AN- I wrote this before the season final but never posted it.
Emmaline stood and watched in disbelief at what she saw. She had been trapped in this world for a short time, but knew she was missing the year that had lead to this. Before that a mad woman who she had stuck the wrong deal with had trapped her frozen in a castle. It had been over one hundred years since she had been truly been free. An image of her two brothers flashed through her mind so much had changed since they had been kids. She smiled thinking of them, or what they had once been. Long before all the troubles had fallen on to her family. Her brothers had always looked out for her as long as she could remember as a child. It had only been the three of them their mother had died when she was only five years old. She had been the youngest of the three and never minded having her brave brothers watching over her. With them by her side she knew or rather foolishly thought nothing bad could happen to them.
She thought of the few memories she had of their mother she only had a handful. The memory that was the strongest was the one just moments before she had died. Her mother had weakly whispered, 'Stay together never let anyone or anything separate you. For together nothing will hurt you.'
The three had lived by their mother's words for many years, it had seemed that together the three of them had made it through many different situations, once most should live through. She felt something when they all held hands something that made her feel like nothing could hurt them that nothing was stronger. Yet when they weren't together she felt like an old leaf fallen from a tree that could crack with even the slightest of winds.
She had felt broken for many years without her brothers it had been their foolishness that took everything from her. Money and revenge had ripped her family apart. It had ripped everything from her that she had loved. She could still see her brothers from time to time looking upon her with smiles on their faces. Back when they had been young they only needed to worry about keeping each other happy. As time wore on her older brothers thought they needed more money to be happy, more comforts that could be offered to them. They hadn't realized they only needed each other, they hadn't realized power didn't mean anything it was those you loved that created a home.
She remembered hearing that Snow White and her prince had returned to the realm to help right the kingdom one more. The Snow Queen paid them no mind. She couldn't help but smile when she heard they were still alive, that maybe there was a chance for a happy ending. She knew she could never have her happy ending not now. She thought of the man she had once loved he was lost to her forever. All because of her brother who seemed to lose his mind after they both lost their eldest brother. He became mad with revenge and vowed to make anyone responsible for his death pay in blood. Her love got caught in the crossfire.
That was how she had gotten caught up in not one but two curses. She was stuck serving the ancient snow queen all because she tried to strike a deal, not to bring back her lost love, but to return sense to her dear brother. There was only a short time when she thought he was slowly becoming the man she used to know, the brother she used to love. The help the queen aided brought a woman into her brother's life, a woman that seemed to calm the storm waging in her dear brother. While he wasn't the man she used to know before their brother died he showed small parts once more. She thought she was in the clear, she thought she could truly reach him, but life was full of cruel surprises.
The woman was killed before her brother's eyes, in his arms just like their brother had on the very same ship. She watched that day as her brother threw away any chance he had at being a good man, she watched as the dark storm finally took hold. Upon making his decision to carry on with revenge he didn't realized he had cursed his sister, but by this point he was to lost in his own revenge to pay much mind to her. The Snow Queen cursed her to serve in the ice palace until she was released, she would never age never die. She would have to live forever knowing her brother chose revenge over her.
Living in the palace she had tried to forget her brother. She tried as best she could to hate him, but nothing could ever steal her love for her brother away. She held on to a small amount of hope that her brother could be good again. She heard over the year's stories of him of how horrible he truly was. The queen would cruelly remind her what a monster her brother had become; yet she tried to push the thoughts away.
Years all seemed to fall into one another she didn't know how long she lived trapped in the castle, trapped in her eternal youth. She heard pieces of a war going on in the realm between Snow White and the Evil Queen, but the snow queen didn't get involved she was happy with her castle on the mountain, no one bothered her, no one wanted her mountain. She heard rumors of a curse that was to be enacted but neither she nor the snow queen paid much mind. The Snow Queen hadn't worried when they returned and their fight with the evil queen was over, she didn't pay mind to the new witch that seemed to be causing trouble. The snow queen thought she was untouchable. The next thing Emmaline knew she was here.
Now standing in the middle of a town called Storybrook with a memory of another life she hadn't really lived. She hadn't run into the Snow Queen yet in this town, she hoped maybe the evil woman hadn't been brought here in the curse.
Emmaline sighed and try to push the fear from her heart, the fear she felt every day since she lost her brothers. She longed for the safety she had as she grew up when ever she was with them, but knew there was no way she could ever feel that again. She tried to run through the people in this town through her mind wondering if perhaps her brother had been brought here as well, but she was coming up blank.
