Note: One of the things I am interested to see this season is Rogers relationship with Lucy. I would love to see something like this happen. I hope you enjoy it! ~Steph
…Trust Your Heart: Part 1/1...
Rogers tossed and turned all night long. He couldn't rid himself of the image of the beautiful blond in the storybook. Why did she seem so familiar? Why did the sight of her make his heart race? Why did the mere thought of her make it hard to breathe?
He considered reading the book and looking at the rest of the pictures, but finally scolded himself for being silly. There was no curse. None of these people or their stories were real. This was fiction. It had nothing to do with the real world. It had nothing to do with him. And the beautiful woman was nothing more than a character in a book.
But still he couldn't force himself to dispose of the book as Ivy had instructed him. Something told him to hold onto it. So the following morning he placed it in his locker at work.
…
"Excuse me," the desk sergeant heard.
He looked up but saw no one. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and saw Lucy.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm here to see Officer Rogers."
"It's Detective Rogers now. And who are you?"
She smiled brightly. "Lucy. His granddaughter."
He stifled a chuckle. This was the kid he'd heard about.
"His granddaughter? He's a bit young to have a granddaughter, don't you think?"
She shrugged. "Well, step-granddaughter actually. And he only looks young. He's actually a centuries old pirate."
The desk sergeant burst out laughing at that one. He shook his head and mumbled, "Rogers always attracts the crazies."
"I'm not crazy!" Lucy shouted, her brow furrowing angrily.
Just then, Rogers appeared by the desk.
"Hey, Rogers, this little girl says you're her grandpa."
Rogers stared at Lucy for a long moment. What was she talking about?
He walked over to her. "What are you doing here, love?"
"You have something that belongs to me."
"I was told to dispose of it."
"But you didn't, did you?" she asked, tilting her head.
He lowered his eyes to the floor.
"I knew it. You know something's not right. That's why you didn't get rid of it," she said excitedly.
"I saw no reason to dispose of a perfectly good book. I am going to donate it."
"Did you look through it?" she asked.
He dropped his gaze from hers again.
"You did." She paused and said softly, "And you saw her."
Rogers head snapped up. "What?"
"You saw her. The blond woman in the red leather jacket. She's the savior. Emma Swan."
Emma. The name rolled around his head and then slipped from his lips as it had done a thousand times before.
"Emma," he whispered.
"She's your wife, your true love," she said with a smile.
Wife? Is that why she evoked such a reaction in him?
"My wife?" he mumbled to himself.
"That's right. She's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. You fell in love and got married. Henry is Emma's son and my father. You're his stepfather. And that makes you my step-grandfather."
Rogers shook his head, a nervous chuckle flowing from his mouth. "Do you have any idea how bloody mad that sounds?" He paused and asked, "And so who am I? Robin Hood?"
Lucy laughed and shook her head. "No, silly. You're Captain Hook!"
She said it so loud that everyone in the station turned to look at them. Rogers felt his cheeks begin to burn. With a groan, he gently guided her by the elbow to the door and they stepped outside.
"Look, you seem like a good lass with an avid imagination, but that book isn't real. The characters are not real. It was all made up."
"That's the curse talking. It made everyone forget who they are. You're Captain Hook. But since you turned into a hero you're known as Killian Jones."
"There is no curse," he said.
Lucy reached out and took his right hand. She placed it over his heart.
"What are you doing?" he asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"Emma," she whispered.
Rogers felt his heart begin to race beneath her palm.
"What do you feel when you hear her name? When you look at her picture?" she asked softly.
Rogers shook his head sharply and gently brushed her hand away.
"I have to get back to work."
"Trust your gut. You know something is wrong. Deep down, you know I'm right. When you believe in something, you never give up. You never gave up on Emma or your love. And I won't give up on you."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away. Rogers watched her go, his heart only now returning to normal.
...
Hours later, Rogers walked out of the precinct and started in the direction of his apartment. Her voice stopped him in his tracks before he made it a few yards.
"Your shift was over an hour ago," Lucy said.
Rogers sighed and turned around to face her. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you."
"Why?"
"I told you. I won't give up on you. I won't give up on our family."
"You're wasting your time, lass. Go home before it gets dark."
Lucy reached into her backpack and pulled out the storybook. "Bet you'd be wondering where this went to soon enough."
His mouth dropped open. "How did you get that? It was in my locker."
She shrugged. "Turns out your police station doesn't exactly have the best security."
Rogers reached out to take it from her, but she snatched it away from his grip.
"It belongs to me anyway," she said.
"Your grandmother..."
"Step-grandmother," she corrected.
"Your step-grandmother does not wish for you to have it anymore. She said it's caused too much trouble. I'm inclined to believe she's right."
"Trouble for her because she knows I'm right. My mother is Cinderella and she's her evil stepmother. And I think she had something to do with casting the curse."
"Lucy, it isn't healthy to believe in things that aren't real."
"Tell that to the kids who still believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny," she countered with a shrug.
"That's different," he replied weakly.
"That's right. It is. Because they really aren't real. But these stories and these characters are. You just don't remember."
Rogers shook his head. "It's getting late and I'm tired. I need to get home and so do you."
He began to walk away when she flipped open to a page in the book and held it up to him.
She pointed. "Look familiar?"
With a heavy sigh, he lowered his gaze to the picture. He felt his breath catch in his chest at the illustration. It was him. With guyliner, dressed in leather, wearing a hook and operating a ship, but definitely him. There was no mistaking it.
"That's Captain Hook. That's you."
He slowly forced himself to shake his head. "Do I look like I wear guyliner and leather?"
Lucy gestured to his hand. "You're missing a hand, aren't you?"
Rogers pulled off his glove and revealed his prosthetic hand. "But no hook."
