Chapter Text
Emma dashed into the cave, the rest of her group at her back just in time to see Henry collapse to his knees while Pan began rising into the air above him.
Something had gone horribly wrong.
"No!" She rushed toward Pan, brandishing her cutlass.
The maniacal boy-demon just laughed and flicked his hand. A wave of magic struck her, pushing her backward into Neal and Regina.
She turned her eyes back to Henry. He'd fallen to his hands—he looked weak, in pain. She had to get to him.
With a twang, Mary Margaret loosed an arrow overhead at the still ascending Pan. He brushed it aside like a fly, and grinned down at them spitefully.
"You're too late," Pan gloated. "I have the heart of the truest believer, given to me willingly. Soon, all the magic of Neverland will be mine, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
The spells Regina and Gold threw at Pan dissipated uselessly as Pan flew up and out of an opening in the ceiling of the cave. He disappeared into the night.
Emma didn't want to believe her ears. She couldn’t let herself believe that they were too late. She ran to Henry, dropped to her knees and scooped him into her arms.
"Mom," he moaned weakly, his tear filled-eyes gazing up at her from where she cradled him in her lap. "You came for me."
Her shoulders shook as tears rose in her eyes. "Of course I came. Nothing in the universe would stop me." God, he looked so weak. What had Pan done?
Regina dropped to the ground beside them, grasping Henry's hand, and Neal crouched in front of them while the others gathered around.
"Henry." Regina's voice broke with emotion. "Henry, what happened? What did he do?"
Henry smiled, but he looked pale and sick. "We're saving magic. He needed my heart to replenish the magic in Neverland, and it'll flow out into all the other realms. He's not what you think. He's—"
"You're wrong," said Neal, his voice heavy with despair. "I lived on this island for longer than I care to remember. I know how Pan operates, and you're wrong. He lied to you. He always lies."
Henry's eyes went wide, looking wounded. "No. . . Wendy said. . ."
"Wendy was working with Pan," said Neal flatly. "She's the one who told us the truth. He wanted your heart to make himself immortal. He's not saving anything but himself."
"No." The whispered word escaped Henry's lips and he grew limper in Emma's arms. He turned his eyes up to her, as if searching desperately for some sign that it wasn't true.
Emma felt sick. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. They were supposed to save him. They were supposed to be a family. She gently pushed the hair back from Henry's eyes, her tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get here in time."
"How long can someone live with their heart in another body?" asked Neal, his face tight with worry.
"A few hours, at most," answered Gold. "The heart will grow accustomed to its new bearer, and slowly but surely its ties to its original body will be severed. And you can be sure that Pan will do his utmost to sever those connections as quickly as possible."
Emma's shoulders shook with her effort to repress the sobs that strove to escape, and the tears in Regina's eyes mirrored her own.
"There's still time, then, if we move fast," said David with his usual determination. Mary Margaret clung to him as if he were the only solid thing in the cave. Emma wished she had something—someone—who she could turn to like that.
"If we can find him," Regina snapped bitterly.
"I think I know where he's going," said Hook softly.
Emma's heart leaped with hope. Hook knew this island inside out. He had to know. She needed him to know. She looked up to meet his eyes. He held her gaze for a moment before speaking. "Pan said he's going to gather all the magic in Neverland, and the highest concentration of that magic is in the spring, on top of the mountain where I healed David. If there's any place where he can tap into the magic of Neverland and suck it dry, it's at that spring."
Emma's breath shook in her throat. The certainty Hook held in his eyes gave her the strength she needed. "So we follow him. Now."
"It's not as easy as that," said Neal. "It's a long damn climb up that mountain, and you'd better believe Pan will have traps along the way. And then we still have to capture Pan and get Henry's heart back. We might not make it in time." His eyes darted back down to Henry, who still lay limp and hopeless in Emma's arms.
Emma pulled her son a little closer. "We'll just have to take Henry with us so we can get his heart back into him as soon as we've got it."
"It's too dangerous to take him. We can't expose him to those dangers," said Mary Margaret just as Regina growled, "And just how do you expect to do that? If we trap Pan in Gold's box, we'll never get Henry's heart back."
Emma's frustration began to build. "We don't have time to argue! We need to get moving now!"
"Would it buy Henry some time if one of us lent him our heart?" said Neal softly, looking at the ground.
Emma froze, breathless. It couldn't be that simple, could it?
Gold nodded slowly. "One of us could take on the burden of going without our heart. The borrowed heart would be enough to keep Henry alive indefinitely. But if it takes more than four or five hours—six at the most—to retrieve Henry's heart, then whoever lends him their own will die."
Silence fell over the cave as the implications sunk in. A knot grew in Emma's gut. No matter what, someone might not walk away from Neverland.
"It's worth the sacrifice," said Neal, his jaw set. "I'll do it."
Emma's heart leaped. Neal may have screwed up with her, but he was exactly the kind of father Henry needed right now. He could do this. They could make it work. He was strong. He'd last long enough to save Henry's heart.