Walking into Grannies she sat down deep in thought knowing that she didn't need to pay attention to anyone here, she didn't know anyone. She had lived in the snow queen's castle for so long she doubted anyone she had once known could still be alive. For all she knew her brother was long dead she hadn't heard much of him in her last few years before the curse.
"What can I get you?" Red's voice broke through her thoughts.
Emmaline looked up, "Just a water." She said softly, "I don't know if I like any thing here."
Red smiled, "You're new here, let me suggest a burger. I'm Red by the way."
Emmaline smiled, "I know you're famous in the realm. Fighting along side Snow White." She paused, "I'm Emmaline Jones."
"Where were you before this?" Red asked.
"Locked in the Snow Queen's castle, I'm not sure how I got out of there. I was supposed to be locked in there forever after I made a deal with the wrong person." Emmaline told her, "I wish I knew what happened in this last year."
Red smiled, "It would help us figure out what we're up against."
"Red." Snow said walking up, "Sorry to bother you, David wanted me to pick up some coffee for him and Emma, they are setting up the nursery today."
"Of course." Red said with a smile as she walked over to the counter.
Snow looked at Emmaline a smile on her face, "Hello."
"Hi." Emmaline wasn't sure how she felt about Snow White in all her years she had met many royals, but out of the many she met there had only been one that was kind to her. She felt the soft pain in her heart thinking of that man, thinking of the prince she had once loved.
"Is this your first time here?" Snow asked.
"I'm afraid so." Emmaline responded, "I'm not sure what to do in this place."
"Do you have any family here?" she asked.
"I'm not sure." The girl responded, "I doubt it. I only had my brother and I don't even know if he is still alive we lost contact long before this happened."
"Well I hope you find him." Snow said.
"I don't even know if I want him to be." Emmaline said softly, "He was my brother and I loved him, but he wasn't a good man. In the end even I feared him."
"This place has a way of changing people." Snow told her, "If he is here, maybe he's changed."
"I doubt that, nothing could change my brother." She said softly. Images of her brother before he allowed his heart to fill with darkness flashed into her mind. She remembered the kind, caring, and loyal man he had once been always the first to have a smile on his face. Then all to suddenly she saw her brother with his wicked grin she saw him cutting down anyone who got in his way. She could still hear his drunken laugh as he allowed women to fall all over him. "If he was here we would all have something to fear." Emmaline said softly, "In this land, with everything here I fear the damage he could really do."
"If your brother is as bad as you think, could this curse have been set forth by him?" Snow frowned.
"I wouldn't put it past him, he would stop at nothing to get his revenge." Emmaline told Snow, "His heart is nothing but darkness now." She could feel a sadness growing within her. "I should go." she whispered before she allowed any tears to fall. She hurried from Grannies not looking or waiting for a response from anyone. She hated thinking about her brother and remembered how he had dammed her to a life of misery.
Killian walked with Emma wishing there was some way he could truly get her to see him as Killian Jones and not Captain Hook. In truth he wished she knew his past self when he was in the kings navy, before his brother died.
"Why are you staring at me like that Hook?" Emma asked.
"Sorry las, I was just thinking." He looked away and out across the harbor.
"About?"
"I think you would have liked me before." He told her with a soft smile.
"Before what?" Emma frowned, "Before you lost your hand?"
"Before I became a Captain before I became a pirate. I was a good man much like your father." Hook thought back to when he was with his brother, when he had honor and a future worth fighting for.
"I like you now." Emma told him, "For what you are. Even though you are a pirate you have helped my family many times over." She added quickly. "What's got you thinking about your past self?"
"I had a dream the other night." Hook told her, "That my brother never died and that the curse never happened." He paused, "We were at a ball, my brother and I were invited after saving the royal ship from pirates. The ball was held in our honor."
"A little full of yourself?" Emma asked grinning.
"You were there." He smiled, "And we danced."
"Well that was certainly a dream." Emma told him, "I don't dance." She paused and added, "We would never dance together."
"Aye." He told her, "I doubt you know a good waltz."
"I would be offended but I don't even knew what that was." Emma responded.
Hook smirked, "A dance, love." He informed, "It's a dance."
"I should get back." Emma told him, "David and I are supposed to be working on the crib for the baby. I'm supposed to be meeting Mary Margret at Grannies." She sighed and left Hook alone at the dock she had spent far to long walking with Hook. It surprised her how easily time seemed to slip away when they were together.
