"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Shhh!" Killian shushed her as he tried to focus on cataloging the movements on the ship. Not that he was having much success. Her side plastered against his legs and her breath tickling his ears was the worst form of distraction.

"But you heard Gold...or rather Rumpelstiltskin. Bedazzled giggly leather wearing Rumpelstiltskin." She shuddered at the memory. "I may need eye bleach after this. Ear bleach too."

Killian sighed. "Well have you got a better idea love?"

"Well no. But Gold emphasized that we should try to change as little as possible. I don't think you coming face to face with...well you qualifies."

"We do this as quickly as possible. In and out. Just grab what we need."

Emma nodded despite her serious misgivings.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well hello there beautiful."

Emma whirled around. "Oh shit."

Hook strutted up to her, crowding her back until her knees hit the edge of his bed.

"Still zero sense of personal space" she mumbled before plastering a fake smile on her face. She slowly hid her right hand behind her back and hoped that Killian, the future one, stayed hidden.

"And just who might you be darling? And why are you on my ship, in my quarters?"

"Umm Emily" she blurted out. She closed her eyes briefly before making a decision. She tilted her hips to push back against him and lifted her left hand to stroke his jaws. "You're a smart man Captain, why do you think I'm here" she breathed in what she hoped was a come hither voice and added in the batting eyelashes for good measure.

She could've sworn she heard a muffled groan from the right corner of the cabin just then.

The mofo broke out into a wide grin and grabbed her by the waist pulling her into him more fully so that there was no space left between the bodies.

"Flattery will get you everywhere lass. And you're right, I'm a smart man." with that his grin turned sinister before he wrenched her right hand out."

"Owww!"

"Well well well. What do we have here. Didn't anyone tell you darling, that no one steals from Captain Hook?"

"Let me go!" Emma yelled and lifted her knee to slam into his groin. He saw that coming though because he pushed her onto the bed and trapped her underneath him so that she couldn't move.

"Let her go!"

Hook turned around at the other intruder's voice and his eyes widened in shock.

"What manner of dark magic is this? Who are you? And why do you have my face? Lovely though it is."

Emma scrambled from the bed and shot Killian a look. "I told you to stay out of sight."

"Pardon me darling. I thought you could use some assistance."

"I was handling it."

"Right, because you were doing just fine."

"I beat you didn't I? Even without magic." she shot back childishly.

"You mean at Lake Nostros?" he asked witheringly. "I let you win."

"What? Did not."

Before Emma could process that further, Hook, past one mind you, who was darting his eyes back and forth between the foxy wench and his imposter during their volley, slashed his hook through the air. "Enough!"

He extended his hook threateningly towards the lookalike. "You have 5 seconds to explain yourself before I make you walk the plank."

Killian smirked. "Trust me, you really don't want to do that."

Hook slashed his hook at Killian's face.

"Hey watch the face will you!"

Emma groaned. "Now's not the time to be cracking jokes Killian."

Hook whirled towards Emma. "How do you know that name?" he growled. He hadn't spoken of that name in centuries.

Killian took advantage of the moment and raised his fists towards his own past self's neck. But Hook had seen the wench's eyes flicker and turned around in time to deliver a knockout blow to the man's face.

Emma ran to Killian's side and blocked his body with her own. She flung out her arms as if that could stop Hook who had unsheathed his sword. "No!" she cried.

Hook paused. "Stand up" he ordered. He backed Emma up against the wall and put his hook threateningly under her chin.

"Who are you and who is he?"

Emma's mind raced as she tried to find a way out. She couldn't tell the truth. It might change the future somehow and that could be disastrous. Gold had reiterated that over and over again.

"I can't tell you" she whispered. "But we pose no harm to you."

"I'm supposed to trust the word of a thieving doxy?"

"Hey are you calling me a hooker?" she asked in outrage.

He growled in frustration and pushed the hook more forcefully into her throat. "Answer the question and you have only one chance to make me believe you. Or else."

She tilted her chin up in stubborn refusal.

He stepped back. "Ok if that's the way you want to play it." He grabbed his sword once more and pointed at the man lying prone instead. "if you refuse to tell me the truth I will slit his throat."

