Once Upon a Dream:

Page 34: Conflict of Interests:

The Jolly Roger.

Dream stirred awake when she felt her head still pounding. She sighed slightly when she opened her eyes, seeing the Captain's Quarters. She was alone, though. She moved to sit up when her whole body hurt to move. 

"Aye, you're up..." Hook smirked when he walked back into the room with a flask. "How are you feeling, love?" He asked when he moved over to the bed, sitting next to her.

"Where's my mom?" Dream asked when she ignored his question, about to get up, but Hook stopped her by placing his hook on her shoulder.

"Relax, love... I was able to get you out. But whatever Mendell has for the Queen--"

"My mom is in danger, Hook. I can't just sit here." Dream fought when he sighed, reaching her the flask. "You're offering me rum?" She asked, scoffing at him when she moved his jacket from her lap.

"It's not rum, love... It's water. Whatever magic Mendell had on that cuff was not supposed to be pleasant. You need to rest." Hook said when Dream scoffed at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just drink it." Hook said when Dream reluctantly took the flask, taking a drink, when he got up to leave her to rest again.

"Why did you save me?" Dream asked, taking a sip of the water when Hook stopped at the door.

"I need you for my revenge, love... You're my ticket to the crocodile." Hook said, not looking at her when Dream scoffed out a chuckle at his response.

"Of course, I am... You couldn't just do something that wasn't selfish." Dream said when she closed the lid to the flask, making Hook turn to look at her. 

"Well, I am a pirate." He said, in a harsher tone, watching Dream look down at her bracelets before he walked out.

Mary Margaret's loft.

David and Mary Margaret looked down at the vile that they got from Gold. 

"You don't have to do this, you know..." David said, letting out a sigh when he looked up at Mary Margaret. "You've been through enough already." He continued to say.

"That's why I do have to do it... My heart is dark because of what I did to Regina. If I can help find her and Dream... if we could save them, maybe it'll help let some of the light back in." Mary Margaret said when David nodded, smiling at how kind he felt his wife was trying to be. 

David sighed again when he moved the vile to the table, pulling out the dropper. He stood up, dropping it in her eye. Nothing happened for a moment when David and Mary Margaret looked at each other. Suddenly, when David moved to put the dropper back in the vile, Mary Margaret jerked forward, gasping in pain. She kept wincing in pain, before jerking her head back, seizing from the pain. 

"Mary Margaret!" David yelled.

Meanwhile, on the beach, Neal and Emma were searching for any sign of Tamara. 

"So, where do you think she's hiding Regina? In a sand castle?" Neal asked, mocking Emma's crazy theory, since he thought Tamara would never do anything crazy. 

"They have to be somewhere." Emma scoffed, walking ahead of Neal. 

"Look, Emma... you're letting your emotions get in the way of your judgment. And if my sister and her mother are really missing--" Neal went to say, making Emma stop to look at him.

"Do you really think this is all about me trying to break up you and Tamara?" Emma asked him, but she did not let him answer. "What do you want to hear, Neal? That it killed me you never came looking for me even once I was locked up?" She asked him, scoffing to herself.

"Emma..."

"That it didn't hurt that you found Tallahassee with someone else--" Emma went to ask again.

"Neal?"

The two of them turned to see Tamara in her running attire. 

"Hey!" Neal smiled, when Tamara jogged up to them, sounding out of breath. 

"Hey! What are you doing down here?" Tamara asked, stopping next to Neal. 

"We were... We just... I thought you go running in the woods?" Neal asked her when he could not think of an excuse.

"Yeah, I start in the woods. But then, I run along the beach." Tamara smiled, making Emma sigh to herself. "Everything all right?" Tamara asked them.

"Regina and Dream are missing..." Emma said when Tamara's smile turned into a considered frown. 

"Oh, my! That's terrible." Tamara said, expressing her concern. 

"I thought maybe she was down here, but I was wrong." Emma sighed, watching Tamara's face for any deception.

"Well, I'm sure they'll turn up somewhere. Let me know if I can help at all... Dream, you know, she's a sweet kid. I'll see you later." Tamara said, kissing Neal's lips, while Emma stood there awkwardly. 

"Okay." He said, kissing her before she continued to run along the beach. "Emma..." Neal sighed when he saw Emma walking back to her yellow car. 

"I think I should go." She said, not looking back at him.

"I wanted to go to jail for you." He confessed, making Emma stop and turn to look at him. 

"Neal..." She tried to stop him. 

"It kills me that I let August talk me into letting you go." He said, walking up to her, making her sigh.

"I don't want to hear it--"

"Okay, but I have to say it... I wanted to look for you. I just... I was too afraid." He sighed, looking anywhere but at Emma. 

"Of what?" She asked him when he finally made eye contact. 

"That you would never forgive me. 'Cause I never forgave myself." He paused when Emma was at a loss of words. "There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I don't regret having left you... I'm sorry, Emma. For everything." Neal continued to apologize when Emma gave him a smile. 

"Me, too." Emma sighed, before they just looked at each other, not saying another word, before walking back to Emma's car.

~season 2, episode 21: "Second Star to the Right"~

~1003 words~