Chapter 8: The Final Battle

"I'll stay with the boy," Tinkerbelle offered. "I have no desire to confront an angry and immortal Pan."

"Thank you," Emma said gratefully.

"Mom," Henry said earnestly, "I want to come too. I can help."

"No!" said Emma, Regina, Snow, Charming, Neal and Rumplestiltskin.

"Kid," Emma said, crouching down so that she was on eye level with her son, "We need to know you're safe. This is going to be a difficult and dangerous mission, and we'll need to focus all our energy on saving Hook and defeating Pan. We can't worry about you being in danger."

"But I can help!" Henry insisted. "I have the heart of the truest believer. I'm not afraid of Pan."

"Henry," Charming tried, crouching down so that he was next to Emma, "do you remember when your mom and grandma were stuck in the Enchanted Forest and I started teaching you about becoming a knight?"

"Yeah," Henry said uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Remember, what I said about courage?"

"Yeah," Henry said with a sigh, "You said that sometimes courage means not acting when you want to. Sometimes it means staying behind."

"Exactly," Charming said. "This is one of those times. I need you to stay on board the Jolly Roger and protect Tinkerbelle. I need you to guard the pixie dust and make sure the ship is ready to make a quick getaway as soon as we return."

Henry sighed. "Okay. Just be careful, okay?"

Emma hugged Henry once more and looked up at Charming. Thank you, she mouthed. He nodded in acknowledgement.

The rescue party, led by Emma cautiously walked off the gangplank and onto the shores of Neverland. Would Pan know of their return already? Would he set a trap for them? As they carefully walked across the shore, their confidence increased. No one was there to meet them.

"Come on," Emma shouted, breaking into a run, "We've got no time to waste."

They ran at a breakneck pace until they reached the mouth of Skull Rock. Emma rested for a moment in the entrance, leaning against a wall to catch her breath.

"What's the plan, Miss Swan?" Regina asked breathlessly.

"I need to make sure Hook is here," she said, her glance encompassing the whole group. "And…I need a moment with him."

Mary Margaret rubbed Emma's shoulder. "Go on honey. We'll guard the entrance of the cave until you call for us."

Emma walked slowly forward. The cave was well lit, both by the sconce burning on the wall and by the brilliant green pillar of light in the center. She had barely entered the cave before she saw Hook's lifeless body lying awkwardly on the floor. No one had arranged it after he fell; he looked so uncomfortable.

Emma ran to him and collapsed beside his body. She clasped his cold hand with one of hers, and gently brushed his dark hair from his brow with the other. She'd known what he'd done for her and for Henry, but seeing him here brought it home to her all the more vividly. The tears filled her eyes again, but she ruthlessly pushed them away. If she was to defeat Pan, she had to stay clear-headed. She couldn't afford to indulge in emotion.

"Hook…Killian," she whispered caressing his icy cheek, "I will find a way to save you. I love you."

She leaned forward and gently kissed his still lips. A wave of magic, warm and rose-colored erupted from their joined lips, and quickly spread to fill the entire cave. Of course! Emma thought to herself. Why didn't I think of this before? True love's kiss! Could it restore Hook? She watched him intently. Color slowly came back into his face and hands. Emma hastily cupped his face in her hands once again. He was warm!

"Wake up!" she whispered, "Come back to me!" She waited several minutes, caressing his face, his hands, his hair, but he never stirred.

Emma knew a moment of disappointment, but then she gathered her resolve back around her. If true love's kiss could revive him enough to bring warmth back into his body, she knew her love could defeat Pan!

Peter Pan abruptly stopped playing his pipes and raised his hands for quiet. The lost boys immediately stopped their dance.

"What is it?" Felix asked.

Pan clutched at his chest, where Hook's heart had suddenly begun to pound. "They're back, and they've reached the captain."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Felix asked with a cold smile. "Let's go show them what happens to those who refuse to heed Pan's instructions!"

Emma had gotten to her feet and was striding toward the cave's entrance when she heard her mother's shout.

"We've got company!"

"We've got to guard his body!" Emma shouted back. "Help me."

