I've written two variations on this story. This is the one I wrote and published first but I highly suggest you read the previous one first (It's been moved to C3 to facilitate that) It's not a requirement by any means... Just a suggestion for reasons that will make sense after you finish reading C3. :) Starts very similarly to C3 but the course diverges dramatically pretty quickly. Kind of a writers exercise on butterfly effect. How a couple of changed decisions can lead to incredibly different paths...
All Fair and Above Board
All fair and above board : term of nautical origin indicating something to be open and unhidden from general view
Hook considered himself a good liar, but no one was good enough to string along the Lady Swan for very long.
So when she opened that door, for once in his life he wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between himself and Emma Swan as he could possibly stand. She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be off unlocking her potential or some such thing... Her parents were supposed to be here.
Charming was supposed to tell him what the bloody hell he was supposed to do now.
He'd risk a broken nose in the telling of this particular tale, as even the Prince's intentional obliviousness couldn't stand up to this one. The witch cursed his lips and then told him to kiss Emma. What the hell kind of game was she playing...
He had almost forgotten that he had started the day as Henry's designated companion and defender and so Emma's first thought when she saw him alone was for her lad.
"He's fine, he's with his grandparents, I thought they might be back here."
Her eyebrows went up and he knew he'd said too much already without even crossing the threshold. It wasn't exactly commonplace for him to seek out her parents while avoiding her...
He had very little time to decide what he was going to do. The witch's options were to kiss her and remove her powers or watch her family be destroyed. Neither were acceptable. Fortunately a lifetime of piracy had made him ever eager to find that elusive third option. He briefly toyed with the idea of just spilling the whole bloody tale to Emma and Regina.
His gut twisted. He felt the burden of the choice on his shoulders like a physical weight. There was no good option yet, no obvious path. Why crush her with that... It wasn't entirely that, though, and he knew it. He could still feel the well deserved slap Ariel had given him. He still saw the look of disgust and betrayal in her eyes. It had been Zelena on the docks, playing with his guilt. But on the Roger the look of disgust had been all too real.
So what else was new, he was a selfish git. Still...he wasn't sure he would survive seeing that look tarnish Emma's features...
So he kept close to the truth. Eric was from a seafaring land right, and the first thing all sailors come to terms with is the probability that their last breath will be a final gasp to welcome the sea into your lungs. Shipwrecks and storms were all to common...
He conveniently tried to forget the role Blackbeard had played in Eric's disappearance, instead explaining that a shipwreck had left him on Hangman's island. The lie is always caught in the details. It's also what makes it believable. He directed the words to Regina, rather than Emma hoping the lass wouldn't notice how he avoided her eyes... She did, and he could see it in her eyes when he finally looked up at her. She knew there was more to the story.
Fortunately Regina saw fit to comment that Ariel had probably already arrived there and distracted Emma from the warning signals that were most likely going off in her mind.
His relief was short-lived. They were going to check his story. His suggestions to the contrary were ignored as Regina and Emma went to the mirror to attempt something beyond even Regina's power. Many things flashed through his mind as Emma stood in front of that mirror. Fear. His story was going to be unravelled and he would be forced to face the consequences of his selfishness. She had been lying most likely, or perhaps she didn't even know... Zelena had no reason to tell him the truth of what had become of Ariel and her Prince. It was just one more manipulation. The tiniest spark of hope danced in his mind though...what if it wasn't too late? What if he really hadn't killed Eric after all?
Perhaps the mirror magic wouldn't work anyway. Even Regina-
His train of thought was interrupted by a rippling in the mirrors surface which rapidly dissolved into an image of the two lovers on the beach content in each others embrace. Relief surged through his mind. All of these months, spent berating himself for being the death of Ariel's prince were unfounded. She had found him, in spite of everything. In spite of him.
Emma turned and Hook's relief instantly melted into shame. There was pride in her eyes, wonder, surprise as she falsely credited him for their happily ever after. Even when he deflected it she credited it to modesty. If only she knew. She finally saw him as a man of honor. And it crushed him to know she saw only a veneer. Only a shining surface covering rotting wood.
Apparently the witch had not been lying about her network of spies. She would know if he told Emma or the Prince of his curse. There was no doubt Zelena would follow through on her promise. If he told Emma the Dark One would be sent after everyone she loved...
