Well, everyone, this is the chapter where everything comes to a head. I hope you like how I did it!
BTW I have decided to just post all my chapters today because once again I will forget I ever wrote this
Emma rubbed her head to rid herself of her migraine. Mr. Hopper's dog really did bark loudly. If it weren't for the special dog treats Ms. Lucas made for her, her job would've been a lot harder.
She waved to Lacey, remembering her impressive shot on the pool table from the previous night, as she cut across her usual path down the alleyway. Emma was glad to note that Lacey seemed lighter than she had been in a long time.
By taking the shortcut, she might be able to make it home before nightfall. Emma's mom was making her famous apple pie for dessert, and no matter how wonky her head had been the past few weeks, she couldn't deny how good it felt to be in her mother's company.
And maybe she could pass on apple pie leftovers to her newfound friend. Looking back on all the times she's spent with Killian, she wondered why she hated him. It was possible that she only hated him because in the past he made her feel uncomfortable with blatant drunkenness and always leering at her. But ever since that morning that didn't feel like a real morning, she'd started seeing him differently. But of course skipping rocks and watching the sunset with someone would cast an attractive man in a romantic light.
Maybe instead of running into him on accident, maybe next time she saw him, their encounters could be planned (well, more planned than inviting someone to make sure their ex didn't harass them). She could do that, ask him out. It was a completely normal thing to do for her to ask the guy she kinda sorta had feelings for. It was.
What was the problem? He had gone to the Rabbit Hole with her just the other day, it wasn't a big deal.
Butterflies pressed against the linings of her stomach. No, no, no. Asking him out would be a terrible idea. Not natural in the slightest, what if he only saw her as a friend? Or he thought she was too stuck up for him?
She didn't want to lose his friendship. Emma Mills didn't have much in the way of friends except her mother and Uncle Graham and maybe even Lacey, having someone just to herself was too good to ruin.
But of course if they ran into each other again and she just so happened to be going to lunch…..
While Emma was smiling over her theoretical encounter with her Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome, a hand pressed over her mouth and a set of arms came around her, restricting her.
"Shh! Stop struggling!" Unfortunately for her kidnappers, that only made her struggle more.
"Emma, calm down! It's just us."
Emma managed to squeeze out of the restraining arms and looked at her assailants. A woman with long dark hair and and a man with salt and pepper hair with blue eyes.
"What do you think you're doing? Kidnapping the deputy isn't exactly how someone makes friends around here," Emma snarled.
"Deputy? At your age? That's impressive," the man said, looking at Emma with an aura of pride.
"David!" the woman snapped. "We have more urgent matters."
Emma rolled her eyes. What has she gotten herself into this time? "If you two need to solve your issues, I'll just be on my way." Emma moved to hastily exit the alley, but once again an arm prevented her escape.
"Emma, you need to break the curse," David said.
"What?"
"You heard him. You need to break the curse so we can all go home," the woman said.
Emma looked back and forth between the two hopeful, and possibly delusional, faces. She felt that there was some sort of joke she was missing. "Going home? That's what I was doing before you two stopped me. You know, seeing as I live right over there," she said, pointing to the general direction of her house.
The woman was starting to look exasperated, while the man took on a look of panic. "That's not what we meant. We need to get back to the Enchanted Forest. The curse didn't take us and we bartered for a magical bean. Leo stayed behind to oversee reconstructing the land so we could come find you and bring you home along with the rest of the town. We have a way to get back." Emma looked at the woman, wondering if she'd gotten into some of Ms. Lucas' special moonshine.
The man placed an arm on the black haired woman. "Snow, I think the curse affected her too. She doesn't seem to remember us, or anything," David said.
"Who are you exactly?"
Snow grabbed her hand. "You're our daughter!"
Emma snatched her hand back, taking a step away from them. "No you're not. I have the birth certificate and the childhood to prove it."
David took a step forward. "Emma, pay attention. That woman who you think is your mother is the Evil Queen-"
Emma slowly backed away. "You must be on some powerful stuff to think you're a pair of fairytale characters. Listen, I don't know what you two are on, but don't sell it to the kids around here. And if you two find yourselves having the balls to go on a bizarre trip in front of the Mayor's daughter who is also the town deputy, I suggest you don't."
Emma turned around and marched quickly away from the two loons, not realizing who she had really been talking to, or what she had revealed.
"No…" Snow's sad voice trailed off. Once again her daughter had been taken away from her.
David pulled her into an embrace. "It's going to be OK, Snow. We'll just have to figure something out."
She looked up at him. "Did you hear what she said. She thinks she's the daughter of the mayor. There's only one person that could be."
