in-tact, she was blind to the love that she deserved. It was too late to regain it for herself, and it was all Sparrow's fault.

"Peter…" she whispered, "I am so sorry…"

He looked directly into her ocean blue eyes and shook his head.

"Don't be," he whispered back, then finally did what he wanted to do for a long, long time. He kissed her.

Peter didn't just kiss Mara, but Mara kissed Peter back. The smoke was coming towards them now and Mara could tell by the thunderous sounds of the curse taking everything in its path. This was it. Wherever they were going next was a mystery, and she wasn't going to remember any of this. Not her family, or the town, or even that she had found new love in the form of something unexpected. Who would've thought that Peter Pan and the daughter of Captain Hook would be in love with each other. No one in the next world was going to believe that it ever happened; not even Mara.

The smoke covered them entirely and all Mara saw was darkness, because she wasn't focusing on anything else except for Peter's kiss as they cherished the moment they had together. Mara made a vow to herself as it all came crumbling down. She was going to find her parents and get her revenge on Sparrow for doing this to them. There was hell to pay and Mara wasn't going to let the scoundrel get away this time.

Then everything went black.

* * *

**The Para (Peter&Mara) kiss you've all been waiting for! (if ya'll could come up with another ship name for them, i'd love you forever and even give you and shoutout next week)**

**Stay tuned for next week's chapter! My vacation starts today, so writing will be little difficult, however, I have already started chapter 5 and am well on my way to finishing it. Hopefully I'll be done by the time Sunday rolls around**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So basically I didn't get this done until midnight last night (whoops) but hey, I think it's a pretty decent ending... I'll leave that up to you guys ;D**

**Again, I'm always accepting reviews. I didn't get any notifications this week about reviews, so let's see if you can make my mailbox explode :) **

**Here is a little flashback, giving you some background about this new version of the Enchanted Forest that our characters are heading to**

**Enjoy!**

**xoxo**

* * *

The birds were singing. The sunlight had never been brighter. The bright gold rays of the light were reflecting off the castle like a perfect melody that made anyone who saw it sing with joy and delight. Of course, there were still things to be feared, like the wrath of the Evil Queen descending upon anyone who opposed her, but that particular threat had faded away years and years ago when Snow White finally vanquished her and lived Happily Ever After with her Prince Charming. Now she was Queen and she ruled by her side with King James and their daughter, Princess Emma, and their son, Prince Leopold, after Snow White's father.

It was like any other morning; peaceful, calm, and serene. Although it was a day that was anticipated by the village people, it was a day dreaded by the king and queen. This would be the day when Princess Emma boards a ship and sails off into the unknown parts of the land in order to prepare for herself for the day she may become queen.

The white curtains of Princess Emma's room were flowing gently with the morning breeze. There was a little bird perched on the ledge of her balcony, and it sang like a beautiful wake up call that brought the princess out of bed and into the warmth of the day. She stretched out her arms under her silk robe and picked up the bird on her finger, letting it fly away from her into the blue, cloudless, sky.

The doors of her room suddenly opened like thunder approaching. All the doors in the castle had a habit of sounding that way. King James walked into the room.

"Emma?" he called.

Emma stepped from outside the balcony and bowed slightly by bending her knees and lowering her head.

"Good morning, father," she said gracefully.

"Good morning, dearest," he said, walking towards her and kissing her head, "Are you prepared for the start of your voyage?"

"Oh yes…" she said, looking off to the side, "The voyage…"

"Is something troubling you?" King James asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Oh, it's nothing," Emma said, turning around and facing her kingdom below her, "I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"You have every right to be a little nervous," he said, walking behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder, "One day, when you're mother and I are no longer able to rule the kingdom, then you will be the one to step up and take the crown with a good husband by your side."

"And I have only just turned 18," she chuckled, then sighed, "Father… I must confess something to you…"

"You can tell me anything," he said.

"Well…" she said, keeping her head down, "You see, not only is this journey good for me to see the land, but it's also my chance to be… well… normal."

"Normal?" James asked as if that word was unfamiliar to him.

"Yes, father," she nodded shyly, "I would like to get a chance to escape the castle for this time. I'd like to be a normal girl on the high seas and be adventurous before I dedicate myself to the throne."

"Sound like anyone you know?" the queen asked as she entered into her daughter's chambers.

"Snow," James said, taking a step back and greeting his wife with a kiss on her head, "We were just discussing Emma's trip."

"I heard," she said, "and I think she's right. I got to be a little adventurous too before I became queen. In fact, being out in the world like that gave me the perspective I needed to understand what I wanted to protect. You have my blessing to be as adventurous and as free as your heart desires… as long as you return home in time."

"Of course, mother," Emma said, walking into your mother's embrace, "Has Leo left yet?"

"Yes he has," Snow affirmed, "He's headed to the kingdom as we speak."

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to the boy," Emma said morosely.

"Don't you worry," Snow assured her, "With Leo living in a castle with 11 sister-in-laws, he and his betrothed will visit us often."

Emma laughed and Snow kissed her daughter's forehead. There was something about her mother's kiss that was so refreshing and cool, like snow falling on your cheeks after a long hot summer's day. She was going to miss the company of her parents and younger brother by the time she was far out at sea, but it seemed like the best thing for her. If her mother agreed to the plan, than her efforts to escape her life of obligations and arranged marriages wouldn't be because her parents kept her confined in the palace. Secretly, Emma wished with all her heart to become what her parents feared most, a pirate. They seemed so fearless, adventurous, and ruthless. It made her skin rise with excitement.

So when the princess's maids carried her bag to the Navy Ship, the whole kingdom was waiting at the docks for the carriage that held the King, Queen, and Princess. Emma stepped out, causing a wave of cheers to come over the crowd watching them.

She kissed her parents goodbye and took the hand of the Navy Captain as he assisted her on the ship, her brown boots hitting the deck gracefully, which caused a whispered laugh amongst the crew members as they watched the blonde princess with a light pink and yellow dress step onto their vessel.

Unfortunately, life on the seas was not at all what she expected for the first day. The Navy Captain was kind, generous, offered the princess her own cabin to sleep in, and all the men dined above deck and used their napkins when they made a mess on their faces. Emma expected at least a little indecency to get her excited, but so far, her voyage was looking to be incredibly boring and dull.

"Is there something wrong, princess?" the Captain asked as he approached Emma, looking longingly out towards the sea.

"Nothing is the matter, captain," she said, "Sail on."

The Navy Captain bowed to her and marched off. It was incredibly annoying how honorable and boring they were. They never ran into any trouble, so of course, they didn't bother preparing for any kind of battle unless there was trouble nearby.

Things started to pick up several days later when the captain called out, "Pirates!" to the rest of the men on the deck. They started to run around the deck as Emma made her way through them figuring out how to get to the side where the pirate ship was. It was slowly approaching them, so they must have spotted the navy ship as well. Emma slightly hoped that they would come their way.

"Hold your fire, men!" the captain called to the crew members as they stood by their cannons, "We fire when they attack first!"

The men all waited by their cannons and the captain drew Emma close to her cabin door in case a fight ensued. They waited quietly while they watched closely. The silence was so drawn out that they began to comfortable with the idea that there was really no trouble at all. That's when a pirate would decide to strike, Emma though. So they did. The pirates cannon went off when they least expected it. The ship was gaining fast on them and the men drew their swords, ready at a moment's notice. The captain pushed Emma into her cabin.

"Hey!" she shouted.

"My apologies, your highness," he said before locking the door in her face.

Emma threw herself onto her bed with a frustrating groan. Finally some action on the ship and she has to stay locked up like a precious jewel. She heard the sound of pistols firing and swords crossing each other as the pirates faced off with the navy. She heard the sound of commands coming from someone who didn't sound like the Navy Captain. He had a stronger accent and his voice was menacing like death itself that consumed the listener.

Suddenly, the door busted open and Emma grabbed one of the swords that was laid in the corner of the cabin. There was a man standing there. He had a little bit of a beard made of his black hair that wasn't too messy on the top of his head. He carried a sword in one hand, but his other hand wasn't there. In place of his left hand was a shiny silver hook which blended well with his ensemble of clothes made entirely out of leather.

"Captain Hook…" Emma breathed.

"Oh, so you've heard of me," he said with a grin, then he tilted his head just a little bit, looking at what kind of beauty he must have stumbled upon in this little cabin.

Emma wasn't wasting any time with this guy, so she struck her sword at him, catching Hook completely off guard as the two of them fought in the little space of the cabin. Hook was too much for Emma. Not only did his good looks throw her off, but he was also stronger than her, so he backed her up into a corner.

"You're not a bad fighter," he said, looking up and down her body, "and you're terrible looking either."

The princess lifted her foot up and brought it back down onto Hook's foot, then pushed him against the wall with her sword to his neck.

"You…" he chuckled, "I like you… I think I'll keep you."

"What?" Emma asked, but everything was happening too fast for her to process it.

Hook grabbed the hilt of the sword from her, threw it down onto the ground and grabbed Emma by her arms, dragging her out of the cabin. Her first instinct was to scream for help, but then she thought about it for a while. If the men don't know right away that she's gone, then that only delays her parents finding out and sending out search parties. Maybe her capture by the notorious(ly good looking) Captain Hook was fated. Now she can live out the life of adventure that she was looking for. At least that's what she hoped for. What she expected, however, was another thing. She expected all the men to be slimy and vile and rude, which they were as she observed when she was carried onto the ship.

"Would you let go of me!?" Emma demanded as Hook was comfortably on the ship, kicking her feet around to startle him.

"Easy, lass," he hushed, "Not until we've sailed far away enough to know that you and your royal kind aren't going to sink us. Mr. Smee! Sail away!"

"Right away, captain!" a man in a red hat said, running to the wheel and steering away from the navy ship.

"Wait!" Emma shouted as Hook carried her down the stairs to his quarters, "You have to let me go!"

"No I don't," he laughed to himself, "If I let you go, you're going to tell your men to arrest us. I won't take my chances."

"But I'm not going to do that," Emma argued, "If anything, I'm grateful you took me out of that hell hole."

Hook stopped in his tracks, the threw Emma onto a cushioned bench beside his bed. "Grateful?" he asked, curiously.

"Yes…" she sighed, clutching her stomach as she recovered from the fall, "I'm glad you captured me. It was so boring over there."

Hook paused for a moment, then looked around him before speaking, "Alright, I changed my mind. Why don't I just send you out to see with a small boat so you can row back to wherever you came from."

"No!" she protested, grabbing onto his arm before he could leave, "Just as a prisoner, I'll be your prisoner. Please, just don't make me go back."

"I've had enough of this," Hook hissed, pulling away from the princess's grasp and exiting the cabin.

As he headed up the stairs, he suddenly heard the sound of the sword being drawn. He turned around and Emma had a sword against his neck.

"You took me in the first place because I could fight, right?" she asked, "Then keep me here and train me to be like you…"

Hook thought about it for a moment. The princess could best him she wanted to, but there was something stopping her from doing so. A weapon like that, used in his advantage, was something that he wasn't going to just give up. He'd be a fool too. A beautiful woman that could slit a throat if she needed to would make his crew even more feared than they already are.

"Alright," he sighed, taking the sword from her and tossing it onto the ground, "I'm going to teach you how to be a proper pirate in exchange for you freedom on the ship… however, if you escape, I will find you… Princess Emma, daughter of King James and Queen Snow White."

"You know me?" she asked, stepping back from him, "How do you know me?"

"Please," he scoffed, "Anyone who's ever even docked for an evening in your kingdom knows of you and your beauty."

She stiffened and straightened out her dress and pushed her hair behind her as she fixed her appearance.

"Don't bother, love," Hook said, "You're a princess. You don't need to keep your clothes and hair to perfection. You're on a pirate ship now. None of us care how you wear your clothes. Just pick something you can move in."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Emma asked, "There are all men here, there's nothing for me to wear."

Hook pressed his lips together, then headed towards one of two dressers that were lined up right next to each other on the other side of the cabin. He placed his hand on the mirror of one of them and sighed before opening it up.

"Here," he said, "You can find something in here."

"Where did you get-."

"It doesn't matter," he spat, walking towards the door, "Go on and change, then. It should fit you fine."

"Hook," she called to him, holding one of the jackets in her arms, "Thank you."

He looked slightly over his shoulder, then nodded and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

"The rules are simple, your highness," he bowed mockingly, causing Emma to roll her eyes as she dug her sword into the wood of the ship, "I start you off, you follow your instincts, and then I correct you to make it better."

"Sounds fair," she nodded, raising her sword up in there.

"Wrong," Hook called.

Emma threw her sword down, "What did I do?"

"You started by raising your sword," he said, "You never start that way."

"But that's what you do!" she complained.

"But I'm not a woman," he said, gesturing to her alluring figure, "Use what you've got, princess."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Emma said, resting her arms on her waist.

Hook drew her sword back, "Say I'm one of your assignments," he said, "Your captain tells you to eliminate him, so you first start by thinking that you're on his side."

"Okay…?" she said, drawing her sword back.

He gestured for her to come towards him, "Use those womanly charms you seem to possess."

"Hook-."

"Go on," he said, "That's an order."

Emma sighed, shrugging her shoulders before taking a step towards him and running the tips of her fingers teasingly along his red vest.

"I don't suppose that you and I could spend a little extra time together…" she whispered as she pressed her body against his.

"Perfect," he nodded, "Now, rub your hand down his chest until he thinks you're reaching for what he thinks you're reaching for, but don't actually do anything… find the where the sword is located instead."

Emma looked cautiously into his eyes as she ran her hand lightly down his chest until she reached the top of his pants, running her fingers along the belt until she found the hilt of his sword.

"Grab it," he said, "then reach for yours-."

She grabbed his sword and spun around, using her blonde hair as a distraction as it flew in the wind. Before Hook knew it, she was holding two swords to him with a grin on her face.

"Excellent work," he said, "By now, he is aware that you have bested him. Now, either he'll bow to your mercy, or," Hook stepped forward and snatched the sword from Emma without her even knowing, "He'll try and best you as revenge of your false seduction."

"So what do I do then?" Emma asked, pointing her sword towards him as they circled each other.

"Now…" he licked his lips before thrusting his sword against hers, "Things get interesting. You seem to have enough skills to get you by, so I'm just going to give you one important piece of advice… keep your eyes on your opponent and never show emotion."

"That's two things," she corrected.

"Aye, but they both have to do with keeping ahead of your enemies," he grinned, then he backed her up against the ledge of the ship, "Do you know how I bested you that night?"

"I remember it quite well," she said, backing him up towards the middle of the ship.

"Then you remember how you got a little too confident, so you thought you had won and didn't do anything to make sure I stayed put," he said, "that made it far too easy to snatch you and take you for myself."

He stepped closer to her, but she didn't budge, so their swords collided, sliding down to their hilts as they heard the metal rubbing against each other.

"That's a little too personal there, captain," she said quietly.

Hook looked at her clothes, studying how her body curved beneath them, then noticing her young lips and smooth skin that had survived all these months at sea. He thought by now she'd be dirtied up and rough like the rest of them, but she still maintained that sense of demure and grace, even with a sword in her hand with a mind like a pirate that was growing smarter and more clever each day, not to mention witty.

"Princess…" he whispered.

"Yes captain?" she answered.

He looked into her eyes and for the slightest moment, they told him not to say what she thought he was going to say, but luckily for him, he never listened to anyone but his own conscience.

"I have grown quite fond of your company," he said.

"That's good. I have enjoyed being here," she replied.

"I'm glad," he breathed, "I would like you to stay with me…"

"I am," she answered.

"No, I mean, not as my student…" he offered, "As… something a little more than that."

"Oh?"

"Yes… you see, not only have you become a valuable asset to my crew," he said quietly, "but you have also become quite the apple of my eye…"

"Why Captain Hook," she grinned, "Are you trying to tell me you're in love with me?"

"Not in so many words," he said, looking down at the ground to avoid eye-contact.

"And what makes you think I will stay as a companion?" she asked.

Hook looked up and chuckled, "Are you serious?"

Emma raised her eyebrows and he scoffed.

"Oh sure," she shrugged, "You have that handsome rugged look with the hint of the devil in your eye, which tells me you're dangerous. Luckily enough, I'm attracted to danger," she started to tease him, pushing her lips slightly forward, then retreating slightly, causing him to sigh in frustration, "but I'm not that easy… I want something from you."

"I had a feeling there was a catch," he said, rubbing his lips, "Alright, princess, what do you want?"  
"I don't want to be the student that hides below deck anymore," she demanded, "I want to fight. I want to be a real pirate like all of you and I want to see some real action, not just watch from the sidelines."

