Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters, this is purely for fun.
Author's Note: I tried to keep this cannon but Once Upon a Time is so tightly paced it's difficult to find spaces to slot in your own stories. This is set somewhere between The Apprentice and Smash the Mirror. So, Hook's started wearing modern clothes but hasn't lost his heart. Emma's still getting comfortable with her magic. Aurora and Philip are in Storybrooke and not settling in as easily as others, having been brought over as flying monkeys. This isn't very complimentary towards them, so sorry if you're a fan of theirs.
...
Duel
The sun was beating down on the little town of Storybrooke. Everything had that happy optimistic glow that comes with the start of the spring weather. Captain Killian Jones sat against a raised bed of grass and ornamental flowers outside the town hall and watched happy fairy tale citizens walking this way and that. He was well aware of the sideways glances and whispering his presence was eliciting and was surprised at the feeling of hurt which bubbled up inside of him.
He'd never claimed to be anything but the villain they knew him as, why did he suddenly care that they were suspicious of him? Why did he want them to see him as an honourable man? Because you've worked so hard to change. Because you've done more selfless good in these last few months than the hundred years that came before. He answered himself. Well, he had the support of the reigning royals and more importantly he had the affections of Emma Swan. That's all that mattered. The rest of the town could go hang. He sighed, if that was true he wouldn't be sat here would he? He'd never been able lie to himself.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a movement at his side. Looking down he found a tiny child crawling determinedly towards the edge of the raised grass.
"Careful lad." He said reaching out his hand and resting it against the infant's chest, preventing any further forward motion. A chubby face with big round eyes turned up to him, bunched in a look of utter confusion at his sudden lack of progress. Killian couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Apologies, but I assure you a far worser fate would occur if I let you fall off." He carefully rolled the baby over until he was sitting, his hand still keeping him upright. "Now who do you belong to?"
Tearing his eyes away from the cute face he turned and saw Princess Aurora staring at him open mouthed, she appeared to be frozen in place arms outstretched as if she'd stopped just before picking up her son. Killian tried to smile through the uncomfortable silence.
"Get your filthy hand off my son." The sharp voice cut in before Killian had a chance to speak. He found himself yanked to his feet by the shoulder, Aurora jumping forward to grab her child as he moved away. He shrugged off the grip and faced Prince Phillip. Aurora's husband was furious, breathing hard, his cheeks red like he'd just run a mile.
Killian held his hand up in mock surrender. "No harm done your highness." He said, his usual cocky tone slipping easily into his voice.
"No harm? No harm!" Philip shouted, advancing on Killian, who calmly stepped back keeping the distance between them. "You're a villain. The only thing you're capable of is harm. "
Killian raised an eyebrow, his smile growing wider. "Is that so?" He asked chuckling, as if at a joke Philip wasn't aware of. Aurora was frowning at them, clutching the baby. Killian caught her eye and she stepped forward grabbing Philip's arm.
"Philip no." She said quietly.
"No? After what you just told me he did to you?" Philip asked.
"Wait. She only just told you?" The pirate asked, giving Aurora an exasperated look.
"What you did, I can't even say it out loud. And you did it. You did it to her." Philip seemed to be calming down, his hand reached up and took Aurora's from where it was gripping his sleeve.
"I stuck my hook in her chest and tore out her heart. See mate? Not so hard to say after all." Hook said with a shrug. Philip launched himself at Hook but Aurora managed to keep hold of his hand holding him back.
"Not here, not in public Phillip." She hissed, making a show of glancing around. Philip schooled himself but his hands remained bunched at his sides, his eyes glaring at Killian.
"Quite right Princess. Don't want the plebs witnessing your husband blooding his fists like a common criminal. There's enough gossip in this town." Killian said his smile never wavering.
"I am a prince, I'd never behave like... like you." Philip replied.
"So, you're just going to walk away? Cowering at home behind your little wife. What do you heroes call it? Being the bigger man? So ironic." Killian was on a roll now, ignoring Aurora's squeak of disapproval. In for a penny in for a pound so they say. "If you are unwilling to fight for your love, how can you claim to deserve her?"
"I'm more than willing to fight you pirate. Name the time and place."
