A Second Chance

Chapter 13

Previously

"A portal?" Emma wondered. Regina gave an affirmative look and turned her attention back toward the flaming circle. when a very familiar scaly green face appeared. "It can't be..." Emma started. Regina's eye's grew wide and then angry.

"Rumpelstiltskin." she growled.

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Some time ago in Wish Neverland

"What the hell is he doing here?" asked Emma.

"He's Rumpelstiltskin, I'm sure his reason is not good...wait...you know Rumpelstiltskin? How?" Regina asked.

"I don't, I...I've hhheard stories. Everyone has a tale about the Dark One." Emma tried to cover. Regina was still suspicious but let it go.

"This might be our way off this God forsaken island, finally." Regina said.

"No. No way I'm not making a deal..." Emma started. Regina shook her head.

"No. No deals. But he got here somehow, and Rumple never does anything without an exit strategy, which means he has a way back. I say we steal a ride on the portal out of here." Regina said.

"How are we gonna do that? The Dark One doesn't do anything for free." Emma says.

"He will if he doesn't know about it." Regina replies.

"And what if he finds out. He's not gonna be easy to fool." Emma said.

"Not easy, doesn't mean impossible. It's been done before, it can be done again." Regina said. "But first I think we need to figure out why he's here to begin with."

They used their knowledge of the island to follow Rumpelstiltskin without him knowing for quite some time. Regina had been there so long she practically knew every broken branch like the back of her hand. He hadn't done anything yet but walk. They followed him for hours, until it finally started to get dark and he stopped in a clearing. He sat then and made a fire. The dark one doesn't sleep, but they supposed he needed a break, lucky for them because they were getting exhausted. They sat and watched him for awhile more until they were sure he wasn't going anywhere, then Regina gestured to Emma to follow her. They moved into another, smaller clearing not too far away.

"Well, that was pointless, he didn't do anything suspicious all day. What could he possibly want in Neverland?" Regina asked.
Emma had an idea, but she clearly couldn't share it with Regina. It would be difficult to explain how she knew Pan was Rumple's father. So she just shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'll tell you what. I'm not gonna let up until I find out. We can camp here tonight. We can take turns keeping watch. The last thing I need is him sneaking up on us in the middle of the night." Regina said. Emma said nothing but followed suit and started making camp.

It had been a few hours. Regina had decided to take first watch, almost to no use as Emma couldn't sleep anyway. She lie awake just a few feet from where Regina sat eagle eyed. It wasn't only their pursuit of Rumpelstiltskin that kept her awake, but her earlier dip in the water with Regina. She wondered if she was thinking about it too. But she was also thinking about her Regina, and Henry and her real life and how for a small moment, she'd almost forgotten she wasn't there. For a moment she'd almost thought that this Regina was the one she shared a son with...and she had been swimming naked with her in that moment and she had to stop herself from thinking things she had not thought about before. Why did it feel so normal to think those things?

"Do you really think this is wise. I mean, he's Rumpelstiltskin, he may already know we're following him." Emma said.

"I'm sure he does since you refuse to be quiet." Regina snapped.

"I'm just saying, what if this is a trap? What if he wants us to follow him?" Emma said.

"It's not." Regina said.

"How can you be sure?" Emma asked.

"I know him well. I would be able to tell if he were on to us. No. He's focused on something. When he focuses like that, he doesn't see anything else. It's his one weakness. It was his focus on the curse that got him imprisoned in the first place." She explained. "The question is...what has him so consumed now? That worries me more than anything."

Emma didn't reply, just attempted to sleep. The attempt didn't last long as Rumple decided it was time to start moving again. Regina nudged her and they quietly started following again. As they trekked deeper into the jungle, Emma started to feel like something was familiar, and not in a good way. Then she realized why. As they followed Rumple to another clearing, they could start to see the ocean front ahead and not too far into the vast body of water, a large skull sat atop a tiny island could be seen.

"Skull Rock" Regina said just at the perfect time as to make Emma believe momentarily her mind had been thinking aloud. As they watched him approach the edge of the cliff overlooking the water, Pan's shadow floated down in front of him.

"So Pan has figured out I'm here alreay." Rumple guessed. The shadow nodded. "Good. He should also know I'm coming for him. Especially since I know he can't stop me anymore. I know he's weakening." The shadow squinted at him threateningly and nodded again before taking off, presumably to warn Pan.

"Pan is weakening?" Regina asked rhetorically. "But why does any of this matter to Rumple?"

"Maybe Pan owes him something?" Emma suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Regina replied, unconvinced.

"Well, it looks like we are about to find out." Emma motioned toward Rumple as they watched him poof himself down to the beach and get into a small boat waiting on the shore. "If we can catch up to him?" how are we supposed to get down there from here?"

"Haven't you been paying attention." Regina said as she pushed a bush aside to reveal a rope with a handle hanging from it. "I always have a way out."

"Wait, you want me to trust that ratty old rope to hold my weight all the way down there?" Emma complained.

"You could just wait here." Regina said.

"I kind of hate you." Emma said.

"Shut up and grab the rope blondie." Regina said. Emma took the handle.

"Can we quit it with the blondie stuff already?" Emma asked. Regina feigned thought.

"Hmm. No." she deadpanned as she gave Emma a starting shove off the cliff. Emma mentally vowed to kill her on her way down.