"No you can't do that" she cried, terrified. Emma could feel the tears starting to well up. She was close to reaching her breaking point. After the Wicked Witch, the time portal, meeting Gold and her parents in the past, now this? Past Killian trying to kill future Killian? Her head was starting to hurt.

"You love him" Hook whispered in shock. He looked down at the man who had his face and the woman who at that moment looked like a lost little girl. It reminded him of the way Milah had looked at him, moments before she died. He closed his eyes in remembrance and pain.

Emma snapped her head up. "What? No I don't! Gawd, past or future still arrogant I see." She jammed her fists into her eyes to scrub away the tears.

Hook snapped out of his trance. "Milah. Of course. This is the work of that evil crocodile." He strode over to Emma and wrenched her up and away from his imposter.

"Where is he?" he yelled at her.

"Where is who?"

"The crocodile! The one who sent you here to destroy me!"

"The crocodile? I don't know any crocodile!" Emma paused. "Oh wait you mean Gold, Rumpelstiltskin" she corrected.

Hearing his name, a red mist of rage overcame Hook. He brought his hook high up in the air, getting ready to slash her. "Tell me or I'll kill you!"

"I don't know anything!"

"Do you think I make empty threats? Have no doubt I will kill you and him."

She stared into his eyes and knew he wasn't kidding. She couldn't read anything past the rage in them. She had never seen it that intense or out of control before. Not when she had first met him. Or even when he had finally confronted Gold back in Storybrook and shot Belle. She wouldn't be able to reach him. Not this man. He wasn't her Hook.

"As you wish" she whispered. Closing her eyes she braced herself for the feel of cold metal. After surviving all kinds of hell this was how it was going to end. Killed by past Hook she thought hysterically.

After some moments Emma peeked one eye open. Nope still alive. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw his hook embedded in the wall a hair's breadth away from her. She slowly moved her eyes towards his and his face was so close to hers, their breaths were now intermingling.

"Killian?" she whispered in confusion. He dropped his forehead to rest on hers and she gulped painfully. He dragged in one long deep breath before removing his hook from the wall and stepping away from her. He pointed towards the door. "Go!"

"What?"

"Go!" he roared at her. "Take him and go."

She started to scramble over to Killian, the future one, but paused and turned back to face Hook, who looked utterly defeated. She reached out to grab his hand. "Thank you."

Hook turned to face her and let his eyes rove over her face as if committing it to memory. Then all of a sudden he felt a cold piece of metal around his wrist and saw her scrambling to attach the other ring to his bed pole.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"Why are you doing this? I let you go."

Emma looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry" she repeated. She glanced over at future Killian and made a decision. She reached up and placed a little kiss at the corner of past Hook's mouth. "My name is Emma. Emma Swan. Wait for me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kiliian glanced at Emma. She had been quiet and pensive all this time after they had left his past self behind.

"You really like tying me up hmmm darling?" he joked to bring her out of her funk.

She stopped walking abruptly.

"What's wrong Swan?"

She looked at him. "I think I screwed up" she said.

Killian raised his eyebrows. "Why do you think that? We got what we wanted and we both survived my past self. I'd say we came out pretty good."

She chewed her bottom lip worryingly.

"Emma."

"I screwed up. I messed with the past and now I don't know what's going to happen" she said in a shaky voice.

"What did you do?"

"I told him my name. Well you I told you my name. But not you, you, your past you."

He chuckled. "Do you hear what you just said Swan?"

But Emma wasn't in the mood to see the humor. He sighed. "I know."

Emma looked at him in confusion.

"I know you told him your name. Or me your name."

"You pretended to be unconscious? Just like you did at the lake with Cora?"

He nodded.

"Why didn't you stop me?" she cried. "I've ruined everything!"

"Why did you do it?"

She looked away in anguish.

"Emma." He gently grasped her chin and turned it towards him. "Why?"

"Because...his eyes. I saw me. Hopeless" she whispered.

"And you wanted to give him, me, hope."

She didn't answer him but he could see it in her eyes.

"I knew."

He saw the exact moment understanding dawned on her,

"You mean when we met..." she trailed off.

He nodded and Emma stared at him. She couldn't even begin to process all the implications.

"Until I met you" he repeated.