David tensed. "Regina. There is no way she doesn't remember."
"It's a good thing there's no magic in this realm," Snow muttered.
Despite everything they'd been through the past month, he shared a mischievous smirk with her, an echo of the ones they'd shared during adventures.
Snow turned in his arms to look at him. "It looks like we're going to have to have a word with the Evil Queen."
"Mom!" Emma yelled as she slammed the door.
Regina Mills, with all the grace her formerly royal self contained, hurried to the foyer to meet her wild eyed daughter. "Emma, what is it?"
She clutched Emma's arms, a bit of panic working its way through her system. Whatever or whoever had put that look into her savior's eyes, the Evil Queen, no, Mayor Mills, was going to make them pay. She had made this town to be peaceful, just so her daughter would never be harmed. If there was a glitch to the curse, she would fix it, no matter how many hearts she had to crush.
"We have a problem. I think somehow drugs, powerful mind warping drugs, have made their way into Storybrooke."
How could that have happened? Nowhere in the curse was there anything about narcotics except for alcohol. "What makes you think that, sweetie?" Regina brushed her fingers over Emma's soft hair. Ever since she'd gotten a second chance to be with her daughter, she hadn't taken a moment for granted.
Emma swallowed, festering behind her. "On my way here, these crazy people were delusional. Told me you're the Evil Queen and that I was their daughter." Regina's blood went cold. What Emma was telling her was impossible.
"You're right. We do have a problem," Regina murmured, looking to the side, trying to come up with a way to get the pesky True Love couple out of the way.
"Mom, I think we should stay with Uncle Graham at the station tonight, or at least get him to stay with us for a few nights. I'm scared they'll try to hurt us. They seemed fixated on me."
Regina kissed her daughter's forehead, both remembering all the times Regina had done that to Emma growing up, but both of them remembering those situations differently.
Before Emma had been taken by the crew of the Jolly Roger, she had heard rumors that Emma had indeed stolen the heart of a crafty sea captain. Even Regina knew that no matter how many fake memories someone can stick into another person's head, instinct will always overrule that. For once she hoped that her curse didn't blot out his feelings for her, even if that meant giving up time with the light of her life. Emma needed to be safe, and right now she was safest with the pirate without his hook.
"I believe you, these people do sound dangerous. But I won't hide in the shadows, fearing they'll strike. You on the other hand shouldn't stay here."
Emma gaped. "But Mom, where will I go? What about you?"
Regina looked straight into Emma's mossy green eyes and tried to convey an aura of calm. "I'll be fine. I'll stay here tonight."
"No, I'm not going to stay at Ms. Lucas' inn-"
"You're not going to be staying at the inn. You're going to be staying with Mr. Jones."
Emma looked at her lifelong guardian as if she'd lost her mind. "Killian? Why would I-"
"Good, you're on a first name basis with him," Regina said, squashing down her maternal instincts down and didn't ask when exactly those two became friends in this realm. Especially since she had been sure that those two hated each other in this version of their reality.
Emma made a move to protest. Regina held up her finger. "Young lady, you go pack an overnight bag, then go town to the docks and charm your way into crashing at Mr. Jones' residence. Despite his many vices, that man is more capable than you'd think."
"Mom. You're worrying me. I'm getting scared," Emma breathed.
With every ounce of her strength, Regina pushed Emma out of her arms. "Stay calm, Emma. Everything will be alright as long as you do exactly as I say."The monarchs of the kingdom of Misthaven kept to the trees, their weapons concealed under what passed as clothing in this bizarre realm.
They watched as Emma reluctantly left the large eggshell colored house with a bag in her hand.
"We'll wait until we know she isn't coming back. Then we'll strike," Snow said, barely keeping a handle on her anger.
"Say what you want about Regina, but she does love Emma. She won't let Emma get involved in this. We move now."
"Killian!" A feminine voice yelled.
Killian put down the scrub brush he'd been using to get rid of a dirty footprint on the planks of his ship.
To his utter delight, it was the always entertaining deputy. His heart skipped a beat when even in the low light the sunset was casting, she still managed to light up.
"Would you look at that? Deputy Mills misses me enough to make a house call," he called back teasingly.
"Normally I would love to forget everything and just flirt with you until my heart bleeds, but I need your help," she said. It was then that he noticed the anxious expression on her face, and the duffel bag she set down on his deck.
"What seems to be the matter?"
She seemed to panic for a moment, trying to find the words. "Two junkies harassed me today, no, they targeted me. Me specifically. They kept saying all this crazy stuff about my mother and I. My mom told me to sleep somewhere safe tonight while she stays in the house completely unprotected."
