A/N: So, after watching episode 3x14 of Once Upon A Time, I had to post this. I love these two so much, and I hope you all love this story.

Summary: "If it can be broken, it means it still works." (During 3x14)

Disclaimer: All rights go to Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and ABC.

It Still Works

"You're happy that I got my heart broken?"

"If it can be broken, it means it still works."

He let out the breath he'd been holding and with it went his hope; his hope for finding this wicked witch, whoever she may be, and more importantly is hope that Emma would see the man behind the hook.

Revenge had always been his motive. That is, until he found her. After losing Mila, the infamous pirate never felt he'd fall in love with someone else, let alone the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. That hatred toward the man that had taken his mate had fueled his desire for revenge, but now that he'd fallen in love again, revenge seemed like a mood point and hope had replaced it.

It was easy to fall for Emma. She was a strong, independent, and beautiful woman. With her, there was never a dull moment. For the first time he considered that maybe fate had run its course; maybe he wasn't meant to be with Mila. He'd fallen in love again, something he'd never thought could happen. There was only one problem: it wasn't so easy for Emma to fall for him.

Hook was a pirate. Emma knew him as a character from a fabricated tale in her substandard childhood. Those stories painted him to be a heartless villain against the sweet and charming Peter Pan. She knew that Pan's description had been falsified, but she couldn't see that Hook wasn't a villain, he was just a man.

Being separated from Emma for a year only confirmed his love for her. Seeing her again in New York made it all worth it. Well, until he tried to kiss her. It cost him an arm and a leg to get her to drink that potion. At least she had kept one of her notorious qualities: her stubbornness.

Now, he was back playing the same old game. First prize was Emma's heart, but he could never win it. If she had really loved the man she thought she knew in New York, it assured him that she was still capable of falling in love. But could she fall after every man she'd given her heart to had lied about who he was?

As he followed close behind her, he started to think she couldn't fall, at least not for him. Before they could get to far, Hook could see a black figure out of the corner of his eye. At first it seemed like he could be imagining it, but it appeared again. A second later it was heading toward Emma.

Hook acted on instinct. Running up to her, his good hand reached around her stomach and pulled her down behind a bush, "What are you doing?"

He motioned for her to be quiet. After a moment he whispered, "I think I saw her."

"The Wicked Witch?" Hook nodded. Emma tried to get a glimpse of her, but Hook held her down.

"You can't," A few minutes later, Emma was fed up with his nonsense. She freed herself from his grasp and stood up. As she looked around, she saw no sign of the figure Hook saw.

"What was that?" Hook looked down, wondering how to tell her without telling her the truth.

"What?"

"Aren't we out here to capture her? If we sit here playing hide-and-seek, soon we're going to have a whole town of flying monkeys!" That had been her number one concern. It wasn't all that uncommon for people to turn into them; she did almost marry one.

"We don't know if that was her. I'd rather not be blindsided," That's when it happened. She looked at him with those blue eyes; they examined him. He knew that she was doing what she did best: using her superpower.

"You're lying," She concluded, "Or at least not telling me everything."

"Does it matter?" Hook smirked as he used her own wordplay against her.

"Humor me," His smirk disappeared and his face became serious.

"If we go in blindsided, one of us could get hurt," She waited for more, "you could get hurt."

"She's going to kill everyone, Hook! Including my son! I don't care what happens to me," He stood across from her and took a step closer.

"Well I do, Love," he retorted, "I won't let whatever that is take you away."

"From who? You?" She couldn't believe in a moment like this he would even think about charming her.

"From your boy," Emma was taken aback. It was the first time she'd seen him take interest in anything more than pursuing her, "You can still protect him, but self-sacrifice will leave him alone."

She took what he said profoundly. Henry was the most important person in her life; she had to find a way to protect Henry and save herself. For once, Hook had a point, "Just like I was."

"Exactly," His eyes looked through her. No amount of sarcasm or crude jokes had tumbled out of his mouth.

"Can I ask you something?" Curiosity pushed aside the urgency for finding the wicked villain.

"Maybe, what is it?" Hook saw a shift in Emma's demeanor. Something was off.

"Why do you keep trying?" Hook looked down to the ground. The words hit him like a bullet to the chest, "You know I have a history with another man, I have a son, I always have some villain to catch and I've turned you down several times. So why after all this time do you still want to be with me?"

He stepped closer to her so that their faces were only inches apart, "Because you're like me."

"I'm like you?" She'd appeared insulted by his remark. Hook just smirked.

"We're a little rough around the edges. We have a past, a complicated one and the most important of all, we're both worried to fall again because our hearts have been shattered so many times before," Emma swallowed the truth, "But we have to take risks because some things are worth fighting for."

A few seconds later, Emma did something she'd never thought she would do...

...again.

She grabbed his collar and pulled him to her. The kiss lasted only seconds, but it felt more like years.

"I took a risk," She commended herself, "Satisfied?"

"Depends. Was it worth it?" Emma just wanted to be happy again. If just one thing in her life could bring it...it would mean everything. Hook was a man of many faults, but he loved her. Her love for him was hidden behind her fear for falling again.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Hook smiled as she walked away and followed close behind her.

That's when she knew he was right.

Her heart still worked.

A/N: Please Review! You know I love 'em.