Disclaimer:I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters or plot ideas. The only things I own in this story are my own ideas and my own characters.

~ Chapter Three ~

"Karina, you need to calm down." Emma puts her hands up in surrender as she speaks as calmly as she can muster.

With my heart pounding, my blood roaring in my ears and my vision turning red I have lost all control. My anger is so potent I barely think straight as I lunge straight at Emma.

I grab one of the hands she's holding up in surrender and push it back and then I curl my other hand into a fist, swinging and hitting her hard in the nose. She cries out as blood starts to gush and drip down her face.

Just like that, seeing her blood, my anger drains from my body and horror sets in as I realize that once again I lost control. Only this time I hurt one of the few people who actually mean something to me. I place my hands over my mouth and I rush towards Emma to help, but instead my quick movement freaks her out and she jumps back. "Oh God, Emma… I-I'm so sorry." Before I can help myself tears come to my eyes. "I never wanted to hurt you… I just get so angry and I can't control myself. I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Karina." Emma replies but I can hear the anger in her voice and I don't blame her. Killian hands her a towel and then hurries to get her some water. I watch him scramble around the kitchen as Emma stumbles to place herself in a chair, still holding the now bloody towel to her face.

Slowly, I back towards the door. "I'm sorry, Emma." I whisper and then rush down the hallway and out the building, back out into the cool night air. I walk aimlessly until I come across a park. It's not as busy as it would be in the middle of the afternoon, but there are still a few late night joggers and people walking their dogs. I find a bench in front of a small pond and slowly lower myself into it, shoving my hands in my pockets.

I'm not sitting there long when I see a figure appear out of the corner of my eyes. I don't bother turning my head to acknowledge him. I'm sure he'll disappear soon enough and I don't need the joggers and dog walkers thinking I'm crazy for talking to myself.

"What? No hello?" The boy next to me asks arrogantly. I freeze and my jaw slowly drops in surprise. It's the first words I've heard this boy say and if I'm honest, his voice sounds exactly how I imagined it. Husky and proud. And somehow I knew I would love the sound of it and I was right.

Slowly, I turn to face him, my eyes wide and my jaw still dropped. His dark chestnut coloured hair is messy and swoops down over his forehead, slightly covering his eyes. However, his hair doesn't obstruct my view of his perfectly emerald green eyes that seem to glow with mischievousness. His long, lean body, almost reminding me of a cat, is stretched out beside me, offering me a perfect view of his physique. His weird looking clothes are the only thing about him that I find odd, and yet I can't bring myself to question it.

The boy leans forward until our faces are inches apart. "Cat got your tongue?" He whispers. His breath fans across my face and I shamefully breathe it in and notice it smells like mint. My attraction to this boy is unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. It's like every nerve in my body is frayed, waiting for his touch so they can come alive again. My heart races and I feel heat in the pit of my stomach.

Realizing I must be making a fool of myself I quickly shake off my reaction and cast a look around at the others in the park. "I'm not the only one who can see you, right?"

"Why? Afraid you're losing your mind?" The boy grins knowingly.

"Of course not!" I scoff and try to laugh it off, but my laugh sounds nervous and unhinged, even to my own ears. The boy's grin gets impossibly larger, letting me know he heard the unsteadiness of my laugh.

"Yes, other people can see me." The boy replies. "I can choose when I want people to see me and who gets to see me. It's actually pretty fun."

"Oh yes, I can see the appeal of making me look insane to all my friends!" I snap, glaring furiously at him. "What was up with all the disappearing acts?"

"It was the game!" The boy exclaims excitedly. His words sound so familiar as if I heard him say it before, or at least someone who sounds very much like him. The more I think about it the more the thought slips away until it completely disappears.

"What do you want with me?" I ask angrily as I cross my arms over my chest. "I've been seeing you everywhere, even in my dreams! That can't be a coincidence."

