Her shoes sunk into the mud with each step she took, making it incredibly difficult to walk and lowered her morale at a much quicker rate… not that she had much morale left to begin with. The adventure – if you would even call it that – was taking its toll on everyone. Food was constantly running short from having to feed six adults, temper's ran high just from the sole fact everyone was constantly cooped up on the Jolly Roger when they weren't out searching for food and/or Henry, and the weather was a constant roller coaster. 90 days had already passed in the search and the group was no closer to finding him than they were the first day they arrived in Neverland. Emma wasn't sure how much worse it could get.

Then a droplet fell on her head. And another. Then another.

"Seriously?"

"Just a bit of rain, Love. You're not going to melt, are you?"

The grin that accompanied that question pissed Emma off more than she understood why and made her want to slap him then jump on him and pin him down in the mud all at the same time. What is wrong with me? She thought, a little amused with herself, the anger she felt just a few seconds before disappearing. He makes me almost as bad as the weather on this God forsaken island… one second I'm pissed off, the next I'm wanting to be on top of him in the mud.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, trying to rid herself of thoughts of her and Hook rolling around and getting covered in dirt that were now escalating at a quicker pace in her mind than she'd care to admit.

Hours earlier Hook had declared that he had found foot prints that weren't of their crew while scouting the island and came back to the Jolly Roger to let the rest of the group know. Without saying a word, Emma took off into the jungle, leaving the rest of the group behind and Hook quickly followed, but with many protests from Mary-Margaret and David.

"Did you melt already, Swan?" Hook asked over his shoulder in-between muffled laughter. Emma couldn't help but grin inwardly at the way his hair stuck to his face because of the rain every time he looked back at her.

"You don't ever stop, do you?"

"There's no fun in stopping, darling. I can show you, if you'd like?" Another grin that she tried to ignore.

It had begun to rain much harder now and droplets were reaching places Emma didn't realize she even had. Hook was genuinely soaked, as well. His black long sleeve shirt stuck to his body making every curve of his muscles much more detailed, as if he weren't wearing a shirt at all and she couldn't help but notice.

How does he manage to walk completely fine in drenched leather pants? She wondered, tilting her head to get a better look, as if that'd help her actually understand. Forcing herself to look away from the pirate walking in front of her, she tried to focus through the rain to the area around her. "Are you even sure we're going in the right direction?"

"Ah, she speaks! Princess Swan hasn't melted after all!"

"Don't call me that!" She snapped, stomping her feet harder through the now even wetter mud in annoyance. "I don't understand how you can be so-"

But before she could finish her sentence, Emma collided face first into his back. A sudden rush of wet leather, an arm and a hook, and a hand that ended up covering her mouth was all she could manage to distinguish in the seconds after running into him. She tried to squirm away from his clutch, squealing with every move, but to no avail.

"Shhh, Swan!" he breathed out, barely a whisper as he lightened his grip around her waist. "Did you hear that?"

She shook her head and he released his hand from her mouth, spinning her around in his arms so she faced him but he never looked down and met her questioning eyes. Instead, his almost too-serious expression was directed to their right.

"I didn't hear anything but your annoying pleas for affection. And why are you holding onto me? What was covering my mouth all about? Let me go!" She ended up yelling before putting her hands onto his bare, wet chest and pushing him away.

They stood facing each other in the pouring rain. She looking directly at him, him looking somewhere past her, seemingly lost in a world unknown.

"Hook, what is going on?"

He didn't reply, his attention still averted to whatever he 'heard' in the distance.

"If this was seriously a tactic to just get me into your arms so you could be affectionate, it was a very awful idea. I seriously expected better tricks from a famed pirate."

She waited for a reply or some retort to her questions and accusations, but when there wasn't one, she gave up with a defeated, annoyed sigh and turned in the direction they were headed before, now taking the lead.

"Swan, watch out!" He screamed from behind, but seconds too late before a blur of motion toppled on top of her, knocking her to the ground. In an instant the mud around her turned a scarlet river of red and Emma's scream of excruciating pain echoed throughout the jungle.

Hook immediately grabbed the hilt of his sword out of its scabbard and ran towards the hooded figure that was now standing before the bloodied woman on the ground.

"Show your face, coward!" Hook screamed at the hooded man, sword tip pointed directly at him.

The hooded figure lifted his head slightly, long blonde hair falling around his narrow face as his eyes met Hook's. A devilish grin played across the boy's face – for boy is what he was – and Hook recognized him immediately.

"You!"

"Me." The boy replied, still grinning. "He doesn't want you here. You need to leave immediately, or more of your kind shall die like this woman here." He said pointing towards Emma on the ground. "He knows what – whom, you are after, and you shall never get him back. He has many plans for the boy, and now that his mother is dead, it would seem your search is futile."

