CHAPTER ONE:  the heart of the truest believer

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JASON BUCHANAN NOW MORE THEN ANYTHING, WISHED HE HAD STAYED IN STORYBROOKE. The swinging directly into the portal, has caused for a mass of water to swirl around them, before the ship lifted, bouncing on the water waves.

"Oh my god," Jason gasped out, a feeling of nausea overcoming him. And of dizziness.

"Oh, someone's seasick," Alister spoke, monotone.

"Shut up," Jason replied.

"Jason are you alright?" David asked, worryingly.

"I am not sea sick! It's the head wound!" Jason gets her to his forehead, to when he had been fighting Tamara and Greg went to shot him, and Hook tackled him out of the way. Jason had hit his head.

"Oh, that's so much better!" David sarcastically replied back, moving forward once the boat settled.

"Is that it?" Emma suddenly called out

"Aye. Neverland," hook confirmed.

David walked toward Jason, as had Mary. David tilted his head to look at the slight wound on his head.
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"You could rest in the captain quarters," Hooks speaks to Jason, who had sat on one of the steps that separated the lower and higher deck.

"Is now really the time to be trying to get him in your bed?" Alister turned, asking his brother.

Hook glared at his brother.

"Why are you slowing down? In case you didn't know, my son's life is in danger." Regina stepped over to the pirate.

"Oh, I know, my hot-headed Queen. The plan is to bring us to the far side of the island, link up with the widest part of the river, and.. then we sail right through, take him by surprise." Hook explained, then shook his head. "The irony..." 

"What irony?" Regina asked.

"Oh, I spent more time than I care to remember trying to leave this place to kill Rumplestiltskin. And here I am, sailing right back into its heart with him as my guest of honor. It's not quite the happy ending I was hoping for." Hook explained.

"Greg Mendell said something funny to me. He said I'm a villain, and that villains don't get happy endings. You believe that?" Regina asked.

Alister glanced up at her words.

"I hope not, or we've wasted our lives." Hook answered. Hook's gaze shifted to Jason, who sat on the deck, seemingly tired.

Regina groaned down at him, before walking down the step, she crouched down. Jason has some blood on his forehead, apparently the head wound still bleeding. It has probably gotten worst with how Jason accidentally slammed into the beam on the ship, when trying to hold onto the rope.

The younger one flashed her a smile. "We'll find Henry. We'll save him, you should try to calm down. Not be so worried. You'll stress yourself out."

"It isn't only Henry who's worrying me," Regina replied, lifting a hand.

Jason moved back slightly, unsure of what she was going to do. She paused, the hand glowing a purple hue, her palm had been open.    Regina brought her hand back above the injury, healing it.

Jason felt a bit embarrassed to his actions, the way he tried to move back.   But, still, he couldn't help it. The thought that the woman would turn back in a very at him and his sister. And hurt either him or her.  "Thanks." He lowly muttered, handing his head.

Jason examined the boat, seeing that Mary and David were speaking to Emma. He was sure it was about the fact that Mary and David wanted to speak about them being a family. It never appeared that Emma wanted to though. Speak about them being her parents.

Speak about, how for her entire she was abandoned, probably assuming the worst of her biological parents, only to discover that they had been trying to save an entire world.

Jason wasn't sure if it was a good idea for him to approach them.

"How can you two be so infuriatingly optimistic?!" Emma suddenly shoots at them.

Jason stands up, approaching them.

"It's who we are." David answered.

"Why? Ever since you got your memories back, ever since you remembered that you're Snow White and Prince Charming, your lives have... they've... well, they've sucked!"

"No. No, we found you." David shakes his head.

"And lost Henry and Neal, and countless other people!"

"Emma, the minute I let go of the belief that things will get better is the minute that I know they won't. We'll find Henry."

"No, you won't." Mr. Gold suddenly says, which caused for them all to turn as see that he had a change of wardrobe. He was now wearing a suit that looked like his old one. When he was the dark one.

"Oh, that's a great use of our time—a wardrobe change." Hook sarcastically says.

"Was he hit in the head?" Jason asked.

"I'm gonna get Henry." Mr. Gold speaks.

"We agreed to do this together." Regina speaks

"Actually, we made no such agreement."

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked.

"Because I wanna succeed."

"Alone?" Jason asked. "You're going to fight a man, or, boy, or whatever the hell Pan is, when you. The dark one. Said we should all fear him?"

"What makes you think I'm gonna fail?" Emma asked.