"You've been having dreams?" The boy's eyebrows scrunch together as he looks at me questioningly. "Of me? What else have you been dreaming of?"

"I-I don't want to talk about it." I reply quickly. The last thing I want is to tell this stranger about my nightmares where I kill people and enjoy it. Or that in my dreams he and I are doing some very hot and heavy things.

"Well if you don't tell me what you're dreaming of, how can I help you deal with them?"

"How would you be able to help me? For all I know, you could be a figment of my imagination and I really am crazy. My mind could've created you to help me cope with the stress in my life." Although I meant it as a way to argue with the boy, horror sets in as I realize this boy could in fact be a trick created by my own mind.

"Maybe I am… But that doesn't change the fact that I can help you." The boy replies as he studies my face carefully.

"Help me?" I laugh bitterly. "You're a boy. I'm getting the help I need." I start to get up from the bench when he reaches out as fast as a striking cobra and grabs my wrist. His hand feels ice cold but his touch sears through my skin, jolting me.

"Dr. Roberts can't help you like I can, Karina." The boy looks deep into my eyes as he speaks seriously.

His obvious knowledge of intimate details in my life shocks me. Fear courses through me as I stare back at the boy with wide eyes. I don't know how long I stand there staring at him before my senses come back to me and I jerk my wrist out of his grip.

I curl my lip as I snarl, "Stay the hell away from me!" Then I turn and race away from him. Once I'm halfway through the park and protected by the cover of the trees I turn back to the bench to see the boy is gone. A shiver runs down my spine and I wrap my arms around myself as I continue on my way.

…..

Hours later I walk back to the apartment. I quietly sneak into the building, waving at the doorman when he shoots me a weird look. No doubt he's wondering what I'm doing out at 3:30 AM but he doesn't ask any questions.

I hurry up to our apartment and I'm not surprised when the entire space is dark. Quietly I tiptoe to my room, kicking off my shoes next to the hall closet doors. I'm halfway through the kitchen when I hear a rustling on the couch and the lamp turns on. I look over and Emma's sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

I silently curse and then stop, turning to face her. I notice that she doesn't seem to have any permanent damage to her face, except her nose looks pretty red. Guilt slams into me like a wave and I rush towards her, "Emma, I'm so sorry!" I gasp, holding my hands to my chest.

"Karina, it's fine." Emma replies, her voice sounding tired. "I was waiting up for you because I wanted to talk to you."

I gulp and nod my head, silently gesturing for her to continue. I brace myself for whatever punishment she's getting ready to give me.

"I'm not mad at you. I just want you to know that you and Henry will be coming with me. I know it's not ideal for you, with your boyfriend and especially with Nova… And there's your therapy sessions with Dr. Roberts. But I need you guys to come with me. I don't know how long I'll be there… It could be a while." Emma explains slowly, studying my reaction closely.

I'm about to object but then I think back to that boy in the park who seems to know a lot of things about me. He knew about my sessions with Dr. Roberts. My therapy sessions are my most guarded secret, the fact that he not only knows I'm in therapy, but also knows the name of my therapist scares me. I never thought I could attract a stalker, after all they only go after extremely gorgeous and interesting people, but perhaps that's exactly what I've done.

"Ok." I reply simply and Emma looks shocked I agreed so easily this time around. I'm sure she expected me to get angry like last time, but I'm taking extra care not to hurt her or Henry now.

"Ok… Great… We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. So you might want to make sure you pack a bag tonight. I haven't told Henry yet, so make sure you don't say anything to him." Emma says and I nod my head.

I'm about to walk to my room when I stop. "You didn't tell Henry about…" I trail off and bite my lip. I know I don't have to clarify because in seconds understanding dawns on her face.

"No, I didn't. And I won't. It'll be our secret… I know you didn't mean it and I can tell just by looking at you now that you feel awful about it." Emma smiles slightly and I smile back timidly. I turn back to my room when she stops me. "Oh, and Karina… Can I just say I'm proud of how well you can throw a punch? I won't ever have to worry about a guy taking advantage of you with that kind of right hook."

