Chapter Twenty-One:
" A familiar face "
. . .
Neverland
The Present
Blair was pacing while Emma now sat on the rock still looking at the blank map.
"My name is Emma Swan." Nothing popped up.
"I'd wager the solution to Pan's riddle is a bit more complicated than that." Killian said, and Blair stopped pacing and looked at the blank map, then looked up to see how the Charmings were just starring at Emma.
"Don't hold anything back." Mary Margaret said smiling.
"I'm Henry's mother. I used to live in Boston, and I was a bail bonds person. I'm now the sheriff of Storybooke." Emma said.
"That election was a sham. Are we really doing this?" Regina complained.
"Don't you think maybe you're leaving some things out?" Mary Margaret pushed, Emma cleared her throat. "I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Which apparently makes me the product of true love. I was born in the enchanted forest and I was sent through a portal in a tree so that I could break a curse." She spoke.
"And you were able to break the curse because. . . You're the. . ." David said standing up.
"Come on, you don't need to be embarrassed to say it." Mary Margaret said standing up smiling and getting excited.
"Say what?" Killian wondered and Blair just gave him a confused look cause clearly he had not been paying any attention to how special Emma was.
"The S-word." Regina said.
"She might not be but I am definitely embarrassed with the way you two are acting towards your twenty-eight year old daughter." Blair said.
They all looked at Emma as she shifted in her spot. "I'm the Savior." nothing appeared on the map, and everyone let out a disappointing sigh but Blair cause she had a feeling it had to be much deeper than that if her and Blair shared it and Blair was certainly not a Savior if anything she was a killer.
"I don't get it. I said I'm the Savior. There's nothing I've denied more than that." Emma said.
"It's okay we'll figure it out." Mary Margaret said.
"No, you won't." Regina said and snatched the map out of Emma's hand. "Regina!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "But I can. I'm beginning to think there isn't a map on here, but it doesn't mean it can't lead us to Henry." Regina said.
"I thought we decide that using magic was a bad idea." David said.
"For once I agree with the Prince." Killian said.
"They're bonding." Blair said and David looked at Blair who shrugged then looked at Killian. "Well, I told you we were getting along."
Regina started to move her had over the map. "What are you doing?" Emma asked. "A locator spell. This parchment belonged to Pan. It will lead us to him." She said and the parchment started to glow yellow and fly and headed off into the Dark Jungle.
"So it appears we will be venturing into the Dark Jungle after all." Killian said gesturing into the forest. "You mean the place you told us never to set foot?" Emma questioned.
"That's the one." He said. "We're all gonna die. I would say it was nice knowing all of you but it really wasn't." Blair said smiling.
"Well, Emma, you said you wanted to be the leader? Lead." Regina told her.
Everyone started to head off into the forest but before Blair followed after them Killian grabbed Blairs hand and she gave him a confused look. "Blair this is worse than any jungle on this island do not leave my side. Do you understand."
"I can take care of myself, I have magic." Blair said trying to push his worries away. "Angelfish, I'm serious."
"Fine even though I am more capable fighting off anything than not, I will not leave your side while in the Dark Jungle." Blair said and he nodded and they caught up to everyone as they followed the parchment through the jungle.
. . .
Emma and Regina were leading but then the parchment stoped. "Wait. He's there. Pan. I can feel his smugness." Regina said. David went ahead and pulled out his sword. "Shall we? While we still have the element of surprise on our side?"
"Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon." Killian warned and Blair went after him.
They continued to follow the parchment but they encounter nothing. "No one's here. Maybe your spell was wrong, Regina." Mary Margaret said.
"Yes. Blame me. Again." Regina said.
"Can you both just stop talking to each other if every sentence is gonna start an argument." Blair stressed. They walked into a clearing and it looked lived in or someone used to live there.
"Guys. Hold on." Emma said and they all looked up to see someone in a jacket standing on a hill. "Is that. . .Henry!"
The boy turned around to reveal Pan in Henry jacket and scarf. "Hi Emma, Blair." He smiled.
"Where the hell is Henry?" Emma asked him.
"You broke the rules. That's not fair. Bad form." Pan said and he started to walk across the hill. "I expect more from you, Captain." Pan said and Blair took a quick glance at her father then looked back at Pan. "Aye, and you'll get it."
"Give Henry to me." Emma said. "Sorry. Can't. Don't you know? Cheaters never win." Pan said and that's when they heard the shouting and they were surrounded by lost boys. Blair pulled it her sword.
"Watch out for their arrows, they're laced with dreamshade." Everyone stared to fight off lostboys, Blair was pushed away some boys with her magic and felt someone behind her and blocked their sword with hers, the person she least expected see. Cyrus.
"Cy." Blair grew in shock. "You." He wasn't her childhood friend anymore, his moves just became more aggressive like he wanted to kill her, no he needed to kill her. Blair fought him off as best she could than again she hadn't held or used a sword in a century she was about to get jabbed with his sword but she blocked it a then Pan whistled, and Cyrus pushed her off of him and moved next to Pan.
"Remember what I told you. That map will show you where Henry is. Only when you stop denying who you really are. I'll make sure to send Henry your regards." Pan said and him and all the boys ran off.
Everyone started to head back to the original camp but they all noticed Blair was still looking at where all the boys vanished off to.
