I don't own OUAT

Hook looked at Cora in disbelief. She was beautiful, especially for her age, but her age was still quite large. Not as large as his, but Neverland held a person's age, while she had aged slowly in the way that people naturally do.

"Twenty-Eight years?" Cora smiled, thinking that he worried for himself and not her.

"You won't even notice. You'll be frozen, like all those in this corner of the land. But, when the curse ends, our quest will resume. And, when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything, and then she'll need me." She paused, thinking of her daughter when she had been younger and worshiped the ground her mother walked on. Even as she got older and disobedient, she had still followed her until she met Rumpelstiltskin. After that, any residual feeling Cora had left over from him vanished. He had taken her child, just as they had originally agreed, and what she would never admit to Hook was that there were many reasons why she helped him get to Storybrooke. One, out of convenience, and the other because she wanted to see the beast destroyed as much as he. "That's when we'll go to this new land. You'll get your revenge. And me, I'll… Help her pick up the pieces."

Just then, the smoke passed over them, and Hook caught Cora's hand. It was an odd union, one neither of them intended on having, but there was little they could do to change it as the smoke passed and they prepared for 28 years of nothingness.

"I thought you said we wouldn't notice." Hook looked around the forest. It looked the same as it had before the tell-tale smoke of a curse had passed by. Exactly the same, actually. And that was what was so bizarre. There was absolute silence after his statement. No sounds of anything, not even life. The birds in the trees were stationary, chests pushed out, full of air, ready to let lose a tinkling melody that would not come. The previously babbling creek nearby had stopped running, and a single tiny silver fish hung in mid-air, inches from the surface. It had been jumping as the curse passed. There was no swirl of wind nor movement of the clouds. Everything was completely still except for himself and the woman. The woman who was currently stalking towards him.

"It seems the curse passed us by as it went. Consider yourself lucky that it has..." She trailed off for a moment, closing her eyes in concentration. "So far as I can tell, your physical age will be preserved as it was in the past." She ran the tip of her finger down his cheek, the nail grazing him lightly. He had to bite his lip to refrain from shivering. "I know how much power you put behind your pretty face." He eyed her hungrily, enjoying her touch just a bit too much. Why was she so alluring to him? She dropped her hand from his face, and he breathed in deeply, not letting her know how much he missed the feeling. Not wanting to let himself know.

"And I know how much you crave power." He kept his tone level while staring after her. The way she moved was inhuman. Not like a lady of standing or one of poverty. Not like a lady at all. She moved like a predator- she was a predator. She was a lethal explosion contained in a graceful form. A panther in a queen's skin. Perfection.

"I do." She said it distractedly while kneeling down to a bush of blackberries. She gazed at it for a moment, as though it were the most interesting piece of art she had ever seen, before plucking off a single berry and standing, her dress kept as proper as it had been before. She walked to him with it, holding it carefully. "Open." It was always that way with her, short, simple commands. So demanding. He smiled at her briefly before opening his mouth. She dropped the berry in and, with one finger, pushed his jaw up to meet it. As his mouth closed, he felt the juices burst in his mouth as the berry was crushed. He chewed it slowly, enjoying the strict attention she had on him. When he swallowed, she turned back to the bush, rushing over to check it again. Her eyes sparkled. "It seems that we can still interact with the pieces of this land, but they will remain frozen unless we trigger them to change. The best part is that what we use will regrow." She beckoned him to her with the use of a single finger. He crouched beside her and she plucked off another berry, eating this one herself. When she swallowed, a new berry appeared on the bush where the original had been. "There will always be enough to get by"

"You mean to say that you used me as your test subject? I ought to have you on my hook for that!" He was not as angry as he pretended to be, but he knew that he ought to have been. Cora just looked at him with cold amusement.

"Oh, my dear Captain. We both know you will do no such thing"

"And why is that?" He moved towards her, trying to see if he could get her the least bit intimidated. But of course, being Cora, she never would. She smiled lightly.

"Because you need me. Far more now than when we first met. You will not see another person for 28 years. And only I can bring you back when that time comes. Supposing you keep my interest, of course." He growled. She was going to threaten him? He stepped closer, inches from her. His breath caught at the look of cold determination that she wore even now. He could feel her power radiate off of her. He felt a hunger building in him, crying out to get rid of the distance between them but he held himself back. She would not comply, and despite what the crocodile thought, he did have manners. He put his hook over her wrist, pulling it to him.

"My dear Cora. You know that I am here to satisfy your needs. A woman such as you deserves the best, and you know that I can take you to new heights." He thought he saw her breathing hitch for just a moment. It was so brief a lapse, however, that he couldn't be sure whether it had ever happened at all. She took back her hand shortly after.

"This is an alliance based on common goals, Captain. Not one on fulfilling your 'needs'" He smiled slowly. She was maintaining her control well. He would take that from her soon enough.

"Not mutually exclusive goals, your Majesty. My most core need is to please you. Do you not wish to be pleased?" She moved away from him slightly, positioning herself in such a way that it was clear that it was done out of disgust and not fear. After a moment, she turned to him, looking as though he had never said anything at all.

"Captain, I suggest you gather food and firewood. We are in for quite a long stay." He looked shocked at her blatant lack of response to his advancements. Nonetheless, he nodded. He would have her soon enough. He had 28 years to work her until she was used to him. Used to falling to her knees in front of him, begging him to take her. And she would, he knew. She would be his.

"Yes, your majesty"