No feedback at all? Good? Aweful? Comments on Nyx? Or Hook? Anything? Sadly, there aren't enough Hook/OC stories for me to figure out how fast to take this, so you talking to me helps me make the whole thing better. :/

In any case, I'm going to start jumping around a little more quickly here. First few chapters have to be kinda slow just for the sake of developing Nyx's character. I didn't want to jump straight into her coming challenges without a little bit of background. There will be more Hook action when he gets to Storybrooke, mostly because he's pretty straightforward in the Enchanted Forest and I don't want to bore you with just repeating the episodes every chapter.

So, without any more of me talking, here's Ch.2. :) Enjoy!

~ Chapter 2 ~

Storybrooke

Nyx had been astounded by how much willpower it had taken to keep herself from barging in on the not-so-happy reunion scene in the toolshead behind Game of Thorns. When the Dark One had called her that morning reluctantly asking for her help in locating a missing Belle, she'd been concerned but happy to provide her services. The Imp still hadn't given her a difinitive answer on her proposition, but the Guildmaster couldn't help but like the man's bookworm girlfriend. The woman had a stubborn streak more impressive than Nyx's criminal record, and if she needed help the thief would see to the matter personally.

She'd caught up with her behind the library, rounding the corner just in time to watch the man in the red hat cart her off down a back alley. For a few minutes, she'd thought the man had been in for a slow, agonizing death at the end of her knife - she somehow never could quite let rape slide, despite her normally-firm anti-murder policy - before he'd continued the abduction, earning more curiosity than anything else from his silent tail. She supposed she might have been more concerned with rescuing Belle, but for now the noblewoman was in little enough danger, and Nyx wanted to konw more about what was going on here. Stopping one attack on the bookworm didn't guarantee there wouldn't be another, so she bided her time, watching carefully from the shadows cast by the late afternoon sun.

Following the sailor - his odd gait gave his profession away rather quickly - through town had been child's play. Even if Belle hadn't been fighting up a storm, he left enough of a trail behind him in muddy footprints Nyx couldn't possibly have gotten lost along the way. And when he heaved his captive into a small run down shed behind the flower shop, she'd sidled carefully over to the door to listen.

Now, after having evesdropped on Sir Maurice, or "Mo" as his more mundane counterpart was commonly known, and his happy-family moment with his daughter, she was caught between an overwhelming disgust for the former knight and admiration for Belle. Over all, the combined effect of both emotions was an angry Guildmaster slinking silently behind Red-Hat as the man made his way slowly to his car, still dragging the young woman with him.

"Ya know," she said slowly, stretching casually to lean against the wall of the narrow alley. The hood of her sweatshirt was pulled up over her face as it had been all morning, though she knew it didn't do nearly as much to conceal her as the armor she'd "misplaced" somewhere. "It's really rude to park your car like this - you're halfway up on the sidewalk. How am I supposed to walk through here?"

The sound of her voice startled the man, causing him to lose control of his captive. Nyx smireked as Belle ground her wedged heel into his foot, twisting violently away from his grasp. The sailor staggered forward to catch her again, only to be met with the cold kiss of the small steel blade at his throat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, you've already wasted enough of my time this morning, and blood is really hard to get out of jeans. So let's play nice, hmmm?" When she could see her words had sunk in, the man's blue eyes widening in unadultered terror, she motioned for him to stand upright again.

"Please don't hurt him," Belle pleaded. The thief was amazed she was willing to protect the man after everything. Granted, he was working under orders, but he did do the dirtier part of the job. Still, Nyx wasn't going to kill him - but he didn't need to know that. She'd often found the threat of pain was far more effective than the actual thing.

"That will be entirely up to him." She kept her grey gaze locked on her target.

"PPPlease don't hurt me," he stuttered, wringing his hands together. "I wasn't going to hurt her. I was just... I'm just - "

"I know what you are," she smiled. "A 'procurer of hard to find objects,' wasn't it?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Well, I think we'll get along just fine, then. Just as long as you cooperate with me. Sound reasonable?"

He nodded again.

"Good. First question. Where were you going to take her?" When he wasn't immediately forthcoming, she flashed him a chilling grin. "Don't be shy, now. We all know it wasn't a happy ending you were after. Spit it out."

"Mo wanted me to take her over the town line - make her forget."

"That slimy good for nothing bastard," she muttered, clenching her fist around the hilt of her weapon in an effort to keep herself from storming back to the flower shop and breaking her own rules. "How could someone do that to their own daughter?"

"Better than leaving her with the Dark One."

"That's highly debatable." Belle's breath whistled angrily through her nostrils behind her, and she knew she was going to have to wrap this up sooner than she wanted. "What's you name?"

"William Smee," the sailor answered, now fiddling nervously with his red cap.