"Blair you okay." Killian worried.
"It was him." Blair whispered. "Who?" Killian questioned.
"Cyrus. Cyrus was with him." Blair said in shock.
"We don't have time for Blair's crazy." Regina said trying to get back to camp as fast as possible.
"Who's Cyrus?" Emma asked.
"Baelfire's twin brother." Blair said before turning around and walking back to camp. Killian couldn't help but worry, he knew how close to those boys she was before she left. How hard it was for her to leave them, and know he was their enemy and Baelfire was dead. Blair hadn't said a word since they got back to camp and Emma was starring at the map again.
"Don't let him shake your confidence." Mary Margaret said. "We've all had moment where we thought we couldn't prevail." Mary Margaret said. "Yeah, she's right." David agreed.
"Guys, not now. Please." Emma tried to walk away and sat next to Blair who still hadn't said a word, Emma glanced at her hands her cuticles were red and her nails were torn. Her picking had only gotten worse since she got here. Mary Margaret sat on the opposite side of Emma.
"Please talk to me." Mary Margaret said.
"There's nothing to talk about. We had our chance and we lost. I lost." Emma said.
"Then you have to keep fighting." Mary Margaret told her.
"You heard what Hook said, Pan is a demon." Emma said.
"And you are a. . ." Mary Margaret started to say but Emma inturupted. "What? A savior? Because if that were true, this map would've shown us the way already."
"Maybe who you think you are isn't who you really are."
"What do you mean?" Emma asked.
"Sometimes we think we know ourselves, but we need a push to show us the reality. That boy with the knife. You stopped fighting him. Why?"
"Because he was just a boy." Emma said. "No. There was something else. I saw it in your eyes. Why did you stop. . .Why?" Mary Margaret asked her.
"Because when I looked at his face, I saw me." Emma said and Blair looked at Emma. She was gonna leave but she knew where this was going it was the same look in Cyrus' eyes when she was fighting him and the same look Blair has had for the last century.
"Go on."
"That look in his eyes, the despair. I had it, back when I was in the foster system. Just a lost little girl who didn't matter, and didn't think she ever would. A little girl who cried herself to sleep at night because she wanted her parents so bad. And could never understand why they gave her up." Emma's voice broke as she spoke.
"And then you found us, but it was too late."
"It's just, on this island, I don't feel like a hero or a savior. I just feel like what I've always been. An orphan."
"Even if your parents are next to you, it doesn't matter because you were raised without them feeling unloved. You want them to tell you it's gonna be okay, but no one is there to tell you it's gonna be okay and you are just left to sit alone in your own despair, I have always been like that I had hope for my father to come get me and raise me but it doesn't change the fact that I was alone for most of my life, two people raised me but one died, and the other was always busy with work, and I was left alone most of the time at the dark castle, I was always alone." Blair added.
"Emma, Blair." Mary Margaret called.
"What?"
"Look." They both looked down and the parchment glowed before a map was revealed.
"What happened?"
"You accepted who you are. Who both of you are." Mary Margaret said. Blair got up and gave the mother and daughter a minute. Blair walked up to her father and hugged him. "Blair you okay?" he questioned hugging her back.
"Yeah, you're here now." Blair said, Killian gave her a question look and was about to ask what she was talking about but the moment was cut short when Emma along with Mary Margaret walked back into the clearing.
"The map is working. We know where Henry is." Emma said.
"Where?" Regina asked and they all surrounding eachother to look at the map.
"We're here, at the southern tip of the isle, in the middle of the Dark Jungle, and Pan's camp lies due north." Killian said.
"That's where he's keeping Henry." Emma confirmed.
"Well, what are we waiting for." Regina said. "Well the terrain's not easy. And there will be undoubtedly be some nasty impediments along the way." Killian warned.
"We should prepare. We only made it out of our last encounter because Pan let us, we need a new plan." David said.
"Agreed. It's time we stop playing his game and he started playing ours." Emma said.
"And if I disagree?" Regina asked. "Go ahead. But I think our best chance is together." Emma said.
"You better be right." Regina said and walked away.
"Excellent show of patience, love. And that's what defeats a nasty little boy." Killian says pulling out his flask.
"I hope so," Emma said and Killian started to hand her his flask. "Is rum your solution to everything?" She asked.
"Well, it certainly doesn't hurt." He said taking a sip and handed it to her and she took a sip. "So how did you two unlock the map?" He asked.
"I did what Pan asked." Emma said.
"Just who are you, Swan?" Killian asked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She said handing him his flask.
"Perhaps I would." He said and she walked away.
"Papa I get your little crush but she did just lose Baelfire, so I would maybe give her space." Blair said.
"And you. She isn't the only one who lost him." Killian told her.
"I'm fine, I lost him and Cyrus the day I left without telling them, the day I abandoned them." Blair said and walked away. Blair went after Emma she was drawn to her for some reason even when she was cursed and before she was put in the asylum being near Emma was something that calmed Blair and she honestly couldn't face her father not after she lied to him, not after admitting something she had doubted for a long time, he was here now but that didn't stop the fact that out of the 14 years of her life he was there for two of them and he had to be otherwise she would have self distructed. But then Rumplestiltskin took her and she self-destructed anyway. People gave her the name of the Dark Ones Puppet, but she would always be the abandoned pirate.