I laugh, glad that we're getting back to normal. "Thanks. Maybe someday I'll teach you my ways." I wink. "Good night."

"Night."

I walk into my room and instantly head to my closet to grab my bag. I start shoving my favourite clothes in my bag, as well as my favourite book and my headphones. I grab my top three favourite pairs of shoes and shove them in the bag as well. Then I head to the bathroom to grab my toiletries and makeup. Once those are packed I decide I'm done packing for the night.

I change into my pajamas and collapse on the bed, checking my phone for the first time since I left the party. I have over 50 text messages, most of them from Nova, but a few from Zach, and 30 missed calls, all but one from Nova and the last one from Emma. I scroll through them as I wait for sleep to come to me. Most of them are Nova begging me to call her, the ones from Zach asking the same thing. Then the message from Emma is asking me to come home so we can talk. I delete the messages and decide I'll reply to Nova in the morning, but Zach can wait until I'm on the road. I don't want to see him, not after he laughed at me. He may have been drunk, but it still hurt.

I set my phone down and turn off the light as I pull the blankets up to my chin. When sleep finally takes me I'm not surprised to find myself being whisked off into a nightmare.

I walk into a dimly lit tavern that is packed with men of all sizes and very few women except for the ones who are dressed in the skimpy dresses, their breasts practically spilling out overtop their corsets. Some of the women serve beer in heavy metal drinking steins while the others sit on the laps of eager looking men.

My crew crowds in behind me, their eyes going bright as they look at the beer and women. After being on the seas for so long they have missed the company of women and the taste of beer. We only have rum on the ship since I hate beer and since it's my ship I can choose what we carry.

"Well boys, enjoy yourselves." I reply, my tone quiet and sultry. I smirk as they holler excitedly and rush deeper into the room. The only one who doesn't leave my side is my lieutenant, Drake. He watches the others rush away like excited boys with a nasty curl to his lip. "You can enjoy yourself too, Drake."

"And leave your side when you're about to meet a very nasty adversary?" He snorts. "Hardly."

Instead of speaking I throw my head back and laugh, my dark hair falling back, catching the rays of the few lights. I notice I catch the attention of several men around me. Why wouldn't I? I know I look good. I'm wearing black leather pants, a white top that hangs off my shoulder and a thick black belt that goes up to the bottom of my breasts. Jewelry hangs around my neck and sits on my fingers but my daggers sticking out of my knee-high boots warns anyone from trying to take them.

I flash the men my best 'come hither' smirk but continue on my way through the tavern, ignoring some of the men as they make cat calls. I see the person I'm meeting sitting at a table in the very back corner of the room.

They have a cloak pulled up over their head, shielding their face as they slump against the wall, their fingers tracing the stein sitting on the table before them. I take the only seat across from them and Drake stands behind me, right at my shoulder, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Hello Karina." The voice cuts through the noise of the tavern like glass.

I smirk, not in the least bit intimidated. "Hello Circe."

The witch throws back her hood and smirks, her mismatched blue and green eyes seem to glow in the flicker of the candlelight. "Glad to be back on land?" She asks innocently.

"Cut the crap. You know why I'm here… Do you have it?" I raise an eyebrow as I drop my hands in my lap.

"Of course, I have it. What do you take me for? An amateur?" Her eyes hold amusement, but her tone suggests she's truly annoyed by the possibility of me considering her an amateur.

"I'll make that decision once I've seen whether or not you've disappointed me." I smile nastily and she throws a small black pouch on the table in front of me. I grab the bag and open it, peering inside to see the herbs I need to cast the finders spell.

I smirk and hand it over my shoulder to Drake so he can double check Circe's work. She watches the motions and narrows her eyes, turning back to me. "You don't trust me?"