Snow, Charming, Regina, Neal and Rumplestiltskin poured into the cave. Each took a place, until they had Hook completely surrounded. Emma was in front facing the opening of the cave.

"Take care of the lost boys," she ordered, naturally falling back into the role of leader, "Pan is mine."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the lost boys rushed into the cave, their war cries echoing along the stone walls. Emma expected them to attack immediately, but they didn't. They surrounded them, raised their weapons and then waited.

Pan flew in on a jet of yellow-green light. He landed before Emma. The mocking look that she was used to seeing on his face was gone, replaced with a deadly earnestness.

"I thought my instructions to Henry were crystal clear," Pan growled, "You should be halfway back to your beloved Storybrook by now."

Emma shook her head. "That's not how true love works. I won't leave Hook to rot on this island. He's coming back to Storybrook with us…him AND his heart!"

"You're weak!" Pan spat back at her, "You let your heart dictate your actions. You think your love can save him? Well, you're about to find out how worthless your pathetic love is!"

"Well let's get on with it then," Emma ground out.

Pan gave a sign with his hand, and with a cry, the lost boys attacked. Emma drew her sword and advanced on Pan. The cries and shouts of pitched battle were going on all around her. She heard the metallic sound of swords clashing. The whooshing of an arrow leaving it's quiver, the crackling of a fireball, and some sort of crashing sound that must be Rumplestiltskin's magical weapon of choice.

She swung at Pan, but he disappeared and materialized several feet away. How the hell was she supposed to fight an enemy that she couldn't even seem to touch? She advanced and tried again, but her progress was stopped by a lost boy who fell at her feet, an arrow protruding from his shoulder.

"Looking for me?" came a voice from behind her. She whirled and raised her sword in both hands.

She realized her mistake immediately. Pan was there, far too near her. With both arms raised, her chest was exposed, and Pan held a knife high, poised to plunge right into her heart!

"Emma!" she heard her mother scream. It seemed like time moved in slow motion. She saw Pan's arm swing downward, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the blinding, screaming pain.

But it never came. She abruptly opened her eyes and saw a brief look of shock on Pan's face. He struck out again, but the knife stopped two inches from her chest as though it had come in contact with an invisible wall. Pan uttered a cry of rage.

What was going on here? Suddenly, understanding dawned on Emma's face. "You can't touch me!" She said in wonder, her eyes widening. "Hook's heart beats in your chest, and it won't let you harm the woman he loves!"

Charming hurtled through the sea of combatants, clearly coming to her aid.

"Stay back, Dad," Emma yelled. Charming stopped abruptly. The lost boys must have sensed that something momentous was about to happen, because almost as one they dropped their weapons and turned toward Emma and Pan.

Emma sheathed Neal's sword. She knew, she suddenly had absolute confidence that it would be the magic of her love and no other weapon that would defeat Pan. The boy stood still, wearing a look of utter bafflement on his face.

Emma closed her eyes and extended her hands. She thought of Henry back at the ship. She thought of her parents fighting with all their might to help and protect her. She thought of Hook lying still and dead on the floor of the cave. Love welled up from the very depths of her being. She felt its force and power flowing from her heart, through her arms and out her fingertips.

Pan gasped, and Emma opened her eyes. Rose-colored light flowed from her fingers and coiled around Pan like a rope. He struggled, but he was completely immobilized. The love light bound him from the neck down. Only a small space just over his heart remained free of the entanglement.

"Regina, get over here!" Emma ordered. "We need Hook's heart!"

Regina stepped forward and extended her open hand toward Pan's chest, but she couldn't reach inside.

"Emma, honey," Snow White breathed, "It has to be you. The heart belongs to you. You're the one who has to retrieve it."

Shaking slightly, Emma extended her hand. It slipped through Pan's chest as easily as it would slip through warm water. She grasped Hooks warm, beating heart, and gently pulled it out.

"No!" Pan shouted. The column of light faded until it was almost nonexistent.

Emma looked at the heart. It was bright red and strong. Not a smudge marred it. Here was proof, if anyone needed it, that Hook was a hero.