Hook watched as Emma hurried away a soft smile on his face. He knew why she ran from him. It was simply her head getting in the way again. She didn't want to care for anyone ever again she didn't want to love. Every time she seemed to get close to him he watched her run in the other direction. He knew she was like a stubborn horse that didn't want to be caught. You couldn't chase it because it would simply run faster, instead he would have to wait, wait until she came to him. He would wait forever if he had to Emma was worth every moment. His attention was pulled away from Emma as he heard someone crying. He frowned and followed the noise. He wondered to himself when he became the man that cared when a young woman cried. His eyes fell upon a girl sitting on a bench looking out at the sea, he could still hear her crying, he could tell she tried to stop herself, but something had hurt her greatly. He wanted to turn and leave, but something pull him forward something deep inside didn't allow him to act like the pirate he was, but instead the good man he once had been.
"Las, is everything all right?" he asked as he stepped around to get a view of the young woman's face.
"I'm fine." She mumbled as she tried to hide her tear stained face.
"You most certainly are not." He argued, "A girl who is fine does not sit alone and cry."
"Please just leav-" the girl had turned to look at him, but as soon as she saw his face her breath hitched.
Hook stumbled backwards as his eyes settled upon the girl's he never thought he would see those ocean blue eyes again. "Emmaline." He whispered, "You're alive."
"Stay back." She whispered trying to keep her voice from shaking, "Take another step closer and I will scream."
"My dear Emmaline." He felt as if he might fall to his knees, after all this time here she was alive.
"I wished with all my heart you weren't here." She shook her head, "I wished with everything I had." Here he was is this new land, but he looked different something had changed in his eyes, could she dare to hope that his eyes seemed calmer, that the dark storm within him seemed to have washed away. No. Her brother would never be Killian Jones again. He would forever be Captain Hook one of the most feared pirates to ever set sail upon the waters. "Just get on the Jolly Roger and said fall away from here."
"Emmaline." He whispered as he took a step forward as if he didn't hear her words, "After all this time, still alive."
"There you are." Snow's voice interrupted them as she hurried over to the girl. "I saw you leave Grannies, I'm sorry for following you but you seemed upset." She glanced at Hook, "Is he bothering you?"
Emmaline frowned, why did Snow show no fear of her brother? Why did she show her back to him? Did she fear he would harm her and her unborn child?
Snow turned to look at Hook, "Have you seen Emma?" when she didn't respond she spoke louder, "Hook!"
His eyes moved away from Emmaline and to Snow, "She left here, said she was late meeting you."
"You two know each other?" Emmaline asked.
"Yes." Snow told her, "He helped us get my grandson back. He's the one that brought Emma here."
"Your daughter, the savior?" she asked Snow, but then turned to Hook, "Why would you bring someone here that would break your curse?"
"My curse?" Hook questioned, "Why would I make this curse?"
Snow stood up and looked at him, "You are the only one with memories."
"Come on, I didn't make this! Why would I?" he growled.
"To get back to Emma." Snow told him.
"I didn't do it." Hook growled, "I was content on my ship with my crew I didn't think even know the curse could be cast again."
"Then if you didn't who did?" Emmaline asked.
"How should I know?" Hook asked her, "Why would you assume it was I?"
"Because this curse comes from darkness, only people of true darkness can cast it." She told him.
"Is that what you think of me?" he asked.
"In order to get your revenge you had to become a part of him." She told him, "You lost the man I used to know a long time ago and succumbed to a dark heart."
"You know him?" Snow asked.
"I really thought when you found Milah that you were going to change." She whispered.
"I did change." He told her, "With Milah by my side I did change."
"And the moment she died you because far worse then you ever were." She told him, "You took everything from me when Liam died. You killed the only man I would ever love."
"Emmaline he was responsible for Liam's death! He was a monster." He growled.
"And still I stood beside you, I traveled with you I loved you even then." She shook her head. "But even Milah feared that darkness in your heart that part of you that wanted to see people hurt."
"I wasn't in a good place." He told her, "I've changed now."
"No." she whispered, "You're to far gone."
"Emmaline how do you know Hook?" Snow asked hoping this time she would get an answer.
"He's my brother." Emmaline whispered as she got up and hurried away from the bench and away from Hook wanting to put as much distance between him and her as fast as she could.
AN-Not sure where this is going I think it will only be another chapter or two so it's not really a one-shot, but also not a long going story at least not at this point, but who knows. Maybe this story will take on a mind of it's own. I didn't know they were planning on using the ice queen in once upon a time when I first wrote this so we will see how this all plays out.