A/N: Please forgive any mistakes made in regards tot he show's mythology. This was a quickie I wrote today. I'm one of those who believes that it would take an awful lot for Hook and Emma to succumb to their connection, so here it is. My depiction of the Final Battle.
She hates having to do this. She hates the fact that nobody is backing her up on this. She hates nobody understanding why she has to do this. Most of all, she hates knowing that it's her fault she has to in the first place. Nobody ever told her to be drawn to him, to need to know what the hell he's up to.
She knows he'll be at the docks, wherever his newly re-acquired ship is. She debates whether or not to use the element of surprise to her advantage as she peers over at the docks, trying to glimpse the Jolly Roger.
"Looking for someone, lass?" She starts and whirls around, her instinctively fighting arms being deftly caught by the source of her surprise. "Hello, Emma." Well, so much for the element of surprise. Damn pirate.
"Hello Hook," Emma says, her teeth gritted together. He lets her out of his arms, and she stumbles back without grace.
"What do you want, Swan?" he asks her, leaning against the building she had been peering behind. "I would have thought you'd be working on your swordplay. Your form still needs a little work." His eyes twinkle with mischief, which Emma chooses to ignore.
"How is your ship invisible again? Enchantments don't last forever."
"Cora," he answers without shame, "I have struck another deal with her and her ever-so-charming daughter." Emma's eyes widen at his blunt revelation. "Ah, you're wondering why I'm telling you this."
"She'll betray you."
"I know." Her eyebrows shoot up as Hook examines her, amused.
"And you're doing it anyways . . . ?" Emma clarifies, puzzled. "What's the deal?"
"Why? Care to match it?" he asks with a smirk.
"Absolutely not. But you seem to be in an honest mood so yeah, I'd like to know why you've teamed up with that woman."
"I'm always honest with you," he says. She can't deny it, either. Despite the fact that he attempted murder right in front of her, took an innocent woman's heart, and shot Belle, he's never attempted to manipulate her. Never tried to convince her otherwise. He may have walls just as she does- but his are transparent as glass.
"I'm waiting," Emma prods. He regards her for a moment, amusement and sadness flashing through his eyes in an instant.
"If I assist them in taking down the Crocodile, they will let me kill him myself."
"You know that won't happen-" Emma warns, but he cuts her off.
"I'm well aware of the fact, Miss Swan. You see, they think they have bested me. But my plan is simple."
"And what is that?"
"I can't tell you, lass. You'd foil me."
"Damn right I would. Now tell me what you're going to try and do." He studies her for a long moment, his fingers tapping restlessly on the curve of his hook.
"You tell me," he replies, winking. "You pride yourself on being able to read people as well as I do. Prove it." Emma's mouth curves slightly at the challenge, and she keeps his eyes locked with hers.
"You're going to try and get to him before they do," she says, her thoughts racing wildly as realization dawns upon her. "You want to kill him with the dagger." He stares back, unmoved and unaffected, but she spots the way the corner of his mouth twitches. "Who's the open book now?"
"Don't try to stop me, Swan," he hisses, not bothering witht heir polite pretenses anymore, stepping closer to her, their faces inching closer with each breath. "You know my mind."
"And you know mine," she whispers, "So remember this: if you cause my son the slightest bit of pain . . ." with these words her hand rests on the hilt of his sword and shoves it into his side roughly, "I will make sure you rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life."
"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," Hook murmurs icily. "Now I suggest you prepare for a fight."
Her heart pounds wildly in her chest as she returns home, ignoring her parents' startled questions about where she was and what she had been doing. Henry is spending the night at Granny's with Neal, so Emma promptly locks herself into her bedroom so she can stare out of her window in peace.
She can't even remember why she sought out that damn pirate in the first place. There's no possible way she could have convinced him to fight on the same side as the man he wanted to kill. Perhaps she had vainly hoped that she could convince him to abandon his revenge. She knew it would take a miracle. And God knows she's nothing special.
She watches the people of Storybrooke make their ways back home to sleep, unaware of the shitstorm that is certainly fast approaching. Ella, baby and husband in tow, enters her home with a cheery smile and laugh. Archie, walking and talking with Gepetto, waves down at Ruby, walking oddly close to Dr. Whale, who gives her a gentle nudge before the two continue on in the direction of Granny's.
Emma sighs. These people are aware of the brewing battle, but they are completely unaware of the probability that they will soon be dead.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret gently knocks on her door, her voice muffled through the wood, "Emma can I come in please?"