"Well, Mr. Smee," she smiled, nimbly lifting his car keys from his jacket pocket, pleased he didn't make a move to stop her. "I'm going to ask you to please climb into the trunk of your car. It seems I have a few errands to run, and I'd really like to continue this conversation later. So," she gestured politely at the car as she popped the trunk open by remote. "If you wouldn't mind."

After he was snugly tucked away, she turned back to the young woman she'd rescued, pulling her phone from her pocket as she folded her knife away in its place. "You alright?"

"Yes," the woman smiled, though she didn't meet the theif's concerned gaze. "I'm fine. I just... I wish he could understand..." She glanced back at the flower shop, the familiar bitter pain of betrayal shining in her eyes.

"No one is ever going to understand - not completely, anyway." She let herself be sincere for once. There was something about Belle that compelled her to be genuine - that wanted to be trusted. "But it's not about whether or not they get it. It's about whether or not you get it."

A thoughtful expression crossed the noblewoman's face as Nyx dialed the Imp's cell. Considering his girlfriend, as far as he knew, was still missing, he couldn't be bothered to answer. "Hey, found her. She's safe. Come find me when you're done whatever it is you're trying to do. Probably be at Granny's."

"You know," Belle smiled as the thief hung up the phone. "You're not really what he said you were - so terrible, I mean."

Nyx grimaced. "I'm not exactly sunshine and rainbows either."

"I don't think anyone is, really."

The thief laughed, then. She really did enjoy being around Belle. "You haven't been spending enough time around Snow White, then. Come on," she grinned, unlocking Smee's car. "I'll take you to Granny's."

Enchanted Forest

Now that he wasn't in immediate danger of being torn limb from limb by overly enthusiastic, hungry ogres, Hook actually found himself in reasonably good spirits. He was still wearing the blacksmith's rags; he was still tied up, hand to wrist; and the four women currently following him through the Enchanted Forest still weren't particularly fond or trusting of him. But he was also still on his way to Storybrooke. He was, at the very least temporarily, free of Cora. And, because the most important quality of his day was worth mentioning twice, he wasn't being eaten by ogres.

He could hear them muttering quietly to each other as they walked, and he knew they were deciding whether or not they could trust him, but he decided it didn't really matter. If Cora came looking for him before he managed to leave this land he would tell her he did what was necessary to survive. The sorceress was well aware of the fact he held his own skin in higher regard than her mission - in fact, she'd used it against him often enough neither of them would likely forget it. She wouldn't be happy with it, but he could live with that.

And if by some miracle his current companions actually lived up to their end of the bargain, then he would get his revenge without having to worry about the Queen of Hearts's inevitable betrayal hanging over his head the whole way.

All in all, things were looking up.

Way up. The beanstalk loomed ominously up ahead. "We'll find the compass just up over that ridge," he announced cheerily, glancing over his shoulder at the four solemn-looking females trudging along behind him. He stopped at the edge of the treeline to look at their destination. It was terrifying, really. But all the same he looked forward to that treacherous climb.

"Let me guess," Emma commented drily, pulling up beside him less than enthusiastically. "It's up there."

"Oh yeah," he smiled.

"So how do we get it?"

Ah, once again he was moderatly important to them as long as he knew something about what was ahead - although the thought of what they were to face at the top had given him momentary pause. He'd figured that would be where Cora would have betrayed him - in the land of the giants. She'd likely have left him to battle it out against the monster while she snatched up the compass, escaping to travel to the land without magic before he was able to follow - provided he'd have survived, of course. Yes, his prospects were definitely improved with present company.

"It's not the climb you have to worry about so much as the giant at the top," he provided, trying to curb his enthusiasm in light of what was sure to be a more challenging adventure.

Without further conversation, Swan pushed ahead out of the woods, leaving the brooding Imperial Soldier to prod the pirate forcefully in the back with the tip of her sword. He stumbled a little, but managed to keep his balance. He'd been in similar situations enough times to not take the warrior's obvious dislike of him personally. In all reality, although he would have appreciated the benefit of the doubt as far as his intentions were concerned, they weren't being all that unfair. Besides, this wasn't going to last long. He'd prove himself by helping them get the compass, and they'd all be on their merry little way.

It would be a bit of a walk to the base of the beanstalk, but he had plenty to keep him entertained - namely, figuring out who he wanted most to make the climb with him.

Storybrooke

Smee gratefully breathed in the first breath of fresh air he'd had in hours as the lid of the trunk popped open. Oddly enough, the first thing he noticed wasn't his captor standing over him, or even the forest foliage indicating he was at the edge of town. Instead, his gaze went almost immediately to the night sky, smiling slightly at the crystal clear constellations sparkling brilliantly above him. His life on dry land had never afforded much opportunity to look at the stars, and at first he'd hated the open sky when he was at sea. It had seemed at the time as if that infinite space had been taunting him - he'd been caught, and though his existence had been spared, the life he'd known was long gone.