Things were arranged quickly. As Killian was the one being challenged, he could chose the method, pistols at dawn tomorrow, the field on the edge of town. With his honour and courage in question Philip had barely listened before agreeing to the terms. Aurora had stood firmly beside her husband, still and cold as granite, her son squirming in her arms. Killian had been unable to read her expression, the princess was made of tougher metal than people gave her credit for. Philip had gritted his teeth as they'd shaken hands to seal the deal with a childishly crushing grip which Hook took pleasure in returning. As they finally walked away, Aurora glanced back and gave Killian the slightest of nods.
"Killian! " Hook groaned and turned to see a concerned Henry standing behind him. Why had he agreed to do this here? "Did you just agree to a duel?" Henry asked, his face a picture of distress.
"Aye lad, but appearances are often deceiving. "
...
The sun was mere moments from appearing from beneath the horizon when they met at the field. Aurora and Philip had arrived before Hook, and were therefore presented with the image of the pirate captain striding out of the darkness and into the grey misty light of the dawn. He'd left his new modern clothes behind, returning to dark his pirate regalia. His heavy coat swept around his legs as he walked, the black leather blending with the similar leather of the tunic underneath and made it seem like he was a solid shadow tearing itself away from the fading darkness.
"If I had known I was supposed to make an overblown entrance I would have borrowed one of the mayor's horses." Philip scoffed, but the slight waver in his voice betrayed the nerves the intimidating pirate was causing.
"There should be no confusion or doubts, your highness." Hook said as he approached. He gestured towards himself. "This is the man who tore out your love's heart. This is the man who used her to further his own cause. I placed her beautiful pure heart in the hands of a tyrant. Everything she suffered was my doing." The change of person in Hook's speech didn't escape Aurora's notice. Looking over at Philip she saw it'd had the desired effect, any doubts had definitely faded, a fury she'd never seen before hardened his usually soft features.
"You will pay, pirate." Philip called out. Hook smiled his most annoying cocky smile while giving a sarcastic bow. Aurora could hear Phillip's teeth grinding in anger.
She remembered standing at the bottom of the beanstalk, Hook swaggering and flirting despite being their prisoner. It'd be so easy to think this was the same man, he was certainly putting on a good show, but she couldn't chase away the image of him with her baby boy. A gentle hand cradling his chest, preventing him falling, while smiling down at his little face. He'd looked so soft and caring, so at odds with her image of him, that for a moment she thought she'd got the wrong person. A small seed of concern settled in her stomach.
"We should really have an impartial judge, but I'm not sure anyone in this town would fit that description. " Hook said as he held up a large wooden box he had brought with him and walked over to them.
"Oh, wrong too many people have you?" Philip practically sneered.
"Quite." Hook replied and Aurora couldn't ignore his look of regret, before he turned to her and opened the box with a flourish. Inside were two ornate flintlock pistols set in a dark red satin. She'd known what was in there of course, he'd shown them to her the day before.
"The bottom one will be loaded, the top one empty. When I offer it to you, make sure you take the correct one. Things will get awkward if your husband finds himself with a useless weapon." He had warned.
"Philip has never even held this sort of weapon before. He will never hit you." She'd stated, her concern about Philip winning overriding everything else.
"I know I swore to do what I could to help you, but I don't intend to actually die." The pirate had seemed amused by her.
"So how exactly will this help us?"
"You want your prince to feel like a hero again, like the brave knight he was when you met. What better than to best a villain who harmed you while he was unable to protect you? But, I know you heroes, killing me will cause more upset than it cures in the long run. Beating me though, injuring me before I can injure him, that'll feel like justice and he'll get the added bonus of getting to be merciful and letting me live."
"I just said he'll never hit you."
"Aye, I hope not. I will arrive with a pre prepared cut to the arm. We can all pretend it occurred when he shot. You think you can manage that mi'lady?"
"You will injure yourself?"
"We'll need to make it convincing won't we? Your prince is not a fool?"
"Of course he's not."
"Well then, I will put on a good show of failing to shoot him before he fires at me. I'll fall to the ground and clutch my arm. It'll be an act worthy of anyone's praise."
At the time Aurora had thought the pirate was just trying to find a way to weasel out of helping her. But standing in the field, the guns in front of her, the true reality of the situation started to weigh on her. They were going to do this. She had set this up. What happened next was solely down to her.