"Of course not." I scoff. "You're a witch. I would be a fool to trust you. My lieutenant knows a little bit about magic, he can double check your work to make sure it's correct."

"It is." Circe seethes, her eyes now narrowed into slits.

My grin turns wild as I realize I'm pushing her buttons. Circe is known to be one of the most powerful witches, you don't anger her unless you're willing to gain a very powerful enemy. I sent her a message when we were still on the water, asking her to prep this spell for me and meet me at this tavern.

"It's good." Drake rumbles behind me as he drops the pouch into my hand.

"Of course it's good." Circe growls. "Don't insult my work!"

"And this spell will work if I cast it? Even if I don't have any magical abilities?" I clarify. Magic usually has to be cast by someone with the abilities to use it, but powerful enough witches like Circe can form spells that are ready to be cast by people like me with no magical abilities whatsoever.

Circe rolls her eyes. "Yes. Like I said before, you'll need a personal item of the person you wish to find, but it will work. Simply place that item in the pouch with the herbs and light it on fire. The pouch and the herbs will burn away, but the item you use will remain and will become a talisman that will burn hot the closer you get to that person you are seeking."

"Wonderful." I get up and turn to walk away.

"My payment?" Circe demands, placing her hand palm up on the table.

"Oh yea…" I share a mischievous look with Drake and then in one swift move I grab the dagger from my boot and slice her fingers clean off her hand.

Circe starts to scream as other guests in the tavern start to shout nervously. The men who were cat calling me earlier look especially nervous. "You will regret this." Circe seethes.

"Will I?" I reply, batting my eyelashes innocently. My innocent look dissolves into one of wickedness as I flick my wrist and my dagger runs across her throat, slashing it. Blood spurts from the wound and she starts to cough, clutching at her neck as she falls to the ground. "Never trust a pirate, my dear Circe." I brush her hair out of her face as her last moments are filled with glaring hatefully at me. Once I'm sure she's dead I turn back to find my crew watching me excitedly, clearly awaiting my word. "Take everything, leave no prisoners."

….

I wake up screaming, my body is covered in sweat and my heart pounds painfully against my chest. The sunlight streaming in past my curtains does little to comfort me and even when Emma runs in, her expression alarmed I continue to scream.

"Karina! It's ok! It was just a dream." She wraps her arms around me and rubs my back soothingly. My screams turn into loud, gasping sobs as I wrap my arms around Emma and hug her as tightly as I dare.

"It felt real…" I whisper, my entire body trembling as over and over again I picture slashing that woman's throat.

"I know, but it wasn't." Emma pulls back and rubs my arms. For the first time I notice they're covered in goosebumps. "C'mon, let's go get some breakfast." She takes me hand and leads me out into the kitchen where I can smell bacon and eggs cooking.

Seconds after I've sat down Henry comes walking in, fully dressed but still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Another nightmare?" He asks me as he sits next to me.

"Yea, sorry for waking you up kid." I mumble, as I wrap my arm around his shoulder.

"It's cool… You kind of acted as my alarm this morning. Mom forgot to wake me up this morning I guess." Henry shrugs his shoulders.

I look up at Emma to see she seems lost in her own little world as she beats the eggs ruthlessly. "Uh… Emma, I think you've beaten those eggs enough…"

"Huh?" She shakes herself out of whatever thoughts she was having and then looks down at the bowl in her hands. "Oh, right… Can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course." Henry replies.

"Do you guys believe in magic?"

I snort as Henry quickly says, "Of course!" Emma shoots him a surprised look when he continues, "And the tooth fairy, and Santa Clause and the Easter bunny… If it gets me a present, I believe in it… You're not sure you made the right decision, are you?"

"I just didn't feel like pancakes." Emma replies as she pours the eggs into the frying pan.

"About Walsh." Henry clarifies and I realize that I had no idea that Emma said no, but I suppose if she had said yes she wouldn't have been home with Killian last night.