Henry came in with the Royals and the chaos in the room allowed him to slip back into the background. He couldn't take her magic. It would be a defamation of the woman he loved. She had more power than Regina, and she made Zelena nervous. He couldn't destroy that... but what of her family. Her parents, and...God her boy. He couldn't let anything happen to her boy. It would destroy her.
But it was more than that now. Neverland had been for Emma, completely, unapologetically for Emma alone. But now he knew the boy. Her son, and Bae's. Milah's grandson. The lad had become precious to him in a way that he hadn't felt since Bae had been just a boy under his care.
And Zelena knew it, damn her.
Emma would choose her family. In a heartbeat. She would sacrifice herself, her magic to protect her family in an instant without a second thought.
Hook knew better.
Zelena needed Emma for some reason that he hadn't yet been able to piece together, but was afraid of her potential. Emma Swan would want to give up her magic to save those she loved, and then nothing would stand between Zelena and whatever the hell she wanted. Magic saved Emma's heart once...and he was supposed to believe that Zelena would leave Emma and her family alone once nothing stood between her and her desires? That was about as likely as Hook taking his next voyage to Neverland in a dinghy.
He had to get away from them...
"Killian, Where's our friend?" Snow interrupted his attempted escape.
He glanced up, "It turns out her missing husband was back home after all."
"It's true," Emma affirmed, "we just checked in on them on ...Skype."
Killian almost smiled. He didn't even know what Skype was and he could tell she was lying. How was it possible someone so good at reading through others' lies could be such a poor liar herself?
Snow immediately decided this was a sign things were getting better and proposed a celebratory dinner.
Now he really had to get away. Checking to see his hook was safety hidden from Henry's view he retreated from the room.
"You're not coming?" Emma asked..."Well if you change your mind you know where we'll be."
And there it was. The olive branch he'd been waiting for. Twice. Then she told him she was tired of living in the past. She was offering to let him in and he had to run away. He could practically hear Zelena's laughter in his head... practically feel Emma's eyes boring into him as he retreated from her door. It wasn't like him to retreat from such a moment as this, and it wouldn't be long before she tried to figure out what she was missing. But for now he would retreat, let her spend time with her family and pray that this was not the calm before the storm that he feared it was.
He couldn't leave Storybrooke. Not while Zelena was still here, when her family was in ever-increasing danger every moment he ignored the Witch's desires. He couldn't stay, not while just being near her risked everything she was working towards and every moment tore his wounded heart to pieces.
He still spent time with Henry, after all Zelena already knew he was fond of the boy, and that way Zelena would have to go through Hook to get to the boy. He was confident that she wouldn't kill him. She wasn't done with him yet.
Every day Emma grew stronger and more confidant in her powers and every day his determination grew that he could not take that away from her. But he lived in constant trepidation that Zelena would grow tired of waiting for him to falter and send her monkeys after someone. It was oddly quiet. Apparently she still thought he would fail, though he wasn't entirely sure why, at first.
He had thought her walls had been bad. This was so much worse. He was watching them crumble, watching everything he had hoped for come into fruition, and then turning away. She invited him to lunch. He refused. She stepped forward, he stepped back. It was unnerving. He was always invading her personal space, always just close enough that he could feel her warmth. Just close enough to feel the spark. Now he stayed back and it was so cold.
For every step he moved back, she pushed that little bit forward, but he could see the vulnerability in her eyes.
When she picked up Henry at the docks with her parents she only said "thank you," but her eyes begged him 'please don't do this to me.' She stepped closer waving to Henry as he ran over towards Snow and Charming. She lingered behind for a moment.
"Of course, Swan, you know I enjoy spending time with the boy," and he stepped away. "Any progress figuring out what the witch is up to?"
"No, nothing in days, it's a little weird. What is she waiting for?"
"She's a manipulative wench, Swan, don't let your guard down." He unconsciously raised his hook to brush her hair back as he had done so many times before, but this time she surprised him by placing a hand on his forearm. Killian knew he should pull away but he found himself locked in place by the gentlest of touches.
"I really do appreciate you watching over him, Killian." She was stalling. Waiting for him to say something, giving him an opening... Finally he stepped back.