Hook nodded, "As you wish…"

Emma saw the honesty in his eyes. When Hook was honest with her, it wasn't like he was opening his soul to her in a sweet way or anything, but he seemed far more intense with what he was saying, like he was actually trying to get into her soul instead. She knew that if she felt something tug at her, then he was telling the truth. She pushed their swords onto the ground and grabbed his head, kissing him more passionately than anyone had ever kissed him before. It was thrilling and it made him even more grateful that he stole her away when he had the chance, otherwise he would have spent the rest of his life longing for revenge against the crocodile for taking Milah away. Now he had let that all go and wanted to spend his life spreading terror on the high seas with his princess beside him.

It had been that quite some time after that day. It suddenly became 2 years since Emma first left home and now she was 20. If it was possible, she had become even more beautiful than when Hook first laid eyes on her. Of course, now instead of calling each other "Princess" and "Hook", it was Emma and Killian. Not only were they the most feared pirates on the seven seas, amongst the pirates and thieves, but they were also known as the two people you could never tear apart. They were so madly in love, and anyone who didn't live in a palace was aware of Captain Hook's latest flame; the beautiful and bodacious blonde who could slit a throat or two if she wanted to, while looking like a sweet springtime flower as her mask of innocence. Deep down, anyone who truly knew her, knew that she was far from innocent, what with all the noise coming from the captain's quarters in the middle of every night. Either of them couldn't be more content with their lives. Emma had gotten the adventure she had desired, Hook had gotten the reputation he deserved, and they both had each other to top it all off.

After another one of his treasured nights with Emma, instead of falling asleep beside her, he sat up from the bed and threw his hands into his hair.

"What's wrong, Killian?" Emma asked, sitting up beside him and rubbing his arm.

"I think one of my idiotic crewmembers may have set us on the wrong course," he said, throwing the covers over his body and gathering his leather pants, vest, and jacket, "I'll just go take a quick look, then I'll be back down soon."

"Let me come with you," Emma said, beginning to rise out of bed while he changed.

"Don't you dare move a muscle," he teased, stalking back towards her with nothing on but his vest and pants, "I would very much like to see you exactly as you are, right here in this very spot," he moved closer towards her so she laid back on the bed with a smile on her face, "I shall be back in no time."

He kissed her luscious pink lips, and threw on his shoes and jacket before heading up the stairs to the deck, where he looked around at the dark night sky around him. The truth of the matter was that they weren't on the right course, but he also needed some fresh air. A night with Emma was unlike anything else that he had ever experienced in his 300 years of living, so he began to think about how on earth he managed to steal the heart of the princess, the most precious thing he could have stolen on his adventures on the high seas. Unfortunately, that thought was accompanied by a quite sad thought. Had he also stolen away a daughter from a mother and father? He had stolen her heart, but he had taken her away from her chance at having a real family. Emma seemed happy on the Jolly Roger, but he couldn't help but think about it every once in a while.

Hook had one hand on the wheel, turning it in whatever direction he could, hoping that finding a new track would change his thoughts so he could focus on something else instead. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon, especially when he caught sight of a passing ship which carried flags with the royal crest. The cannons blew and created a rumbling sound throughout the entire ship.

"All hands on deck!" Hook shouted, "We're under attack! Man the cannons! Draw your swords!"

All the men rose up from below deck on the other side of the captain's quarters. While Hook had a mighty impressive crew, the royal navy seemed to be growing larger and larger every year they ran into each other. Hook ran into the captain quarters and slammed the door behind him, breathing heavily.

"Killian, what's wrong?" Emma asked, already wearing her pants, undershirt, and boots, grabbing her vest from her dresser.

"Emma…" he breathed, stepping towards her and grabbing her arm, "There is something you need to know."

He hadn't grabbed her arm like that since he first held her captive, or when he was being a little dominant during their nights together. She hadn't seem him so serious, or so empty, in a long time. He sighed, "The royal navy has been chasing us for 2 years now… they're after you… their armies are getting larger and larger and I don't think we're going to be able to beat them this time."

"The royal navy?" Emma asked. She hadn't been reminded of her home since she officially became a part of the crew, "They… they can't take me… I want to be here with you… we'll run somewhere. We'll hide! They'll never get me!"

"Princess…" he whispered, placing his hands on her shoulders, "You need to go back…."

"Go back?" she asked with a disgusted expression, "No! I'm not leaving you! Didn't we say this was always what we wanted?"

"We did," he nodded, "but look at us, darling. A pirate and a princess? Pirates and princesses aren't meant to stay together forever."

"I'm not just a measly little princess-."

"I know you aren't," he interjected, "I know you are brave, you are true of heart, and you are strong… I've never seen a woman more fit to be a pirate than you… but they don't see you that way."

"So what does it matter what they think?"

"The point is…" he interrupted, "You family… you don't get another chance at a happy one… one with a mother and a father and your brother… that day, when we first kissed… I didn't just steal your heart… I stole you away from your family and that is a thought that has haunted me for years…"

"Killian-."

"Do me this one favor," he begged, "Go back to your family… live the life you were meant to live… not this fantasy…"

"I won't," she protested, "I love you-."

"Then don't love me," he argued, "Forget me. Forget all of this ever happened."

"I can't!" she shouted, "How could I?"

"You can…" he urged her, "You can if you know that I never loved you the way you think I did…"

Emma stepped back from him, her eyes wide and spilling over, turning her full and happy life into an empty and hollow existence.

"Killian…" she whispered.

"That's Captain Hook to you," he spat, "It was nice while it lasted… You really are quite dazzling in the bedroom, I must say."

Emma slapped him across the face, breathing heavily as she saw his face turned, looking at the ground. She ran to the door and swung it open, running into the Navy Captain whom she hadn't seen in years since she was first stolen away.

"Princess!" he rejoiced, "We've found you!"

She looked at the ground in sorrow, "Yes… you've found me… now take me away from here, please…"

"Of course, your highness," he said, lifting her up and swinging on a rope back to the royal ship where she stood safely amongst the other men who cheered to see her alive.

They were punching their fists in the air, at least those who weren't already in battle on the Jolly Roger. Their smiling faces looked as though they had seen sunlight for the first time in years of darkness. It was then when Emma realized how important she was to the people around her; her people. What was the kingdom going to be without her? Thousands of people would be suffering because of her own selfish purposes. Seeing the look of hope on the faces of these poor soldiers around her changed her perspective on things, even though a part of her heart was aching because of the life she had to leave behind; the one that was just too good to be true. It hardened her in that moment. She had been deceived all these years and she hadn't even known. For 2 years, she believed that she had found true love, but it was all just a lie, a dream, a simple fantasy. The time for fantasies was no more.

"Let me through!" a man shouted, pushing past dozens of soldiers until he, and the golden crown on top of his head, approached her, "Can it be…?"

Emma gasped, throwing her hand to her mouth, "Father?"

He nodded and walked towards her, placing his hands on her cheeks, "You're alive… we found you…"

"I never doubted that you wouldn't," she laughed.

King James laughed, looking into the eyes of his daughter, which were identical to his own, then pulled her towards him in a hug that he feared he wouldn't ever get to give. While Emma was trying to recover from the experiences behind her, she was glad to be in the arms of someone who was going to protect her and keep her the young and innocent she needed to be. He let out a big sigh, as if was pushing a huge weight of his shoulders.

"My daughter has returned to us!" he shouted, and the men cheered back, "Let us go home!"

He wrapped an arm around his daughter, leading her up the stairs to the door behind the wheel. Emma looked over her shoulder and saw Hook, standing there on the ship surrounded by men with their swords pointed at him, while one of them fastened his wrists together and tugged the hook off of his arm. Emma would have felt sorry for him, maybe even cried her eyes out, and while she wanted to on the inside, she didn't become the most feared pirate on the seas only to start wallowing in sorrow now. It was time to grow up, she thought. No more ravishing in young love and the idea that true love always finds a way. True love didn't exist, and that was something she carried with her as she grew older.

What gave the princess a great deal of satisfaction, as she sat on her throne beside her parents with a tiara on her head, was that somewhere, deep down in the palace dungeons, Hook was going to rot in a cell for the rest of his life for kidnapping the princess and holding her hostage. The king and queen didn't know that Emma loved him, and they were never going to find out. Emma wouldn't visit him or speak of him, and she would even try not to think of him, even though he would creep into her mind during the latest hours of the evening. She would claim her kingdom and find something else to live for. All the while, Killian was sitting in a cell amongst the prison mice, thinking of the sacrifice he made for Emma's benefit instead of his own. He knew he broke her heart with those lies, but it was the only way to get her to see reason. He knew that returning the princess would mean his confinement in jail. Killian Jones had never sacrificed something so precious to him unless it worked out for him in the end. If he had to rot in a cell and leave nothing behind but his dried up bones just to see the princess happy where she belongs, then he'd take it. At least he'd know he was responsible for giving the princess her best chance.

* * *

**AN: Awwww! If that wasn't clear, when Hook said he never loved her, he was lying in order to "give her her best chance". So cute yet so sad!**

**So guys! Don't forget those reviews. Also, don't be shy about following or favoriting either. Thanks! You guys rock!**

**See you next week!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Yay! Happy Sunday! How many of you were crushed by last week's chapter? I know I had a hard time writing that ending. Well now we're going to bring back the characters that are more familiar to this particular story. Enjoy! **

**Don't forget to review!**

* * *

There were things that went on in the magical world that not even royalty knew about. The princess was never aware of her impending engagement to a young man, about her age, until her mother finally confessed what happened when she was pregnant with her brother, Leo. As it turns out, Snow White was growing ill. King James feared death more than anything, so he set out to find a cure for her, only to happen upon, the one and only, Rumpelstiltskin.

It is heard, around the enchanted forest, that Rumpelstiltskin is not the kind of person you would want to cross in your hour of need, because his deals are steep. He knows you will do whatever he wants when you're truly desperate. King James did not heed this warning, for he too was a desperate man. They made an agreement; Snow White lives and has the child in exchange for her daughter's hand in marriage to his son, Baelfire.

Snow White hated hiding the secret that her life had been set in stone, but it was a secret that she could no longer keep, especially after her return home from her captivity with the pirates. To the queen's surprise, the princess was rather willing to marry Baelfire and become king and queen in her parents' place. The truth, after all, was that Emma no longer believed in finding love, so she settled for an arranged marriage with a man she seemingly called friend. Whenever Emma found herself falling in love with her new husband, she told herself that the only reason he was with her was because of a deal to save her brother's life, and so she tossed her feelings aside.

But the dreams of running off into the unknown, chasing down scoundrels and swashbucklers, did not leave the curtains of Emma's bedchambers in the room she was raised in. The windows were always left half open as the gentle breeze pushed the white sleek curtains back and forth from the bed.

The dreams always started like so; a beautiful princess with long hair and bright eyes would be walking in a meadow of some sort, picking wild flowers and singing, until she was kidnapped by a thief or a pirate, who would whisk her away onto his pirate ship. She would make a deal with the man and they would fight together, side by side, and become the bravest couple in all the land. Then a dreadful spell would fall upon the girl, cast by a powerful enemy, and she would fall asleep in his arms as he shouted out for someone to help. As she was resting in his quarters, he would fear for her death, so he'd lower his head towards hers and give her true love's first-.

It always ended right there. The young princess never to envision her true love's first kiss. Of course, it was only a dream, and it was time to get back to the reality of things. The doors burst open like loud thunder, and Queen Emma entered into the chambers.

"Clara!" Emma called out, rushing over to her doors to the outside and pushed them wide open, "Wake up, princess! It's a beautiful day."  
The princess rolled over, taking her face away from the light.

"Come now," she said, sitting beside her bed, "You wouldn't want to miss the navy ships coming into port today, would you?"

She rose up with a smile on her pink lips, her stunning blue eyes shining brightly and opening widely as her long and luxurious hair fell to her sides.

"Papa's home?" Princess Clara asked.

"He should be coming home this morning," Emma nodded.

Clara rose up out of bed, rushing to her closet and opening it so the doors swung open fiercely. She picked up a red dress and hugged it closely to her chest. It was the last gift her father brought her before he ventured off to war a second time. Now Clara hoped this would be the very last time he would return home from any battle.

She dressed herself and joined her mother in front of the castle, where the docks were, and the villagers waited anxiously around it, creating a pathway for their heroes to return home. As a large ship came into the distance, Clara could feel her body wanting to fly into the air, so she grabbed her mother's arm for support as they smiled together.

When the plank rested on the stone street, the navy men all filed out of the boat and ran to their wives, families, and children, kissing each and every one of them and embracing them. It was a beautiful sight to see. All of the families were back together and the kingdom never looked brighter, or happier, than on the days like this one. Clara kept looking around the ship, trying to find the dark brown hair that belonged to her father, King Baelfire, but he wasn't found anywhere. It was impossible. If the king was dead, the men wouldn't be happy, so he had to be around there somewhere.

A man emerged from the deck, carrying a bag at his waist with his red royal cape blowing in the air with a golden crown rested on his head as the trumpets sounded.

"Papa!" Clara shouted, letting go of her mother's arm and running towards him.

"Clara!" Emma cautioned, reaching her hand out to her daughter as she ran towards the ship, "Clara! Come back here at once!"

However, Clara wasn't listening, she just kept pushing herself towards the salty sea air, where her father was smiling and waiting with open arms as he stepped off the ship.

"My princess!" Baelfire shouted as he embraced his daughter.

Clara ran into her father's embrace, smelling the mixture of the musky forest and the sea breeze on his coat.

"How was the adventure?" she asked.

"More thrilling than anything I've ever seen," he said, taking her hand and walking her down to where her mother stood.

Emma gracefully threw her arms up and, in front of all the people, she kissed her husband and took his hand, then faced their people.

"I've never seen the kingdom so happy," Emma sighed, "Please, don't ever leave again."

"That isn't our decision, Emma," he whispered to her, "Without a little despair, the people will never know what the joy of relief feels like."

Emma hated whenever he said that. She know he meant it as a way to make her feel better whenever he went off to war, but she wanted it to sound like he would always do something bad in order for her to feel happy in the end. It was one of the reasons why she had a hard time truly loving him in her heart.

"My royal subjects!" Baelfire shouted, "It is good to be home! From this day forth, we shall all see brighter and happier days in the midst of our loved ones and our families! Our navy men have returned victorious, and per my command, have returned to their families with a piece of the treasure we have salvaged from the great parts unknown. Tonight, every commanding officer is invited to the palace, where we will feast in their honor for their bravery, their skill, and for their sacrifice."

The crowd threw up their arms in the air, cheering loudly and jumping up and down. Some even waved their hats in the air.

"A feast, Baelfire?" Emma asked as they walked into the castle, "We just got you back. Don't you think we'd all like to spend a little quality time together?"

"So we can do what, exactly?" he asked as the giant doors closed behind him, "Clara and I are going to talk for hours while you ignore us. It'll be just like that at the feast except with more food and more people."

Emma wished two things; she wished her daughter wasn't so fond of Baelfire so she wouldn't take his side whenever he planned something behind her back. Emma also wished that Baelfire didn't know she wasn't in love with him. It always gave him the perfect excuse to be moody and upset whenever he wanted to be. However, Clara enjoyed his company, and was glad that her parents didn't truly hate each other, because she wanted them both together, at least in her life, that is.

That night was a night that Clara would always remember. She watched outside of her window as the fairies gathered around outside the castle, waving their wands as sparks came out of it, watching the sparks explode in colors outside, over the sea. The villagers were all cheering and dancing outside. She leaned against her balcony with her head on her hand as she watched them at their happiest. There was then a knock on her door and she ran inside her room.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened loudly, then shut again behind King Baelfire.

"Papa," she sighed, running up to him and hugging him.

"Hello, my dear," he said, patting her back, "I see you've received my gift."

Clara smiled and spun around in her new dress. It had a light blue skirt that lightly touched the floor, a dark blue top with pearls beaded along the neckline and big flowing sleeves of the same dark color. She loved how easily it flowed off the ground as she turned, like she was flying.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Baelfire said, "Because you are going to be dancing tonight."

"Dancing?" she asked, "At the feast?"

"Indeed," he nodded, "We learned all kinds of things on our journey, including a new dance. I think you're all going to love it."

"Wonderful!" she clapped.

Baelfire paused, then looked her up and down, "and then… I have two very important things to do. Will you remind me of it later?"

"What's that?" Clara asked.

"I have to give you your last present," he told her, "then I have to tell you something very important."

"Okay…" she agreed, "I will remind you. After the feast?"

"After the feast," he nodded back.