"Well, how could you not? You don't believe in your parents, or in magic, or even yourself." Rumplestilskin replied. He seemed to be ignoring Jason.

Jason threw his hands into the air. "Why am I even here? No one's gonna listen to me."

"I slayed a dragon. I think I believe." Emma replied to Gold.

"Only what was shown to you. When have you ever taken a real leap of faith? You know, the kind where there's absolutely no proof? I've know you some time, Miss Swan. And, sadly, despite everything you've been through, you're still just that... bail bonds-person, looking for evidence. Well, dearie, that's not gonna work in Neverland."

"I'll do whatever it takes."

"Well, you just need someone to tell you what that is. Sorry, dearie, our foe is too fearsome for hand-holding. Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild. And, sadly, yours doesn't," Gold spins his cane, as it spins, he suddenly vanished, leaving the cane to fall to the ground.
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Jason had needed to get his thoughts in order, and typically when he needed to do so, there was two things he would do, bake/cook something or, work out. Obviously, he was unable to bake or cook anything while on the Jolly Roger. So, he had to do his section option, work out.

Anyways, he typically baked for Graham. And Ruby. Now though, he would be baking for Emma and Henry, obviously; Mary and David. But, as he had mentioned before, there was no way to make anything on this ship.

Jason had been working out, finding a metal bar in one of the rooms on the ship, he had used it to do a few pull up's. He had done two sets of twelve, before he stopped to begin doing push ups.

He had been on his second set of pushups, being a set of twelve. When a set of footsteps approached, he paused, tilting his head up to look at whoever it was.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," Hook says.

Jason rolled his eyes, glancing up before returning to the pushups.

"What are you doing?"

"Distracting myself." Jason easily replied.  "Getting ready for a fight. Pick a reason." Jason began to do his third set of twelve.

"I've ever know you to get ready for a fight." Hook says.

"Yeah. Because the two times we fought, and one time we had worked together, is so much time to know what I do before a fight," Jason sarcastic speaks, momentarily pausing to look up at Hook.

Hook smiled at him.
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Alister had stoped at the door when seeing Emma doing pull ups, she momentarily paused.

"Oh, no, please continue. You don't have to stop on my account," Alister smiled, flirtatiously.

"Wouldn't think of it," Emma replied back before she continues to do pull-ups.

Alister walked closed to her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for a fight."  Emma stands back down on to the platform.

"Well, I've never known you to need to get ready for a fight. I thought it was a natural state. Don't let Rumplestiltskin get you down, love." Alister smiled.

Emma jumps down on to the floor. "What do you want?"

"To give you something," Alister lifted a key, then walks over to a locked chest. He unlocks it. "You know, Baelfire and I once spent a lot of time together. Not as much as hook and him. I didn't like Hook's plan to use Baelfire as a plan of revenge against Rumplestilskin."

"He was always Neal to me." Emma said.

"Yeah. Right," He grabs a sword from the table and brings it to Emma. "This was his."

Emma grabs the sword. "I didn't realize you were sentimental."

"I'm not." It's a lie. He kept it all these years, taking it away from Hook out of guilt in not being able to stop Hook from sending Baelfire to the lost boys. "I just thought you could use it where we're going. You know, to fight."

Alister gives Emma a shot glass. He uncorks the flask and pours rum in her glass.

"Thanks." Emma says.

"To Neal." Alister said.

"To Neal." Emma and Alister clink their glasses and drink the rum.
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"Where's David?" Jason asked, as he sat back, his  feet planted on the floor, knees bent.

Hook furrowed his eyebrows. "You know, for him being married to your sister, you and him spend a lot more time together."

Jason glared, leaning forward, grabbing onto the first object on the ground, and threw it at Hook. Only, the object has been a blanket. "Stop insinuating that. David is my best friend. Mary is too worried-not that David isn't worried-but when Mary gets worried, she tends to get too caught up in her thoughts and worries."

"And?" Hook asked, confused.

Jason rolled his eyes. "One or the other helps when I'm doing this, training."

"Well, I could teach you how to use a sword," Hook grins.

"I know how to use a sword," Jason furrows his brows in confusion.  "Remember? I was going well in the fight until you tripped me."

"What i remember, is you on your back," Hook moved forward, kneeling down, smiling. His tone flirting, suggestive.

"Because you tripped me," Jason repeated, having zero why Hook spoke like that. Then, after handful off seconds, realized. When the comment Hook made during their fight entered his head.  Normally, I'd prefer to do other more enjoyable activities, with a man on his back.