Now she looked irritated, actually irritated. "What is with you lately Hook, usually you're all about invading my personal space and now it's like you can't stand to be near me." She always was a lass to speak her mind. "If you're going to leave why don't you just out and say it." Her tone was angry but her eyes were open. 'Not you too...'
He reached out and took her hand in an instant, "I'm not going anywhere, Swan, I promise you that. I just ..." He couldn't think of what to say. Couldn't think of how to explain that he wouldn't leave...but couldn't be close either. " I just need some ...time" he finished ineffectually.
"I should go."
"Until tomorrow then, Swan," but she was already gone.
"How touching," A familiar accented voice commented from behind him. He spun, drawing sword that he knew would not help. As predicted it flew from his hand before he even saw his target. "but, I am getting tired of waiting. Who shall I take first, Captain, the boy?"
"We won't let you touch him." Hook snarled.
"Good. The choice is still yours, but you are running out of time. You have one more day, Captain, to make your choice. Fail to do so and the boy's blood is on your ... hand. How should I do it, Captain? Have my monkeys rip him to pieces? No, no, I've got a much better idea. I will let the Dark One take his heart, would you like to see it crushed into dust? I can be sure to arrange that. Didn't anyone warn him that a heart condition runs in the family..."
Hook clenched his jaw as smoke surrounded Zelena and she vanished her laugh still echoing around him. As soon as she vanished he fell to his knees with a cry of mingled anger and frustration, digging his hook into the wooden planks of the dock.
He couldn't let her take Henry, but he would be powerless to stop her. Just as he had been powerless to save Milah. He needed help. He made his way back into town finally discovering his feet had led him to Regina's door. Knocking so hard he nearly put a hole in the door he suddenly found himself standing in her kitchen.
"There's no need to damage my home, pirate, What is it that you want?"
"Can we speak in private?"
"There's no one else here."
"Can you be sure of that?"
Regina raised an eyebrow catching his meaning before a wave of her hand called a shimmering purple haze surrounding them.
"If this is about a birthday present for the Savior I will drop you in the harbor the same way I dropped you into this kitchen."
"Zelena cursed me." Hook spat out.
"You don't look cursed to ..." then she paused moving closer. She moved forward until she stood only inches away and then she leaned back, "It seems she's onto your little infatuation."
"Can you remove the curse?"
"No, and I've little interest in assisting with your love life, Hook."
"She's told me to take Emma's powers or she will start killing everyone Emma loves. I don't-"
Regina paled then grew angry as she realized who topped that list. "And you are just telling me this now?"
"She said she would do the same if I told Emma..."
"I can't break the curse, and if I could she might just come after Henry anyway." Regina mused.
"I feared the same even if I do the witch's bidding. I have to tell Emma... I had hoped that a solution might become apparent but-"
"That would be most unwise," Regina still looked thoughtful, "I can't break the curse, but I can change it."
"Change it how?"
Regina ignored him turning her back on him to gather something from her desk. When she turned she raised her hands until they settled in front of his face. The familiar tingling that had occurred when Zelena cursed him, bloomed once again on his lips.
Regina dropped her hand suddenly, falling back a couple steps before leaning against her desk.
"What did you do to me?" Hook asked suspiciously.
"Your kiss will now bind her powers. I can't change the curse anymore than that...but at least now it won't be permanent."
"Will Zelena be able to tell the difference?"
"No, not a chance, until they are unbound no one will. And I suggest you keep it that way. Don't tell anyone of this plan, not even Emma. If Zelena hears of it Henry will be first on her list for repercussions.
Perhaps there was a chance then. If he could convince Zelena that Emma's powers were gone he might buy them some time. And perhaps allow Zelena to underestimate their position.
"Will you be able to unbind them?" he asked.
"It's possible."
"That doesn't sound very ..."
He didn't finish the sentence, finding his mouth inconveniently filled with water. Coughing and sputtering he pulled himself to the pier and out of the water. God he hated Witches.
"Killian?"
Swan. He climbed the rest of the way out of the water and heard Emma's footsteps running towards him.
"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, helping pull him out of the water.
"Got on the bad side of a witch, apparently."
"Zelena did this?"
"Different witch. What are you doing here, love?"
She froze, looking up at him. He realized that he had stopped calling her that of late, in his attempts to put distance between them. "I wanted to talk to you again...I just couldn't-"
"I'm sorry, Emma," he interrupted.