Baelfire held out his arm to her and she took it as they walked from the upstairs of the castle to the grand staircase, which met at the bottom with a large table filled with food and sailors all sitting patiently for the king and princess. Throughout the meal, Clara listened to her father share stories about the high seas and the lands they docked in, and how they shook hands with many legendary heroes and crossed swords with many famous villains.

"Did you find Captain Hook?" Clara asked after taking a sip out of her golden cup.

All the men stopped eating and looked straight at the king at the head of the table. Anyone who knew King Baelfire was more than certain that whenever he went out to sea, there was one foe he wanted to face, and one foe only. The captain of the Jolly Roger; Hook. Baelfire never allowed Clara to discuss this in front of her mother, and she assumed it was because she would not approve of his relentlessness and endless determination on catching the man.

Baelfire put his cup down and looked calmly at his daughter, "No… I did not."

Clara looked down at the floor and spoke quietly, "I'm sure you will some day, papa…"

"Thank you, Clara," he said quietly to himself.

There was a moment of silence, one that hadn't fallen over the table throughout the entire meal. It was the most awkward moment of the evening by far. Everybody was wondering if the king had been angered by his daughter's mention of Hook, but he seemed as though he wasn't very disturbed by it, but there was no way of telling, since his head was now down and looking at his cleared plate.

Then looked up and slammed his hand against the table.

"Who would like to dance?" he called.

The men all cheered and the king nodded to the instrumentalists waiting in the corner. They all rose from their seats and began dancing in circles around each other, weaving in and out of each other intricately as Clara watched them, laughing with each other. Baelfire noticed her and shuffled his way over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the crowd. They danced together in the middle of them, hopping across the room like royal fools. It was one of the most fun moment of the evening. Baelfire looked at this beautiful young woman in front of him, then looked at everything around him, and he realized how lucky he was to have all of it.

"Stop the music!" he ordered, raising one hand to the instrumentalists.

Everything became quiet as the men all turned to face him.

"In honor of our adventures," he said, circling around Clara, "I have decided to give my daughter another gift from our travels," Clara blushed as he reached into his bag and pulled out a little white seashell that was hanging on a chain, "I found this after a run-in with some pirates… I thought it would make the perfect gift for my Clara."

Clara jumped and hugged her father, then turned as she let him clasp the chain around her neck.

"Please!" Emma called from the staircase, "Continue in your fun and dance."

She motioned her hand and the music began to play again as the dancing ensued, but Baelfire and Emma met in the middle of the stairs while Clara continued to dance.

"That is a very thoughtful gift you've given her," Emma said quietly, "Where did you find it?"

Baelfire leaned in closer towards Emma and lowered his voice just above a whisper, "Hook gave it to me…"

Emma backed away from him, "You promised you wouldn't-."

"It was the least he could do," he shrugged, "He wanted to make amends with you, so he gave it to me."

"And you accepted it?" Emma asked angrily.

"It's not cursed or anything, I had my father look over it," he assured her, "I promise you, he's trying to make good this time."

Emma paused, then cleared her throat, "Does he know-."

"He's never seen her before," he insisted, "He has no idea."

She looked from the dancing sailors with the princess to her husband and nodded sternly, "Good," Then she marched back up the stairs.

Clara and Baelfire enjoyed their evening dancing with the sailors, for it was the last joyous evening they had together before things started to go sour between them. The princess noticed that her mother did not look at her the same way after that evening. She was mainly staring at her necklace, and she wasn't making it very subtle at all.

Several years past since that day, now she was 21 years old. Emma had observed that her daughter was beginning to act more like her. Clara was preparing herself for what it would be like to become queen one day. She had declared several times that her main cause was the good of the people, so each morning, she dressed in rags, disguising herself as a peasant, and handed out loaves of bread to the poorer people of the town who could not feed themselves. She found it beneficial to get to know those people more.

As she slowly approached the people sitting by themselves in front of other people's houses, with their skin covered in muck and dirt, she handed each of them a loaf of bread and whispered, "Things will change for you soon… have faith."

One of the men she handed a loaf of bread to decided to look up at her into her eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked, in his odd looking blue pants and grey shirt, "You look familiar to me."

Clara took a step back, looking at the ground, "I don't think I've ever seen you before, honestly."

The man stood up, looking completely shocked and stunned at her image. He grabbed her arm, causing her to whine with pain a little and he dragged her into a secluded corner.

"How dare you!" she spat, "Let go of me at once!"

"Of course," the man said softly, then gently lifted her hood off of her head. He gasped at the sight before him; the ocean blue eyes, the pale skin, and the jet black and luxuriously long hair, "Mara…?"

"Who?" she asked, taking a step back from him.

"Mara, it's me…" he whispered, placing his hand on his heart, "It's Henry…"

"Henry?" she asked confused, "I don't know anyone named Henry…"

"Mara…" he gasped, "Look at me! It's me! It's Henry Mills! Your-."

"Step away from me," she demanded, "I don't know who this 'Mara' is, but I am not her. Perhaps the girl you're looking for is coming this way later. Wait for her, will you? And do not follow me home."

Clara turned away slowly, throwing her hood back on her head as she walked quickly away from him, trying to reach the palace as subtly, yet as fast she could. Henry just stared and watched his baby sister walk away from him, as if he was a stranger who could hurt her. It was a terrible thought, Mara not recognizing her own brother, yet it was happening. He looked around him at this strange new land that was unfamiliar to him. It was just like his fairytale book described, and yet it felt so unreal to him.

"I assure you this is all real," Jack Sparrow said, who was suddenly beside Henry.

He jumped and shouted, stepping back from him, "What did you do!?"

Jack Sparrow held up his index finger, "Be careful, Henry. I don't want anybody knowing that I'm here… you see, she doesn't remember you. None of the people you once knew remembers you. Not one person… so good luck trying to get out of this one… Truly, do try, I could use a good show."

Henry lifted his arm to throw a punch, but Sparrow vanished into thin air before he could. This was quite the situation he found himself in. That must have been what Peter was talking about; an easier way to break the curse. He was supposed to be the loophole to break the curse. However, this wasn't going to be as easy as Peter thought it would be. First, he had to figure out how to make Mara remember everything.

* * *

Clara came marching back into the palace, marching towards her mother, where she said regally on the throne, talking to the guards that stood in front of her. She caught sight of her daughter's face and nodded to the guards, and they retreated towards the exit of the palace.

"I'm so glad you're here, Clara," she said, rising from her throne, "I've just heard word from our friends in the north. They're coming to visit us."

"That sounds wonderful, mother, but can you hold that thought for one moment," Clara asked, "I was out today, in the village… I was getting to know our kingdom a little better when all of a sudden… a man came up to me and called me Mara."

"Mara?" Emma asked, sitting back down on her throne, "Why would anyone call you that?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Clara sighed, "I hoped you would know."

"Maybe they were just given the wrong information," Emma shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it, my dear. Now! Let's discuss who is coming to visit us."

"I am listening," she declared, running up to her throne beside her mothers and sitting in it.

"Do you remember Cinderella?" Emma asked.

"Of course!" she nodded, "She came to many a ball in this castle before."

"Oh I'm glad," her mother clapped, "because she's coming tomorrow and bringing her son."

Clara paused, then looked out into the distance in front of her, "A son?" Any princess knows exactly what a queen bringing a son means.

"Yes!" Emma said excitedly, "I've heard he's quite a remarkable prince, you know."

"I'm sure he is," Clara sighed, "but I know what you're implying. You want me to marry him someday."

"Someday soon, if I am lucky," Emma cheered.

"Soon…"

"Don't be so dull about it," she demanded, "Clara, you know this is important to the kingdom. I'm not going to be around forever and the kingdom needs a king. We haven't had one in so long…"

"Yes, I am aware," Clara said, glancing over at the empty throne, which hasn't been sat in since King Baelfire died of a fever. She didn't want to see anyone sit in that throne for a thousand years, because it belonged to her father, not a new prince looking to increase his personal wealth.

"I think you're going to like him," Emma assured her, "Prince Tristan is going to be the finest prince to ever knock on our door. He will be the one for you, Clara. I can just feel it."

* * *

**AN: Dun dun dun! Prince Tristan! AHHH Tristan will be coming back in the next chapter. Get excited!**

**What did you guys think of Baelfire's brief appearance? I wasn't going to have him in it at all, but I figured I could put in a little bit about him, especially for how Mara got her necklace in the first place. If it wasn't clear, Killian thinks that Clara is the daughter of Baelfire and Emma. He gave Baelfire the necklace to give to the princess as a way to show Emma he means no harm to her family.**

**So let me know what you guys think and I'll see you next week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry I didn't update on Sunday like I always do! A lot of you were probably like "OH NO!" when you didn't see a notification about an update, but no worries! It's here now. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

This land was unfamiliar to Henry. While he had spent most of his life marveling that storybook that contained all of the stories about his family, he never once believed that he would actually get a chance to see and experience everything that they did. He should have been thrilled to finally understand what their life was like, but instead, he was sulking on the side of the street, amongst the poorest of peasants, wondering how on earth he was going to break this curse before Jack Sparrow could do anything dangerous.

The first step was finding someone whose memories could be triggered easily. There would be Rumple, but no one knew where he could possibly be now that his son never left him in the first place. He was no longer roaming around, waiting for the next opportunity to strike. But one thing that Rumple once told him was that magic similar to ones own making would not affect them, especially in the place filled with their own magic. Peter Pan had made a curse once before, and a land filled with his magic would not be affected by Jack Sparrow's curse. Neverland was the destination.

He started going through every single one of the stories he was told, as if his mind was turning like the pages of the book. When he stopped turning, he landed on the story of Rumple and his father, remembering how Peter Pan got to Neverland in the first place. The old hags had a magic bean. Of course, they wouldn't be alive by now if they were human, so he had to come up with some other way to find magic beans. Everybody who lived in Storybrooke had a story about climbing up a beanstalk where the magic beans resided; especially his mother and stepfather.

So Henry picked himself up and started on his trail towards the forest, hoping that his memory would serve him well enough to get him to the beanstalk. The sun hadn't gone down by the time he reached the empty and barren field that surrounded the beanstalk. When reaching the top of the beanstalk, there would only be one problem when reaching the top; the giant, Tiny. After climbing up to the very top of the beanstalk, seeing the empty darkness of the ruins of the giant's castle, the giant, Tiny, instantly came walking over, making the ground shake as he approached them. What he hoped, more than anything right now, was that the curse wasn't far enough to reach this part of the land and Tiny never forgot about him.

"Who is invading my home!?" Tiny's loud voice boomed.

Tiny bent down and looked at the little Henry Mills as he quivered with fear in front of him.

"Tiny," Henry said, "It's me… It's Henry…. Emma's son?"

"Emma?" he asked, picking up the boy by his shirt and resting him on his hand, "What are you doing here, Henry? I haven't seen you in years!"

Henry took a huge sigh of relief, "Oh thank god, you weren't hit by the curse."

"Curse?" he asked, his large eyebrows raising "What curse? Is that why you're here?"

"Yeah," Henry nodded, "and now, Tiny, I need your help. You don't know this, but my mom married Captain Hook-."

"Good! I watched them when they first came up here, it was only a matter of time-."

"Yes, yes, we were all thinking the same thing," Henry shrugged, "but seriously. Let's focus. So my mom and stepdad had a kid, a girl. Her name is Mara. She's friends with Peter Pan now. Only thing is, Jack Sparrow cursed us-."

"Jack Sparrow?" he asked, "I thought he was just an old pirate's tale."

"Believe me, so did we," Henry explained, "It turns out we had no idea what we were up against. Now I really need your help."

"Anything! What can I do?"

"I need a bag of magic beans," Henry begged, "I'm going to Neverland to find someone on the outside who could help me."

"Sure thing!" Tiny said, setting Henry down on his feet, then rushing over into his house, causing Henry to lose his balance and fall over with the shaking of the ground, "Here!"

Tiny dropped a little sack in front of Henry and he picked it up, seeing that it was completely filled to the top with the translucent white beans. Henry thanked Tiny and dropped the bean on the ground, generating the portal, and jumped through it, taking him on a swirling bright vortex until he landed on the beaches of Neverland that he hadn't touched in ages.

Henry looked around, trying to figure out the landmarks so he could see what half of the island he was on. His first indicator that he was on the western side of the island was the stray arrow that rested near the edge of the jungle. There was no dreamshade on it, instead, it was tied together with a soft brown material.

"Lily…" he whispered, picking up the arrow and taking it with him and he ran into the opposite direction the arrow was facing.

As it started to get darker in the jungle, his steps were much more quiet and subtle as he sought protection from the tall trees whenever he thought he heard the footsteps of another person nearby. The last thing he wanted was to run into a Lost Boy, someone who would shoot him down at first sight. He heard the sound of the indians shouting at each other in their native tongue, so he rushed towards the direction of the sound and hid behind a rock, watching as the men gathered around a fire with their spears in their hands and red and blue paint on their face and arms. Henry kept looking over the rocks, trying to look up and all around, figuring out where Tiger Lily might be hiding.

Unfortunately, he looked a little too hard, and fell over, hitting the ground with a thud and causing a panic amongst the indian men, who raised their spears and started inching closer to Henry.

"Are you a lost boy?" one of them asked, pushing his spear closer to Henry.

Henry scrambled to his feet and wiped the stray leaves off his clothes, "No! I'm a friend! I'm looking for-."

"We have no friends on this island!" another one spat, "Only enemies!"

"Back! Back you fools!" a woman's voice shouted as her, obviously much smaller, body pushed through the men, "He is our friend! How dare you turn your weapons against him!"

The men nodded to her and sat down around the fire, continuing their previous conversations. The women spat in their direction, then turned to smile at Henry.

"Glad to see you made it out alive," Tiger Lily beamed and ran to hug Henry tightly.

"Glad to see you still remember me," Henry sighed in relief.

"Only Peter and I remember," she explained, "None of the Lost Boys or my men have any clue as to what happened in the last 50 years. All they know is that their enemy is Peter Pan and his lost boys. This was back before Peter and I became allies. We've been trying to unite our men, but it hasn't been as successful as we had hoped."

"What about Peter?" Henry asked.

Tiger Lily looked morbidly at the ground, "He doesn't say much now. He spends most of his hours sitting on a tree stump, either thinking, or just staring off into space. All I know is that this curse has absolutely devastated him."

"I think I might know how to change that," Henry suggested, "but first, I need you to take me to see him."

"Right this way," Tiger Lily said, gesturing towards the endless abyss that was the jungle of Neverland.

Tiger Lily took his hand and began running into the jungle, pulling Henry alongside her, dodging tree branches, jumping over rocks, leaping over small creeks, and pushing past several large green leaves and vines. Soon, the excitement became too much for Henry to bare, and he started to lose his breath, taking large gasps of air as he slowed down, dragging Tiger Lily down with him.

"Henry!" she gasped, quickly moving her hand to his back and patting him, "Are you okay?"

He took a large deep breath, then suddenly felt better, "Yeah… I'm actually fine now… come one, we gotta get to Pan."

They began on their run once more. Henry had never been tired out by something as simple as this. He had endured much worse, even lost his heart altogether, but he had never felt like this before. It was certainly a strange feeling, like his lungs weren't even there for a moment. He shook it off and blamed it on the magic.

Tiger Lily stopped Henry just before they made it to an opening in the middle of the jungle; Pan's hideout. The boys were all resting peacefully on the ground amongst the fire pit. There was Peter, sitting on a tree branch with his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand, looking as though he were in some kind of depression or in deep thought.

She motioned to Henry to remain quiet, then she cupped her hands to her mouth and created some kind of bird call, causing Peter to rise up and look down at exactly where she was. Peter got up and gently floated down, creating a green path of smoke behind him, then touching the ground lightly.

"Hey," he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

Tiger Lily stepped to the side to reveal Henry standing there. Peter quickly tensed up and pushed them deeper into the jungle where they couldn't be heard by the boys.

"Henry!" Peter gasped, giving him a hug, "You made it!"

"I did," he nodded, "Only problem is, my sister has absolutely no idea who I am."

"I'm not surprised," Peter responded, "No one should remember a thing except for Tiger Lily and myself."

"And Sparrow is still at large, too," Henry explained, "He's planning something; something big and something bad. Peter, I need your help."

"What do you need me for?" Peter asked, "Mara's not going to remember me just as much as she doesn't remember you."

"But you can access a part of her mind that I can't," Henry said, "You have to come with me."

Peter looked over at Tiger Lily who touched his shoulder and nodded, "I'll hold down the fort here. You go."