Jason shook his head. "Anyways, I won the fight."

"Did you?"

"Well, you were knocked unconscious. So, yeah."

Hook hummed.

"How on earth, in any way, you would have won with that ending?"

Hook smiled. And, Jason has seen him smile like that multiple times. It never meant anything good. He has no clue what he was going to say. And Jason cut him off before Hook could say anything. "I'm going to continue my workout, so-"

"How could I help?"

Jason furrows his brows. "It's not a work out that I need a spotter."

Hook had moved forward, hands-or, well one hand and his wrist- to Jason's knees.
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"How long was he with you?" Emma asked Alister.

"Long enough for me to know that I miss him, too." Alister answered, a soft smile on his lips. Not only at the memories of Baelfire, but, because it seemed like Emma could always do to him.

The ship suddenly creaked, shaking.

"What was that?" Emma asked.

Alister quickly got up. "Stay here." He tells her, if it's what he believed, she should stay here, hidden. Safe.
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You're an idiot. Jason thought to himself, as suddenly the boat creaked, a thudding sounded. The ship tilted. Hook fell forward, as both were on ground.

"Jesus," Jason muttered, suddenly flat on his back. He had no clue how Hook managed to fall, given that it didn't seem to be a hard hit to the ship.

Hook has been staring at Jason, who, every time he had leaned up, completing the sit up, face was close to Hook. Hook's eyes kept darting to Jason's face, his lips. And, he hasn't been as steady as he should be.

Hook quickly got up, not saying a word as he used his one hand to out under Jason's elbow, and lift him up. He had placed his under Jason's other arm, carful so it wouldn't cut him.

All four had gone to the deck, to see that David and Mary were trying to steer the ship. But, lost balance as the stumbled away from the steering wheel. Of course, they had immediately gone back to steering the ship. Or, trying to.

"What the hell are you two doing?!" Regina yelled, outraged and annoyed at the shaking of the ship, believing it to be David and Mary trying to steer the ship, to be what made it suddenly unstable.

"Trying to keep it steady!" Mary answered back.

"Hold on!" David ordered.

Hook had pulled Jason along, as he comes runs towards the David, Mary Margaret, and Regina. He helps them control the steering wheel. "Prepare for attack!"

"Be more specific." Regina ordered.

"If you've got a weapon, then grab it." Alister explained.

Jason quickly left the side, leaving Hook and Alister to steer the ship.

"What's out there? A shark? A whale?" Emma questioned, hiding onto the railing of the ship.

"A kraken?" David inquired of.

"Worse." Hook says, before they heard screeching underwater. "Mermaids. "

A group of mermaids swim towards the Jolly Roger.
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"Mermaids?" Emma exclaimed, high pitched in surprise and shock.

"Yes, and they're quite unpleasant." Hook speaks.

"You think?" Regina sarcastically called out. One of the mermaids submerges from the water and hits the boat. 

"I'll try and outrun them." Hook says.

Alister had begun to fill the canon.

"How many of them are there?!" Emma asked.

Several mermaids bash into the Jolly Roger with their tail.

"I will not be capsized by fish!" David tells before he runs around the shore, and grabs a a spear, a chain, and gun powder. He puts it into a cannon and aims it at the mermaids.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret signals Emma to come to the back of the ship.

"What are you doing?!" Emma ran over.

"Fishing!" Mary replied as David lights and fires the cannon, while Emma and Mary Margaret throw a fishing net into the ocean.

The two woman pull at the ropes. "We caught one!"

"One? There are dozens of them." Regina speaks.

"Not helping!" Jason tells her, having also gone to another cannon.

David fires the cannon another time.

"Enough of this." Regina creates a large fireball and throws it at the mermaids. The mermaids scatter away, screeching in pain. "There. They're gone."

"Not all of them. What about that one?" Mary asked, as her and Emma struggle to lift the net with the mermaid. Jason goes to help them, hug as he does, Regina teleports the mermaid to the ship.

They all stare, shocked at the sight of a mermaid.
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The mermaid had been unable to move, still her tail flopped around. And she twitched.

"Get that thing off my ship!" Hook exclaimed.

"No. Now we have a hostage," Regina replied.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Hook. Those things just tried to kill us." David speaks.

"And perhaps we should find out why." Regina replied.

"How? By torturing her?" Mary asked.

"Well, if need be. Sure."

