What do you see?
A/N S3 post 3.14. Neal is back and although they are still looking for the wicked witch, Emma, Hook and Neal find themselves searching the farmhouse together. For purposes of this fic, Neal has been back in Storybrooke the entire time. Told from Hook's POV. I'm not a fan of Neal's character therefore you have been warned.
Also, as always, I own none of these amazing characters and I only write for kicks and giggles.
The three of us decided to go back to the farmhouse again to see if we had missed anything. Henry was safe with David and Mary Margaret while Regina tried to stay visible. She had sensed that she was being watched, but was unable to identify the source of her unease.
Assuming this was true, Neal, Emma and I had set off together to look for additional clues. Oddly reminiscent of the time we searched the caves for Pan's shadow. It sometimes astounds me that events reoccur, yet have their unique differences.
I pushed the memories of that day far in my mind as to not allow them to distract me. I was here to support Emma, but to also find the most elusive person I had ever to look for. Hiding among people who could not remember what you looked like was as easy as loosing a tear in the ocean.
Emma was in the kitchen meticulously opening every cabinet and drawer, while I was doing the same in the adjacent dining room. I could hear Neal's heavy steps come back downstairs.
"This is a waste of time." He declared. "Let's get out of here. She's probably got another place closer to town."
"What makes you think that?" Asked Emma. I could see through the doorway she did not halt her search for a moment. Her tenacity brought a smile to my lips and taking her lead, I moved the china cabinets away from the wall to search the back of it for hidden compartments.
"Hook, just stop it." Neal called out angrily from the kitchen. "There is nothing here."
I moved into the doorway into the kitchen so that I could address him eye to eye.
"Perhaps you are right, but we don't have a better avenue of inquiry at the moment, so even if we uncover nothing, it is time well spent."
"We should be out there looking for my father. Only someone with his power can defeat the witch."
"Defeat," scoffed Emma. "He was locked up by her. Gold might be able to help us with what he knows, but we can't be hoping for a miracle to save us. The wicked witch obviously knows a way to contain the Dark One."
"It has to be a trick." Neal said defensively. "My dad many be many things, but easily beat isn't one of them."
"Aye, I can attest to that." I agreed, knowing it would get him angrier, but at least his anger would be directed at me and not Emma, who in my eyes had done nothing – rather could do nothing - that would deserve it.
It works for a moment, Neal's icy gaze landed on me, as he spit out "You would know now wouldn't you?"
He quickly wheeled back on Emma, "Lets get out of here, we are done here and its better to get back to town."
"I still want to look around" replied Emma as she took a sugar jar from the counter shaking it carefully in her hands.
"I said it's a waste of time." Neal said as he took Emma's arm only to cause the jar to fall to the ground breaking.
My initial reaction was to push Neal away, but Emma beat me too it. The spitfire roughly pulled her arm from his grasp while pushing him away from her.
"You may think it's a waste, but I don't. I want to stay."
Although I'm never one to back away from a fight, seeing no danger, I leaned back against the door perfectly willing to watch the scene unfold before me. Emma was now just as angry as Neal was impatient to leave. I wasn't even truly listening to the words from their lips as I was amazed by the woman in front of me. Her determination and fire always drew me like a moth to the flame.
I was brought out from my musings, when she dramatically dropped her hands, the fire deflating, and with a sigh she asked "What do you see when you look at me?"
Taken back, Neal stammered a halted "What?" in reply.
Drawing herself back up and with more confidence she asked again "Neal Cassidy, when you look at me, what do you see?"
He took a minute before he responded, all angry gone from his voice. "I see the same beautiful girl who ran a stop sign while stealing a beat up old car. I see a thief with style and fearlessness. I see the first person I even wanted to protect. I see the lost kid looking for the place she will fit."
Neal took her hands him his gently tugging her closer to him as he spoke. I knew it was time for me to leave them be. It may pain me to see her with another, but as I was never one to force myself on a woman, I set to leave, but was called back by her voice.
"Hook, what do you see?"
I turned back to the couple, who were still holding hands, but her eyes were now on me. Captured by her gaze, nothing but the truth could have poured out of my lips.
"I see the most frustratingly, brilliant woman I have ever had the privilege to meet. You love sparingly, but deeply. You aren't fearless, but you will never let that fear disable you. To the contrary, your fear of failure will spur you on to any lengths to get back to those you love. You are the most beloved orphan princess holding the keys to the freedom of many. While you will happily sacrifice yourself for those you love, you will never sacrifice them. I see…" My words began to desert me, I could no longer look at her face, my eyes fell. First to her hands, still in Neal's grasp, then to her feet, which were now crushing the spilled sugar: sugar that wasn't all white.
I smiled broadly as I lifted my eyes, "I see a strong and capable woman who should never be doubted or underestimated."
I continuing, I pointed to her boots with my hook, "Whose feet will always find the right path."
Her perplexed look only made me smile broader until she too looked at her feet. She gasped, quickly releasing Neal's hands to brush away the white crystals to reveal a golden pendant with a green stone.
She answered my smile as she held the pendant to the light.
"Useless huh?" She called back to Neal, who appeared shocked at what we had found anything.
Neal sighed, "I'll look again upstairs." He practically ran up the stairs, and Emma giggled as he left. Actually giggled, it was a sound I had never heard before, but was determined to hear again.
"Thank you" she said.
"For what?" I asked. My mind rushing with the possible answers and the memories of the last time she thanked me.
"For starters, for holding on to this. We'll figure out what it is later, lets see what else we can find." She placed the pendant in my palm. "Let me know if you find anything else in the dinning room." She turned back to the kitchen cabinets getting right back to work.
I slipped the pendant into a pocket as I returned my attention to the cabinets I had moved before I had been interrupted with the commotion in the kitchen.
I was still examining the seams of the wood for hidden latches, when Emma's head popped through the doorway. Not coming any closer she smiled at me saying "Oh and remind me to thank you properly later."
And just as suddenly as her face appeared, she was gone again.
"As you wish." I called back to her.