"What are you talking about."
"I've been pushing you away and I'm so sorry. No matter what happens I need you to understand that I will always choose you."
He saw the relief flicker through her eyes but it was followed quickly by suspicion.
"Why does this sound like goodbye?" She sighed and rolled her eyes her walls slamming back into place. "I get it Hook, you like a challenge and-"
"No, Swan, don't even think that."
"So what is it," she burst out "because it looks a hell of a lot like this is all a game. Are you happy now that you've won?"
He opened his mouth to tell her of Zelena's curse but closed it again rapidly. Zelena had told him not to tell her, and fear clenched in his chest as he thought of Henry...of the Dark One taking Henry away as he had taken Milah. It was too great a risk, he would never forgive himself if Henry were harmed for his mistake.
He took a step closer and Emma rapidly realized that he was back to invading her personal space again. His good hand reached up and cupped her cheek silencing her. "I love you." He said, without preface "and yes, I'm happier than I've any right to be, Emma. Things are about to get messy, but I need you to trust me. Trust me, please."
To his surprise she simply nodded. Praying that he was doing the right thing he leaned in and kissed her gently. She met him eagerly, leaning close as he wrapped his arms around her. For several moments he was enthralled by the taste, the scent, the feeling of Emma Swan and he allowed himself to hope that perhaps Regina had done a better job than she thought. Maybe this was just a kiss, the first of many? Then a spark of a very different kind shot between them and Emma collapsed motionless to the ground.
For a horrified moment Killian thought perhaps Zelena had lied and that this curse had taken his Emma's life. He dropped to the ground next to her, relief making his head spin when she opened her eyes.
"What ... What did you do?" Emma jumped up and backed away.
"Emma, please listen to me-"
Suddenly Zelena appeared next to Emma, "Very nice work, my pet, I knew I could count on you." With a flick of her wrist Emma flew across the pier and slammed into the nearest vessel and remained there, trapped against it's wooden hull.
"Why can't I-" Emma started, more talking to herself than Zelena.
"Oh, my apologies my dear, you see you don't have magic anymore. The Captain here was kind enough to assist me to apply a little curse."
Emma still stared at Hook a look of hurt and utter betrayal in her eyes.
"I know," Zelena mocked Emma as she approached, "It's all very sad." Hook rushed forward, but before he could reach her he found himself frozen in place not more than a few feet from her. This was too fast...too fast... Hook thought, mind spinning as he tried to figure out what to do. He was supposed to have time to talk to her .. to explain. They were supposed to be able to talk with Regina, with her parents. Come up with a plan. This was supposed to give him the advantage... Then his mind stopped functioning at all, because Zelena plunged her hand into Emma's chest her hand emerging a moment later with Emma's heart in her tight grip. With a flick of her wrist she released Emma from she ship's hull and Emma cried out in pain as she fell into the water. When she didn't immediately surface Hook began to struggle ineffectually against the power that kept him in place.
"All right, all right, for all the good it will do you." She waved her hand and Hook sprinted for the water, diving in where he had seen Emma sink. In moments he caught sight of her and with several powerful strokes reached her side. Clasping his hooked arm around her he made for the surface and she coughed as he pulled her out of the water. Laying her on the pier he checked that she was breathing and awake. She was still stunned and her eyes were hazy with pain but she was awake. "I'm so sorry, love, so sorry. I thought I could protect you and your boy..." He turned his attention back to Zelena. "You can't kill her, you told me yourself-"
"I couldn't kill her then, no. I needed her heart, and you can't pull a heart from a dead body. Not a useful one anyway. nor can you take a heart when it's protected by magic like hers. So thank you, Captain, you've been most helpful. But that's not even the best part." Zelena's voice dropped to a whisper as is she was telling a secret. "I only need the ashes of a heart born of true love."
"NO," Hook cried as Zelena grinned and squeezed Emma's heart in her grip. Tears were already falling down Killian's face when Emma shuddered, crying out in pain. "No, no, no," he whispered, "Emma, please, don't leave me like this." It was too late. She went limp in his arms, the dust circling lazily down from Zelena's fingers as Emma's heart turned to dust before his very eyes. "I'm so sorry," Killian repeated uselessly, letting his head fall onto her shoulder and holding Emma's body tight to his own. He breathed in her hair, pretending for a moment that it wasn't too late. He kissed her hair, her palm, her knuckles whispering endearments to her that she could no longer hear and forgetting Zelena's presence entirely as he held the lost Swan girl in his arms.