Lucy groaned in frustration. "Of course no hook. You're cursed!"
Rogers finally tore his eyes away from the illustration. "It's just a character in a book who bears a resemblance to me. That's all."
"But-..."
"Goodbye, Lucy," he said, cutting her off, and then turned on his heel.
"If you won't trust your gut, then trust your heart. It's never wrong," she called after him.
He paused and squeezed his eyes closed for a moment, before continuing on.
…
Rogers suffered through another sleepless night. He couldn't get the image of the woman and the man that looked just like him out his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw them. And Lucy's words kept rolling around in his head.
Soon, it was morning and no amount of coffee could give him the energy he needed to get through the day. He stepped outside his apartment and almost tripped over a pair of legs.
"You look awful," Lucy said. "Sleepless night? Gee, I wonder why."
Rogers eyes grew wide at the sight of her. "What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"
She stood up and faced him. "I followed you home yesterday. You know, if you're going to be a detective, you might want to be a little more aware of your surroundings."
"There's a word for that. It's called stalking," he said.
She shrugged. "I'll take my chances."
"Shouldn't you be in school?"
"Would you believe professional development day for the teachers?"
"No, I wouldn't."
"Okay, then I won't even try."
"I'm taking you to school. Come on."
Lucy didn't budge. "You have a wife out there who is missing you. Don't you want to get back to her?"
Rogers sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't have a wife."
Lucy pulled the book out and flipped to a page towards the end. She pointed at an illustration of the man that resembled him and the blond woman kissing after getting married.
"Then what about this? This was your wedding day. You were both so happy."
Rogers felt his hand lifting automatically and he ran it across the picture.
"You feel something, don't you? What you two have is true love. No curse can take that away. It's still inside of you. You're connected forever."
He dropped his hand and said softly. "It's just a story."
Lucy flipped back in the book. "One of the best love stories ever." She began pointing at pictures. "Here's you two on the beanstalk after you met. And having your first kiss in Neverland. Here's your first date. Here's when you died but Emma went to the Underworld to try to save you. She couldn't, but you still found a way back to her. Look how happy you two are. Nothing can keep you apart. And here's when you proposed twice and then here's your wedding again."
Rogers stared at the pictures, his heart beating more quickly at each one. They looked so happy, so in love.
Lucy went on. "And here is when the Black Fairy took Emma's memories. But when she saw your picture in the storybook she knew you. In her heart, she knew you. Just like right now in your heart, you know her. She fought to get back to you and I know you'll fight to get back to her now. You always have."
Rogers shook his head. "Stop it. Please."
"But I-..."
"No, I can't listen to anymore of this. I need to get to work and you need to get to school. Let's go."
Lucy's face fell, but she followed after him.
…
After most shifts, Rogers liked to go sit by the water. It helped calm him and clear his mind. He always sat on the same bench. But today he found his bench occupied by a familiar face.
With a heavy sigh, he sat down beside Lucy.
"You're relentless," he said.
She turned to him with a smile. "It's a family trait. Trust me."
"So, I assume you're still following me then."
"Nope, just a lucky guess. I figured you'd be drawn to the water."
He stared at her for a long moment and then slowly bobbed his head. "Ah, yes, of course. I was the captain of a ship."
"The Jolly Roger. And you were the best there ever was."
They lapsed into silence for a few moments as they stared at the water.
"Why is this so important to you?" he asked, turning toward her.
"Because it's my family. My parents belong together and they don't even remember each other. And you belong with Emma."
"Sometimes, lass, we want something so badly we make ourselves believe it. I know you want a father."
"I have a father. And I'm going to convince him I'm right. Just like I'm going to convince you."
Rogers smiled. "I admire your determination."
"He's not the only one who doesn't remember his child, you know," she said softly, meeting his gaze.
"What do you mean?"
"You. You and Emma have a daughter."
Rogers eyes widened. "A daughter."
"Her name is Leia. She's six years old and I know she misses her daddy."
Leia. The name rolled around his head and made his heart race just like Emma's.
"I have a daughter," he whispered.
Lucy nodded. "Yes, and you and Emma deserve a chance to raise her together." She paused and swallowed roughly. "I know this all sounds crazy. But if there is even the smallest part of you that feels something, then you owe it to yourself to investigate it. You're a detective now. Start detecting."
Rogers shook his head and groaned, "This is bloody ridiculous."
"Here," Lucy said, placing the book in his lap. "Read your love story. It will make you believe."
He paused, slowly running a hand down his face. "Hypothetically, let's say I believe you. What do you want from me?"
She shrugged matter-of-factly. "I want you to help me break the curse and reunite our family."
With that, she stood up and walked away.
Rogers sighed, shaking his head and muttering, "Oh, is that all?"
…
Rogers endured another sleepless night, but this time it was because he spent it reading the storybook. He read the entire thing from cover to cover. He read about every important moment Captain Hook and Emma Swan had shared. And there was no denying it. He felt that connection deep in his heart and soul. It didn't make any sense, but he couldn't deny how he felt.
He wasn't surprised to find her sitting outside his door again that morning.
"Another professional development day for the teachers?" he asked with a wink.
She grinned up at him. "How did you know?"
He chuckled and sat down beside her. He turned to her. "So...how do we break the curse?"
A huge smile spread across her face and she threw her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder.
"Thank you, Grandpa," she whispered.
Rogers laughed and pulled back, shaking his head. "Perhaps we can ease into the whole grandpa thing. This is still new to me. It will take some time to adjust."
Lucy nodded. "You got it."
Rogers stood up and extended his hand to her. "Come on, lass. We've got work to do."
Lucy grinned as she slipped her hand in his.
...THE END...
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'd love to know what you thought. ~Steph