"Yeah," Emma replies tersely, kicking off her shoes and drawing her legs up against her chest. Her door creaks open and Mary Margaret slips into her room, taking a seat beside her. Emma studies her for a long moment. She's never seen her mother like this. Her eyes seem watery, and the light that she used to radiate is all but diminished.
"Where were you today?" she asks.
"Oh, not now, please-"
"Emma, we are on the verge of war! If you disappear off the face of the earth without a word I would like to know!" Emma can't meet her eyes, but she finds a sight almost as heartbreaking. Mary Margaret's hands. They're shaking.
"I'm sorry," she murmurs. Mary Margaret looks at her expectantly.
"I was looking for someone."
"Who?"
She hesitates. "...Hook."
Silence. And then-
"WHAT?" Mary Margaret stands up in a flurry of shock, anger, and concern. "Emma, you know how dangerous he is to-"
"He's not dangerous-"
"Emma."
"Not to me!" Emma says, raising her voice in frustration. "Look, I am tired. Can we not talk about this now-"
"You didn't tell him our plan, did you?" Snow half shrieks, half whispers, "Emma, do you realize who this man is? He's a killer, a pirate, a-"
"Man," Emma interjects firmly, "He's a man." She stands and gestures towards the door, a clear dismissal of her wildly upset mother. "And at the moment, I feel like he understands me better than you do."
They never discuss the meeting with Hook after that, but every time Emma sets to leave the house, she catches her mother's worrisome glance. Days go by without any contact with him, but Emma can see signs of him everywhere. On Sunday as she walks with Neal and Henry to get brunch, she seas a bad of seagulls circling where his ship should be. As she walks Henry to school, she catches a glimpse of leather and wonders if it's him.
On Wednesday, Granny's windows are shattered. Strange noises are heard near Henry's school. Emma searches through Regina's office but finds nothing. The ladies have gone underground. On Thursday, Mr. Gold approaches her to inform her that there was an attack on his protection spell the night before. Snow and Charming ask her about the location of Hook's ship. She walks away.
By Friday, she once again seeks him out.
He's leaning against a post on the pier, as if he had been expecting her. Guess he got over their little spat.
"Regina and Cora are attempting an enchantment somewhere in the woods," he informs her as she walks up to him, "I don't know what it's for." He glances around. "However, I do think it would be better if we talked in a more private location." He's too serious for her to call him out on his innuendo, so she simply gestures forward.
"You're not angry anymore," she notes suspisciously as he turns around.
"Neither are you, love," he shoots back, facing her again. She regards him before surrendering with a sigh.
"Lead on, Captain."
He holds out his hand and she rolls her eyes at him. "Are you keen on falling, love?" She looks at him with wide eyes for a moment, mishearing his words.
Are you keen on falling in love?
"Are you keen on losing your other hand?" she retorts, recovering from her miniature panic attack. He grins at that, a genuine smile she hasn't seen since their adventure on the beanstalk.
"Fair enough," he says, "Follow me, and watch where you step."
Walking up the ramp onto his ship is the closest Emma supposes she'll ever get to walking on air. It's different than walking on glass- there are no reflections, only the rippling waves below her.
Hook stops on deck and turns around as she finally passes the enchantment's barrier. "Did you miss her?" he asks. Emma rolls her eyes. He walks over to a staircase leading up to the ships helm and sits down. "Tell your lad that the next time he touches her, he better clean up after himself."
"He's not my lad," Emma mutters, taking a seat next to him without realizing their now close proximity.
"Isn't he?" Hook asks, meeting her gaze. Damn that man and his skills of perception.
"No," Emma whispers, doing her best to maintain a poker face.
"But you wish he was," Hook figures, not missing a beat.
"No, it's not that," Emma stammers, attempting to regain her thoughts. "I just . . . wish he hadn't left me. I wish we could have had the life he promised. I wish Henry had grown up with two parents who loved him." She should stop, but she finds everything rushing out. "But I don't want that now. I don't want who he is now. I love Neal, and I always will-" she makes no note of the way he breaks eye contact at this. "-but I'm not in love with him anymore." He looks back over at her. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this . . ."
"Your words will never leave my ship," he promises. "Emma, I assume you came here for a reason other than pouring out your heart . . ."
"The attack on Gold's shop . . ."
"What do you want to know?"
"Was that you?"
"I was there." Emma frowns.