He tried to catch on quickly. "The almighty Deputy Mills just left because her mother told her so?" Killian raised an eyebrow in disbelief. This didn't sound at all like his tough lass.
"Hell no," Emma scoffed. "I just made her think I was leaving for good. I came to ask you to be my backup."
His head dropped back in laughter. "There's my lass! It seems to me you've got a bit of pirate in you after all."
She lowered her head, her eyes becoming hooded. "I guess I lucked out."
"No matter what I do in life. I always end up with pointy objects directed at me courtesy of the Charmings," Regina retorted bitterly.
David held his sword pointed at her throat. "You're going to tell us how to break the curse."
"As if."
Snow pounded her fist onto the coffee table. "Dammit, Regina! You took Emma from us twice now. I have had it with giving you second chances." The Queen of Misthaven was at the end of her rope.
"Fine. Do it. Kill me and watch how fast Emma will retaliate. In this realm and in the Enchanted Forest, I am still the woman who raised her," Regina smiled victoriously at her sworn enemies. She knew that Emma's loyalties would always lie with her, even though she was the most horrid villain to have ever lived.
"True Love's Kiss can break any curse," David supplied, hope of a plan brewing in his head.
Regina rolled her eyes. "Only the Savior can break my curse, and her life is perfect here. I've made sure of that. True Love's Kiss only works when both people want to break the curse. Trust me when I say that Emma doesn't want to."
"There's only one light on. That isn't a good sign," Emma whispered.
"Look through the windows, see if we can spot your mother," her roguish companion said.
Killian and Emma walked around the house in opposite directions to cut down on time.
"Emma! Over here!" he called to her.
Mayor Mills was being held at knife point by two middle aged strangers.
"Those are the junkies that harassed me today!" Emma's eyes went wide at the sight of her mother as a hostage.
She made a move to the front door, when Killian stopped her. "Are you bloody mad? They have weapons, and we don't. You'll get yourself killed!"
Emma implored him with her eyes. "There's no time to call Graham. I have to go in there and try to talk those two down."
Killian shook his head. "Please. Don't do this," the desperation in his voice made her eyes tear up.
She wanted to tell him that she'd be alright, that everything would be fine. Instead, something completely different came out.
"I think we should go out."
Emma froze. That wasn't at all what she was going to say. Oops.
Or maybe not 'oops'. She meant it. She said it. Emma Mills never said anything she didn't mean.
Killian choked on a smile. "You're a bloody mad woman. Propositioning a man before heading into uncertain danger."
A brief peal of laughter tore out of her throat, a hauntingly clear laugh that echoed around her head. "Well we are doing something possibly life threatening and we haven't been on a date."
He let a bit of his swagger come through in the way he smirked at her. "Of course we've gone on many dates before, love."
Emma looked at him in bemusement. "Did I just so happen to miss all of them?"
"Well I consider the first time you arrested me to be our first date. We had a hearty meal-"
"I wouldn't call stale cereal 'hearty'."
"-a romantic view-"
"Because the Storybrooke jail is apparently very scenic."
"-and even a bit of bondage." That smug bastard winked.
"I wouldn't exactly call putting handcuffs on you for being drunk and disorderly a romantic activity," Emma said, giggling at the end of her sentence. "It's a shame we never kissed at the end of those dates."
His smile lit up his whole face. "Aye. A pity. Something we should remedy if we are to be facing grave peril together."
Her smile slowly grew on her lips. "This is insane. The most I know about you is your arrest record. I just wish we knew each other better."
"I do as well, Swan. But emotions and feelings can't be tampered with no matter what your head tells you what's supposed to be. I say we just go with it. What do you say, love?" he ended his musings with a husky whisper as once again that irritating flirtatious smile took a hold on him.
Emma looked at him, watching her sailor look like the cat that ate the canary. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.
She grabbed the lapels on his jacket and crushed her lips to his. His mouth was soft, warm, and gave her a sense of calm in the storm that was her emotions.
The calm didn't last very long.
It all came rushing back. The Enchanted Forest. Magic. The curse. Princess Emma and Captain Hook.
They pushed away from each other, their heavy breathing only partly due to the onset rush of memories.
"Well, love, I believe things just got a lot more complicated."
YAY! The curse is broken! But does this mean all is well? I dunno, maybe. It's not like I wrote this and know exactly- oh wait. I DO! HAHA!
Please don't stone me for kinda going off canon with what exactly True Love's kiss can do, but I wanted to parallel the ending of S4 while still making it work with the story (in case you don't know, two cursed people cannot break a curse using TLK, hence why Killian kissing Emma in 5x02 didn't work)