The mermaid had grasped the shell next to her, caught in the net with her. Then lifted it to her lips, blowing into it. They all covered their ears at the sound.

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked.

"A warning." The mermaid speaks, followed by a a loud clap of thunder. "Let me go... or die."
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"We should have knocked her out and tied her up the second Regina for her on board," Jason speaks.

David snatched the shell from her hand. "What is this? What did you do?" He yelled.

"Let me go." She leaned closer to David.

"Not until you tell us. Or we make you tell us." Regina threatened.

"Threatening her isn't the way to motivate her." Mary says.

"Well, I'm all out of fish food." Regina sarcastically replied.

"Doesn't matter if you get her to talk. You can't trust her. Mermaids are liars." Hook says.

"Of course they are." Emma huffed.

"Maybe they're just scared of Pan. If we let her go, maybe they'll be on our side."

"Or she is willing working with Pan," Jason speaks.

"Or maybe she and her friends will come right back to kill us." Regina replied.

"Oh, I don't need my friends to kill you. You'll kill yourselves. Now let me go."

"Okay, seriously, someone knock her out," Jason sighed.

Suddenly the sky lights up, lightening surrounding them. The sound of thunder echoing. The ship shook once again.

"What the hell?!" David yells out.

"It's a storm. She called it. Don't let her go. She'll swim off and leave us all to die. At least with her, we've got leverage." Hook says.

Jason picked up the disregard shell, advancing toward her. David had taken a sword, pressing it up against the mermaid's neck. "Stop the storm, then we let you go." David comes behind the mermaid and hold it lower down her neck.

Regina walked up to them, hands on her knees as she crouched. "That's more like it, Charming. Filet the bitch."

David looks up, seeing the looks on Emma and Snow's face, he looked down at what he was doing, horrified. "No." He takes the sword away from her neck. "We are not barbarians."

"What we're going to be is dead." Regina yells.

"Hold on. I'm gonna turn around." Hook turns the ship around. "I've outrun many a storm."

"Make it stop or die." Regina threatened.

Jason grabbed onto the set of ropes to steady himself.

"We are not killers!" Mary shouted, trying to be heard over the storm.

"Yes, you are. And you brought this death upon yourselves," the mermaid spoke.

"This is why we should free her!"

"That feel-good nonsense, Snow, might play in the Enchanted Forest, but this... this is Neverland."

"Listen,-" Jason begins, only the ship loses balance, causing them all to almost fall.

"Keep your grip, pirate!" David yelled out to Hook, as Alister moved to steer the ship with his brother.

"It wasn't me, mate! It was the ship! We're taking on water!" Hook yells back.

"Now may I resume killing her!" Regina gesture to the mermaid.

"No!" Mary, Jason, and David all yell back at her.

"You kill her, and her kind will have a personal vendetta on us." Mary explained.

"The queen is right. They've already tried killing us."

"Stop! That's enough! We need to think this through!" Emma yelled out.

"I already have!" Regina waved her hand, causing for the mermaid to turn into wood. "There. That should stop the storm."

"Regina! What did you do?!" Emma exclaimed.

"No!"

A large wave, was headed straight at them.

"What have you done?!" Jason yells.

The ship ascends the wave and everyone grabs a rope.  As they go through the wave, water soaks the ship and splashed everyone. Causing for everyone to be drenched in the water.
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"Oh, yeah, you're doing great at out running the storm!" Jason sarcastically called out.

"I thought you said you could outrun the storm," Emma tells out.

"This isn't a storm. It's bloody damnation." Hook replied.

"Why would you do this?" Mary turned to Regina.

"You're going to blame me?" Regina asked In disbelief.

Hook and Alister were trying to steer the ship, but, struggled to do so.

"You turned the mermaid into wood." Mary argued.

"I did something about it, which is more than you can say." Regina argued.

"No! No! I am not having the last words I possibly hear is an argument between the two of you!" Jason snapped.

"No one is dying!" The Jones brothers yelled in unison.

"Undo your spell! Bring back the mermaid!" Mary demanded of Regina.

"And what, you'll win her over with your rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers?" Regina called back.

"Considering that your plan failed, at least we could try."

"You're such a naive princess!"

"And you are such a..."  Mary grinds her teeth, anger coursing her before she lashed out, curling her hand into a fist, she swings at Regina.

Regina's head snapped to the side, momentarily losing her balance as she clinched to the ship.  She turned back to Mary. "That your best?"

"Not even close. I'm so tired of you ruining my life." Mary tells.