"I still don't know why you're telling me all of this," she admits. "What's your angle, Hook?" He shrugs.
"I have nothing to hide from you, Swan," he replies, "I'm not concerned with Cora or Regina's agendas. I have my own to worry about."
"But you know I'll try and stop you."
"That's why I leave out the details, love," he whispers with a wink. "Now let's move on to subjects I'm willing to discuss, shall we? What else do you want to know?" Emma sighs, frustrated with him but unwilling to make him too angry to divulge useful information.
"Regina and Cora. When will they make their big move?"
She has to give the two women some credit for not telling Hook when they would attack, but Hook does tell her he believes it will be soon.
She returns home in the middle of dinner. She hadn't realized how much time she had spent on the Jolly Roger, talking to Hook about everything and nothing. He showed her how to climb the mast and together, the two discussed who, if anyone, might side with Regina and Cora when the time came in the crow's nest.
"You've been gone for hours," Mary Margaret notes casually. Henry coughs awkwardly and stuffs his mouth with another bite of mac'n'cheese. Emma chooses to ignore the comment from her mother and walks over to Henry, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"Sorry I'm late, kid."
"'Sokay," he replies through a mouthful of food. Emma smiles, freshly reminded that this entire fight will be worth it. She'll make Storybrooke safe for Henry if it's the last thing she does.
Hook was right. The fight came sooner than expected. Five days after Emma's day on the Jolly Roger she received a frantic phone call from Ruby. Granny's had caught fire. Not even a second after she ended her call with Ruby, her phone rang again. This time, it was Gold. His shop was under attack.
The battle had begun.
Emma dials Neal's number.
"Yeah?"
"Neal, I need you to come by and pick up Henry. Drive him out of Storybrooke. Tamara still has a place in Manhattan, right?"
"Yes, Emma, what is this-"
"I don't have time to explain, Neal. Please, Henry is in danger. We all are."
"I'm on my way."
Mary Margaret and Charming head to Gold's with Mother Superior, hugging and kissing her. Emma promises to meet them as soon as Henry's out of danger. Leroy leads Tiny and the dwarves to help put out the fire and Whale and all of the nurses prepare for the influx of injuries sure to be coming. Ella and Eric begin organizing all of the knights and warriors taken by the curse. Greg is properly detained by a dose of morphine.
Henry is crying by the time Neal arrives. Emma can't lie to him about why she's sending him away.
"Just give me to Regina!" Henry offers desperately, "Then she'll stop."
"I'm not letting you near her or Cora," Emma whispers, "That means they win."
"But-"
"I love you, kid. I love you so much." She almost chokes on her words. "And this is not the last time I'll say that. I promise." She pulls him in for a tight hug. "What have you always told me?"
"Good always wins," Henry says with a teary smile. Neal takes Henry's hand and Emma watches them walk off. Before getting into the car, Neal turns around and gives Emma a nod that tells her everything she needs to know.
"Good always wins," she repeats softly, suddenly knowing where to go next.
"I had a feeling you'd find me," Hook says, leaning against a building near the docks. "But I thought you'd be on the front lines. You've never been one to run away from a fight."
"I'm not. I'm just picking up some soldiers on the way." He raises a questioning eyebrow before realization dawns on his face.
"No." He turns and begins walking back towards his ship, but he must know Emma's not just going to leave it at that. "I've already got a target on my back for not showing up today, I'm not about to make it easier for them to kill me."
"Hook, we need all the help we can-"
"Find it elsewhere," he says, turning around. "Answer me this, Swan: did you really think I had no plans for this battle?"
"Change them."
"For who? For you?"
"What whoever the hell you want!" Emma yells, advancing towards him. "You know how to deal with them better than anyone else."
"Which is exactly why I don't want to deal with them!" Hook steps toward her. "My top priority is not the good of your town, your family, or even you." Emma tries to ignore the pang in her chest at his words. "I am here for my revenge."
"And will you get it today, is that it?" Emma demands, "You let all of this happen so you could get revenge on him? People could die, Hook!"
"That's not my concern, love," he retorts, "And I let nothing happen."
"You purposefully withheld vital information from me so that I wouldn't get in the way of your ridiculous-"
"My revenge is not ridiculous!" Hook yells at her, "I loved Milah. And that-that CROCODILE took her away from me!"
"Hook, people will die. People who mean as much to me and others as Milah did to you will die. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Emma implores.
"I'm not sure if you're aware of who I am, Emma," Hook growls, stepping up until his forehead practically rests against hers. "I have no bloody reason to help you."
