Umph!
Hook landed with a resounding thud and, not for the first time that day, resented Emma Swan for double crossing him. That damn girl. Then, looking up, he let out an exasperated sigh. That damn beanstalk. If the whole situation had turned out differently, if there was another way to get to Storybrooke besides the compass, he might've laughed – the overwhelming irony of the fact that he'd hoped she would be the one to journey with him was almost comical. But the situation wasn't different, regrettably, and Hook found himself wishing he'd been less trusting and more cunning. His actions in the giant's castle were disturbingly uncharacteristic of him and the reputation he'd developed. Falsely believing that his day couldn't get any worse, Hook internally cursed when an unwelcome voice spoke out behind him.
"Dear Captain, it seems like you've been on quite an adventure!"
Cora. Though the powers she possessed definitely posed their benefits if you were on the right side, her value as an ally lessened for each time she inflicted her condescension upon him. In saying that though, it wasn't like he had any other options – he'd already tried that path and it hadn't worked out so well. In fact, he'd been, quite literally, screwed over. He, Captain Hook, daring pirate and master of the seas, had been screwed over by a nobody; some Emma Swan, he thought angrily.
As he turned around, she spoke again, holding out her hand presumptuously – "The compass, please."
He laughed without humour internally. I think not. Uncomfortable on two accounts – his recent failure and fear of evoking Cora's spite once he told of his wasted efforts – Hook downplayed the severity of their predicament in his typical aloof manner, hoping, rather than believing, that she would see past his ill-timed incompetency. And, in a surprise that came as a shock to precisely no one, Cora was unsympathetic. He got the feeling that she'd already known, even before he spoke, that he'd returned sans the compass, but had merely asked for it anyway to torment him; the angry expression that'd crossed her face when she'd held out her hand giving her away. Further still, it was clear she hadn't expected him to double cross her as he'd once done to her daughter, and was now exacting her revenge by refusing to indulge his pathetic insistence of his loyalty to her; her eyes glazing over, her mind already made up, Storybrooke a now distant dream. She shook her head, swiftly silencing him. "I don't have time for your games. I've crossed through too many worlds to be brought short at the brink of success." Hook narrowed his eyes resentfully, his mood changing as quickly as she'd cut him off. And what, he hadn't traversed the world in search of his enemy? He hadn't endured the physical torments of losing someone and experienced the merciless nature of Time, which had held him trapped and unable to enact his revenge for so long? He'd been to bloody Neverland, for god's sake! Adopting a deceptively polite tone – the woman sure knew how to inspire fear – Cora continued, "Who was it who bested you?"
Taken aback by the change in conversation, Hook hesitated – should he rat Swan out and leave her to face Cora's wrath? Or should he act selflessly and deliver a lie despite Swan's seemingly instinctive ability to double cross him? He took but a moment to consider both options before responding.
"The Swan girl, Emma." He was indeed a gentleman, but he was also a pirate after all, and when someone double crossed him, they didn't deserve any favours the way he saw it. The moment those manacles had touched his skin, Hook's flair for vengeance had sparked, only to be enflamed when she left him there, taking with her some of his pride. And it was worse, if that was possible, having to admit to his incompetency out loud. "Rest assured, it won't happen again," he added. And it wouldn't. Hook had been bested for the last time.
She laughed without humour. "No, it won't. You chose her and the consequences of that decision." For a second, Hook thought he saw her drop the façade as a flicker of hurt crossed her face, but dismissed it as soon as it came, chalking it up to her anger at the 'betrayal.' But she was right; no matter which way you looked at it, he had chosen Swan. It would be easy – reassuring even – to say that she was the safer choice, that he merely chose her company because he thought they could retrieve the compass faster as a group. But it was more than that. She was an open book and, in reading her, something had immediately drawn him in. He had genuinely wanted to be around her; hell, he might've even liked her if she hadn't screwed him over – and that was the unavoidable truth. Pushing the disgusting thought from his mind, Hook recovered in time to give Cora a dose of her own medicine: "Are you going to kill me now?" Patronising. Testing. Confident.
Hook was a cunning and brave man – there was no doubt about it – but the look Cora gave him in that next instant was enough to make even him a little nervous. In the blink of an eye, Hook saw the immediate future, but was powerless to stop it as it translated to the present. His heart clenched, and he looked down reluctantly, only to be met with a horrifyingly familiar sight. No, No. Cora's hand, firmly inserted between his ribs, was squeezing. And tightly. His eyes betrayed his fear, and a well repressed memory made its way back to the surface, haunting him; ruining him all over again.
Cora let out her trademark mirthless laugh. "Of course not, my dear captain! That would be too kind of me." She grinned, his unease a welcoming sight before her, and continued, "No, what I have planned for you is much more –" she paused then, leaning in to enjoy his tortured expression, "– interesting." The 'dot dot dot' in her voice was audible as her lips wrapped around the last word, savouring a rare delicacy. And with that, she pulled her hand back, Hook's heart in tow. Those innocent eyes and that sweet smile which had befallen the death of many before him were the last things he saw before his mind seeped into the awaiting oblivion, and he collapsed.