Gently, Emma slid to her knees before Hook. She extended her hand and slipped his heart back into its place in his chest. Emma watched and waited a beat. Two beats. Suddenly his eyes opened.

"Emma," he breathed gently, smiling and reaching up to cup her face.

"Hook!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. She raised him up and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. His heart beat strong and steady against her ear.

"I love you!" she whispered over and over again.

"Look!" Neal called out, gesturing to the center of the cave.

Emma pulled herself back from Hook far enough to see where Neal was pointing. The light in the center of the cave was suddenly extinguished. In its place sat the giant hourglass Emma remembered seeing during her first trip to Skull Rock. The top of the hourglass was more than half empty and the sand rushed out at a breakneck speed.

"No!" Pan shouted.

It took only minutes for the last grain of sand to settle into the bottom of the hourglass. Pan fell to the ground and closed his eyes. A wave of green light settled over his still form, and when it lifted, Peter Pan was gone. In his place lay a middle aged gentleman with longish brown hair and a red coat.

"Papa," Rumplestiltskin breathed in an agonized whisper. Then, he firmly turned his back on the man who had abandoned him for a chance at eternal youth.

Peter Pan was no more.

Half an hour later they were on the docks where the Jolly Roger awaited them. It was over. It was finally over. Peter Pan could never harm anyone again. Hook was surprised at the extreme wave of relief that suffused his entire body. He was only a few minutes from leaving Neverland…for good this time.

They were walking up the gangplank in groups of two. Snow and Charming led the way followed by Regina and Henry. Rumplestiltskin and Neal, talking animatedly, came next, followed by Tinkerbelle and Wendy. Hook, walking near Emma, took a step onto the gangplank, but she stopped him with a hand to his arm.

"Hook," she said looking him straight in the eye, "For the record. You are the most honorable man I know. What you heard in the swamp was dead wrong. You're not a villain or a looser. You're a hero. Thank you. For all you've done for us. Without you, Henry would have died."

Hook dropped his eyes. He had been a "villain" for so long, he hardly knew how to receive praise and thanks anymore. But it gratified him. Particularly from this woman, it gratified him. The "charming rogue" mask he'd worn for so long to hide his true emotions slipped into place.

"Well, love," he said with a grin, "I seem to remember you offered me a display of your gratitude for saving your father's life not too long ago. I wouldn't turn down a repeat performance."

Her grin matched his. "I don't know," she flirted, "I kind of thought saving your life back there at Skull Rock was thanks enough."

"True enough, lass," he returned, "It would appear I'm the one who owes you a debt of gratitude."

Hook brought his good hand to Emma's cheek and moved forward. He waited when he was a hairs-breadth away from her and looked into her eyes. If she pulled back, he would step away. It would nearly kill him, but he would step away. But there was no hesitation in Emma's eyes, only invitation, and a deep abiding love.

Hook closed the distance and settled his lips onto hers. This was a slow kiss, a gentle one. It had none of the urgency and fire of their first kiss, but in some ways it was eminently sweeter. Emma's arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, and his encircled her waist. The kiss went on and on, but eventually he ended it. He rested his head against hers for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

"That was…" he began, just as he had after their first kiss.

"A three time thing?" she replied, and he could hear the laughter in her voice.

"Not hardly!" he growled, and planted a quick peck on her lips as a punctuation to his sentence.

"Let's go home," Emma said with a radiant smile. It was like the sun breaking out on a cloudy day.

Hook sighed. "I've had no place to call home for as long as I can remember. Are you sure you want me with you when we get back to Storybrooke?"

Her smile turned tender. "Hook, don't you get it? With the strongest magic in all the realms binding us together, how could I want you anywhere else?"

The End!

Note: Well there it is; my story has come to an end. That is, of course, how the next few episodes SHOULD go. I managed to complete it before 3x9…although I have put off lots of things I needed to get done in the mean time! I especially enjoyed writing the ending scene, but I have to say, I'm kind of jealous of Emma right now! Is it bad to be jealous of a fictitious character because of her blossoming relationship with another fictitious character?