"Yes, you do," Emma breathes, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach. "You can prove to everyone, to me, that you're more than what you take yourself to be. You're better than this."
"I'm a villain, Emma."
"No. You're a man with a broken heart." She pauses, breathing him in. "I believe there's some of the man who could fall in love left in there. I see it when we talk without all of this insane magic and revenge. I see Killian Jones in you. You want to be a hero. You want a chance to save the day. Don't you see? This is your chance." She backs away, turning around and walking back towards her car to face Cora. She stops and turns around. "I shouldn't tell you this- but if you won't help us, don't show up at all."
"Why?"
"Because there is no possible way I could fight you anymore."
She leaves once and for all this time.
He doesn't follow.
When she arrives, she is swiftly ushered into the pawn shop, where she sees Gold in full concentration, working on what appears to be a protection spell. Belle and Ruby are huddled together near the window with Mary Margaret, examining what appears to be a blueprint of it.
"Where have you been?" Ruby asks her, and one glance to her mother tells Emma that Mary Margaret knows exactly where she was.
"Preparing," Emma replies vaguely. "What did I miss?"
"Cora and Regina tried to break in with a curse," Belle answers, "Rumple was able to fend them off and they disappeared, but they'll be back. We're preparing for it."
"Not even the Dark One can fend off two of the most powerful women in all the realms forever," David murmurs. "We have the hospital on standby, and now that the fire at Granny's is out, the dwarves are on patrol through the town. Everyone's been confined to their homes for now."
"Good call," Emma says, glancing out the window. This is going to be a very long day.
Cora and Regina do return, with a vengeance that nobody could have expected. They break through Gold's barrier in minutes, and Emma has to reach for a sword off a shelf as Cora and her daughter come bursting through the doors.
The fight is brutal and completely personal. Ruby and Red flee from the shop, set for the hospital. Cora and Regina continuously trade possession of the dagger as Emma and her parents desperately attempt to get it back. Gold watches their backs with his magic, but the fight has shifted into a painful impasse.
Eventually, the tide begins to turn as Emma's strikes mysteriously become more effective. She manages to pin Regina against a wall, who is then bound by Gold. Cora raises an arm to blast more magic at her, but suddenly falls forward, knocked out by Mary Margaret and Gold's cane.
Finally, Emma has a chance to regain her thoughts and decide what to do next.
That is, until a new player barges into the shop.
It's so quick and such a surprise that nobody has time to react as Hook snatches the dagger from Regina's hand and runs full-force at Gold, shoving him against a wall.
"No antidote for this," he hisses, pressing the dagger against Gold's throat, "And you just can't fight it, can you? Because, Dark One, I command you to stay still while I enact my revenge." He raises the dagger, preparing to plunge it into Gold's heart when Emma steps forward.
"STOP!" Everyone freezes. Cora, who by now has come to but remains bound by Gold's magic, watches the scene with eager interest. Emma turns to her parents and nods slowly. She's got this.
"Not now, Swan," Hook growls, preparing to strike yet again, but Emma rushes forward, sticking herself between them, her arm snaking up his and grabbing his wrist, gently guiding down his arm. His face is contorted with rage and pain and confusion.
"I want you to listen to me very carefully," Emma whispers, "You can't kill him with this dagger."
"Why not?" he whispers back.
"Because she doesn't care about your revenge!" Cora says grimly, "She just wants her happy family with the Dark One."
"Shut up!" Emma hisses dangerously.
"He killed your love, Hook, and if Emma has it her way, he will live happily with his family when Milah did not even get the chance to live," Cora goads, "Don't let him win."
"Move," Hook demands, wrenching his arm from Emma's hand. She shoves him back. "I'm not going to fight you Hook."
"She's in your way," Cora murmurs silkily, "She's always been in your way . . ."
"Don't listen to her!" Emma says, "I don't want it to come to-"
"You've been waiting for so long, don't you deserve this?"
She's losing, and she knows it. Desperately, Emma tries to work out why Cora wants Hook to be the-
He rushes forward when suddenly, it all makes sense.
"Wait!" she yells, holding her arms out.
"Don't listen to-"
"If you kill him with that dagger you'll become the Dark One!" Emma says loudly, and almost smirks as Cora's eyes go dark. "Cora will get the dagger and she'll be able to control you- that's all she wants."
"That's the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!" Cora scoffs, "Why wouldn't I just kill him myself?"
