Emma ignored the pirates screaming pleas as she rushed back to the opening where the beanstalk came through. She had wanted to trust him, she did, but she had been betrayed one too many times by men like him.
And they were all the same.
Cool and charming until they got what they wanted. Then in a blink of an eye they would up and leave you for someone else.
Or send you to prison.
Pregnant.
Scared and alone, in a dank prison cell with no one to keep you company but the roguish inmates who would sooner gut you than offer you any type of civil conversation. At least that's what it had felt like. But it had given her the exterior she needed to keep the rest of them away, and it was a good thing, because Hook was doing a damn good job at digging under her layers of tough skin.
"Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie?"
She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose willing the ringing words out of her memory. That was the thing, he hadn't in fact been lying to her. She knew that and it was making this that much harder. Worst of all she had seen so much of herself in him. He had been right; they would have made quite the team.
The ground rumbled and she shuddered to think the argument he would pose with the giant in an attempt to let him go before the allotted time frame. Praying that he wouldn't be so stupid as to pick the lock and set himself free. The Giant wouldn't take too kindly to that.
Emma finally reached the opening and with a breath secured the scarf that bound the cut on her hand. Hook's scarf. Her chest contracted in guilt and she quickly shook the feeling off as nerves. She approached the raised stone circle and this time when her insides clenched it was out of fear. Pure unadulterated fear.
In the spot where the beanstalk once stood there was nothing but air and a very, very long way down.
"No," Emma whispered to herself, leaning over the side and hoping for some sort of miracle. Mulan had kept true to her word and most surprisingly Mary Margaret had apparently let her. She had no way back now. No way home. She was to sit up here in this castle in the sky and rot with a giant and a pirate for companions. She'd never get back to Henry now, that was almost a given.
A tear trekked down her cheek at the thought and she slid down against a stone pillar and brought her knees to her chest.
"I'm so sorry, Henry," she softly cried into the folds of her arms.
"Who's Henry?" A gentle voice quipped from above her.
Emma rubbed her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket and lifted her head to see the giant standing above her.
"He's…what are you doing out here?" she asked, her walls rushing back into defensive mode.
He sighed, "That stupid pirate won't stop carrying on. Was giving me a headache, needed some fresh air." His eyes turned to the now empty hole in the middle of the stone ring. "Well that's no good," he gasped, "That was your way out."
"Mmmhmm."
"A new one will grow from the stump, but that could take almost a century," he gazed down at the earth with a light frown pulling at his lips.
"A cent—I really am going to die up here," she pushed out a harsh laugh and let her head fall back into her arms. "You can release the damn pirate. As soon as he finds out I'm still here the longer he's chained up the more pissed he'll be."
"I don't know…he seems pretty mad already."
"He'll be fine."
"Anton," the giant knelt down and offered his hand out to her.
"What?" Emma blinked back in confusion.
"Anton. My name is Anton."
Emma smiled, wrapping her hand around his pointer finger giving it a light squeeze. "Emma. Emma Swan."
He nodded and with a light hearted smile he stood. "Nice to meet you, Emma Swan." He gave a slight bow and then left her to go set that blasted Captain free of his bonds. She only hoped she wouldn't regret it. She also hoped the giant wouldn't play pirate taxidermy if Hook got out of hand.
.
.
Emma found herself standing in a garden of sorts, overgrown but still hauntingly beautiful underneath the starry sky. The stars shone so much brighter here and seemed only an arm's length away from her spot in the heavens. She sighed, running her hand along the base of an oversized fountain. Her mind wandered away from her troubles for a moment and she allowed herself to get taken in by the magic of the moonlight dancing over fine dew on multicolored blossoms. The way the wind blew lightly against the tall weeds that surrounded her in a deep thicket.
"I should skin you where you stand."
Her body tensed at the low accented tone that came from somewhere behind her.
"Alas, t'would be a shame to spill the blood of such a beauty." He was closer now, maybe a few feet away from where she stood, goading her into turning to face him with every step.
"What do you want, Hook?" Emma asked with a bitter tone, crossing her arms over her chest and keeping her eyes straight ahead.
"Why so bitter, love? Someone leave you behind chained to a post? Oh wait…that was me." He was directly behind her now, close enough to where she could feel the heat radiating off of his body. "Why, Emma?" he hissed in her ear, warm breath sending a shock down her spine.
"I told you why," she said faintly, taking calming breaths. She wasn't going to let him affect her, not anymore.
Hook scoffed, "Ah, yes. I faintly recall something about you not taking chances." He moved in front of her and dipped his head so they were at eye level. "Well, I took a chance coming here with you, Swan. I also put forth a bit of trust. I was a fool to think the feeling mutual."
He turned with the intentions of leaving but only managed to get a few feet before he turned back and waved his hook in her direction. "But here you are. Still here, giving orders for my release. Why may that be?"
"Would you rather be chained up, I'm sure it can be arranged." Emma droned.
"No," Hook shook his head. "Why. Are. You. Still. Here?"
