The street lights bounced off the reflection of the glass as it moved around the corner of main street. Hook focused his telescope on the pawn shop, knowing that Gold would be closing at any minute. He would try again, he would try a thousand times if he had to. The poison would work again, it had too.
Hook closed the telescope with force and put it back in his satchel. As much as he hated the thought, he was on his own again with dispatching the Crocodile. Just as he always had been. His last episode with Regina and the two outsiders showed him that he couldn't trust anyone. Regina, his last possible ally in this town would throw him to the dogs, or the dragons, for just about anything if it meant getting what she wanted. And as for the other two, their plans were never what they seemed. They told him it was about the man's father, but it was later revealed to be something the will be much more grand. Now that they had Regina in their grasp, he could only assume they didn't care what they did to him once he lost their usefulness to them, so he was back to square one. Everyone seemed to talk a good game about helping Hook get what he wanted, but all it ever got him was thrown down, tied up, pushed aside, knocked unconscious and tied up again. Maybe they were right, maybe he was dispensable. What if he was just a lackie instead of the Captain he prided himself in being.
No, he must fulfill his life's mission. Gold must have gotten lucky the first time, but he would be certain it would finish the job before he had any more interruptions.
"Don't even think about it, Hook," Emma's voice said from behind him. Hook rolled his eyes clicked his hook against the brick wall before turning around to face her. She already looked annoyed, arms folded in front of her, yet confident that if he tried anything that she could easily take him. Her confidence in that fact annoyed him to no end.
"What, no element of surprise this time, Swan? I don't see any blunt objects or weapons in your hands," Hook said. He reached out and bumped the handcuffs that were clipped to her belt with his hook. "Although I do see your object of choice, unless you were thinking of other ways to use them." Hook gave her that smile that made her want to slap him, but tried not to let him see her annoyance.
"I can't let you hurt him, Hook. He's family now," Emma told him.
"What?"
"It turns out Gold is my son's grandfather," Emma explained. Anger boiled inside Hook. Not only was his victory stolen from him, if this fact was true, Emma probably helped save him the first time. And now there was a new obstacle to face.
"Baelfire is your son's father? Well, that seems hard to believe, but considering how many lands I've seen, I guess anything is possible," Hook said. Emma's eyes widened at the mention of Neal's given name.
"You remember Neal...um, Bealfire?" Hook nodded. "Well, I'd love to hear that story."
"As much as I'd love to have story hour with you, beautiful, you're distracting me from my prey," Hook said, turning back to his focus on the shop. Gold was already down the street and about to turn the corner. Killian slammed the wall in anger with his hook, causing it to spark and split the darkness. "Again! Again I missed him!"
"Hook, calm down."
"I will NOT! My vengeance is all I have left, it's all I am. Just stay out of my way, Swan, and let me do the one thing I'm meant to do, the only thing I'm good for. I will never give up on my revenge," he vented, getting in her face.
"Never is an awfully long time," Emma said in a hushed voice. Hook breathed hard out of his nostrils, his shoulders raising and lowering as the anger flowed through him like breath itself. "And what if you do kill him? What then? Will that make you happy?"
"In those few precious days when I thought he was gone, I finally felt at peace. I just want to live my life without this feeling of hatred inside of me. I just want to live again," Hook said, still angry but starting to wind down. Emma put her hand on his chest, which surprised both of them, but it made Hook let out a deep breath. His eyes softened a little as he looked into her eyes, and she took the opportunity to talk to the person she knew he was in there.
"You don't need to kill in order to receive a life. And if you do, there's always a consequence, believe me, I've seen it. You may think vengance is your happiness, Hook, but you could not be more wrong," Emma said in a hushed tone, hoping it would help continue to pacify him.
"You're talking to a pirate, darling. I've killed men. Your reasons are wasted on me," Hook said. "You're talking to a man with a rotting heart."
"I don't believe that," Emma said. "I've seen another side of you." Without realizing it, Emma touched her palm, where a small scar still remained.
"Well, even though there is one side of me I'd love to show you, I'd prefer a more intimate setting for that one. But alas, darling, the side you once saw you tossed away when you left me on that beanstalk so, I'm sorry, you're wasting your time if you think you can coax it back out. I've been double crossed too many times to trust again," the dark cloud in his eyes reformed and she could no longer see the softness she saw a moment ago.
"You're impossible," Emma said, turning to leave. Hook shrugged and pulled his telescope back out of his satchel. As Emma started to turn, she caught a glimmer out the corner of her eye from a nearby alleyway. As she turned and focused on what it was, her heart jumped into her throat. A gun, held by a gloved hand with it's finger on the trigger, poked out of the shadows. When Emma realized it's target, instincts took over.
"Hook, no!" Emma shouted. Hook turned back to her in confusion as Emma shouted and was running toward him. They both froze in fear as the shot rang out as the bullet pierced the air.
A/N: I was already working on this idea when "The Evil Queen" episode solidified it for me and complimented what I already had so well. I also was going to wait to post it, but I received a message asking me to write a Captain Swan story that takes place after episode 2x20. Well, dear reader, ask and you shall receive! However, it just might take me a bit longer in between adding chapters.
I hope you enjoy it. Shall I continue?
