Disclaimer: Not a chance in bloody hell.

A/N:

Time, it appears, is a funny thing.

He'd followed her into the portal literally seconds after her but the moment he landed before her, Killian knew that much more time had passed between their arrivals.

Her leather jacket was gone, shirt torn at one shoulder. Her golden tresses were matted and there was a smear of dirt going up her left arm. Most concerning, however, was the wild look in her green eyes and the smattering of blood on her temple.

"Hook?" She took a step forward, staring him up and down as if he was a vision.

Killian frowned. How deep was that cut on her head? "Aye love. In the flesh."

She stilled, eying him for another moment until her whole form bolted for him, throwing her arms around his waist in a hard hug and burying her face into his chest. "You're here."

His worry grew at the obvious affection. Swan was many wonderful things but openly affectionate? "Emma, are you alright?"

He heard her swift inhale and felt the slight, stilted tremble of her body against his. Her voice was small when she spoke and he felt his heart squeeze. "No."

Right then, down to business. Killian released his own arms and pushed her back, assessing her well-being again. In addition to the blood on her forehead, there was a long cut along her arm and a scrape at her right knee. And that was what was visible. Hook felt himself scowl as he propped Emma against a boulder and shrugged out of his jacket. He figured that his waistcoat was softer and more useful material, removing it and tearing long stripes of it with his hook.

"What-" Emma stared at him as if entranced. Hook stood before her, shedding his layers until his bare, lean chest was in front of her. Her gaze slipped to the smooth skin of his stomach, the dark trail of hair that lead to…

Down girl. "What are you doing?" She shook herself, pulling her eyes back to his face. His answering smirk let her know that, yes, he had noticed her staring.

" 'M afraid I'm all out of scarves. This will have to do as bandages." He gestured to the scraps of his shirt with his hook, seriousness entering his face once again. "Let me tend to you love."

Emma opened her mouth to protest but the sight of a familiar and knowing face after her past few weeks was too much to pass on. She sat as still as she could, hissing through her teeth as Hook poured rum across the slit on her temple.

Killian made a sympathetic sound in the back of his throat as he wound fabric tightly across her flesh. "How long have you been here Swan?"

Emma had to think. "Three weeks, or close to it. How did you...shit,"

His hand had moved across her body from head to arm and then again to treat her leg when it had unwittingly knocked against a sore rib. Another scowl pulled on his face and deep blue eyes met hers.

"How bad?"

Emma blinked quickly, regretting her momentary lapse. They had shit to do. "It's fine."

Apparently, that was not the answer. "Take your shirt off Swan."

"Excuse me?!" What the hell was he-

"You've done more damage than I can see. Now take your shirt off Swan, or I rip it." He brandished his hook and Emma realized he was serious. There was an intense, almost heated look in his eyes and nothing was going to stop him from assessing her for injury.

Drama Queen. "Fine, here." Emma lifted the fabric from her body, clenching her teeth when it caught on sticky, dried blood before it could be removed. She heard a distressed noise issue from him before fingers lightly circled the impressive bruise on her side.

"Bloody hell Swan, what did you do?" Clearly, it was worse than she thought is he wasn't making a single innuendo while she sat before him in her bra and jeans. Really, it hadn't hurt that much.

"I don't know. This whole stupid world is crazy. First, some trolls attacked me. Then I got caught in the forest by some giant green thing-"

"Ogres," Killian supplied, his posture tense with worry as he tested her ribcage again. "How the devil did you get away?"

Emma shrugged. "I bit one on the hand and ran like hell. I've been camped out in this goddamn forest since then and I now know that red berries taste like strawberries but are awful for you but the blue ones taste like shit and go down-"

She swallowed. Three fucking weeks. She already hated this place. If Anton ever brought up going back to the Enchanted Forest again, she was going to kill him She missed grilled cheese. She missed her couch. She missed Hook.

Wait, what?

"Swan," said man grabbed her attention again. "I quite suspect you've displaced one of your rib bones. I would like to put it right if you think you can handle it."

His words caused an unbidden memory to rise to front, but the sour expression on his face kept her focus. "Just do it, alright?"

Hook gave her a solemn nod and then brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "Sorry sweetheart."

"Sorry? What the fuck are you-oh, son of a bitch!"

He had moved swiftly and precisely against her, fingers lifting her bone back in place and hook tying the impromptu bandage around it tightly. It would need proper medical attention, but at least now he was less worried about her puncturing a lung. It was done in an instant, but Emma's head fell against Hook's chest, breathing erratic as pain shot up her spine. His good hand came down and stroked through her hair softly, fingers gently unknotting strands.

"I know love, just breath. It's alright," Killian said, unsettled by the pace of her breaths against him. His hand wormed between them and grabbed at his flask. "Here love, take a swig."

Weary green eyes filled his vision and then Emma took a hearty gulp of rum before handing it back to him, still panting. "Rum your solution to everything?"

He eyed her up and down, finally tending to the slight scrape on her leg before standing again. "It never hurts. How are you feeling Swan?"

Killian knew first-hand what it felt like to have a rib dislocated and then repositioned. If the sweat on her brow was any indication, Emma was in a fair bit of pain. He stepped forward again, tilting her lightly to lean on him so he could bear some of her weight.

The signature 'fine' was mumbled against his pectorals, and he swallowed down a sharp wave of arousal. Swan leaned in to allow as much of her weight as possible to be carried by him. It had to hurt like a bitch. They stood there for a moment, Killian all but cradling her before Emma spoke again.

"I messed things up." His hand was once again stroking her hair, reaching down her back in an act of instinctual comfort.

"How so, Swan?"