She took a moment to let her gaze wash over his narrowed blue slits, looking for something misleading. He honestly had no clue. He hadn't tried to escape after he had been set free. He had gone directly in search for her.
"It's gone." Emma said with a breath, taking her lower lip between her teeth and willing the tears to stay away. "It's gone, and so is every ounce of hope I had for seeing my son again." She turned, doing her best to keep her pace steady as she all but fled away from the pirate and his questioning face.
"What's gone?" she heard him call. "Emma! Emma wait!"
She quickened her steps when she heard him chasing after her, running through corridors and bursting through unknown doors until she was suddenly standing back in the stone courtyard where the beanstalk once led. Emma skidded to a halt, her eyes falling on the empty hole once more, and with a weary heart she followed her feet to the opening.
Emma stood upon the ledge, her breath coming in deep shudders while she gazed down through the misty clouds of the darkened sky. Just one step. One step and everything would be finished. She wouldn't have to worry about not returning to Henry. About being anyone's savior. Because let's face it, what kind of savior would have let herself get pulled away from the one person that needed her most.
He'd be okay with Regina. There was no doubt in Emma's mind that Regina loved Henry, and Mary Margaret and David would keep him from any kind of harm. There was no doubt in her mind that Mary Margaret would find a way back, she had true love after all.
Emma. Emma had nothing.
"Ready to go then, lass?" Hook's cocky voice rang out from behind her and she spun to look at him, not bothering to hide the fact that her eyes were now welling up with tears. He cocked his head to the side and took a cautious step forward.
"Don't," she choked out, lifting a hand to stop him.
Hook took one more step before his steps fell silent, finally noticing that the tip of the stalk that once stood above the center of the ring was now missing and the air whistled freely through it.
"Emma—"
"Don't," she repeated, a tear squeezing its way out the corner of her eye. "It has to be this way, there's no other way out."
"Love, come on down."
His ocean colored eyes were bursting with worry and wide with fear and Emma wondered what for. Was it for her? Or was it because he'd be left alone?
"You don't want to do this, sweetheart, trust me."
"Trust you?" Emma barked out a laugh. "Why? Look where it got me!" She waved her arms at the empty space behind her. "No way home, left alone to rot up here!"
"I'll get you home, lass." Hook took another preemptive step towards her praying to the Gods she wouldn't notice.
"Just stay there." She teetered back and a few crumbles of rock slid from under her heels and began to descend towards the earth.
Hook held up his hands in surrender. "Step down and on my honor I won't move a single inch."
Emma's chin fell to her chest, her wet cheeks glistening in the moonlight. "I just wanted to go home, Killian."
Her voice cracked with her tears and he cursed the rush it gave him to hear his name fall from her lips at such a time as this.
"I know. And you will. But first you need to come down." He held out his hand, keeping his word by not moving his feet but still within reach if she allowed, and motioned for her to take it. "Come, love."
Emma eyed the ringed hand before her; there had been no lies behind his eyes when he spoke to her, not ever. But how could he offer her false truths with such certainty.
Unless he already had a way out.
Emma started to reach her hand forward, her fingers brushing the tips of his before jutting back.
"There's a good lass, come on." Hook wiggled his fingertips and gave her a pleading nod.
Emma shuddered a sigh and nodded, wiping the tears from the corners of her face and taking a step forward. Unfortunately for her the stone in which she decided to step had been worse for wear and crumbled under her weight and before she had time to blink her body began to drop.
"SWAN!"
Emma couldn't breathe. She did not want this, she wasn't ready to die, not quite yet. And such an awful death it would be.
But then her body jerked and time stood still and Emma found that she was still very much alive. Her fall having been brought to a sudden stop. She glanced up to see Hook's hand clamped around her forearm and coming to her senses she flailed around until she was gripping his arm with equal fervor.
"I got you," he breathed out through strained breaths, "I got you."
She glanced up to see that his once crystalline blue eyes had dimmed gray and despite his strong grip it was still with only one hand and she was slowly slipping. He was strong, but not strong enough. Even if Emma had not decided that she had not wanted to die she was going to anyway. It broke her heart but she could make peace with it. It was her own doing, and Henry would be well taken care of, loved by so many people.
"Killian, it's all right."
"No!" he ground out. "Use your feet, Emma, on the wall there. You can do it. Climb while I pull."
She slid down his arm a bit more and she couldn't help but look back through the mist below her. She wondered how much time it would take before she hit the ground.
"I will not let you go, Swan. Now climb," he commanded.
No. She decided she wasn't going to find out. Not today.
Emma struggled to find her footing while Hook tugged above her, pulling until she was high enough that he could wrap his hooked arm around her upper body and get a proper grip on her, pulling them both up and over the ring and toppling onto the ground. He pressed her head into his chest and smoothed his hand down the back of her head. "S'all right, love, I got you," he murmured into her hair between breaths, refusing to let her out of his grip.
.
.
A/N: One shot that got out of hand but is almost done! I apologize for suicidal Emma. I don't know where she came from. It went from accidently 'hooked'Emma to that. So...yeah. Anyway, someone on tumblr wanted an abandoned beanstalkAU so here you go. Do what you do.