He pressed his fist to his heart and she repeated the same action, nodded to each other, then Peter looked at Henry, "Let's get started then."

* * *

Princess Clara and Queen Emma were sitting on their thrones as they watched the doors, waiting for the arrival of Queen Cinderella and Prince Tristan. There were men outside the doors with their trumpets ready to sound the moment they were in sight. Clara was clutching the sides of her throne anxiously. She was terrified. For so many years, she had imagined what her love life would be like, and now it was suddenly inches away from her face in the form of an arranged marriage. Clara was going to get married.

"Do you think he'll be handsome?" Emma asked excitedly.

"I suppose so," Clara sighed.

"How about tall?"

"I suppose so."

Emma crossed her arms, then paused for a moment before speaking loudly again, "What if he charming and sweet!"

"Mother, I don't know anything about him," Clara argued, "If you're so excited to meet him, why don't you marry him?" She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms as well.

Then the trumpets sounded and Emma stood up, holding her hands together over her heart.

"He's here!" Emma said, "Clara, stand up nice and tall, back straight, remember your manners."

Clara sat up, feeling the tightness of her corset against her frame as it demanded her spine to be in a perfect straight line. When the thundering doors burst open, a woman, wearing a large crown made of diamonds, walked in, squeezing her frame into a thin teal dress. Next to him seemed to be her pride and joy. He was a bit taller than her with brown hair that was gelled back. He seemed very well put together with his puffy sleeves and a cape that barely went past his knees. His left hand rested on the hilt of his sword. As the mother and son team approached Emma and Clara, they stopped, bowed their heads, and then Cinderella smiled widely.

"Emma!" she cried, running over to Emma and squeezing her tightly.

"Hello Cindy! How have you been?" Emma asked.

"Just fine," Cinderella beamed, "May I introduce my pride and joy… my son!"

Cinderella motioned her arm towards her son so Clara could get a good look at him.

"May I present, Prince Tristan," Cinderella said again, then had enough of the two of them not stepping towards each other, so she went over to her son and took his arm, bringing him to the princess.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, princess," Tristan said, bowing his head, then taking her hand in his, giving it a gentle kiss.

"The pleasure is all mine…" Clara said softly.

To Emma and Cinderella's delight, Clara was looking at Tristan very shyly, and her cheeks were bright red, accompanied by a smile which only made them hope more for a perfect marriage. After all, he was the most handsome in all the land. No other man would dare object to such a harmonious-looking union.

* * *

**AN: Except for maybe one person...**

**So that's it for this week! Again, sorry about the late update. I will try to get it up by Sunday next time, I promise you that.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Let's just jump right into this chapter, shall we?**

* * *

They were locked outside the palace in the courtyard like animals in the zoo. Clara had crossed her arms and her legs as she watched the sun beginning its descent into the horizon. The sky was orange and pink with a hint of purple in the background. Tristan wanted to do something romantic, something sweet. If this princess was going to be his wife, he might as well start with a nice gesture. So, he picked up a flower from the garden and held it out to her.

"Everything they say about you is true," he said sheepishly.

"They?" Clara asked, raising her eyebrows.

"People talk from kingdom to kingdom," Tristan explained, "like a chain of whispers. From what I've heard, you're the most beautiful girl in the Enchanted Forest. More beautiful than the newly blossomed orchid in the spring."

Clara turned from the sunset to Tristan and curved the corner of her mouth just slightly as she took the flower.

"That's very sweet of you," Clara said coldly, then turned back to the sunset, "but you should know that my hand and my heart are not so easily won by poetic compliments about my beauty."

"I was expecting that," he said, quickly taking a seat next to her, "That's why I was hoping to tell you a little bit about myself, just so you understand where I come from. Won't you listen?"

Clara slowly turned around again, then hesitated before speaking, "Y-Yes…"

"Thank you," he bowed his head, then began, "I wasn't born in a palace like any other prince. You see, I'm from a village. And my mother… well she's not really my mother. She was a very close friend of my real parents. It's quite a fascinating story… would you like to hear it?" Clara nodded, so he continued, "You see, my grandfather had gotten himself into a lot of trouble when my father was just a young boy. He had somehow gotten himself into trouble with a witch. This witch was so angry that she cursed my family. Our family tree would always be a barren one. So my mother and father were hell-bent on finding a way to having a child of their own. They ended up going through the woods for 3 days until they found a way to break the witch's spell. My mother met Cinderella on the way. After the spell broke, I was born, but all was not happy, you see, a giant came down upon my village. My mother did not survive, and so Cinderella, in her grief, decided to help raise me from infancy. My father did not last long without my mother, and so Cinderella took me into the palace with her husband, my adoptive father. I've been a prince ever since."

Clara examined him as he spoke. His shoulders weren't high, like the other princes. He even slouched a little bit. Tristan was a humble prince from a humble beginning. It gave him a sort of air that the other princes didn't have. It automatically made him sweeter and kinder. Other princes would talk about how extensive their property would be, how many heirs they intended to have with her, and his plans for ruling his kingdom once they were married.

"Thank you for telling me this," Clara said, placing her hand on Tristan's, "I now believe that I am beginning to trust you because of it."

"This is good," Tristan said excitedly, "and while a woman of your grace and beauty would make me the happiest boy in the world… are you ready for this marriage?"

This was the first time a prince had asked her how she felt about the marriage, as if she actually had a choice. The freedom of being given a choice was probably the sweetest thing anyone could ever do for her.

"I am ready to do what is best for the people," Clara said, straightening her back.

"Forget about the people," Tristan said, moving himself closer, "I'm talking about the marriage."

Clara gasped a little bit, then cleared her throat, "Oh… I don't really know, honestly… you're the first suitor to ask me this… but if it's what our parents want, I will learn to love you… you are a very sweet man, Tristan."

"And you are very intriguing to me," Tristan said softly, "I look forward to trying to figure out the great puzzle that is your mind."

She smiled at him, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear, then rose to her feet, offering her hand to him.

"Shall we tell our mothers the good news, then?" she asked.

"What good news?" Tristan asked.

"That we are to be married," Clara said.

Tristan was taken aback by this for a moment. Did this princess truly just accept the marriage offer between their two kingdoms? He had assumed that it would take endless persuasion and torture to get her to agree, but instead, she was standing in front of him with her hand ready to be placed into his. He wasn't going to hesitate in taking it either. Tristan wasn't going to find a princess more beautiful within a million miles.

Emma and Cinderella were absolutely thrilled with the idea of their impending marriage. They both requested that the prince and princess have moments alone in the courtyard, or walking around the palace, together in order for them to strengthen their relationship. Cinderella left the kingdom soon after, for her confidence in her son was growing stronger and stronger by the minute.

As the Queen sat on her throne, completely happy with her daughter's situation as she heard the two of them laughing and talking as they passed her, a guard came running up to her and bowed before speaking.

"Your majesty," he said, "There are two men outside who demand that they see you."

"Demand?" Emma asked, standing up from her throne.

"They said it was a dire emergency."

The Queen followed the guard to the door of the palace where Henry and Peter stood there, humbly, with their heads down as Emma approached them.

"Yes?" she asked, standing tall above the boys, "Is there something wrong?"

"Queen Emma…" Henry said cautiously, "I don't want to scare you or anything… but I'm your son."

Emma's eyes widened and she turned to the guard, then he bowed and left them.

"I'm sorry, I don't ever recall having a son," she said.

"I'm your son from a different life," Henry explained, "And while that may sound incredibly strange, I'm asking that you hear me out."

"I'm asking you to get off my palace doorstep immediately," Emma spat, "You cannot demand the presence of the queen only to tell her lies. You should be lucky I'm letting you off with a warning."

The Queen turned her back and Peter's eyes widened at Henry. He stepped forward and kept the door from closing with her hand, "I know who the princess really is… I know who her father is…"

Emma stopped in her tracks and turned around, glaring at him. "How do you know that?"

"Like I said…" he shrugged, "I'm your son… your daughter is my half-sister."

"No…" she shook her head, "This isn't true. I never had a son. You knowing about her father means nothing. For all I know you could be bluffing."

Henry followed her into the castle towards the throne room before he finally spoke.

"I'm not bluffing," he huffed, "Does me knowing that Killian Jones is her father considered me bluffing?"

Emma looked at him, standing in front of her throne with her hands in fists at her sides.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call the guards and have you thrown into the dungeon," Emma spat.

"Let me just speak to your daughter," Henry begged.

"Not going to happen," Emma rejected him, "I've kept this… paternal secret… a secret for a while. I'm not going to just let some stranger tell her out of nowhere."

"You're going to have to tell her at some point," he said, "How long do you think you can hide the truth from her?"

As the mother and son argued with each other, Peter looked past Emma's throne and saw a shadow coming down the hall. He tried to tap Henry, but he kept getting angrier and more frustrated with his mother. Soon, a princess came down the hall with long flowing black hair. Peter could not mistake those eyes for any others. He feared he would never see them again, so it was like his heart had sprouted wings and he was about to fly over to her. While he could fly, Peter decided not to, and ran over to the princess.

"Hello…" he said to her quietly.

Clara stopped in her tracks and looked at him very confused, "Hello? What are you doing in my castle?"

"I'm really sorry about this," Peter said, stepping closer to her, "but I just have to try."

"What-"

Clara didn't get to finish her sentence before Peter, this random stranger, had taken the sides of her face and planted a big and urgent kiss on her lips. The princess was so surprised by this that she lifted up her foot and landed it directly onto his, separating herself from him with a gasp.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"I had to see," Peter panted, "I'm sorry. I just had to know if it would work."

"If what would work?" Clara asked frightened.

From down the hall, Tristan came running in and didn't ask any question, he just punched Peter directly in the face, causing Clara to shriek and Henry to run to his side. Tristan took Clara in his arms and held her close to him.

"Are you alright?" Tristan asked, rubbing his hand on her head.

"Yes…" she whispered into his chest.

"Guards!" the prince shouted, "Arrest these two men at once!"

The guards, with their intimidating suits of armor and swords in hand, came stalking towards them and bound them in chains, taking them quietly down the stairs into the darkness. Clara grabbed onto Tristan's clothes, still breathing heavily from what the stranger had done to her.

"Shhh…" Tristan hushed, "You are safe now…"

"Who was that?" Clara asked, lifting her face from his chest and to her mother, "Why does the brown-haired one keep following me?"

Emma looked off towards the direction of the dungeons, feeling a surge of energy pulse through her body as she replayed the events in her head. Someone, who wasn't Baelfire or Hook, knew the truth about Emma's past. This would either work out in a good way or a bad way. The boy would be sentenced to death and no one would have to know, or Emma wouldn't be so cruel and she'd have to find a way to keep him quiet before he did something that would upset her family forever. But why? Why would someone go through all of this trouble? and for what?

She looked at her frightened daughter and sighed, "I have no idea…"

* * *

**AN: So that may or not be shorter than usual. Sorry Team Pan fans :( Looks like Tristan has really won the heart of our favorite hero. But don't despair, next week, we shall get another flashback where we will learn about how Killian ended up being Clara's father. AND we will also get Emma and Killian's first interaction since Clara's conception! Ooooooh! **


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: It's time for the CS-centric chapter! This is so exciting! I think you guys are really gonna like this one!**

* * *

The Queen had never felt more urgent in her life. For 21 years, she had a secret that was so well-kept, that she had an entire kingdom believing her lie. There was only 1 person who knew the exact truth, and now someone else had claimed to know it as well. This didn't sit well with Queen Emma at all. In fact, she hadn't sat still ever since her encounter with the boy. He knew who Clara's real father was; at least that's what he claimed to know. Emma wasn't going to be at peace until she found a way to let this secret stay a secret.

She picked up her gown and rushed down the stairs until they were no longer polished stone and carpeted with red fabric. Now it was dark, damp, and cold. The sound of the rats were the only things that could be heard beneath the palace. The Queen halted the guard and marched towards the cell where the boy was lying against the wall with his hands in his hair.

"You there," she called.

"Henry…" he said, looking at the queen in all her glory, then standing up to his feet, "I'm Henry."

"Henry," she repeated, "Whoever you are… I want answers. NOW."

"I can tell you anything you want," Henry replied.

"First," Emma said sternly, "I want to know how you know about this… paternal secret of mine…"

"Easy," Henry shrugged, "Your daughter is my half-sister. Therefore, I know who her father is."

"That's impossible," Emma shook her head, "How do I know you're not lying to take my riches or my crown?"

"Trust me, the only thing I want right now is to get out of here," Henry begged.

"Fine," Emma huffed, "I will set you free if you answer me this… if you claim to know who my daughter's father is… then tell me."

Henry looked down at the ground, then grabbed onto the bars of the cell, not wanting to see the look of hatred and shock. He couldn't bear seeing his mother look at him like he didn't exist. It just hurt too much.

"Hook," he whispered, causing Emma to gasp and step back.

The Queen didn't know what to say or do in this moment, so all she could do was gather her dress in the front so it didn't touch the dirty floor, then run back up the stairs to figure out a plan.

"Wait!" Henry called, "Before you go! Do you know someone named Baelfire!?"

Emma stopped in her path and didn't look back at him. "He's dead," she said plainly before continuing to march up the stairs.

Through the hole in the stone wall beside Henry, Peter looked through from his own cell, waiting to see Henry's reaction. But he just stood there, completely motionless.

"Henry," Peter said quietly, "You probably knew this was going to happen, right?"

Henry looked at Peter with his eyes, red with tears, as he stepped back and threw himself against the wall, allowing gravity to take over his body, falling onto the ground.

* * *

_There was white everywhere. The castle hadn't looked so clean in years, not since the birth announcement of Princess Emma. There were white ribbons , with gold leaf, hanging from corner to corner, completed with a bow to seal the deal. It was all very flashy and big. Everybody was wearing their best clothes, making their way towards the castle in order to be settled in by afternoon. There was to be a wedding today. The princess was finally about to get married.  
_

_Emma stood in her room, looking at herself in the mirror as she stood on top of a block. There were women all around her, trying to make sure there wasn't a single flaw about her. Her hair was left long, but beautifully curled and kept behind her shoulders. The wedding dress had a comfortable v-neck that was beaded at the border, but at her waist, it puffed out into a layered mess of white, in her opinion. It made it almost impossible to lift the fabric to see her feet, so she had her maids lift it for her whenever she needed to step down from some place._

_"Please," the princess turned to her ladies, "I need a moment."_

_The ladies nodded and bowed before exiting the room. When the door closed, Emma took a big sigh and looked at herself once again. This was what she got for returning home. She had been engaged since her brother was born and now her fate was about to be sealed. At least she would become a queen, a mighty ruler who looks up to no one. After all of this time, that was the one thing she was looking forward to._

_"My, my," a man's voice softly called from the entrance to her room, "What a lovely bride you make."_

_The princess turned around and gasped to see a man in black leather; a man she hadn't seen in years, but knew he was always there._

_"Hook…" she said quietly, then turned her back to him, "What are you doing here? You were banished from this castle, from this land. You shouldn't even be here."_

_"I'm very much aware of how you tossed me into a dungeon and left me there to rot," Hook said, walking towards her, "but I came to say goodbye."_

_Emma turned around, "Goodbye? Didn't you already say that back on the Jolly Roger?"_

_"That was nowhere near a proper goodbye," Hook shrugged._

_"So now you're saying that telling me you never really loved me wasn't the best way to say goodbye?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"Yes," Hook nodded, "Especially since it was all a lie."_

_"With you, Hook," Emma rolled her eyes, "I don't even know what's true anymore."_

_"Then would you like me to clear the air for you?" he asked, "Go into this new marriage with a fresh and clear mind?"_

_"By all means," Emma said, crossing her arms._

_Hook place his hand in his pocket and began to pace around the room, looking at the ground, "You see… I assumed that I knew what was best for you, something you must be tired of at this point… I was a fool. I thought that you deserved this life, a life where you would become royalty and live each day happily without a care in the world. You weren't going to get that with me. When your father found you, you were stubborn, so I told you those horrible things in order to get you to leave me-."_

_"I've had enough of this," Emma said, picking up her dress and stumbling towards the door._

_He reached out his arm and grabbed her arm, keeping her there as he looked into her eyes, "and as I sat in the dungeon, thinking of those horrible lies I told you and how they must have made you feel… I started to change… when I got out, I wasn't the same man who could just stop at any port and steal what I could get my hands on. It no longer quenched the thirst I had. I've been trying to get back to my old ways, but I can't do that until I settle what's going on right here, right now. I don't think you can get married until we're done here, either."_