"I interrupted my parents meeting," She broke away to catch his eyes. "I was running from the ogres and ran straight into my mother. She fled. They never met. I've been trying to get them together again but between the goddamn ogres and Regina torching everything and…"

Her eyes were wet and Killian felt his reflecting almost reflexively. It suddenly occurred to him that in spite of being here before, in spite of her ability to recover lost data on the Google-machines, slay dragons, and beat him at darts: that Emma was not from a world with magic. He had been adaptable since Liam showed him Pegasus feathers. His love, however, was a skeptic. She may be able to accept that Regina can throw a fireball because she's seen it, but this wasn't her world. She spent weeks out in the Enchanted Forest without a single rule to follow alone. Chased by beasts. Trying to save her parents and while she may be the Saviour in Storybrooke, this was much more his realm than hers.

He crouched down until he met her gaze, watching her lip wobbling against her protest. Saw the dark circles under her eyes. Really, she'd done so well just by fighting and staying alive but Emma would always be stubborn when it comes to her weaknesses. And right now, bruised ribs and all, she was clearly exhausted.

"Swan, why don't you get some rest? I'll keep watch and we will find your parents in the morning."

She sniffled against him and his heart broke a little. "I miss Granny's. And indoor plumbing. I fucked everything up and I just want to go home, Killian. I just want to go home."

His little lost girl. Alone again. He savagely regretted every moment he debated letting go and following her, now knowing that they were days she spent in an unfamiliar land familiarly alone. Dodging ogres. Eating berries.

He grasped at his coat, laying it out on the ground and herding Emma into it, wrapped the ends around her trembling form before wiping at the tears that just started to form.

"I know love, and I promise we will get back to Storybrooke. I'm here now so just rest and I'll get us some food." He murmured in her ear, brace moving back and forth across her hair. "You were so brave sweetheart and it's okay now. I've got you so just let go."

She blinked thrice at him, seeming to fight the spell of his lilting voice and warm coat until Emma was pulled under, exhaustion giving way to what he knew will be a fitful sleep. Hook took a chance to place a soft kiss in her hair before separating himself, looking for the green tree limbs he knows will make nooses. He hoped to have caught something before she woke again. Gods know, for all her skills he doubted she knew how to hunt.

Her sleep was as fitful as he expected, so he woke her once the rabbit is cooked. She shoved the tender meat into her mouth, eating with unsurprising gusto until exhaustion once again kicked in and Killian urged her back onto his coat. Emma tossed and turned, clearly ailed by her rib until he could stand it no longer. He may get a fist to the face for his efforts, but he had to try. He laid beside her, maneuvering her until she laid so the brunt of her injured side was borne against him and she fell into a deep, and he knew, much needed slumber. Despite his best efforts, Killian felt the tug of sleep win against him with the woman he adored by his side. However, the dawn's light woke him and he nearly sat up in shock at the now unfamiliar feeling of a warm body beside him until he realized that it was Swan and she continued to sleep. The uncomfortable dig of rocks and twigs kept him up but he was loathe to move for fear of waking her. Instead, Hook studied the line of her shoulder blade and counted the freckles winking at him from her back. She stirred sometime mid-day and he retreated immediately, going to start a fire while she went through the rituals of waking.

"Remind me to take wilderness survival lessons when we go back." Emma said as she sat beside him while he roasts a bird.

He felt a grin tug at his face at her returned fire. "Always available if you would be in need of my expert skill, my lady."

The eyeroll is predictable and he resisted the urge to hug her to him at the very Swan-like gesture.

"You wish."

They ate in companionable silence until she sat back and told him about her tale: how she has been tracking her mother in order to try and get her to steal the ring back and set things right once again. Her own father unknowingly tracking her.

He doused the fire at that little tidbit of knowledge. "All a good plan love, but how do you plan to convince your mother to try and steal the ring again?"

A shy smirk broke across Emma and she went into her jean pockets (he makes a mental note to have her change as soon as possible) to dig out said ring. "While I may have scared Mary Margaret away, I did manage to distract David long enough to steal the ring myself."

She'd be the perfect goddamn pirate. "You were planning on planting it on her and letting him find her, weren't you?"

Emma shrugged. "It seemed like a good plan. I figured if I dropped it somewhere close by, she'd take the chance to pick it up. Mom wasn't kidding about being a hell of a tracker through, it's been a bitch to find her."

Hook smirked, "Ah, but her daughter is quite adept at finding people who wish not to be found if memory serves."

She couldn't quite smother her smile at the appreciative comment. "She's headed towards the harbor. I think she's trying to flee from Regina by leaving. It seems like the only way out is the-"

"Toll Bridge, aye, I know my way in and out of the harbor well. Perhaps if the Lady Snow was besieged by a different captain…"

"Who?"

"Well, me of course." Killian added a wink to his slight leer, unable to deny the sight of Swan without her shirt. "But first things in order."

They fetched her new clothes and Killian carefully wrapped her jeans up in his satchel. (He may never give them back.) They wander after Snow, skirting David. He had once promised her his ship and services and the offer had never been rescinded.

She looked better, sleeping now and eating protein since he is here. Together, they manage to find her mother (milady) and Emma planted the ring on her so David (mate) goes off to find her in the forest proper. A few days later, they run upon a small town where the cobbler (she had worn her borrowed shoes within an inch of their life.) murmurs about his royal wedding put on hold and a thief that won the prince's heart.

Emma exclaimed in rejoice, much to the poor man's astonishment, and Killian had to very artfully cart her away.

"It's okay," She looked young as she nearly bounced at the balls of her feet, looking back at him. "I didn't fuck it up. They're getting together."

Swan looks young in that moment, arms braced around his shoulders with glittering eyes. "Everything is alright."

Killian nodded. "Everything is alright."

And in that moment, despite the fact that they were in the wrong era, wrong place-he knew it to be true. There was a Swan in his arms and everything else be damned.