A/N: Hi everyone! Before the very last part of the episode, I was planning on writing a story where Hook finds Emma a few months after the curse. But then they actually did it on the show (insert squeal here), and I came up with this instead, because I'm a sucker for this Hook/Charming bromance :D
I really, really hope someone will come up with a loooong Captain Swan story after this midseason finale!
"I know what you want to do." An almost imperceptible straightening of his posture is the only sign that he's heard him, but the other man doesn't let his lack of response deter him from what he has to say. "It's not going to work, you know that, right?"
Hook throws Charming a sideways look, his eyes narrowed, his smirk firmly in place in spite of the knowledge that the prince is right.
"I know it's a long shot," he admits. "But I've never known you to be pessimistic, mate."
"Realistic," David corrects.
Hook shrugs and turns from him to look back at Regina, who is doing some magical stuff he won't even try to pretend he understands. He's pretty familiar with magic, but this is way out of his hands.
"Same thing."
There's a deep sigh next to him and his shoulders tense up with what he knows is coming.
"Killian..."
He doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to hear how true love's kiss will not work because he's not her true love. And so he cuts him off.
"If you have a better idea, I'm all ears."
Even without looking at him, he can feel his friend – yes, friend, a lot has changed in the months since the new curse sent them all back to the Enchanted Forest – shaking his head.
"Hook," Charming starts, and the pirate can't help but smile a little. Nowadays, he only ever calls him that when he wants to get his attention or when he's mad at him. "You need to listen to me. I'm not saying you're not her true love." Alright, mission accomplished. His curiosity is piqued. Focusing his gaze back on the Prince, Hook lifts an eyebrow at him, a silent request for him to go on. With another sigh, David explains, "True love's kiss has been known to fail in certain circumstances."
That's the first time he's ever heard of this.
"It has?"
Instead of answering directly, Charming asks, "Did you know that when our memories were gone, Snow and I had an affair?"
"An affair?" he repeats, completely dumbfounded.
"I was married. We just couldn't stay away from each other."
It takes Hook a while to process this information and to understand where Emma's father is going with this. When he does, his eyes widen and his voice comes out as a whisper.
"But your kisses didn't break Regina's curse." Charming shakes his head, confirming his suspicions. "Why? How is that possible?"
"We didn't remember each other, which means we weren't each other's true love. Not at that time," his friend answers quietly. "What I'm trying to say is, the situation is tricky. I don't know how Emma felt about you before, but even if she did love you, she has no idea who you are now. I'm not going to tell you not to try. But I am going to tell you not to lose hope if kissing her doesn't instantly breaks the curse."
He quickly recovers from his surprise, and when he does, a lopsided grin stretches his lips. This lets Charming know that his advice has been heard and taken into consideration but that the serious part of their discussion is now over.
"Careful there, mate. That sounded a lot like a blessing."
The prince chuckles at that and he gives a single nod before sobering up once again.
"The only blessing you need is Emma's and you're not going to get it until this problem has been solved."
"That's one hell of an incentive."
"Good."
Before either of them can say more, there's a shift in the air, the wind picking up around them, and the two men turn towards Regina to see that she's now standing next to a portal.
"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we don't have much time," she snaps.
Hook rolls his eyes at her, throws Charming one last look – no words needed, his promise to make everything right is as deafening as David's silent "Good luck" – and jumps into the magical whirlwind, deliberately ignoring Snow and Bae's still forms behind him. He doesn't want the last thing he'll see of them for the foreseeable future to be their corpse-like bodies frozen in time.
It takes him longer than anticipated to find her, and when he does, he doesn't waste any time. His pounding against her door quickly becomes impatient. The first glimpse he catches of her after a year of thinking about her every bloody day sends his heart racing in his chest and, forgetting for a second that she has no idea who he is and that he's about to mess up her perfect life, he gives her his first real smile in what feels like ages. Of course, his happiness is quickly dampened as he stumbles back, bent over in pain after her kick. Damn her, he was expecting a punch, not... this.
His disappointment at the kiss's failure doesn't last very long. In spite of the months that have passed since their conversation, Charming's warning is still fresh in his mind. They've brought hope in his heart, and this flame will only get extinguished when Swan herself – the real her, with all her memories of their time together, not the Swan this curse has created – tells him that she doesn't feel anything for him, and that's not likely to happen anytime soon.
New plan, then.
He won't be able to make her listen to him, but her lad has always been more receptive, more open to the idea of magic and fairytales and happy endings. Hook can only hope that the curse hasn't changed that as well.
Operation Win Henry's Trust has just begun.
The end