_"We are done here," she insisted._

_"Are we?" he asked._

_There was silence. Emma could smell the sea breeze that floated around him. It brought her back to the deck when the two of them would practice sword fighting. Their bodies were unbelievably close and all she wanted to do, at the time, was inch forward and kiss him. For quite some time, she was able to do that, but now it was different. Now she wished she had a sword so she could jab him and push him out the window._

_"You've said what needed to be said," Emma whispered and stepped away from him, "Now get out."_

_"Not just yet," he said, "I've not only come here to give you a proper goodbye… but I'm also here to give you something you haven't, and probably won't get for a long time… a choice," there was silence between them, so he continued, "I'm going on a voyage to explore new lands… you can join me and we can start over again. You can go back to the Jolly Roger and live the life you loved so much… or you can stay here, get married, and live the happily ever after that everyone else wants you to live. It's your choice."_

_Emma gasped as Hook took another step towards her. Even though he was standing so tall above her, she could feel as though he was kneeling in front of her, down on one knee, begging for her forgiveness. He wasn't there to hurt her or to condescend her. He was there to love her, or at least get the chance to let her know that he loved her. Emma had shoved this part of her life out of her mind so often that she hadn't realized how much she missed it. Maybe that's why she kept shoving, because missing it brought so much pain to her. But now it was like the pain had been taken away, because the thing that brought her pain didn't exist in the first place; it was all just a lie._

_The princess looked at herself in the mirror, seeing Hook beside her as she wore her wedding dress. She brought her hand to his cheek and sighed, "I can't just leave now…"_

_Hook nodded and stepped back, "I understand… what I've done is unforgivable… I see that now… I suppose I should just take my ship and go-."_

_"I didn't say you should leave, however," Emma said softly, walking closer to him again, "I have only a few hours until I get married. That gives me a few hours to get the closure I need to put this piece of my past away."_

_She placed both of her hands on his face and looked into his deep blue eyes, then she leaned slightly forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, then pressed her forehead against his._

_"You have an hour to figure out how to get me out of this dress," she whispered against his lips._

_He grinned and instantly wrapped his arms around her, kissing her fiercely and hugging her to his chest. This would be the last time Hook would ever have the chance of loving Emma, so he wasn't going to hold anything back; neither would Emma. For the rest of her life, she wasn't going to be able to have a love like this because of a promise she made to herself and to her family. She wasn't going to run away and leave everything she wanted to be as queen, so she was going to take advantage of the scandalous adventure while she could._

_In the end, he left her with a moment of heated passion and sealed it with a kiss. Emma put herself back together as if nothing happened, but she would always carry that moment in the back of her mind as the perfect ending to an adventurous story of forbidden love._

_Unfortunately, during the weeks of her honeymoon with Baelfire, this story wasn't quite over. Emma knew that something was wrong with her while she was away. She constantly felt queasy, but she blamed it on her failed attraction to Baelfire. In fact, it was something completely different. The princess discovered this when she called upon a fairy to help her with whatever was happening to her. Fairy dust was forming in a clump in front of Emma, and suddenly, Blue was floating in front of her._

_"What is it, princess?" she asked worriedly, "Your call was so hesitant and you sounded so hurried."_

_"That's because my husband doesn't know you're here," Emma whispered, "but I need your help."_

_"Anything, your highness," Blue said with a bow of her head._

_"I need you to see what's wrong with me," she said, "I feel sick, I'm dizzy, I want to eat everything. I'd like to think that it's not what it is, but I have to be sure."_

_"Ah," Blue cooed, "I can hear her."_

_"Her?" Emma asked, "Who's her?"_

_"The little miracle growing inside of you," Blue smiled, flying down to the princesses stomach and touching it, "Her heart is strong, like yours. How precious."_

_"I'm…" Emma choked a little bit, "I'm pregnant?"_

_"Yes!" Blue rejoiced, "How lucky you are to have already conceived an heir!"_

_"But you don't understand," Emma said quickly, "I can't be pregnant. My husband and I haven't even consummated the marriage yet."_

_"What?" Blue raised her eyebrows, "You mean the blue-eyed man who conceived your child is not your husband?"_

_"No," Emma shook her head, knowing that the Blue fairy knew absolutely everything, so her knowing what Hook looked like was something she was going to have to let go, "Baelfire is my husband."_

_"Oh my…" Blue sighed, "You must tell your husband at once. Tell him the whole truth, that this baby does not belong to him… I'm sure he will understand."_

_"Yeah, or he might kill me for having an affair," Emma cried._

_"He will understand," Blue assured her, "He has a warm heart and a compassionate soul… You cannot hide this from him, however. I can see the face of your daughter… she will have eyes as blue as the ocean with the most beautiful long black hair."_

_Emma didn't know what to think. She wanted to close the book and end that story with Hook. There was no way that was going to happen now, especially with a daughter who sounded like she was going to look just like her father. Stupid fairies and their ability to see the future, she thought._

_When Blue vanished, Emma told Baelfire the truth, that she had been impregnated by Captain Hook, the pirate. Only she revealed that this pregnancy came from when Hook took her virtue on the pirate ship, making it look like none of this was her fault. So Baelfire still loved his wife and promised to look after the child as if she were his own. This was going to be a secret between her and Baelfire alone. No one else was to ever find out._

* * *

The Queen dressed herself in rags that she found in the laundry pile, then threw a hood over her head, marching off towards the docks. She swore to herself she would never do this, but after the events in the dungeon, she had to make sure that someone in particular didn't blab about their secret. Now that news was spreading about the Jolly Roger making port, the queen had to find out the truth for herself.

"Where is he?" Emma snapped, once she stepped foot on the ship, "I demand to see Captain Hook immediately."

The men hadn't seen the long locks of blonde hair since her adventures with them on the high seas. For them, it was like waking up from a bad dream and entering into a world where their captain was able to smile again. One of them quickly dropped what he was doing and started banging on the captain's door.

"Captain! She's back!" he shouted.

The door burst open after him and out came the same devilishly handsome face. It had been two decades, and yet, he hadn't changed a bit.

"Ah… Queen Emma," Hook grinned, "You haven't changed a bit."

"Neither have you," Emma said, placing her hands on her waist, "I see you've been spending some time in Neverland in the last 21 years."

"Is that how long it's been?" Hook frowned, "and now you've finally decided to pay me a visit. This meeting has been long overdue."

"Yes, it has," Emma said plainly, then raised her voice to a shout, "Leave us!"

The men scrambled to their feet and piled in, one by one, below deck.

"Strange, how it's been so long and yet they still fear you," Hook chuckled.

"That's because I'm their queen," Emma smiled.

Hook raised his eyebrows and pointed, with his hook, at her, "and you absolutely love it. I can see the delight on your face that you get when you're in power. Admit it, you're happy I let you go in the first place. You wouldn't have been queen without it."

"I will admit," Emma nodded, smoothing out her hair, "Since Baelfire died, I have enjoyed the perks of being the only high ruler in the land."

"And what of your princess?" Hook asked, "Is she twice the ruler you are?"

"Obviously," Emma said proudly, "Who do you think raised her? As an added bonus, she can be pretty ruthless when she wants to be."

"So she is doing well, I suppose?" he asked.

"She is engaged to be married," Emma said, "Why do you care?"

"Baelfire came to me," Hook explained, "It was after one of his wars that he faught. He said he had a daughter and I owed something to her for making her mother miserable with her life. That's where the necklace that hangs around her neck comes from."

"I am aware," Emma assured him, "but you owe Clara much more than a simple necklace."

"Why?" Hook asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

"She's your daughter," Emma announced.

Hook took a few steps back, looking as though the world around him was not the same as it was before. He looked at the castle in front of him, looking at the room with the open window where the curtains were flying with the wind. There was a princess in there who belonged to him and yet, he had absolutely no idea that she was his all along. For years, Hook made himself believe he was incapable of having a family, keeping a woman by his side long enough to see a little pirate running around the ship, teaching him, or her, the ways of the pirate. She would be 21 by now. He had missed all of it.

"And you choose now to tell me?" Hook asked angrily.

"I didn't want you involved," Emma shook her head, "If you were, the whole kingdom would have known before she would even be born. Then she would have grown to be the bastard child of a villain, a thief, and a criminal. What kind of life would that be for her? I did what was best."

The worst part about what Emma said, was that it was true.

"But there's more," Emma continued, "Someone else knows. Someone who claims to be my son, but I have no idea who he is… he knows who my daughter's father is and you have to swear to me that you will do everything in your power to make sure this stays a secret."

"So you came here simply to tell me to not say anything?" Hook asked.

"Yes," she nodded, "I know you probably have a lot of questions about Clara, but the less you know, the better."

"Clara," Hook sighed, "If it were up to me, I would have named her Marissa-."

"Hook," Emma snapped.

"Right," he nodded, "I will keep this bit of information between us."

"Good…" she sighed, "Now I have one last request… I want you to leave this kingdom… find some other land to pillage and terrorize… that is the best way to make sure that no one around here will know about what we have discussed today."

Hook nodded slowly, "As you wish." Then he turned his back on her and walked back towards the door to the captain's quarters, slamming it behind him.

He always did that for dramatic flare, she thought. That was obviously where Clara got hers as well. Now that all was said and done, Emma threw her hood back over her head and headed back towards the castle with her head down and her back slightly hunched.

In the distance, another hooded figure stood in the shadows, watching the pirates all come back onto the deck of the Jolly Roger. One man, wearing a red hat, banged on the door of the captain's quarters, but there was no answer. Jack Sparrow came up next to the hooded figure, watching the scene play out in front of him.

"She told him," Jack reported, "Will this but a dent in our plan?"

The hooded figure turned to Jack, "No, my boy… this is exactly what they needed… a secret to tear them apart…"

"and what about the girl?" Jack asked, "She is to be married to Prince Tristan before the next full moon."

The man in the hood laughed and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, "Let's keep Pan on his toes… perhaps he can ruin that bit of happiness by himself."

Jack nodded to the hooded figure and he nodded back. The two of them parted ways with their own sinister smiles on their faces as Jack headed towards the dungeons beneath Queen Emma's palace.

* * *

**AN: Coming up next week, some Peter and Clara interaction as they reintroduce themselves to each other. Meanwhile, our villains start to take matters into their own hands for a bit.**


	10. Chapter 10

The dungeon was dark and cold. The sounds of water from above, in the palace, were the only sounds resonating through the walls. Henry was sitting up against the wall between his and Peter's cells. He didn't know why he had hoped that his father would be alive in this world, but nevertheless, his dreams were shattered when his mother told him in the foulest way that Baelfire was dead without any kind of explanation. The princess resting in her chambers had the fondest memories of her father, and Henry was sitting there, helpless and trapped inside a cage. Meanwhile, Peter was sitting on the other side of his cell, hearing every word that the queen, but only listening to what she might say about her daughter. He had hoped her long black hair was still there, and her ocean blue eyes were as beautiful as ever.

Just as soon as he felt his heart clench with the memory of her, she appeared to him. Peter didn't need to question whether or not it was her, because she was dressed in her black pants with her leather jacket and a sword at her waist. She was Mara again, not whoever she claimed to be now.

"Mara…" Peter whispered.

"Hello Peter," she said sweetly, placing her hand on her hip as she smiled at him, "My what a mess you've gotten yourself into."

"I promise you," he sighed, "as soon as all of this is over, I will take you back to Neverland with me. There will be no more invaders that we can't fight. It will be you and I together… always."

"You know I've never wanted that," she shook her head, "I never wanted to be away from my family… if you truly knew me, you'd understand this…" Mara started walking around him as he sat on the ground, "You should have known that I only wanted Tristan… and now our love has transcended realms… we are to be married by the next full moon and there is nothing you can do about it."

Peter shook his head. Mara didn't know who she was. Clara was asleep in her bed just above his head. Yes, she was going to marry Tristan soon, as he had heard before, but there was still a chance for him to break the curse. There was always going to be a chance. He stood himself and charged forward towards the image of Mara with his fist in the air. She caught his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly, causing a surge of pain to flow through Peter's body. Mara's image faded until there was a hooded figure. Peter couldn't see inside the hood because it was too dark, but the figure dropped his hand, laughed and walked through the cell door as Peter scrambled to his feet.

Peter pushed his hands onto the wall which separated his cell from Henry's.

"Henry!" Peter called, "I saw something!"

"What?" Henry asked, "Was it Mara?"

"No," he said, "I think it was Sparrow, but I couldn't be sure."

"You didn't see him?" Henry shouted.

"He had a hood over his face… I couldn't see anything… Henry, we gotta get out of here. We have to find your mother and sister and get them out of the castle before Sparrow and his hooded friend get to them first."

Peter was right. Henry may have lost his father, but the only family he had left in this world was his mother and his sister. He was not about to let Jack Sparrow take them away from him too. He placed his hands on the bars and shook them a little bit.

"Peter," Henry called, "Do you think you could bust us out of here?"

"I can't," Peter responded, "The bars are silver; the kind that doesn't react to magic."

"Dungeons made out of silver… good one, mom," Henry chuckled to himself, then saw a bench in the corner of the room, "Wait a minute… Peter!"

"Yeah!" he called back.

"Can you use your magic to move that bench over here?" Henry asked.

Peter extended his hand towards the bench, then with a slight twitch in his finger, the bench started to rise with a green cloud over it. He moved his hand over to Henry's cell door and dropped the bench in front of him.

"Now why did I just do that?" Peter asked.

"Leverage," Henry nodded.

Henry picked up the bench through the cell and pressed the feet of it against the door, then lifted it, causing the bolts to pop out and the door to rise as he picked it up and pushed it away from him. He did the same to Peter's cell.

"That was bloody brilliant," Peter gasped.

"Thanks," Henry smiled, "I saw it in a movie once."

The two of them shared an approving glance before snatching the weapons that were hanging on the wall for the guards. They each grabbed a sword and rushed up the stairs to the throne room, which was completely empty, and filled with guards wearing red armor.

They didn't waste any time at all. There was no time for them to waste in the first place. They clashed swords with each of the guards, one by one, falling to the ground with a loud thud. What was the most curious about the guards was that Henry saw that none of the guards made any human sound when they hit the ground. So he tackled one of them and removed their helmet, seeing absolutely nothing underneath.

"Peter!" Henry shouted, "These aren't my mom's! They're Sparrow's!"

Peter punched one in the face, and with a triumphant sigh, he shouted, "Excellent! All the more reason to keep this up!"

There was only one guard left, and he was at the back of the pack for a reason. He was going to be the hardest one to get rid of. Even as each of the boys put in their efforts to push him over, he just kept getting up just as strong as the last time. The red guard had Peter and Henry cornered with his spear up against them. Suddenly, a sharp sword went straight through the armor and the guard looked at the emptiness inside his chest, then fell to the ground with a thud.

In the guard's place was a fair skinned woman with long raven black hair with eyes as blue as the ocean. She was wearing an underdress, but she didn't seem to care that she was in the presence of two men. She was breathing heavily with satisfaction as she watched her victim on the ground.

"Mara!" Henry and Peter cheered together.

The woman rolled her eyes, "Would you PLEASE stop calling me that!"

Just as she said that, a couple of the red guards rose from the ground, but it was no problem for Princess Clara. Just a simple punch to the gut and a sword at the neck and they fell back again with ease. The remains of the armor on the ground then shriveled up and disappeared into the air.

"Well then," Clara said, wiping her hands off against her dress, "That was fun. Now in exchange for my saving your lives… I want answers."

"Answers?" Peter asked.

Henry stepped forward, humbly, "I don't think we're the ones to tell-."

"Give me answers or I'll throw you both back in the dungeon," Clara hissed.

The boys looked at each other sheepishly, then Peter gestured to Henry.

"Princess Clara…" Henry said awkwardly, "I'm Henry… this is my friend, Peter… Peter Pan."

"I'm familiar," Clara said with her hand on her hip, "My mother used to read me stories about you… I know exactly who you are… I expected Peter Pan to be a young boy… not a womanizing swine-."

"Okay, we know each other," Henry calmed, "Let's move on to why we're here."

"Why are you here?" Clara repeated.

Henry and Peter exchanged another look. Perhaps the phrase, "everything you know is a lie because you're cursed" wasn't exactly going to get the angry and determined Princess, with a lethal sword on in her hand, on their side.

"Someone is hell bent on ruling this kingdom… this realm, for that matter," Peter answered, "His name is Jack Sparrow… we all believed he was just a myth, but he is very real, and he is very determined to kill you and your mother in order to have ultimate power."