Zelena gathered the dust with a wave of her hands and turned to leave. He didn't know why she didn't just disappear this time. Perhaps she liked hearing the sounds of his despair echoing around her as she walked away. Hook waited for the despair to be replaced by the familiar dark anger but it didn't come yet. He couldn't let Emma go, not even to waste his life trying to destroy Zelena. Not yet. Instead he tried to make up for the time lost since his lips had been cursed. He brushed her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead and her lovely eyes before finally seeking her lips. Her lips were cool and soft as he remembered, but they tasted only of his tears now. As his lips met hers the tingling of his cursed lips reappeared briefly before the sensation faded.
Then Zelena screamed.
In an instant he found himself pinned back against the ship's hull Zelena enraged in front of him. "You took her powers, I watched you steal her powers..."
Hook ached to destroy her but she kept him still. Finally Killian's eyes followed Zelena's astonished ones and he saw the dust in her hand glowing. Zelena cried out in obvious pain, dropping the dust as the glowing intensified the dust picked up in an invisible whirlwind surrounding her.
"I bound her powers, actually, and it seems true loves kiss saw fit to unbind them." He smiled darkly, "Even in death her power is still strong enough to destroy you!" Zelena's eyes widened then she and Hook both closed their eyes, blinded by the intensity of the light. Zelena screamed once more and vanished, though if it was by her volition or Emma's, he was unsure. As the light faded Killian opened his eyes and saw that the swirling winds had slowed and the dust converged in a single spot. On impulse he reached out into what had once been Emma Swan's heart. To his surprise something solid had formed of the swirling mass. Taking hold of it the dust finally settled and the wind ceased and Killian realized he was left holding a beautiful glowing heart. His legs nearly collapsed under him in the relief, could it be?
Rushing to Emma's side he hesitated briefly. He was not exactly an expert in returning lost hearts...what if he did it wrong? This didn't seem like the kind of thing you got multiple shots at. He lowered it gently to her, approximately where his own had once been removed from him and to his relief it sank easily into its rightful place.
Nothing happened...
Perhaps it no longer worked? He had seen it turn to dust, there was not supposed to be any coming back from that.
Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
"Swan?" he asked tentatively. Was she still there...was she still his Swan?
"Killian," she sighed, and his own heart leapt for joy as he pulled her into his arms.
"Emma!" He buried his head into her hair as he pressed her close, reveling in her warmth and presence. "God Emma, please ... please tell me I've not gone mad. Tell me this isn't a dream."
She smiled, "Its all right now, we're all right."
"You died Emma...you were gone...How...?"
"How am I supposed to know," she shot back in classic Emma indignation, "I was a little busy being dead, apparently."
Well it was definitely her and suddenly it didn't really matter how. He pulled away and brushed her hair from her face again just watching her for a moment before finally leaning in to kiss her once more. This time she kissed him back and he held her so tightly he feared he might hurt her, but he couldn't bear to let her go. When he finally released her both were slightly out of breath.
"That was-"
Emma opened her mouth to speak but Killian cut her off,
"Don't even think it Swan. This is not a one-time thing ... or a two-time thing, as it were. You died in my arms and I swear, Emma I wished it had killed me too. Please don't-"
Emma silenced him by covering his lips with hers briefly. "Four."
Killian raised his eyebrow questioningly.
"You miscounted. Neverland, New York and here ... twice. That's four."
"That's five then, lass."
"Five, please, it doesn't count if I'm dead."
"Really, you'll not count the kiss that was.. apparently good enough to call you back from death itself?"
"Fine, five." Then she kissed him again, and again, mumbling between each kiss... "six," "seven..."
Finally Killian laughed. "Swan..."
"eight."
"Swan, I-"
"nine."
"Bloody hell, Swan, I swear it is my new mission in life to make you lose count!"
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Killian." She teased.
"I never do, love."
AN:Better? :P
This show just won't stop toying with us. Death by feels, I swear. Leave a review. Let me know what you think of this... or of the latest episode...or of the weather, whatever :P Have a good day everyone!