"Oh," Emma laughs, but it seems kind of awkward. "I made the right decision… It's just going to be the three of us for a little while." She places the plates of food in front of us.

"As long as you're happy." Henry smiles and then glances up at the clock. "Tasty, but I gotta run. I'm going to be late for school; you kind of overslept."

"No, no school today. How about we go on a trip?"

"Like a vacation?" Henry asks, slowly coming to sit down next to me again.

"Like... I have a case and it's in Maine and it might take me a while and I think we should go. It would be an adventure." Emma looks at me and I immediately look down at my plate, feeling embarrassed after the way I acted.

"No school? A trip with you? Sold." Henry grins at his mother and she smiles back.

"Good, 'cause I already packed."

"When do we leave?"

"Now." Emma replies just as there is a heavy knock at the door. Emma goes to answer the door and I can hear Killian's voice in the hall before I see him. He turns the corner and Emma rushes after him. "Henry, this is Killian, he's, um… I'm, um… Helping him with his case." I raise an eyebrow because last night Emma introduced him as a friend. It's very possible that they are friends, but her awkwardness when introducing him is a little suspicious.

"Did you skip bail?" Henry asks, looking confused.

"Ah, he's still a little spitfire." Killian smirks and his words catch both mine and Henry's attention.

"Still…?" Henry wonders, looking even more confused.

"He's not a perp… He's a client." Emma explains quickly.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Henry asks Killian.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Killian asks angrily and I start to giggle when I notice he actually looks extremely offended that a boy questioned his appearance.

"Alright, alright. Make yourself useful Killian and get our bags. Henry, help him. Karina, go get ready." I salute her and then jump off the stool and rush to the bathroom so I can have a quick shower.

…...

By the time Emma managed to drag me out of the apartment and I managed to get off the phone with a very peeved best friend of mine, it was almost the afternoon when we set out for Maine. The car ride was long and mostly boring, except Henry and I kept playing I Spy and Killian tried to play along but he really didn't get the game, which Henry and I found hilarious.

Finally, close to midnight we arrive at the border of a little town called Storybrooke. I inspect the sign, my face scrunching up as I rack my brain for any mention of a town called Storybrooke in any of my geography classes.

"Since when was Storybrooke a town?" I ask quietly. I don't want to speak too loud since Henry had fallen asleep and he's now resting his head on my shoulder.

"Since they built a town here a bunch of years ago…" Emma explains quickly and then shoots Killian a dark look as if she dares him to object. I raise an eyebrow as I inspect the two of them. They've obviously known each other for a while and if I had to guess, there are definitely some feelings there on both sides. I'm not surprised Emma said no to Walsh if she has feelings for this guy. Though, I'm surprised she likes Killian since his appearance isn't exactly normal…

Emma pulls her little yellow car up to a curb and she stops the car. With a quick order telling me to stay in the car, Emma and Killian get out as Emma seems to look around the dark town, looking surprised.

I look down at my phone for a second and when I look up Killian is placing a hook where his hand used to be. My jaw drops and when Emma peers into the car and notices my reaction she slaps Killian. Then Killian looks in and when he sees me staring at him he simply smiles and waves his hook in the air like this is a normal thing. His reaction prompts Emma to smack him again.

Emma starts to walk away and I quickly scramble out of the car, being careful not to wake Henry. "Um, where is she going? Why do you have a hook for a hand? You're not going to murder us all I Know What You Did Last Summer are you?"

Killian looks lost over the last question so he promptly decides to answer the others. "Emma went to talk to some friends of hers… And I have a hook for a hand because… Well, because it's much cooler than having no hand." He grins, clearly proud of himself for his answer.

"Right…" I nod my head slowly and then quickly jump back into the car, locking the doors. "Psychopath…"

A/N: Haha, Karina interacting with Hook when she has no memory is actually kind of funny!

Please take a moment to review!