But her relief stopped short when Hook spoke up. "No. You won't."
"What?" she and Neal said at the same time.
Hook met her gaze, a pleading look in his eyes, and then turned to Neal. "One way or another, Henry is getting off of this island. And he's doing it with his family intact. All of them. Yourself included. If the mission to stop Pan takes too long, we can't have you dying on us. There's only one way to make sure your entire family survives this."
Emma's throat felt tight. She knew where this was going.
Hook took a deep breath. "Give him my heart. I'm the only expendable one here."
The unexpected pain she felt at the tone of resignation in his voice brought new tears to her eyes.
"Hook—I'm his father," said Neal, rising to his feet.
"Which is exactly why you need to stay alive. You and I both know how much a boy needs his father." Hook stared Neal down, the tension thick between them.
Hook lowered his voice and spoke again, still holding Neal's gaze. "I abandoned one boy to Pan a long time ago. It's a mistake I don't plan to repeat. Let me do this."
Emma held her breath. After all Hook had done for her over the past week—after all the support he'd shown her, she shouldn't be surprised by this. Yet, she was. He was the one person on earth who constantly surprised her in a good way. But this was more than she'd ever expected.
She could feel the weight of the gaze exchanged by the two old friends before Neal finally nodded. "Okay."
"Let's get on with it, then," said Regina, rising to her feet with a cold edge to her voice. Without hesitation she closed the short distance to Hook and plunged her hand into his chest.
Emma gasped involuntarily and hugged Henry a little closer as she watched Hook's eyes widen in shock and more than a little pain. Seconds later Regina pulled her hand out, holding the red glowing heart in her hand. Hook staggered back, looking shell-shocked.
Henry's eyes were wide with fear as he looked up at Hook and Regina. "You don't have to do this," he said weakly.
Hook caught his breath. "Don't worry, lad. I'll be alright."
Regina knelt beside them again, cradling the heart in her hands. "Please, trust me, Henry. This will keep you strong and well while we find Pan and stop him. You'll be fine." Her voice wavered as she met his eyes. "Do you believe me?"
Henry swallowed and nodded. "I believe you. Go ahead."
Emma eased her grip on her son, exposing his chest to Regina. She held her breath while Regina slowly and gently slipped the heart into Henry's chest.
He closed his eyes and shuddered a little in her arms as the heart settled into place. Then he took a deep breath, opened his eyes, sat up and clambered to his feet, pushing away Emma's hands, though she wished she never had to let go.
"It worked!" he exclaimed. "I feel amazing! I'm ready to go. I'm the one who messed up. I need to be the one to fix it. Let's get Pan."
"Henry—" said Mary Margaret.
Neal stepped toward his son and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Your grandmother is right. We came here to save you. To protect you. There are a lot of dangers out there, and I won't lead you into any more of them. You need to stay here and stay safe."
Emma rose to her feet, knowing that she'd have to join in. Henry couldn't go back into danger—not after they'd fought so hard to get him back.
But Gold spoke up before she could chime in. "Henry won't be the only one staying behind. You can't fight magic with swords or arrows. Nothing but more magic will do. Those of you who don't have it, stay behind. You'll only slow us down."
Neal spun in his heels to face his father. "Wait, what? No way am I backing down from Pan after what he did to my son."
"Yes, Bae," said Gold, stepping a little closer to Neal, "you are. The Lost Boys are still out there, lurking about. You need to fortify this cave and prepare to defend it against attack. Regina, Emma and I will go to the mountain. We'll face Pan while the rest of you wait here."
Emma felt a chill run down her back. "Wait a minute—I don't know if this is such a good idea. I only just started learning to control my magic. I have no idea how to use it to fight Pan."
"Your instincts are better than you know, dearie," countered Gold. "And your magic is strong. We'll need all the magic we can get to contain Pan without using the box. That means you. Or would you rather leave your pirate's heart in Henry's chest and run for your life? That's the easy solution."
"No!" The word was out of Emma's mouth before she even thought it. Letting Hook die wasn't an option. He might think he was expendable, but over the last week he'd become anything but. "No," she repeated, soft but firm. "We're doing this the right way. We're stopping Pan and we're getting Henry's heart back." Her eyes flicked to Hook, and the confidence and trust she saw in his eyes took her breath away. "I'll do whatever it takes to get us all home."
Gold nodded, and Emma dropped her gaze back to Henry. She didn't have time to think about the stirring she felt in her gut every time Hook looked at her like that. Especially not now. Not with his heart on the line. The clock was ticking. They had to hurry.
"Let's go," said Regina. She turned to give Henry a big hug. "Stay with your father and grandparents. Don't leave their sight, no matter what. I won't lose you again. I love you, Henry."
"I love you, too, Mom," said Henry, hugging her back. For the first time, Emma felt no jealousy at the sight of Henry and Regina hugging. They were in this together, and if they came out of the other end alive and well, she'd find a way to make Regina family. Hopefully Regina would do the same for her in return.