"Your highness these guns are identical but in case you still believe me untrustworthy why not let the lady choose which you shall use?" Hook continued turning to Aurora. "You're pure of heart, we've both seen the evidence first hand. I'm sure you'll make the right choice." His words were like an attack, she knew they were meant to get Philip angry, but the memory of her heart glowing in Cora's hand froze her for a moment, confusion flooding her.
"I was a hollow desperate man, Aurora, it doesn't excuse what I did, but I hope it helps you understand why I did it. I was so close, after hundreds of years, I could taste my revenge and I would do anything to achieve it."
Her hand wavered as she reached towards the guns. The impact of this decision swamping her. All the different scenarios flying through her mind, if Philip has the real pistol, if he obviously misses, Hook can't pretend he missed too. The ruse would be revealed. But if he hits him, what then? Hook seemed to think it couldn't happen. But was he just accepting the consequences if it did? Did he really deserve that? He did seem different. What if Philip kills him? There was a chance no matter what the pirate said.
Philip had been so depressed since they returned to human form and found themselves in the land without magic. They had lost their positions, their roles to the citizens. Even the birth of their son had not lifted his moods. This had to work. But, if he found out he killed a defenceless man? If he found out it was her idea? Would that be worse? If she gave him the empty gun, would they realise? Could she and Hook still play out their act? Would Hook kill Phillip?
Hook raised an eyebrow, his hook tapping the bottom of the gun case. "Tick Tock love." The flash of memory brought with it a flash of remembered pain and despair and she grabbed the loaded pistol. Her face turned defiantly to the pirate, but wasn't met by the arrogant deviant she remembered. This man gave her a supportive smile and a nod, apparently agreeing with her choice. She felt her heart drop to her feet.
So what if he'd come to her with his supposedly sincere request for atonement? So what if he'd gone along with her plan without a single complaint or attempt to withdraw? So what if he'd actually turned up and was allowing her husband to point a loaded pistol at his head.
Philip took the gun from her hands startling her. She shook herself. Villains never change. He deserved this. Too many villains go unpunished in this town, allowed to walk around as if their past actions meant nothing. As if they'd caused no pain. Hook deserved to feel pain. This was justice. This was just.
...
Emma woke suddenly on alert. She peered around her room. The darkness was just starting to fade, the faint light from outside washing out any colour in the room, but everything seemed in place. Then she heard soft footsteps and a shuffle from the kitchen. She padded over to the balcony expecting to see one of her parents with Neal, but was surprised to see Henry sitting at the kitchen breakfast bar looking at his phone.
"Henry? " She asked softly once she'd made her way downstairs "Why aren't you in bed?" Her son didn't reply focused on the screen of his phone. "Henry?" She tried again as she reached him, resting her hand on his shoulder. He jumped and gave her an embarrassed smile.
"What? Sorry Mom, did I wake you? I couldn't sleep."
"Did something happen? I know this snow queen business is unsettling."
"It's not that -" He was cut off from saying anything more by David appearing carrying his baby uncle.
"Hey, why are you two up? Since you're here help me sort Neal's milk? Snow's still sleeping." He said, rocking the baby gently side to side. Emma moved around the counter to get the bottle warming.
"How long does a duel take?" Henry asked. The random question took them by surprise.
"Er...it really depends on how good the opponents are." Charming replied glancing at Emma , but she looked as confused as him. "Why?"
"But like a few minutes or like an hour?" Henry continued, ignoring his grandfather's question and staring at his phone again.
"Well the combatants would get tired after a while. The longest I've seen was about half an hour. Swinging a sword can take a lot out of you if you don't get any chances to catch your breath. Why are you asking Henry?" Charming tried again.
"What about with pistols?" Henry's voice had dropped to just above a whisper, and David had to lean closer to catch it.
"Pistols? Not many people did things that way back home." He gave Emma an apologetic smile at his use of the word home. "But, well I guess that'd be over in moments. More about the build up isn't it?" He tried to imagine the scene from movies he'd seen in this land. "Meeting at dawn, declarations of honour, choosing the weapon, walking ten... paces." His voice faded as he focused on the image his mind conjured up, the clothes they were wearing, the style of the pistols. What did it remind him of? It hit him like a punch in the gut. "Wait, is this something to do with Hook?" He pointed at Henry's phone, the boy's distraction suddenly making sense.