"Also…" Henry hesitated, but then took a deep breath, "He kinda… put a curse on this land… I mean, not this land specifically, but he cursed another land and brought you here…" Clara raised her eyebrows at him, "I am your brother, Clara… I know that may seem impossible and a little weird, but it's true… a while back, you brought me back from a scary place… you brought me home and you brought magic back to our home. We did it together. We saved our mom and your dad. Peter helped, so did Tristan."

"Do not mention Tristan in this," Clara snapped, "I want him out of this."

"Sorry," Henry said quietly, then continued, "Anyway, it was the great huge adventure. It brought our little family closer together… you were the most feared pirate on the seven seas. You gotta remember that, right?"

Clara shook her head, "None of that ever happened… I've never even seen you before."

"I figured you'd say that," Henry sighed, "and that's because Jack Sparrow cursed you and nothing is what you think it is now," Clara rolled her eyes and began to walk away, "I can prove it! I know who your father is!"

Clara stopped in her tracks and turned around, "My father is dead…"

"No," Henry shook his head, "Your father is not Baelfire, your father is alive. I know who he is! I know where we can find him."

"Who is he-."

"Is anyone there?" a real guard from the castle called from outside the throne room. Clara grabbed both boys and lead them to the nearest window.

"Here…" Clara whispered, "Sneak out this way… I will come and find you if you stay in the village… we are not through here."

The boys climbed through the window and out of the palace using the stones as steps down onto the ground. At last, Henry thought, if Clara wanted to see him again, that meant that he was getting somewhere with her. If he ever learned one thing from his grandparents, it was to always have hope. Hope was the last thing Henry was clinging onto now, and he wasn't going to let go; not for one second.

* * *

**AN: Here's what's coming up next week! Clara starts to demand some answers out of her loved ones while Henry and Peter come up with a new plan to help her remember who she really is.**


	11. Chapter 11

Clara had a hard time sleeping that night. She simply laid there in her bed, looking at her surroundings inside her chambers, wondering if any of this was even real. Perhaps this was all some kind of dream and she was going to wake up in a completely different life. According to the boys, she was under some kind of curse that made her forget everything between the them. It sounded absolutely crazy, but magic spells and enchantments are thriving in this land, so it didn't sound THAT far fetched. There was only one true way to figure out if they were telling the truth; Henry had told Clara that her father wasn't who she thought he was and that he is alive and not Baelfire at all. If Clara's mother told her the truth about her father, then Henry wasn't lying and there was something going on inside the kingdom that needed to be stopped.

When morning came, the princess didn't open her doors to let the light in. She just got up, dressed respectfully, then pinned her hair up in a tight bun. She walked the halls as though she were a moving chess piece, keeping her head down and watching the tiles disappear behind her as she walked across them.

"Princess!" Clara heard Tristan's voice call.

She rose her head and gave him a very small grin, "Good morning, Tristan."

He smiled and brought her hand to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss, then holding it between his two warm hands, "I was wondering if you would accompany me on a horseback ride around the country. You and I could use a bit of fresh air today, don't you think?"

Clara's smile grew slightly as she looked outside the window at the sunrise above the quiet kingdom below her.

"Tristan…" she said softly, "That sounds wonderful… but…"

Tristan raised an eyebrow at her, then took one of his hands and placed it on her jawline, very carefully pulling her attention towards him, "Are you well?" he asked, "You seem very occupied with your thoughts this morning…"

"It's nothing," Clara sighed, touching Tristan's arms and rubbing his hand with her thumb. She considered not telling him all that was bothering her, but that wasn't a good way to start off a marriage at all, so she took a deep breath and continued, "Last night, I discovered that I had been lied to for quite some time."

"Lied to?" Tristan asked, slightly angrily, "By who?"

"I am not quite sure yet," Clara said quietly, taking Tristan's hands in hers and holding them down by their sides, "It is either these boys who have claimed that I am under some kind of curse… or my own mother."

"Your mother? Impossible."

"I was thinking that as well," Clara agreed, "but I must see for myself. If the boys are telling the truth, then there are answers that I need to retrieve… I will not be at peace until I do so."

Tristan looked down at their hands, seeing that she was holding onto him rather tightly. That assured him, in many ways, that she really did need him after all. To the prince's delight, he was starting to become more to her than a business deal. So he moved one of his hands to her cheek and gave her a very sweet kiss to her lips. He figured, the last time she was kissed wasn't exactly a fond memory, so better now to instill better memories while they have the chance to.

"Do what you have to do," Tristan whispered as he pressed his forehead against Clara's, "If you need anything, I am at your service, my princess."

Clara smiled and kissed his lips gently one last time before backing away and marching down the hall. As she watched the long hall, with pillars and black and white tiles, she started to wonder how on earth she was going to get this truth out of her mother. The Queen was fairly good at knowing when someone was lying to her, but sadly, Clara didn't possess a skill such as that. What Clara really needed to do right now was to suck it up and try to stand up to her mother. That was going to take a lot of confidence that she probably wouldn't have yet.

She knocked on the door, then heard "Enter" from inside. She pushed the door open and saw Emma standing in front of her mirror, placing little pins into her hair.

"Clara," Emma said sweetly, "Come in, sweetheart."

"Hello, mother," Clara said, walking quietly into the room.

"I have something to show you," Emma said excitedly, running to her daughter and grabbing her hands, "It came in yesterday morning and I was going to wait until your wedding day, but I just got too excited about it."

"Mother, there's something I wish to discuss-."

"Later, darling, but first…" Emma took the knobs of her dresser and pushed them to the sides, causing the doors to fly open and reveal a white dress inside with a veil hanging next to it, "Isn't it wonderful? It just came yesterday. Tristan will be so surprised once he sees you walk down the aisle in it."

"It is beautiful," Clara whispered.

"And it suits you perfectly," Emma clapped, "These same people made my wedding dress and your grandmother's wedding dress. Oh! She would be so happy if she were here today! And look," Emma picked up the veil and swished it around in the air before placing it on her head in front of the mirror, "It was hand made my fairies, an omen that guarantees bliss and happiness."

Clara looked at her own reflection, then at the fabric as it brushed against her hair.

"Did you wear this veil when you got married to my father?" Clara asked plainly.

Emma paused for a moment, then slowly took the veil off of her head and cleared her throat, "Enough about me… you said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Actually yes," Clara nodded and turned around to face her mother. She could feel herself getting smaller as she got closer and closer to her mother, the queen, but she swallowed her fear with a deep breath, "I want answers."

Emma shrugged, "Ask away. I'm an open book to you, Clara."

The princess shook her head, "Really? I can assure you, this won't be a question you will want to answer," there was a pause, so Clara kept going, "I know you have been hiding something from me… about my father."

Emma tensed up and took a step away from her, "You know…"

"Do I know, mother?" Clara asked, "Because right now, everyone seems to be doing a great job at making sure I know absolutely nothing."

"Is this about that boy in the dungeon?" Emma asked angrily, "Clara, I specifically told you not to go down there!"

"I didn't go down there," Clara said, crossing her arms, "I found them. They escaped on their own, so I helped them."

"Child, have you lost your mind!?" the queen shouted, "they are a threat-."

"To who? The kingdom?" Clara shouted back, "Or to yourself?"

"You will not talk down to me, young lady-."

"I'm not a child anymore! I'm 21 years old! I'm going to be a wife AND a queen soon. I am done tolerating all the lies that are going on behind my back! I want answers! Who is my father?"

"Baelfire-."

"Lies!" Clara cried, running her hands through her hair, "I don't look anything like him, do I? That's why you always pin my hair up. It's why you tell me to never look at anyone in the eye. It's not because you want me to be stronger, it's because you don't want people to know the differences between me and my REAL father."

"Your father was King Baelfire," Emma argued, "He was more of a father to you than that other man!"

"Who is he?" Clara begged, then watched as the blankness took over her mother's expression. She could tell that her mother was going to make up something stupid; another lie. Clara couldn't take any more deceit in her life. Who knows what else she could be lying about? The thought boiled inside her. "TELL ME!" the sound of her cry echoed throughout the room and down the hall.

Emma looked at the ground beneath her, then at her daughter's eyes, the blue eyes that didn't belong to Baelfire at all. They were Hook's. For years, Emma had convinced herself that Clara truly belonged to Baelfire. The truth was more difficult for herself than she had imagined.

"Captain Hook," she finally muttered.

The tension had disappeared from Clara's body and had left nothing but sadness and surprise. A pirate. A pirate was her father. She didn't know whether to relax, because she had now known the real truth of her parentage, or to cry, because the great man she had once looked up to wasn't the man she thought he was. There were so many things to think about. Did Baelfire know about this? How did Captain Hook end up with The Queen? What did Captain Hook look like? Where was he? It swirled around her like a tornado in her mind. It soon became too much and she rushed out the door.

"Clara!" The queen called after the princess, whose dress was flowing rapidly behind her as she ran. There was no catching her now. All Emma could hope for now was some quiet time for her daughter. Perhaps she would have some time to think and get over this.

* * *

The next morning, Queen Emma didn't go to her daughter's room. That wasn't going to be the brightest idea at the moment considering Clara thought her mother was a backstabbing liar. The best thing to do in the morning was to visit Tristan. If anyone was going to help Clara see reason, it would be her future husband.

"Prince Tristan," Emma called as she saw him approaching the throne room area.

The prince stopped in his tracks and changed direction towards the queen, "Good morning, your majesty. I trust you slept well."

"Not as well as you'd think," Emma sighed, "I fear I may have upset my daughter."

"Yes," Tristan said quietly, "She came to me yesterday morning speaking of her discomfort with how things were going around here."

"As it turns out, Clara believed that I was lying to her about her father… and she was correct," Emma waited for Tristan to react, but he didn't, "Tristan, I need you to help Clara through this… but first I must tell you of my dalliance with Clara's true father."

"My queen, I am all ears," Tristan nodded.

"Good," Emma breathed, "I was ambushed by pirates when I was a bit younger than Clara. Captain Hook took me onto his ship and trained me to be like him. I ended up falling in love with him, but then thought he betrayed me, so I left and returned here. On my wedding day, he returned to say a final goodbye to me…. and then I became pregnant with Clara. I found out on my honeymoon… Baelfire knew he wasn't the true father, but he agreed to raise her as his own, thinking that Captain Hook did this to me against my will… the rest is history," there was a silence again, "Tristan, I beg of you… go to Clara… try to comfort her. She must be feeling absolutely awful."

He nodded and started heading towards Clara's chambers, which was his original destination in the first place. By the time he had knocked on her door three times, he had heard nothing inside. The prince opened the door and saw no sign of a woman inside, but bed sheets tied together at the balcony railing and crumpled up into a ball at the ledge. Tristan ran to the edge and saw nothing beneath him but the villagers walking to and from the docks. He hit the railing with his fist and ran as fast as he could out of the palace.

* * *

It was late at night when Clara decided that the palace was no longer a place of comfort for her. All around her there was nothing real to her. All the hope that remained for her was the idea of finding her father, Captain Hook. By the time morning came, she was already gone, dressed in pants, boots, a white baggy shirt with a red vest and a cloak to cover her.

Clara's mother had lied to her, which meant that the boy was telling the truth. She had remembered his name to be Henry, the boy who approached her when she was out amongst the poorer people. He knew her and he was right about who her true parentage, so there were probably several other things he could be right about. Not to mention, he had Peter Pan on his side, which was curious enough on its own. This was certainly an adventure that she was willing to go on for the sake of the answers she's been desperate to find.

The place to wait for them was at the docks. She would stand by the post that held the boat to the dock until the boys would find her. They couldn't have gone far. If they really came just to tell Clara about her father, then they wouldn't have just left immediately after. Clara wondered what would happen after she found her father, if she could even find him in the first place. Would she run away with him and live the life she had only dreamed about? Or would she return only to get married and end up like her mother?

"We need a boat," a young man's voice said from behind her.

Clara's eyebrows widened, because she knew the sound of that man's voice, so she turned around and gently lifted the hood off her head.

"Great," she grinned, "So do I."

Henry's mouth fell open just a tad and Peter smiled.

"C-Clara," Henry gasped, "You're here."

"You were right," Clara said, "I got the truth from my mother… my father isn't King Baelfire, it's Captain Hook."

"We knew you'd believe us," Peter said excitedly.

"And now that I know the truth, you have to take me to him," Clara demanded.

"Of course," Henry nodded, "Anything to help you remember."

She crossed her arms across her chest, "Now let's get one thing settled… just because you were right about my father doesn't mean you're right about this curse nonsense. I still think you're lying about that, but no matter. I'm going to trust you to get me to my father anyway."

Peter shrugged, "It's better than nothing, I suppose. Come on then, your highness. If you're going to come face to face with your pirate father, you're going to have to learn a little about his world." He pushed past Clara and jumped from the dock onto the ship with ease.

"Show off," Henry muttered.

"Let's start by taking this ship," Peter said proudly, walking towards the wheel.

"Not so fast," Clara said, stepping onto the plank with Henry behind her, "Do you really think I'm going to let you lead this mission? It's my father we're after."

"Yes, but you came to us," Peter grinned.

"Nevertheless," Clara sassed, "I'm a princess and you're both peasants, therefore, I'm the leader."

Clara felt a tug on her arm and she fell backwards into, what she thought were, Henry's arms, but Henry was standing in front of her, watching her fall and reaching for her hand.

"Actually," Tristan's voice said loudly in her ear, "None of you will be leading this mission."

"Tristan, let me go," Clara spat.

"I should have known you were aiding these criminals," Tristan said menacingly, pointing his sword at the boys, "Come along, Clara, we are to go back to the castle immediately-."

The princess stepped on his foot, causing the prince to fall backwards and fling his sword into the air, which she caught and held to his chest as he lay on the stone ground.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, which made Peter smile a bit on the inside.

"Clara…" Tristan sighed, "Look at you… you're dressed like a pirate, a common thief."

"What's wrong with pirates and common thieves?" Clara asked, "My father is one of them, that makes me one of them as well."

"My princess, you've lost your natural mind," Tristan argued, "Stop this nonsense and let's go home."

"No!" Clara shouted, "Don't you get it? I need to do this! I need to understand where I come from otherwise I'll never be happy. Was it not you who said that I should do what I have to do? You said you would be at my service if I needed you…" she slowly lowered the sword, "Well… I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing…"

There was a pause as Tristan looked around at Henry, who was still standing on the plank, waiting for Clara, and Peter, who was standing at the wheel impatiently.

"Fine," Tristan hissed, standing himself up, "but I'm coming with you. I don't trust these scoundrels, not for one second."

"Fine," Clara said gently, and gave him back his sword.

Henry nodded and lead the two fo them onto the deck of the boat. Peter flung his hand into the air and the sails released themselves, causing Clara to smile at them as the boat began to move into open water.

"Him I definitely don't trust," Tristan said under his breath as he watched his future bride smile at the man behind the pirate's wheel.

"Where to, Peter?" Clara called.

"For now," he smiled, "We find the Jolly Roger."

* * *

**AN: Sorry! I know it isn't Sunday! I got held up with a lot of stuff since school is coming back. UGH. Anyway, here's a look at what's coming up next week!**

**Peter teaches Clara the rules of being a pirate and her fiancé, Tristan, starts to show a bit of jealousy in the process. **

**Bringing back the love triangle! So excited!**

**Thanks for reading! xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

The rocking of the boat, the sound of the waves, the fresh smell of salt in the air, and the blazing afternoon sun accompanied with a clean sea breeze was something totally unfamiliar to Clara. She simply stood at the deck with her eyes closed and her face directly out towards the open sea, letting her surroundings fill her up and transport her from the world she once knew to the world she would have to familiarize herself with from now on.

Tristan wasn't taking this situation lightly at all. In fact, he watched over her as though she were his puppy and he were the careful owner watching the puppy go outside for the first time. He was afraid he might lose the girl he loves to a life of crime and piracy. He was so ready to be married to this woman, and now she was here, ready to throw herself into a world that could very well be life threatening.

"Do you smell that?" Clara asked Tristan.

"Do I smell what?" he asked, standing beside her at the edge of the ship.

She took a deep breath through her nose and sighed, "The open sea… my freedom."

He gave her a small grin and placed his hand on top of hers, "I just hope we make it out alive for you to remember what this feels like."

"Your pompous prince has a point," Peter chuckled, walking down the stairs from the pirates wheel to where the princess was standing. Clara opened her eyes, "What's the point of going all this way to find your father if you have no pirate training of your own."

"Then it's settled," Tristan said excitedly, "We turn around this instant and head back to the castle-."

"Easy there, fancy pants," Peter halted, "I was going to say that you need to be taught how to be a pirate. Fortunately for you, I have some experience myself. I could teach you what I know."

