FORTY MINUTES IN - GRANNY'S
"You've got to be kidding me."
Emma Swan was cursed. She'd always kinda thought so, what with the whole abandoned-at-birth, framed-for-my-boyfriend's-crime, my-parents-are-fairytale-royalty thing. What else would her life be, but a huge practical joke at her expense? But no, that wasn't bad enough. Let's throw in an actual curse.
Emma was in absolutely no mood to be stuck in a room with a swaggering pirate captain she'd once read about as a kid. She didn't need his witty retorts, or earnest compliments. She didn't need to feel his eyes on her, lingering long after she'd finished speaking. She didn't need Captain Freaking Hook complicating her already complicated life. Especially not after he'd been keeping secrets from her that had nearly put her son in mortal danger.
It figured, really. That it would be him.
If Emma had even tried to name all the people she wouldn't want to be in a room with right then, Zelena would be number one, with a bullet. But even then, at least maybe she'd get a chance to finally end things. Once and for all.
Number two on the list?
Hook.
So it figured he would be the one she was stuck with, magically speaking.
At first, the cause hadn't really registered. One second she'd been picking around in the ashes left behind from one of the flying monkeys she'd shot. The next she'd doubled over, her parents immediately at her side, their worried murmurings not helping her urge to throw up.
But it hadn't taken long to figure it out. The sight of her on her knees, hands scrabbling for purchase on the cracked concrete floor as she fought to fill her lungs, was more than enough to send that pirate running.
It didn't matter that she'd pretty much just told him she never wanted to see him again. He still came to kneel beside her, concern etched all over that pretty face. But something else too. If it was anyone else, she might have said he looked scared. The second his hand made contact with her forearm, the symptoms vanished. Oxygen, sweet oxygen, wended its way back into her system. She gave a spluttering, relieved laugh and she rolled over onto her back, gulping down lungful after lungful of precious, delicious air.
"Swan?" But even as his face hovered into view, her eyes meeting his, she knew what this was. Magic. The most vindictive kind.
It took a little while for the panic in her parent's eyes to recede, before she could explain her theory. She tested it herself, alternating who did the leaving. Each time, the one left behind was weakened. And for the one attempting to leave, it was like walking into a plate glass window. She just couldn't.
So... it looked like her and Hook were stuck together, for the time being. Or within about five feet of each other, give or take.
"What do you mean, you don't know what it is?"
It had taken a little while to assemble everyone. Granny's, of course. No strategy meeting was complete without the addition of waffle fries and a trio of dwarves inviting themselves along. And Regina hadn't exactly been happy for the interruption to her long overdue reunion with Henry. He was there too, tucked into a corner booth with his phone, trying to look as unobtrusive as possible. Robin Hood had come along too. Regina's new squeeze. That would take some getting used to.
"The witch's idea of a fitting punishment, I suppose," Hook mused, careful not to make eye contact from where he stood leaning against the counter. "I refused to enact her curse, so she wove a failsafe into the spell. Something she thought might increase her odds."
"Increase her odds? Is she insane? If I'm stuck within a five foot radius of you for the foreseeable future, I'm a hell of a lot more likely to kill you than kiss you."
"That's an intriguing idea…" Regina began.
"Hey, hey," David said, stepping between them his arms raised in a defensive gesture. "No one is killing anyone. There's got to be a way to reverse the spell, right? Belle?"
She looked at little surprised to be called on, in the middle of all the squabbling. "Uh.. it's possible. It's not too different from a containment spell. I know Rumple had a few books in the shop…"
"Great. Regina, Belle, you head to Gold's shop and try to find something useful. In the meantime…" David grimaced, turning back to where Emma was stabbing at her waffle fries with deadly intent. "I guess I'm playing babysitter."
"I can hardly wait," Hook drawled, picking up a set of darts and taking aim. "First to 500, your majesty?"
TWO HOURS IN - GRANNY'S
Okay, so David wasn't that great at dispersing awkward tension. If anything, he seemed to lean into the uncomfortable silences, his pointed remarks only drawing more attention to them. And he wasn't very gracious in defeat either, sulking moodily as Hook tallied his winnings. Pirate.
It was almost a relief when Mary Margaret called.
He looked between the two of them, uncertain. "It's probably just Braxton Hicks. Maybe I should just stay. I'm sure it'-"
"Dad, we're fine." It was a lousy trick, but pulling the Dad card always softened him up. And then, a little quieter she added, "I'm not going to murder him with Henry right here. Besides, I thought we might go out to the cemetery. Let Henry say goodbye properly?"
The lump in her throat still wouldn't let her say his name. It was all still so raw. The anger. The grief. And sure, maybe a little relief as well. God, how she hated herself for that.
David nodded sagely, a hand coming up to clap her on the shoulder. "Call if you need anything, okay?" He narrowed his eyes in Hook's direction. "And I mean anything."
Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "We'll be fine. I promise. Go take care of Mary Margaret."
He hesitated, but only for a moment. He extracted similar promises from Henry, and then he was gone, in a flash of flannel and a squeal of tires.
Still avoiding Hook's gaze, she turned to her son instead, still wrapped up in his phone. "Hey kid, you feel like going for a walk?"
She didn't ask Hook his opinion. He could trail at a respectful distance, or he could lay writhing on the floor. It was his call.