"What? " Emma exclaimed, glancing between her father and son. "He's at a duel?" The word sounding ridiculous in her mouth. Henry looked more miserable, the phone now clutched tightly in his fist. " Why? With who?" She demanded.
"He said he had to, that sometimes a man's honour is more important than a risk to his life." Henry said. Emma couldn't believe the old world nonsense that came out of her pirate's mouth sometimes, let alone that her twenty first century son accepted it.
"With who?" She repeated.
"Prince Phillip." Henry admitted not meeting their eyes.
"Aurora's husband?" David asked incredulously. "He doesn't seem the type."
"It was Aurora's idea." Henry continued. "She told Killian he's not been doing so well since they were brought to Storybrooke. That he needed to feel like a hero again." Emma didn't know what to do with any of that information.
"And having a duel with Captain Hook is going to do that?" David asked. "I suppose he was a villain, but I doubt Philip could beat Hook with a sword, let alone a pistol."
"But Killian's going to throw the duel." Henry said, his anxiety finally showing fully on his face.
"What?" Emma exclaimed, she couldn't believe this nonsense was real. "Has he lost his mind? Why didn't you say anything earlier Henry? I thought better of you." She started looking for her boots fully prepared to go out in her pyjamas and stop the idiot from getting himself killed.
"I tried to talk him out of it. But he said he'd hurt Aurora really badly and that he'd sworn to do what she needed to make it up to her." Henry pleaded. Emma stopped with her jacket half on.
"Her heart." She said quietly. "He took her heart for Cora. To get back on her good side."
"He did what?" David asked, apparently not knowing the full story of their adventure in the Enchanted Forest.
"In the end, he saved it from the portal and gave it back to us." Snow said, appearing beside them, their increasingly loud conversation having woken her. She took Neal from David and nodded to the door. "Go on all of you. Find him and bring him back here so we can all shout at him."
...
Hook had patiently shown Philip how to use the pistol. Of course he'd hidden it beneath inappropriate jokes and sarcastic remarks. But eventually Philip was standing in the correct stance, comfortable with cocking the weapon single handed, and boiling over with rage focused solely on the pirate in front of him. Aurora couldn't stop the anxiety building in her chest. How can a man teach his enemy how to shoot him? It was bizarre. If Philip hadn't been so distracted by his anger he'd be questioning the whole situation. But that of course had been the plan.
"We'll have to keep him distracted or he may notice something is up. Don't worry though I have a certain talent for goading people into action. Anything I do say Princess, it's purely to infuriate your husband. I do not aim to cause you further pain."
She moved to the side behind Phillip, no need to fear a stray shot from Hook's gun. Hook shrugged off his heavy long coat, the fitted tunic underneath the same one she'd seen him wearing in the Enchanted Forest.
"I told you I owe you a great debt and I will endeavour to repay it to your satisfaction. I never thought such a task would be easy."
The two men stood facing each other. The dawn light making everything seem washed out and grey. Hook gave Philip one last cocky raised eyebrow, a final challenge she knew her husband would not step away from. Then they turned and slowly paced away from each other. She counted their steps in her head.
One. Two. Three. She saw the tear in the arm of Hook's shirt just above his elbow in line with his heart .
"You will injure yourself?"
"We'll need to make it convincing won't we?"
Four. Five. Six. Seven.
"But what if he doesn't fire?"
"With you watching and me in his sights? We'll have to make sure wanting me dead is forefront in his mind when the time comes."
Eight. Nine. Ten.
Barely a pause and they were turning swiftly, arm raising, the click of the flintlock hammer as loud as any shot in Aurora's ears. Time stopped. The field was silent, as if the world was holding its breath along with her. Aurora saw the scene as if she was floating far above it, the two men standing tall, facing each other, pistols drawn, arms straight, aiming unwavering at the other's heart. One man calm and honourable, meeting his fate head on. The other tight with tension, his once kind face and heart clouded by anger and vengeance. The complete upside down wrongness of the image broke something inside her.
"Phillip! No!" She saw him turn in surprise but her cry was a moment too late. He'd already pulled the trigger, his movement towards her pulled his wide aim down, compensating for the pistol's heavy recoil. She watched wide eyed as the shot hit Killian in the left shoulder spinning him round as he dropped to the ground, a plume of red flying into the air. She screamed.
...