Clara laughed, "Don't play games with me, Pan. I've read all about you! What kind of experience do you have being a pirate?"

Peter shrugged, "There are a lot of things that happen to me that don't end up in your little storybooks. First of all, I was younger then. Second of all," he took several steps and ended up only inches away from Clara, but she didn't step back, "my knowledge of pirates comes from your father, so I suggested you listen carefully."

"Then teach me," she spat in his face.

Peter grinned and took her wrist, leading her to the center of the boat.

"There are 10 basic rules of being a pirate," he said loudly, "We're going to start backwards from 10, going down the very most important pirate rule."

"I'm ready," Clara nodded.

"Good. Rule #10. When invading a certain place, if you can get in, you can get out. Every plan needs an escape plan to go with it."

"Every plan comes with an escape, got it," Clara repeated.

"Next," Peter said, throwing a sword towards her and she caught the hilt with ease, "Rule #9. Carry a weapon at all times."

He pointed his sword and her and she hesitated before doing the same action. PEter began to step to the side and she followed him as he watched her feet. He whacked her sword with his and she stepped forward, causing him to step back slightly. He smiled as he watched her stance while holding the sword.

"Your footwork is impressive, perhaps that has come naturally to you," Peter smiled, "Unfortunately, you aren't going to get by in a fight with just your feet, so keep this sword with you at all times."

Clara nodded as the both slowly drew back their weapons. Peter went back into the barrel where all the weapons were stored and picked up a small pistol in a holster.

"Here," he said, handing it to her, "Never use this unless it is a matter of life or death… trust me… if you come face to face with a ruthless pirate captain and you are inches away from death…" Peter looked at Tristan, who had his hands firmly on the wheel, "This weapon may very well save your life."

Clara looked curiously at Tristan, wondering as to why Peter was looking there, but she shrugged it off and took the weapon, attaching it to her belt.

"And remember this," Peter said, stepping closer to her, "Your weapon shouldn't be just a tool of destruction," he placed a finger on her head, "Your strength, grit, and mental ability can be your greatest weapon as well. Use it."

She slowly nodded and he stepped back with a small grin on his face, "Shall we continue? Rule #8. Never go back to a land you've previously attacked without someone they trust. Say you're on a quest of some sort and you have to find something. Achieving your goal is not going to be easy if the villagers recognize you and a fight ensues."

"But if a fight does break out, always be ready," Clara nodded.

"That is true," he agreed, "but bring someone those people trust anyway. It will make your life a whole lot easier."

"Got it."

"Next rule is Rule #7. Save yourself. Always think of yourself."

Clara scoffed, "Sounds enough like a pirate."

"Mock them all you want," he laughed back, "but if pirates weren't selfish, then they wouldn't have survived for this long. Think about it, if pirates started suddenly getting hearts, then they would all be dead, but they're not. Your father is among one of the most selfish, cruel, and ruthless pirates on the seven seas. So I suggest you get used to this particular rule."

Clara cleared her throat and nodded.

"Excellent," Peter continued, "Rule #6. Part of the ship, part of the crew."

Peter ran towards Clara and took her hand, running her up to the very edge of the boat where she could see nothing but open sea and the scenery disappear behind her. He placed his hand on her waist and turned her around.

"This whole vessel is like one working body," he said, "Everybody does their part to make sure that it works. Nobody is above anyone else except for the captain," he pointed towards the wheel, "The captain is like the brain of the body, telling the limbs how to do their job. If there is a first mate, then he is second in command to the captain. Everybody follows his orders as well. Other than that, the crew is part of the ship and the ship is part of the crew. A pirate's ship is the center of their universe, where everything revolves around it. That's why they usually refer to their ship as "she" or "her". It is their true love. A pirate would first sell his soul before selling his ship…"

Clara could still feel Peter's hands on her waist. His eyes were blue, just like hers. In all her years, she had only seen green or brown eyes. Clara had unique blue eyes. Now Peter had them too. She liked the way he grinned at her, like he approved of her. His lips formed a small curve to one side which formed that grin. The breeze was just light enough to make his blonde hair move in the wind. Peter Pan was an absolutely fascinating creature whom she had never, in her wildest dreams, imagined encountering.

"Which leads me to my next rule," Peter continued and took Clara's wrist, leading her back to the center of the ship, "Rule #5. Never trust anyone too easily."

"I would agree with that," Tristan called, stepping down from the wheel, "If you'll excuse us just for a moment, kind sir."

Tristan took Clara's hand and led her to the corner of the ship as Peter turned away.

"I think you need to listen to that rule a bit more carefully than the others," Tristan warned, "I don't trust this man and neither should you."

"Tristan," Clara said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "You don't have to worry about me, or about Peter. I've read his stories, he knows who my father is. If anyone on this earth can help me find my father, it's him…. and I trust him."

"Clara, I urge you to think this through," he begged.

She nodded, "Okay," then paused, "Done. I still trust him and if you trust me, then you'll stand by me."

Peter took a bag and held it out in front of him. Clara turned around aswa it, making her return to his side.

"Rule #4," He said, dropping the bag and letting the shiny pieces inside scatter all over the floor, "The treasure belongs to the captain first. What he gives to the crew is to be fairly shared. If you're a good pirate, he'll pay you well."

Clara nodded and immediately, he ran towards the door to where the captain's quarters must be, then pressed his ear against it.

"Rule #3," Peter said, then remembered how this was the rule that was taught to him by Mara, herself. How funny it was to be teaching it to her now after all this time, "NEVER take the easy way in. If you see an open gate or an open door, then it's simply just too easy for you to get captured. Find another way in."

"Got it," Clara chanted.

"Rule #2," Peter grabbed her hand and directed her towards the back of the ship, looking at the waves that were pushing away from them as the ship pushed forward, "He who falls behind his left behind."

"And the last rule?" Clara asked.

Peter grinned and dug through the barrel, finding a bottle at the bottom. Of course, a ship carries some kind of rum in it somewhere. He opened the bottle and handed it to her.

"Take what you can and give nothing back," he said, shaking the bottle at her.

Clara hesitantly took the bottle and looked at it. The darkness of it didn't exactly assure her, because she couldn't see what was inside. However, the happy look on Peter's face made it easier for her to take a sip out of it. The liquid fell down her throat with ease. The taste was something slightly sweet and yet vile at the same time. For some reason, it was satisfying to her, so she took another big chug from it and handed it back to him with a smile on her face. Peter laughed.

"Oh yeah," he chuckled, "You're Captain Hook's daughter, alright."

* * *

A night at sea was something Clara had never experienced. Sure, she had been out on the sea with her father as a child, and running away on the open sea was something much more exciting, but she had never really seen what it was like to watch the moon reflect on the calm waters and the constellations that hovered around her like dust in the sky.

She heard the sound of nimble footsteps approaching her, and she knew, by now, who those steps would belong to.

"Thank you for teaching me this afternoon," Clara said quietly.

Peter sighed, "It's not a problem at all. In fact, I've assured Henry of your safety because you now know how to think like a pirate."

She nodded and looked down at the ship underneath her feet, "I thought I would feel guilty about leaving by now… but I don't…"

"That's the pirate inside you," he leaned up against the railing beside her and looked out at the sea, "the selfish part that doesn't consider anyone else's feelings but your own," as terrible as that sounded, Peter was glad that Clara was starting to become more like Mara again.

Clara shook her head, "This is crazy… All of my life I had only considered myself a princess and nothing else… and now here I am, naturally a pirate. I don't even know what I am anymore."

"That's okay," he said, inching himself a little closer to her, "Because I do…"

"Let's pretend that Henry is right about this other life we claimed to live," Clara said quietly, "It would appear that we knew each other then."

"Knew each other," he chuckled, "Yeah, that's one way of putting it."

Clara tilted her head at his comment.

"Let's say that I believe this whole story the two of you have come up with," she sighed, "Tell me… what was I like?"

Peter took a deep breath and smiled to himself, picturing the woman beside him as his Mara; dressed in black and purple with a gun and a sword at her waist, her confidence simply radiating off her skin. Not even a stab wound could stop her from doing what was right.

"You were… unbelievable," he said sweetly, "I had never seen a woman like you before… we had fought each other on a number of occasions as children… but it wasn't until we were older when I started seeing you differently… at first, you were stubborn, overbearing, annoying, rude… but later I saw you were determined, confident, strong, and ruthless… Mara Jones was quite the incredible being; feared by all who even heard her name. She had been a pirate all of her life and hated the idea of becoming a princess… but she revealed to me that perhaps she could be both. The moment she realized it, it was like the heavens opened up to her. She had magic inside of her…"

"She sounds wonderful," Clara said, looking from Peter back out towards the sea.

He paused and faced her, "She was beautiful… she had long black hair," he ran his hand down her hair, pushing some of it away from her face, "She had beautiful blue eyes… if only I could see them right about now…"

Clara gasped and faced him.

"You loved me," she said, her eyes widening, "That's why you kissed me that night. You had assumed I remembered you."

"That's not quite what I assumed," he shrugged, "but it's close enough."

"Oh how I must have broken your heart," she said sadly, touching her heart, "Peter I am terribly sorry about all this…"

"It's okay," he sighed, "It's not like you're dead or anything… you're right here in front of me. You just don't remember, that's all… I once held you in my arms and I thought you were dead because of me… nothing could ever be as worse as that."

Clara put her arm on his shoulder and nodded, "You are good, Peter. If you do not find your happiness with me, you will find it elsewhere."

He took a step closer to her, "but see… that's the problem… I only want my happiness with you."

He was going to give it another shot. Perhaps her feelings about him had changed since the last time he kissed her. He realized by now that if he kissed her and she didn't feel anything, then nothing would happen. After their adventures today and their conversations in this moment, how could she not feel at least a little something for him. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him and his lips landed on hers almost too perfectly in his mind. As the breeze came through, it brushed her hair out of her face, so when she pulled away, he could clearly see the look of surprise on her face.

"Peter…" she sighed, then shook her head, "I know what you're trying to do… I'm not an idiot simply because I'm not the person you think I am. You're trying to see if true love's kiss can break this spell you believe is true-."

"Mara-."

"Stop calling me that!" she hissed, "I'm not this Mara Jones girl. Get that fantasy out of your head. This is real. I'm Princess Clara. I'm not a pirate, I'm a princess. I'm going to meet my father and then I'm returning home where I am to be married. I'm getting married, Peter… how could I possibly have those kind of feelings for you when you know I'm engaged to Tristan… if I am to have any sort of true love in my life, it will be with the man who is going to be my husband, not some rogue fairytale creature I read about as a child."

Clara shook her head as she backed away, leaving Peter alone on the deck. As he heard the door to below deck slam shut, he figured that breaking the spell at this point wasn't very likely. Still, he wouldn't stop until Clara loved him, not Mara, but Clara. The second she was in love with him, he'd use the kiss to break the spell. He remembered how determined Mara was, and he was going to be just as determined until he held that woman in his arms once again.

* * *

**AN: Wow, I'm getting bad at uploading on time these last few weeks. If you hate me, I understand. I will actually try my best to get the next chapter up by Sunday night at the latest.**

**Here's what's up next week:**

**Captain Hook comes face to face with his daughter for the first time. Meanwhile, Peter's quest to win Clara's heart is far from over.**

**Thanks for reading! xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

The morning didn't look too bright for Tristan. He didn't know that Clara had denied Peter last evening, so he had thought that he was beginning to lose her just as he got her. Other than an alliance with her kingdom, he didn't have much to gain from marrying her except her heart, which was all he really needed.

Henry was the kind soul who decided to step out early in the morning to make sure the prince was okay.

"Hey," he said, standing beside him, not looking at him and staring out into the sea.

"Hello," Tristan said, not really acknowledging the other man beside him.

"You okay?" Henry asked, "You looked kinda pissed off when Peter and Clara were training yesterday."

"That's exactly it," Tristan said through his teeth, "I am… pissed off, as you say. Everything that wild man says to her puts her more and more under his spell… it makes my blood boil…"

"Trust me," Henry said, "She's not interested in him like that."

"It's not like she has a choice," Tristan muttered, "She's marrying me whether she likes it or not-."

"That sounds a little harsh there," Henry said defensively.

"It is… because I don't want her to be unhappy with me… if she falls for this… this fairytale creature… she will be forced to spend eternity with me, completely unhappy. That's the fate her mother was forced into and she swore she didn't want to end up like that… now she is."

"Her mom isn't UNhappy," Henry shrugged, "She seemed perfectly fine to me… from what I know, she was kind of fond of the man she married, if she didn't truly love him, she at least saw him as a friend… that's good for you, right?"

"Proving that she'll see me as a friend while she sneaks out of the castle in the middle of the night to meet… him."

Henry laughed at himself, catching his breath and bending over the railing just a bit to conceal it.

"What?" Tristan asked.

"It's nothing," Henry shook his head, "Nothing you'd believe, anyway."

"What?" Tristan asked again, facing Henry with a hand on his side.

Henry caught his breath, then turned to the prince, "I'm guessing Clara's told you all about how Peter and I believe we're from a different world…" Tristan raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Okay… well in that other world that we're from, you and Mara, who you now know as Clara… you knew each other."

"Oh did we?" he scoffed.

"Yeah, you guys were friends, like best friends. You guys knew each other for like 9 years now. A year ago, you guys fell in love with each other and you were together for a whole year until like 2 or 3 months ago when you both decided to separate. You were both okay with everything and she fell for Peter after that."

"Of course she did," Tristan spat.

"But you weren't left alone either," Henry sighed, "Actually… it's kinda awkward now that I'm even telling you this… but there's a girl named Tiger Lily; she's a friend of Peter's… I had feelings for her… but I think you did too… whenever she made plans to meet me somewhere, I'd find her with you."

"I see…" Tristan said, taking a step away from Henry, "So my quarrel isn't with Peter then… it's with you? For… Tiger Lily?"

"It's probably not a name you're familiar with," he chuckled, "Believe me, it took some getting used to for me… but she really is remarkable… I hope you get to see her some day if this curse never breaks…"

"You wish for me to see her?" Tristan asked, "but if I never do, then she's all yours to keep."

"That's the thing about having Captain Hook as a stepfather. I like a fair fight."

Tristan took a deep sigh, "I actually hope that what you're telling me is the truth… that way, when this curse breaks, I'll stop feeling like the world is coming apart simply because Clara won't look at me… then I'll have a new fight to win instead."

Henry looked up at Tristan, who shrugged and held out his hand to him. They both positioned themselves face to face and Henry grabbed Tristan's hand, both of them shaking it as firmly as they could. It was the one sign as to who the stronger man was. They both started the laugh at each other.

"May the best man win," Henry laughed.

"Indeed I shall," Tristan laughed back.

Just pas Tristan's shoulder, Henry could see a light fog covering up a small village. When the ship started to get closer, Henry walked past Tristan and started to get a better look, seeing if he recognized the large ship that was docked in the village port. Once he caught sight of the black flag on top, he smiled.

* * *

The village wasn't too crowded, in fact, it was almost morbid with silence. When Peter docked the boat next to the infamous Jolly Roger, he expected the ship to be filled with men with rum in their hands, but there wasn't a single person in sight.

Before Henry stepped on the plank, Clara grabbed his shoulder and pulled him down beside her.

"It's too quiet," she said, drawing her sword, "I don't trust it..."

"Good instincts," Peter nodded, "If you want to find Captain Hook, you'll find him in a bar somewhere. Remember what I told you?"

"Never take the easy way in," she responded, then stood up slowly, walking with caution across the plank and onto the stone ground.

Within seconds, the village was suddenly filled with guards all dressed in black armor with their spears pointed towards Clara, Henry, Peter, and Tristan. They came at them from all sides with their hidden faces under the hard metal. It almost made them look un-human.

"You are under arrest for kidnapping the princess," one of them shouted, "Put your hands in the air and hand her over to us."

Clara backed up just a little bit and placed her hand on the hilt of Peter's sword.

"Do you mind if I borrow this?" she whispered.

"Absolutely not," he shrugged, "I'll find another one."

She then grabbed onto the sword and tugged it out with her other hand on her own weapon, shouting as she ran towards them, swiping each of the soldier's weapons and knocking them off their feet. Her newfound pirating skills had turned her into a better fighter than she was before. Peter had turned to the soldier closest to him and grabbed his sword, using it to knock him to the ground, then grabbed another and threw it at Henry, who was still a little rusty with a weapon. One of the soldiers managed to reach Clara and grabbed her arm tightly.

"By order of the queen we are to take you back to the palace," he snapped, then started to drag her away.