Regina turned to David and Mary Margaret. "Take care of him. Whatever it takes."
The couple nodded. David spoke. "Nothing will take him away from our family, again. I promise."
Emma stepped forward to hug Henry. "I'll come back for you, kid. Always."
"I know," he said, burying his face in her side. "Stay safe."
"I will." Emma turned to give short hugs to David and Mary Margaret, but Mary Margaret clung to her longer than she'd planned.
"Come back to us, Emma," she said. "I love you."
Emma closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Her relationship with her parents would never be what she wished it could be, but she knew one thing for certain—Mary Margaret was the best friend she'd ever had. "Me too," she whispered back.
After releasing her mom she turned to Neal. She swallowed hard. If something happened to her while fighting Pan, she'd have to count on him to take care of Henry. After hearing his willingness to sacrifice his heart, she felt for the first time that she really could rely on him. She held his gaze for a few moments. "Take care of our son."
"You know I will."
She nodded, and then, feeling an unexpected pain welling in her chest, she turned her gaze to Hook.
He stood back from the group a little. Always on the outside. Never quite belonging. He was the only one who came here without family ties to drive him. She still wasn't entirely sure why he'd come at all. But she knew she never could have done this without him.
He may not have had a family tie to bring him here—but he had a tie, now. A tie to her.
She stepped closer to him. "Hook—thank you. Just—thank you."
"It's my honor to be of service," he said, a hollow imitation of his teasing smile on his face. He was trying so hard, but she could see the fear in his eyes. "Be safe," he said earnestly. "Come back from this."
"I will." She swallowed the knot in her throat. "You'd better still be here when I get back."
His smile grew a little brighter. "You can count on it."
There was too much more to say, so she didn't say anything at all.
Instead, she turned to the cave entrance where Gold and Regina stood waiting. "Let's go."
She allowed herself one last look over her shoulder at all the people she cared about most in the world standing below her in the cave. She didn't have to pull her heart out of her chest to leave it here with them—it would stay whether she wanted it to or not.
Emma clenched her teeth, and followed Gold into the darkness.
* * *
Henry squeezed his fists at his sides as he watched both his moms walk out of the cave and leave him behind.
This was all his fault.
He'd never felt so guilty or angry or frustrated in his life. He wanted to shout and kick things.
He'd thought he was being a hero, but instead he'd just been a fool, falling for Pan's lies. Now his moms were both walking into danger to make up for his mistake and there was nothing he could do about it. If one of them got hurt, he had only himself to blame.
And what about Wendy?
He turned to his dad. "Where's Wendy? Is she safe?"
His dad gripped his shoulder and nodded. "She's okay. Tinkerbell is taking care of her. They'll be waiting for us when we're ready to leave."
A few months ago the thought of meeting Tinkerbell would have thrilled him beyond belief. Now, he didn't even have time to be surprised. All he could feel was disappointment. He'd done all this for Wendy, and once again, he'd failed. He should have trusted in his moms. He should have waited.
"Hey," said his dad, meeting his eyes, "your mom's gonna be alright. She has a way of pulling through no matter how the odds are stacked against her."
"I'd never bet against your mum," said the pirate, standing a few feet away. "I'd lose every time."
Henry studied the black-clad man. What was he even doing here? Henry hadn't heard much about the real Captain Hook, but what little he had heard was all bad. Yet here he was, helping the good-guys.
Almost unconsciously Henry raised his hand to his chest to feel the strong beat of the unfamiliar heart in his chest. Every few beats he'd feel a lurch or a flutter, as if the heart hadn't learned to work properly in his body yet. As he focused on the beating of the heart he felt for a few moments that he could remember thousands of nights under gleaming stars and billowing sails—thousands of nights alone and afraid, missing loved ones who'd been ripped away from him.
Henry shook his head and dropped his hand, snapping back to the present. The pirate had stepped a little closer and extended his good hand, wearing surprisingly friendly smile on his face. "Hello Henry. We haven't been properly introduced, yet. I'm Killian Jones, formerly a Lieutenant in King Albert's royal navy some three hundred years past, and currently captain of the pirate ship Jolly Roger. I'm a friend of your mum and dad."
Henry glanced up at his dad, who nodded. "Yep. Hook and I go way back."
Henry turned back to the man who'd so unexpectedly lent him his heart. He held out his hand to take Killian's, and shook. As their hands joined, he felt a rush of strange images and memories flood through him. Faraway places, flashing swords, dark jungles, and faces—so many faces, all of them gone—all of them lost. Except one—flashing blonde hair and haunted blue eyes hung before him. He'd never seen his mom look like that before, but the image loomed large, dominating all the others.
The images ended along with the handshake, and Henry swallowed hard. Carrying Captain Hook's heart was going to be a strange and uncomfortable experience.
He sure hoped his moms would be back in a hurry.