The Captain had been the one who'd taught him the subtle art of stargazing one night in Neverland. As long as Smee had known him, the man had never been one to sleep well during the dark hours of the night and often wandered around deck, talking quietly with whoever happened to be on watch - which more often than not seemed to be the thief-turned-sailor that was the newest addition to his crew. It was in those small, quiet hours he'd grown fond of his captain, and of the new life he'd found himself enjoying almost in spite of himself.

They'd grown close enough after a few years that Smee was not only relieved of his duties as Night Watchman, but was promoted to the long-vacant position of First Mate and Quatermaster. It had been more of a formality than anything else, as Hook rarely was in need of anyone to substitute for him and typically gave his orders directly to the crew. Still, it had been a gesture of trust, and Smee would never dare forget it. His Captain. His mentor. His best friend.

The moon was beginning to sink towards the opposite horizon, and he guessed it was probably close to being four in the morning, which meant he'd been locked in a trunk for close to thirteen hours. Luckily, the small compartment was well ventilated thanks to the small door that led into the back seat of the car, and his captor had kindly left the windows rolled down on the condition he kept his mouth shut.

Normally, he would have ignored her and yelled for help from passerby. The woman had reminded him, however, that the Dark One would likely be none too pleased to find out who exactly had kidnapped Belle. On top of that, she'd been true to her word and hadn't killed him yet, so he might as well wait and see how this played out.

His captor smiled down at him apologetically before offering her hand to help him out of the trunk. Smee appreciated the gesture, but the woman was so small he couldn't see how she could possibly help. He was more likely to knock her over that way than make it out of the car, so he shook his head and slid to the ground none too gracefully.

"Sorry for the wait," she offered, and Smee couldn't quite help the small huff of irritation that escaped him. "I had to ditch an angry Rumplestiltskin and set Belle up at Granny's."

"I thought you were working for the Dark One," he grumbled warily. Now that he was standing - and not worried about having his throat slit in a back alley - he could see the woman more clearly. She couldn't have been much more than five feet tall, though the air of conficence surrounding her made up for what she lacked in height. Her pale grey eyes twinkled in amusement as she tucked her small hands into the pockets of a brown leather jacket, zipped up against the growing chill in the air. Her short hair framed her face in loose curls, a dark auburn color that shone gently in the moonlight. She was pretty enough, he supposed; although the slight smudges of dirt on her grey shirt and jeans, as well as on the exposed skin of her face, told him well enough that she didn't much care about her appearance.

"Not exactly," she grinned. "I don't really work for anyone - or maybe I work for everyone, depending on how you look at it. Either way, you can consider me something of a neutral party - more or less. Much like yourself, it seems."

"Who are you?" He adjusted his hat anxiously, trying to sound more confident than he was. Alone at the edge of town with some shadowy character who may or may not be working with his Captain's mortal enemy and who may or may not still decide to kill him at any given moment, he supposed he should be proud of himself for even trying to keep up a brave front. Gods knew he didn't exactly have the strongest backbone even at the best of times.

"Nyx Hala," she smiled disarmingly. "I'm the Guildmaster for the Thieve's Guild.

Now that was interesting. Before Neverland, he'd briefly been a member of the Guild, but had quickly become frustrated with the organization's lack of vision. They'd limited themselves to picking pockets and petty theft, only occassionally branching out into more dangerous enterprises such as burglary or hijacking. That had been nearly three centuries ago, however. It seemed that things had changed.

"And what do you want with me?"

Nyx shrugged. "To offer you a job. I suspect by now Belle has probably told ol' Rumple the part you had to play in this afternoon's excitement, which means starting tomorrow he'll probably have it out for you. I wouldn't bet very highly on your odds of survival on your own, and I am willing to help."

"Why?"

"You find diffuclt to find things. So do we. Although I was less than impressed with your performance today, I did a little bit of poking around earlier and managed to talk to a number of other people you've 'helped' in the past few weeks, and I believe you'd be an asset to the Guild."

"And you'd stand against the Dark One for me?" That sounded a little too good to be true.

"My Guild is my family, and the Imp won't risk losing the services we provide by threatening my family - and neither will anyone else, by the way, if they know what's good for them. I've only taken the Guild to 'war' once, and I can guarantee neither Regina or Rumplestiltskin will cross the lines I've drawn for them. As a member of the Guild, you won't be touched as long as I say so."

She paused for a moment, letting that sink in. The Captain was gone - Smee hadn't seen him in Storybrooke ever as far as he could remember - and his crew was in relative chaos. It wouldn't hurt to be part of a 'family' for a while.

"And you won't force me to work for the Dark One?" There was no way he could bring himself to that level of a betrayal.

"I won't lie to you, Mr. Smee. I will ask you to do things that are dangerous - life-threateningly so - and against your better judgement. But you will always be allowed to say 'no.' I don't force my Guild to do things against their will. If you don't want to deal with the Imp, I won't ask you to."

"Fair enough."

"Is that a 'yes' then?"

He smiled, genuinely, for the first time in weeks. It would be good to have something to do. "Yes."