"Isn't that what you've been trying to do?" Emma demands, "But you didn't expect Hook to get the dagger away from you. You expected his betrayal, but you underestimated his drive."
"That's-" Regina begins, but Emma cuts her off.
"So you came up with a new plan. If you can't get his powers for yourself, why not be able to control the new magic man?" Emma turns to Regina. "You know her, Regina. You know all she wants is power- and as long as she is here Henry is not safe." Regina says nothing, although the tears forming in her eyes betray her own uncertainty.
She sees Hook staring at Cora intensely, conflict written all over his face. Emma walks up to him. "Killian," she whispers, using his real name for the first time. He looks into her eyes, his like a hurricane.
"He killed her," he whispers.
"I know," Emma murmurs soothingly, "But you can't throw your soul away. Milah wouldn't want you to do that." She rubs her hand up and down his arm slowly. "I know what you're feeling. I know what it's like to be alone. But you don't have to be."
He remains still, eyes fixed on Gold.
"Want to know why I left you on the beanstalk? I knew that if you stayed with me, I would trust you. We had-have a connection. We're the same. We're thieves and we've been abandoned." Hook's gaze turns back to her. "We misfits have to stick together. So don't do this. Don't let Cora win. Don't throw away the man Milah fell in love with, the man that I . . . could fall for as well."
"You'd fall for a pirate?" he asks, disbelief written on his face along with the slightest spark of mischief. Is he seriously trying to tease her right now?
"Maybe," Emma tosses back, falling back into their usual banter with surprising ease while also realizing that their timing couldn't be more off.
The next few seconds are followed by one of the longest and tense silences Emma has ever lived through. Time slows, like it did when she had read the word 'pregnant' or when Henry had turned up at her door.
Finally, Hook holds up the dagger and for a fleeting moment, Emma thinks she's lost him. But his fingers open and the dagger clatters to the floor.
"Not today," he whispers darkly.
Well . . . that's a start.
"Not today," she repeats back to him, hand reaching up to stroke his strong jawline. "Thank you."
"Thank you," he whispers back, his own free hand curling around the nape of her neck.
"NO!" Cora roars, breaking free of her enchanted bondage. She launches towards Emma in a blind rage, hand raised with a curse brewing at her fingertips.
Hook moves with shocking speed, grabbing the dagger from off of the floor, and throwing himself in front of Emma. She hears the sickening ripping of skin as it plunges into her stomach. She collapses to the ground as Regina screams an agonized, "NO!"
It all ends soon after.
It takes a long time, but Killian and Emma get their chance at a beginning.
Regina, grief-stricken and alone, disappears for months before finally turning up at Gold's door, begging him to take her magic away. She mostly remains in isolation, but is allowed a breakfast at Granny's with Henry once a week.
Mary Margaret and David buy their own house, leaving their home to Emma. Neal and Tamara marry and buy an apartment in Storybrooke. Ruby finds a companion in Dr. Whale, and Emma isn't surprised when she walks into Granny's late one night and finds the two kissing enthusiastically.
Turns out Killian's plan had gone very well. He let Regina and Cora's efforts distract Gold, and was able tog et the dagger himself. When Emma asks him why he hadn't just let Regina and Cora kill him, he tells her that his revenge was exclusively his.
After the battle, Emma stops by the Jolly Roger every day on her way home from the Sheriff's Station. Sometimes she only stays for five minutes, other times she gets Neal to pick Henry up and stays for hours.
Hook never ends up taking his revenge. He and Gold come to an unspoken understanding to never talk to each other ever again unless absolutely necessary.
The first time Emma brings Henry onboard the Jolly Roger, it is one year after the battle. Henry is delighted to be back on the ship again, and Killian shows him all of the things about the ship Neal was not able to. Henry adores him.
She kisses him a year and a half after the battle. He kisses her back and tells her she saved him. Emma tells him that, "That was the most cliche thing I've ever heard." He doesn't mind.
It takes forever and a day, but his heart begins to heal. She teaches him how to let go without forgetting, and with the light in Emma to combat his darkness, he manages to find peace. When Mary Margaret and David are finally told about their relationship, David reluctantly holds out a hand to Killian. They shake wordlessly. Emma and Mary Margaret merely chuckle. They always get the stubborn ones.
By five years after the battle, they still don't know if they'll ever return to the Enchanted Forest. However, Emma herself doesn't care whether or not they go back. She's content right where she is- in the arms of her pirate.
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