Emma heard the scream and was out of the cruiser before David had completely stopped. Killian hadn't told Henry where the stupid duel was taking place, but she'd turned on the GPS in the phone she'd bought him and David had identified the now abandoned field Anton had used to grow the magic beans. Bursting through the long grass she felt her world drop away. Killian lay on the ground Aurora at his side sobbing as she held a coat to his chest trying to stop the flow of blood.
A young man she guessed was Philip stood next to them looking somewhat dazed. "Did he fire?" He asked, Aurora looked up at the question and saw Emma.
"Emma he shot him." Aurora said desperately.
"That was... the point love. Remember?" Killian's voice, full of pain got Emma's feet moving again. She dropped to her knees beside him. Hook noticing her take a moment to stare at the leather outfit she'd not seen for weeks. "Swan, thought you preferred... the new me."
Emma swore at him. And then turned her glare at Aurora. Who the hell did she think she was. How the hell was this supposed to help anything. Wasn't she a hero?
"I'm sorry Emma." Aurora said, reading her expression. "I honestly didn't think Philip would hit him when we were planning this. I was desperate."
"What? What do you mean planning this? With who?" Philip demanded waking up from whatever stupor he had been in. Emma couldn't deal with their issues right now and frankly wasn't sure she'd ever care.
"Let me see." She demanded, lifting Aurora's coat. There was a ragged hole in the shoulder of his tunic, the leather shining with wet blood and the ground below him growing darker as it spread into the dirt.
"Any chance... Regina's got... around to teaching you... how to heal gun shots?" Killian gasped, his breathing was getting more laboured in the minutes they'd sat there.
The thought that he was dying in front of her swamped her mind. She vaguely heard David and Henry running up to them and Aurora's tearful voice as she answered their questions. All Emma could focus on was the beautiful blue eyes gazing up at her. Then he winked.
The flash of irritation stabbed through her panic blowing the fog in her mind away. She held her hands above the wound and focused on feeling the power within her, accessing it and moulding it to do as she wanted. She looked at wound trying to focus her will on mending the torn flesh, and immediately felt her resolve faltering. He stood just there and got shot? It could have hit his head or his heart.
The magic pops and fizzles at her fingertips in time with her anxiety. She closes her eyes trying to regain her control. Something warm rests against her thigh and she looks down to see Killian's hand gently squeezing her leg. She looks back at his face and he's giving her a soft supportive smile. Stupid wonderful pirate. He's bleeding out onto the ground but he's still the one offering her support.
"Mom, you did it!" Henry shouted happily beside her and she saw there was now no evidence of any damage having occurred. The blood had all vanished and she'd even repaired the hole in his tunic.
"Ah, brilliant as always Swan." Killian said, experimentally shaking his shoulder as he sat up. She shoved him in the chest, only feeling a small twinge of regret when he lost balance and fell back to the ground.
"I hate you. After everything I told you the other night? After what you promised? This is what you do? A duel?" She said, shoving him again. It'd taken so much to admit her fears, to quieten the voice in her head telling her they wouldn't last, that something would take him from her, that she shouldn't embrace the feelings growing inside her. Then he goes and does something so unbelievably stupid. It was too much for her heart to take, and the day hadn't even started properly yet.
"I'm sorry Swan." Killian said sounding sincere, but she couldn't let him off that easy. "When I learned Aurora had been brought to Storybrooke I went to apologise for my past... actions against her. I am trying to be a better man, a man who deserves you. I merely acknowledged the debt I owe her and offered my services for whenever she may have need of them as a form of atonement. I didn't expect her to immediately demand that I fluff her husband's failing ego."
David gave an embarrassed cough and nodded his head towards Henry before looking uncomfortably at Aurora and Philip who'd moved away to have a very heated conversation. Henry rolled his eyes and dropped down to throw his arms around Killian, giving him a quick hug.
"I'm sorry I told them, but I'm really glad I did." He said. Killian gave him a surprised smile and motioned for Henry to help him up.
"Aye lad, I am too." He said, patting him on the shoulder.
David and Henry moved off towards the car, Emma knew they were giving them space to talk but she wasn't ready to forgive him yet. So she just turned to follow.
"I made you a promise Swan." Killian said behind her, his voice rising as she walked away. "I don't intend to break it. On my honour! I really didn't think he stood a chance of hitting me."
...
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.