A/N:

Hello, all! Thank you for clicking on my little story here. This will be a collection of one-shots with a love song theme. This is my first story, and I'm really excited about it. I should warn you – I am a major CS shipper! Any future OUAT fanfics I may post will definitely be CS. A big shout-out goes to my dear friend, Princess-Warrior 17, who helped me get started and edited this piece (if you're into "Lord of the Flies" at all, you need to check her out!). Thank you again for reading this story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:

I do not own "Once Upon a Time." All rights to the original story and characters go to the masterminds Kitsis and Horowitz. The song is "Just Give Me a Reason" by P!nk, ft. Nate Ruess.

Just Give Me A Reason

Just give me a reason

Just a little bit's enough

Just a second, we're not broken, just bent

And we can learn to love again

The metal doors of the dungeon swung closed with a deafening clang, followed by the witch's cackle.

"I told you I'd get you, my pretty. You can't run from me."

Emma turned around to face her, but nearly fell over when she saw who was standing next to the witch.

"Hook?" Her voice was shaky and leaden with betrayal. The pirate continued to stare at her, his face a stone wall keeping out emotions. The witch laughed even more.

"Yes, my dear, your friend was more than helpful when it came to finding you. In fact, it was his idea to use Henry as bait. And you just came running into my trap. You fell for it hook, line and sinker." A wicked sneer spread across her face as she tore a hole in Emma's heart.

'It couldn't happen, not again. How could he betray me? Why did I trust him?' Emma thought to herself.

She felt like she was drowning, and the only person who could help her was the one pushing her down. She clenched her jaw as the tears burned her eyes. Then, pain gave way to fury.

"How could you? I trusted you, we all trusted you!" She advanced towards him, fists curling at her sides, but the witch flung her backwards with a wave of the hand. As she hit the wall, she felt the stone wrapping around her wrists and ankles. Hook walked up to her, taking slow, methodical steps.

"Maybe you shouldn't have trusted me, love. After all, I am just a pirate." He spat those last words at her, making sure she felt their full impact. How many times had he been reminded of what he was in Neverland by her and her family? It seemed like every other conversation ended with that fact.

"What is she offering you?"

Surely he had some angle to play, but she couldn't think of what he would want so badly. The witch stepped forward and began to pace in front of the couple.

"I offered him the one thing I knew he truly wanted. Something that was lost long ago. And something that he would do anything to get back." She looked Emma straight in the eye before giving the final blow. "Love."

Emma snapped her head up. But Hook was in love with her, wasn't he? She looked at him, but she couldn't read his eyes. After the dramatic pause, the witch continued.

"I offered to bring his true love back to life: Milah."

'Of course,' she thought bitterly.

It felt like shards of glass were tearing at her heart when she realized that Hook had never loved her, had never wanted to be with her. He just wanted to use her to get his old love back. And just like the witch said, she had fallen for it. After everything that had happened with Neal, she should have known better than to let him inside her walls. But she let herself trust him, and if they had had more time, she might have fallen for him. If it weren't for the stone shackles keeping her anchored to the wall, she would have sunken to the floor in anguish.

"You've been planning this all along, haven't you?" Emma spat, her fists clenching until her fingernails dug into the palms.

"I merely saw an opportunity. It's like you said, Swan: we understand each other. Look out for yourself, and you'll never get hurt." His tone was mocking as he brought back the memory of their conversation in Granny's Diner. But there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite make out…

He turned to leave, but Emma called him back. The witch ushered the guards out of the dungeon, winking at Hook before she closed the doors behind her. Hook stood before her, a smirk that might have meant pity playing at his lips. He slowly shook his head.

"Please," she whispered, "don't do this."

"It's already done, love. But don't worry." He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "This isn't the last you'll see of me. I'll come back for you."

And with that, he left. The stone shackles that bound Emma dissolved, and she dropped to the floor, sobbing.

'This is the end,' she thought.

She would never see her family again, never tell them she loved them one more time. She would never see Henry grow up, never have the future she pictured for them. And she would never tell Hook that she had made her decision.

She woke up, still curled in a ball on the floor, to the sound of the door swinging open. She lifted her head slowly, too depressed to think of escaping. But the sight of the cloaked figure entering the room set her on her guard. She stood, ready for a fight.

And that's exactly what they got. As soon as the hood came off to reveal Hook, Emma flew at him. It was all he could do to keep her from tearing him to shreds. He managed to pin her against the wall, holding his hand firmly on her mouth to keep her from screaming out.

"Emma, you have to listen to me!" he growled, trying to keep his voice low so the guards wouldn't hear him. She squirmed out from under his hand.

"Why? Why would I ever listen to you again?!"

"Please, I can get you out of here."

"Oh, right! Like I'm going to walk out of here with you. This is just another trap."

"It isn't, I swear to you. I know you think I betrayed you, but you have to trust me–"

"You have GOT to be kidding!"

"Emma, please. Search my face: am I lying to you?"

She steadied her gaze and took in all his features: his brow, creased in worry, his crystal-clear blue eyes, and his lips. God, his lips… Even though Emma knew she shouldn't trust him, she had to admit, he wasn't lying. But that didn't mean she had to believe him.

"After what you did, I'm gonna need a better reason than that to trust you. Just give me a reason."

"How about this?"

He leaned in close to her, their noses brushing. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine, and her breath caught in her chest.

"I love you," he sighed before capturing her lips with his own.

I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a review if you'd like – I'd love to hear some feedback!