"I ruined your life?" Regina asked in disbelief, hitting her.

"Hey!" David calls out, moving forward.

Hook momentarily let go of the wheel. "Hey, let the slags go. I need you at the mast."

"Stop it! You're both acting like children!" Jason yells. "At least argue after we survive!" He advanced forward, pulling his sister back, to check on her.

David hit Killian.  "Don't call my wife a slag!"
And Jason moved forward, thinking that Snow was the slightly more reasonable one between the two. 
David hit Hook in the face.   Hook punched David back.

Jason grabbed onto David's arm, pulling him back as David began to turn Killian's hook to his throat. Lightening strikes again.

David, without thought, pushed him.

"Stop it!" Emma looks to the lightning and thunder while the others keep fighting. "It's not the mermaid. It's us. If you don't stop fighting, we're all gonna die. Don't you see, we're causing the storm." Emma looks to the lightning and thunder while the others keep fighting. "Hey! Stop! You need to listen to me."

"Fuck," Jason muttered, pulling Emma back, was she had been too close to the edge. She had jumped over, onto the edge of the boat.

Alister struggled to direct the ship.  Emma pulled back. "I need to-" she began, going to explain that she needed to gather their attention, stop them from fighting. 

"You're not jumping!" Jason yelled out, pulling her.

Emma pulled herself back. And the two fell over board.

They heard the screams of their names. When a metal object snapped lose, hitting Emma in the head. Jason grabbed her, coming back up to the surface and struggling to swim, with the massive wave and an unconscious Emma.

"Emma! Jason!"
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"Emma!" Mary yelled.  "Jason!"

"Idiot!" Regina scolded.

"Regina! Get them up here!" Mary screamed.

"I-I can't. Not in this storm. I can't even see them. I'll just bring up water and maybe one of their legs."

"Jason can't swim! He's awful at it!" Mary argued.

"I know!" Regina yelled back.

David stood on the edge of the ship, about to jump in, when Alister ran and pulled him down. "Wait!"

"They'll drown!" David yelled.

"And so will you. Let me help," Hook said, as he picks up a rope. "Here, tie him."

They quickly tie the rope over David. David dived into the water, grabbing onto Emma, who was conscious. Jason pushed Emma into David's arms.

"He has her! Pull!" Alister yelled.

"Where's Jason?" Hook asked, examine the water as they counted to pull, before Alister says that he had it handled, hooking them to the pulley, and easily lifted them up.

David struggled, swinging Emma over the ship. He turned, diving back in, he grasped Jason, helping him up.

"That-t's fucking-" Jason began, seeing that Emma was coughing. Mary and David moved to hold her.

She poked up at the sky, which was beginning to clear. "I told you."
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"Why on earth would you jump in if you can't swim?" Emma questioned Jason.

"Well. I can't swim well," he corrected. "And maybe, if someone wasn't on a suicide mission." He made a gesture. "And someone didn't have anger issues-" he made another gesture.

"Oh, you're one to talk about anger issues," David scoffed, playfully.

They had began to walk on the sand.

"We don't have to do it this way," Regina speaks. "I can fix the Jolly Roger. My magic is powerful enough. We can execute the pirate's plan."

"Sneak attack? Let's not be naive. Save your magic. We'll need it later, because Pan already knows we're here. It's time we stop running. Gold was right. This land is run on belief. All of us have been too busy being at each other's throat to be believers. I was as wrong as anyone else. It's time for all of us to believe. Not in magic, but in each other." Emma explained.

"You want to be friends? After everything that's happened between all of us?" Regina asked.

"I don't want or expect that. I know there's a lot of history here, a lot of hate." Emma says.

"That's the understatement of the year," Jason muttered.

"Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me." Alister tells Emma.

"We don't need to be friends. What we need to now is the only way to get Henry back is cooperation." Emma says.

"With her?" David gestured to Regina. "With him? And him?" He gestured to the Jones brothers. "No, Emma. We have to do this the right way."

"No, we don't. We just need to succeed. And the way we do that is by just being who we are—a hero, a villain, a pirate. It doesn't matter which, because we're going to need all those skills, whether we can stomach them or not."

"And what's your skill, Savior?" Regina asks .

"Regina's did you not hear her rant about being, at the very least, acquaintances?" Jason sighed.

"I'm a mother. And now I'm also your leader. So either help me get my son back or get out of the way." Emma pulls out her sword and everyone follows her. Regina followed lastly.
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