"Never!" she shouted back, trying to break free of his grasp, but not succeeding in any way.

Amidst his fighting, Peter heard the cry of despair from Clara, who was being dragged by her arm towards the darkness of the forest. He kicked the soldier, whom he was currently in combat with, down and rushed towards the princess. He snuck up beside him and knocked him down, punching him in the face several times until he stopped moving. He stood up and the two of them looked each other for just a few moments, then Peter placed his hand on Clara's head and pushed her down, using his other hand with the sword to beat down the soldier behind her. Clara nodded and picked up her swords, running back into the crowd.

As Clara progressed through the crowds, she became much more frightening with each knockout and kill she encountered. Each soldier that dared approached was stricken with fear when they stepped closer to her. This wasn't the same girl they were sent to find. This wasn't their princess, but a ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate. With only one soldier remaining, she grabbed him by the back of his armor and held him up just at the water's edge.

"I don't understand," the soldier said breathlessly, "You're a princess…"

"Don't you realize by now?" she hissed, "A woman can be a princess AND a pirate."

And with one swift movement, she knocked him into the water.

"Tell the world what you've seen here today," Clara shouted into the water, then at the town around her, "Your princess is gone! She is never coming back!"

She turned around and threw Peter back his sword, then drew hers back.

"Anybody up for a drink?" she asked quietly with a grin on her face and her hand on her hip.

The bars were now abuzz with news about what had just happened on the docks. Every gossip in the village was spreading rumors about a new Pirate Princess named Clara from the biggest kingdom in the Enchanted Forest. There were already fake stories about her conquests around the world, even though Clara had only been in one fight and won. No matter, she soaked up the glory as she sat at the bar, watching all of the worried eyes trying not to look at her for too long.

"I'll get us a couple rounds," Peter smiled, patting Clara's back and heading towards the counter.

As Clara looked upon her new dominion, she heard the clink of a glass against the wooden counter where she sat.

"Congratulations," a dark haired man said, "You've won your first battle."

She raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think this was my first?"

"The look on your face," he smirked, "You're far too happy to be hearing all of these stories about you."

"So now what?" she asked, leaning against the bar, "Are you going to challenge my authority."

"Not at all," he chuckled, "In fact, I was going to propose a toast in your honor," the man stood up and raised his glass in the air, "To Clara, the Pirate Princess. May she reign over the seas with power and strike fear into our hearts forever."

"To Clara!" the people shouted as they raised their glasses, then drank.

She started to look at this man who just toasted in her honor and saw that he was only holding his cold glass with one hand, then she saw what was on his other hand. Instead of a human hand, with a palm and ten fingers, she saw a bright, shiny, silver hook hanging at his side. This man could only be one person.

"You're Captain Hook," she said to him as he sat down beside her.

"Aye," he nodded, taking another gulp of his drink.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," Clara said hopefully.

"I do love my adoring fans," Hook grinned, "but I'm not interested in giving you any memento of this moment, so find another legend to fawn over."

"It's not that," Clara shook her head, "My name is Clara… by birth, my name is Clara Jones… Emma is my mother…." as she said this, Hook put his drink down and refused to look to his right at the woman beside him, "You are my father…"

He pursed his lips and slammed his glass cup on the counter, then turned over to look at her one more time. It was one thing to look at her as another pirate trying to make themselves famous, like all the others, but it was different to look at her as his own daughter. He could see why Emma was so desperate to cover the baby's her true parentage, for Clara looked exactly like Hook. She had his long black hair and his ocean blue eyes. She also shared that same look of the devil in her face that he had. They shared the same evil grin. However, that strong will and determination to win came directly from her mother, no doubt about it.

"I had pictured what you would have looked like in my head," Hook said, "I didn't expect you to look… so much like me…"

"Do I?" she asked, looking herself up and down, "I've always wondered why my hair was always darker than everyone else in my family."

"How did you find out about me?" he asked quietly, scooting closer to her.

"Mother told me after I did some prying…. but I'm glad I found you… I just wanted to see you."

"Closure?" he asked, bringing the glass to his lips, "Back before you were born, my men and I were ambitious. Every time we finished a raid, we'd plan a new one without any stops or breaks. We had decided that we'd chase down a navy ship and steal all of its treasures. Fortunately for me, we ended up finding a ship where I ended up finding the greatest treasure of all… your mother. I didn't know it at the time, though, but I stole her in hopes of ransoming her for money. I ended up keeping her instead and I quickly fell in love with her… she was a brilliant pirate.. strong willed, tough, thick skinned. It was a dream watching her… but I had to let her go. Your grandfather came looking for her and I knew that if I kept her from her true path, then she'd always suffer, so I let her go. The only way I knew she would want to leave my side was if she thought I didn't love her, so I lied that I never loved her and she left, heartbroken. Several years later, I met her before her wedding… and then, apparently, you showed up not much later after that…"

"My mother was a pirate?" Clara gasped, then her face sank, "I always knew that I wasn't the real princess I was meant to be… my mind was always too adventurous for the life I was living… and now I know why! I'm Captain Hook's daughter; a pirate's daughter-."

"You have to return to your old life," Hook demanded.

"What?"

"You can't stay with me or anything like that.

"But… why? Don't you want me? I'm your daughter."

"It was a mistake taking your mother from the home she grew up in," Hook explained, "I shouldn't have taught her any of this pirating business and I won't let you keep up with this lifestyle… you need to go back home and do as your mother says before it's too late."

"but father…"

Hearing the young woman beside him call him father in a hushed tone was probably the sweetest thing he had ever heard. He never thought his heart could be warmed by the thought of his daughter wanting to stay with him, but he had to keep his heart hard. Emma was probably back at the castle, suffering because she was missing a daughter.

"You have become a wonderful woman," Hook said, touching her long black hair with his silver hook, "and I'm sure you will be just as powerful as your mother one day; a great queen and ruler to your kingdom… go and be that. Marry a good man forget about this dangerous life, a life where you might not even live to see the next morning. It may sound better than being kept inside a castle, but at least you'll be safe… then I can sleep each night knowing that my daughter is safe and alive and well."

"I won't…" Clara whispered, shaking her head.

"I'm not asking you," Hook said deeply.

Clara sat up straight and took a deep breath, "Fine… I'll go."

She didn't know why it hurt so much to stand up and walk away from her father. After all, she only came here to see him once for closure and then she'd go back to her old life as if nothing happened. However, seeing her father's face when he really looked at her for the first time was better than anything she had ever experienced. He looked so happy and so joyful when he first saw her resemblance to him. No matter what, Captain Hook was a part of her. That's why it broke her heart when she returned to the stolen ship with dried tears on her cheeks.

"In another life…" Peter said, walking beside her as Henry and Tristan locked themselves up below deck for rest, "Hook would be the one to train you… you'd start from 4 years old and keep going from there… he'd give you a necklace as a token of his appreciation," Clara slightly touched the shell necklace around her neck, "and you'd live with him AND your mother because they are happily married and they love you with all of their heart-."

"Don't," Clara hissed, "I don't need you to torture me with ridiculous fantasies."

"I want to do better by you this time," Peter said, "If this life, this lie that you believe, is what you think is a reality, then I will live it and I will do better to make sure that it is I who you love in the end… not Tristan."

She turned her head slightly and he bent his head down, but she placed a finger on his lips.

"Don't try the true love thing on me again," she whispered, "For years I had thought that my mother and Baelfire were true love…. but now I know that it was all a lie to cover up her affair with a pirate… even then, she was still separated from my true father and now my mother is alone… that is why I don't believe in true love. Even if it exists, I don't believe I am capable of having it. It's too much…" Peter took a step back from her, "I'm going to marry Tristan whether I like it or not. It's what my true father wishes and now I have no other choice."

"But you do," Peter said urgently, grabbing onto each of her hands, "You can have a choice. You can break the spell and we can be together again. Your parents will be together as well and your father will love you, your mother will never lie to you, and all will be as it should be," Clara began to slowly shake her head, "Say you believe me…"

"Peter, you are a good man," she said quietly as his hand touched her cheek gently, "and I wish, for your sake, that you were right… but you're not…"

He paused for a moment, then dropped her hands and took a deep sigh as he maneuvered himself away from her. However, the farther he got, the more upset she was that she knew she was breaking his heart.

"I urge you to forget the girl you once knew," Clara said softly, touching his shoulder with one arm, "Forget this Mara Jones and live on. Go back to Neverland or find love elsewhere…"

"I tried that once," Peter said, looking out into the sea, "I tried to forget you and move on, but I didn't. So you see, Mara," He moved back to her and placed his hand much more firmly around her neck, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "I know you're in there somewhere, just dying to get out… I want you to know that I still love you and I always will… after everything that's happened, I've managed to find you… and I will save you from a dreadful fate if it is the last thing I ever do… and then we'll go on a second date."

Clara feared he would kiss her now, especially by the way that he got closer to her and he stared at her lips. Instead, he kissed her forehead then let her go, patting her on the back.

"Goodnight, Clara," he said, not looking back at her before walking towards the door to below deck.

When the wooden doors slammed together, it made her jump. The love that this man felt for this Mara Jones was something unbelievable, Clara thought. She wanted to make things better for him, because he deserved that. Peter Pan was a good person and it was terribly to see him crumble for the loss of a love. The only thing was, whenever Clara rejected him, he seemed to grow stronger in his quest to win her back. He wasn't going to give up and that made her head hurt slightly.

Clara decided to go to shore briefly and get herself another bottle of rum if she was to ever survive this night. So she walked towards the tavern that contained the painful memory of her father. When she reached the shadows, a hooded figure came into view, holding a cup in his hand and shaking it, making the coins inside clink.

"Spare change?" he asked her in his weak and shaky voice.

"Tell you what," Clara responded, "with what I have left in my pocket, I'll throw in that cup for you."

"Bless you, child," he nodded, then spoke again before she could leave, "You are a gifted fighter, you know."

"Oh… thank you," she smiled.

"A prize for any man or pirate who ever sailed the seas," he said again, stepping towards her. Clara began to touch the hilt of her sword, "Oh no, my child. You won't need that where you're going."

Just then the hand of the hooded figure reached out to her and grabbed her by the arm. All she saw was a wave of darkness come over her vision and with one scream, everything went black and Clara's sword hit the ground with a loud clank.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys! So to make up for my little two week hiatus, I'm going to send out another survey! YAY!**

ww w . survey monkey s / NS 6LSDW

**For those of you who are familiar with my surveys, you know the drill, just remove the the spaces from the link, then add a dot com with a / next to surveymonkey and you should be okay. **

**This time, we get to deal with more than just Peter vs. Tristan, but the hidden love triangle between Henry, Tristan, and Tiger Lily! So that should be tons of fun! **

**You also get to help me with how to improve my writing, graphics on tumblr, and other stuff like that.**

**Please do the survey! I will literally love every single person who takes it just like last time! **

**So here's what's up next week: As Henry, Peter, and Tristan all rush back to get help for Clara, Henry realizes that he might be running out of time before he fades out of existence. **

**Thanks for reading! xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

The boys, being who they were in Clara's life, all instantly knew that something was wrong the moment she didn't come back after a while. None of them rested peacefully while not knowing where she was, so they searched the town and all the houses, not caring who was in their way. Finally, all three of them knew that there was only one person in this entire world who could help them find the princess.

Each of them got back onto the ship and headed back for the castle. By the time they had reached the kingdom, it was completely barren, not a single person in sight. There were no guards standing by the doors and everything seemed darker.

"Queen Emma!" Tristan shouted as he came running into the throne room.

The Queen sat on her throne with her head on her hand, looking as though she hadn't moved in days. The sight of Tristan made her gasp.

"You're here!" she said quickly, standing up, "Is Clara with you?"

"No," Tristan said urgently, "but we fear she has been captured and we hope you can help us find her."

"We?" Emma asked.

Peter and Henry came into the throne room shortly after and Emma rolled her eyes.

"Not these men again," she groaned.

"Believe it or not, your majesty, they care for Clara just as you and I do," he insisted, "and as crazy as they seem, all they want is for her to be safe… they can help us."

Emma looked at the two boys. She would have thrown them back in the royal dungeon without a second thought if she didn't notice the same look of worry in the boys eyes that she had seen in herself over the last several days without her daughter, knowing that she had let her down.

"Fine," Emma said, then turned towards a hallway, "Guards!"

"No wait," Henry halted, "I know how we can find her-."

"No thank you," she protested, "If we're finding my daughter, we're doing it my way."

Emma turned her back on Henry, but he reached out for her and touched her shoulder, "Mom! Wait!"

"Do not address me that way!" Emma spat, turning around at Henry.

Before he could react, a surge of pain went through his body as Emma looked at him like this abomination whom she could never call "son". He clutched his heart to his chest, as it felt like somebody was holding onto it and slowly squeezing it.

* * *

"Stop that!" Clara shouted, clutching onto the walls of her unknown cell.

Wherever she was, it wasn't a building or a castle of any sort. It must have been a cave, because it looked like the bars were just put in there to hold her.

"Now why would I do that?" Jack Sparrow asked, tilting his head to the side as her grinned with Henry's heart in his hand.

"He never did anything to you," she spat, "He wouldn't."

"And now he never will," Sparrow chuckled, "Although, I guess I really should let him enjoy the last few days of his existence."

"What are you talking about?" Clara asked.

Sparrow brought the heart to the front of the bars, showing Clara the gold covering up the red color of his beating heart.

"Listen," he whispered.

Clara slowed her breathing and heard the sound of the heart beat, beating once, pausing, then beating twice. This pattern repeating several times.

"That doesn't sound very good to me," Sparrow grinned, "You see, Henry doesn't really belong here with all of us… "fairytale folk" as they called it back in Storybrooke."

Clara paused again, looking at Sparrow deep in his eyes, "Storybrooke?"

"Aye," he nodded.

"No…" she shook her head, "You have to be lying… Storybrooke isn't real… Henry told me about it, it's not real. It's just a made up world in his head-."

"On the contrary," Sparrow shrugged, "It was very real. Everything he said was actually very real."

Clara didn't understand why his eyes weren't telling her that he was lying. Sparrow wasn't lying. Then again, villains are always known to be particularly good liars.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Clara hissed.

Jack grinned and placed his hand on one of the stone walls next to him. It turned so white that it glowed, but an image began to form within it. There, Clara saw herself, but dressed in something completely different and strange. She saw herself throwing a pillow at the boy, Henry, in a strange room she wasn't familiar with. Then she saw herself, walking beside Peter looking absolutely smitten. Finally, she saw herself walking in between her mother and father as though they were a true family.

"I don't understand," she whispered, shaking her head, "My parents…"

"Were happy," Jack finished, removing his hand from the wall and crossing his arms across his chest, "They were in love. I guess you could say that I took all of that away."

"You? You did this?"

"Guilty," Jack said proudly, "and thanks to me, the only thing standing in between me and my rise to power will cease to exist before tomorrow."

He looked at the heart in his hand and chuckled as he felt the beating pattern quicken and slow down very unevenly. Clara spit far enough to get on his arm. Jack looked at her and wiped the spit off his arm.

"Unfortunately, I can't just kill you if I wanted to," Jack spat back at her.

"Why?" Clara snapped, "Too chicken?"

"No, not at all," Jack raised his eyebrows, "My master just needs you alive, that's all. You're no use to him dead. If you weren't the key to unlocking all the magic in Neverland, I would have killed you hours ago."

Clara blinked several times, "How… How is that even possible?" she looked down at her own hands.

Jack rolled his eyes, "You're the product of true love… duh. Everyone knows that."

"Not in this world they don't," a much deeper voice replied.

This figure made Jack stumble over himself, but then he stood up and grinned at him.

"Bring her to me," the hooded figure said, extending an arm towards the cell.

"I'll have to warn you," Jack said, "She's a reluctant one."

"Once all is said and done, she won't be so resistant," the hooded figure said, stretching its fingers out further to her. Clara started to back up towards the back of the cell.

"Who are you?" Clara asked.

Jack opened up the cell door and grabbed onto her arms, dragging her out of the cell.

The hooded figure's cold voice ran beneath her skin as he whispered, "You'll find out soon enough…."

* * *

**AN: Okay, okay, so I know this chapter isn't much. Trust me, the best will come next week to accompany the season premiere of Once Upon a Time next week!**

ww w . survey monkey s / NS 6LSDW

**Don't forget to add a dot com with a / next to surveymonkey for the survey!**

**Next week: Emma insists on recruiting an extra member for their "Save Clara" team as Jack Sparrow's team grows stronger and stronger by the minute.**

**Thanks for reading! xoxo**


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Fantasy, Romance