The first time...
He was beside himself with excitement. His heart was filled with hope and his hand was filled with the torn-out page from an archive called a "phone book".
When he reached the first address, it took him two attempts to enter the building before he succeeded in slipping passed the door guard. As he raised his fist to knock on the first Emma Swan's door, he smiled to himself, musing at the thought of finding her on his first try and seeing her face again after a year that had felt as long as a century. Hook knocked twice, and was immediately rewarded with the sound of footsteps coming towards him. His heart seemed to pound faster with every step, and then—
"Yes?" An older woman dressed in a very reveling negligee answered the door and smirked at the leather-clad eyeful that stood before her. "Something you want?"
Hook raised a single brow.
"Actually, yes. I'm look—"
"Mmm," the older woman interrupted, "Tall, dark and an accent."
Hook chuckled at the woman's blatant flirtation and took a step towards her.
"Tell me, love, does an Emma Swan live here?"
The woman smiled as her eyes raked over him appreciatively.
"She does and she likes what she sees."
Hook gave her an apologetic smile.
"Well then, forgive me, darling, but you're not the Swan I'm looking for."
As he turned to leave, the woman's hand reached for his arm, stopping him.
"I could be," she purred.
Hook took the older woman's hand in his and gave a slight bow as he placed a kiss on her knuckles.
"I'm flattered, love, but it's urgent that I continue my search."
The woman sighed her disappointment and watched as he walked away.
"She's a lucky girl," she called after him, "That other Emma Swan."
Hook didn't turn back, but he smiled at her words; for no one had ever suggested such a thing about him. As he looked-up the address of the next Swan, Hook felt as if luck was on his side.
The second time...
He was very optimistic, and the charm of the second address only added to his certainty. Hook raised his fist to knock on the door that was labeled 1405 and he gave it two loud knocks. As he waited, his mind raced with possibilities. Would Emma recognize him? Unlikely. But perhaps she would find something familiar about him; something intuitive as if she had seen him once in a dream.
Suddenly, the door cracked open and Hook managed to see the wide eyes of a little girl before the door was abruptly slammed in his face. Hook heaved a sigh.
"Apologies for startling you, lass, but would you happen to know Emma Swan?"
There was silence for a beat.
"That's my mom's name," the child replied from behind the shut door, "But she's not home, so GO AWAY!"
Hook quirked a brow at the girl's command, and responded with, "As you wish."
Fortunately, the Swan he was looking for had a son, not some ill-disposed daughter.
The third time…
He found himself in a little hamlet, far from all the bustling motorized carriages. The town reminded him much of Storybrooke and he could just picture Emma settling there with her boy. The phone book page led him to a house where a large truck was parked in its driveway. Hook avoided the monstrosity as he headed for the door.
"Hey." A giant-of-a-man appeared from under the lean-to at the front of the motorized carriage. "Don't you think it's kinda late for Halloween?"
Hook rolled his eyes before turning to acknowledge the man.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately," he confessed, grinning, "Suffice it to say, I'm not entirely sure of its meaning."
The large man humphed in response.
"It means you're dressed like a pirate."
Hook smiled knowingly, but decided not to inform the man that he was, in fact, a pirate.
"Tell me, mate," he began as he glanced towards the house, "Is there an Emma Swan who dwells here?"
The man went rigid and stepped out from behind the hood of the truck.
"Who's asking?"
Hook could tell by the man's hostile countenance that he was apparently over-stepping the man's territorial bounds.
"I take it that she does," Hook replied with a provoking grin, "Does she also have a son named Henry?"
The large man took a few imposing steps closer.
"She better not have a son named Henry."
Hook smiled sheepishly as he slowly backed away, hoping to retreat with his face unmarked.
"Apologies, mate. It seems I have once again come to the wrong address."
The fourth time…
He found himself back within the noisy city, pirating his way into yet another building. When he reached the labeled door he was searching for, he could hear the sounds of weeping on the other side. His chest tightened at the sound, and of the thought of Emma crying. Hook knocked urgently on the door and the weeping seized.
The door opened and a woman, who was not his Swan, stood before him, sniffling.
"Forgive my intrusion, love, but is Emma Swan here?"
The woman burst into tears again and was quickly ushered away by another woman.
"She passed away this morning," she informed Hook, "It was very sudden."
For a moment, Hook's heart plummeted to the floor, but he quickly reassured himself that it wasn't true; that it wasn't his Emma.
"Did you know our mother?" the woman asked, reaffirming what he already knew.
Hook shook his dead, too-unsettled by his emotions to voice his sympathies. The woman closed the door then, and for the first time, Hook feared that his Swan might not be one of the 6 that was listed in the phone book.
The fifth time…
He had almost resolved himself not to even bother. The building he stood before was little more than a shanty and certainly no place for a child, like Henry—or any child at all. When he knocked on the door, it opened before he had a chance to lower his fist. A man stood before him, wearing little else than the black leather straps that spanned-out from the leather pouch that concealed his manhood. The man examined Hook with a bored expression.
"You're late," he informed him before turning to shout over his shoulder, "Emma! The other guy finally showed up!"
A woman, dressed just as scantily in black leather, appeared at the door. She was definitely not his Emma.
"Huh!" she expressed her surprise as she examined Hook, "You're better looking than you described. Come in!"
Hook wasn't one to judge and he couldn't blame them for their affinity for leather. Never-the-less...
"Apologies," he said as he took a step back, "Wrong door."
"HEY!" The couple shouted after him as he strode off as quickly as he could without running.
He exited the run-down building, and strolled-out into the night with only 1 Swan left on his list.
And then...
It was morning by the time he made it to the final address on the page. Hook was tired and he held little hope that the 6th Swan would be his Swan. What would be his next move then—roam the streets as he called-out her name? Or, perhaps he should just sit on a corner and wait for Lady Destiny to drop Emma at his feet? Bloody Hell! Either option was about as productive as trying to find a needle in a haystack. So, Hook turned to the building that stood before him. The building was a vast improvement from the last one, but he didn't dare to hope that Emma would be there.
As if the Fates had looked upon him with favor, the entrance to the building was held open by a large brown box, inscribed with the words "John's Stuff". Hook slipped through the door and passed the box, wondering why "John" would leave his belongings where they could be so easily taken. He then made his way up to the 3rd floor via the stairs, preferring to avoid the moving box with the sliding doors. When he came to the door labeled 311, he could hear music playing on the other side. With his patience having worn thin yesterday, he banged his fist twice on the door. He waited a second or two, and then banged twice again.
The door opened and a blonde vision stood before him that he could hardly believe. His heart raced in his chest. His face brightened with a grin that was filled with more joy than any grin he had ever grinned.
"Swan!" He breathed her name and it was like oxygen to his lungs, and the sight of her face was like seeing the sun after a long year spent in darkness. Hook had found his Swan. "At last!"