Hook turned red with rage. His insides felt like they were going to implode. His breathing was ragged, his pulse was racing, and the only thought he could manage – other than wanting to pull a Cora and rip this boy's heart out – was that he had failed Emma and everyone that he had brought through the portal on his ship in search of Henry.

Henry.

Henry. Henry needs us. I won't let him go without a mother and father. I'm sorry, Swan. I'm so sorry.

"You can tell him to go to hell, lad." Hook managed to say before lunging at the boy. But the boy – the same boy he recognized from years ago – was too quick and easily blocked his attack.

The boy swerved behind Hook and with one swift motion, connected his sword to Hook's elbow, barely, but enough to draw a trickle of blood and leave Hook grasping at his now injured arm.

"You cannot beat me, pirate. We are the Lost Ones. Your efforts are no good here."

But Hook advanced, pain forgotten. Metal screeched against metal as he managed to push the boy backwards and away from Emma. Something inside of him was wanting to release, something that once felt broken and alone and now felt, yes – even more broken, but so broken he couldn't handle it anymore until it snapped.

Rain fell hard around them as seconds turned into what seemed like hours as the two figures – one man, one boy, but both as lost as the other, struggled in the middle of the dense, wet jungle. Feet began to give way beneath them, sliding into the mush that was once solid ground at some point, now turned as bad, if not worse than quick sand. Hook knew he had to do something if he was going to be able to save Emma; if saving her was even possible at all.

"You may be his play thing," he groaned through clenched teeth, "but you fail to realize, boy, that I am Killian Jones, pirate and famed Captain Hook." And as he ended his sentence, he brought just that – his hook – pointed end up and connected the point directly with the boy's cheek.

The grin that was on the boy's face was replaced with an expression of agony as he, too, went sprawling to the ground. Sword in hand forgotten as he clutched at his injured flesh, blood beginning to pour from the wound as he howled in pain, unable to stop the bleeding.

"This doesn't change anything, pirate!" The boy screamed, sword back in hand as he slowly got back to his feet. "Get on your ship and leave this place, or he'll make sure you and the rest of your companions never live to see another day again!"

Before Hook could answer or attack again, the boy took off running as fast as he could, hand still clutched to his cheek, wild blonde mane spilling behind his now uncovered head and disappeared into the heavy rain and trees until he was nothing more.

Hook checked once more, eyes squinting through the downpour to make sure the boy was gone before he quickly sheathed his sword and rushed to Emma's side on the ground. He slowly flipped her over in his lap, careful not to hurt her any more than she already was.

"Swan? Swan! Damn it, Swan wake up. You cannot die, not now. Not before we find Henry. Not when I haven't told you…" He pleaded, shaking her slightly when no response came.

"God damn it, Swan. I refuse to lose you now. Answer me, damn it! Answer me!"

Seconds ticked by into nothingness, the only sound coming from the rain that fell around them that splashed into the puddles that had formed from the duel just minutes before. Despair filled his heart. He had lost her, the only woman in… so long, that made him feel anything other than lust. The only woman whom he felt he could truly trust, the only woman who-

"Hook…?"

"Swan!?"

"What…" She breathed in sharply and coughed. Blood trickled out of her mouth and down onto Hook's hand as he wiped it away with a finger.

"Shh, Love. You're fine, you'll be all right. I'm going to get you to help. Don't leave me, Swan."

Gently picking her up in his arms, Hook cradled her lifeless body to his chest and gently, but quickly made his way back to the Jolly Roger through the way they had come hours earlier.

"Hook…" Emma managed to say through coughs of blood, trying her best to look up at him through his arms and her matted mud-filled hair. The sound of the pounding rain drops seemed to tick in time with the pirate's footsteps as the world blurred together. The last image she saw was his dark blue eyes looking down at her – oh, those eyes. What is happening to me? Why can't I touch you? Hook?

"Emma? No, Swan, don't leave me!" Hook screamed as his gentle run turned into a desperate sprint.

A deep breath escaped her lips and Emma closed her eyes.

A/N: So... that was incredibly difficult to write. Seriously just sat here crying for fifteen minutes, at 5:30am, because I wrote Emma being injured and.. wah. Anyways, that is chapter one of what I'm thinking will be a six-chaptered story. I apologize that this is a kind of short chapter, but I needed to get this written and I wrote what flowed, I promise the next couple of chapters will be A LOT longer! The next chapter will be titled "I Was A Fool," so... look forward to that within the next week or so! I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, because A LOT more will be coming soon! I am SO excited for this story, as I've had this idea for awhile now. Review? :)