David swore under his breath with an alacrity Hook hadn't been a party to since his early days on the Jolly Roger, then he looked closely at Hook. "Are you sure it was him? It wasn't some kind of trick the witch was playing?"
Hook winced as he shook his head. The muscles in his neck ached beyond belief. "I don't believe it was a trick, but we can't take the chance that it wasn't him, can we? Underestimating our new foe could be a grave error," Hook warned.
Nodding slowly, David agreed, stunned. "How's he even alive?!...What else did he say?"
"If it's all the same, mate, I really only want to go through this story once. Shall we get everyone together?" Hook asked, still sounding weary.
David seemed distracted as he said, "Sure. Yeah..." He snapped out of his trance and looked over at Hook, putting a hand on his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. "I'll go gather everyone in the great room. See you in a half an hour—think you can get there on your own?"
"Aye. If I start now." Hook began inching his way toward the edge of his bed, grateful his arm and shoulder were healed, otherwise he really would need help. As David left the room, Hook got up and finished dressing. There were pulls and small tears on his red vest and scratches on his trousers from the tree branches and vines attacking him, and a few holes in the sleeves of his shirt, but nothing that couldn't be repaired. In spite of his soreness, Hook was thankful to be alive, but knowing the Dark One was now in his debt as well as the Queen, he felt damn near invincible. At least he would have if every muscle in his body wasn't reminding him that he was, in fact, very mortal.
He pondered just how much of his conversation with Rumplestiltskin he needed to share with everyone. There was no bloody way the words "true love" were going to make an appearance, that much he was sure of. Sticking to the most important points seemed the best course of action. Anything beyond that was no one's business but his own. Getting his memories and thoughts in order, Hook shambled down the corridor, practically sliding along the wall for support, to meet everyone.
Regina greeted him at the door with a small vial of an opalescent liquid.
"Drink it," she commanded.
Hook held it up to the light and watched the iridescent mixture swirl and tumble in its glass. "What the hell is it?" he asked.
"Something to put the...uh...wind back in your sails," she replied with a sarcastic smile. "I thought after the trees cut you down, you could use it."
"Aye. Cheers." Hook toasted the Queen as he brought the vial to his lips and tipped his head back, drinking down the tasteless, thick liquid. He had just taken his last swallow when what felt like a breeze coming from within him rippled out of his body, ruffled his hair, and took all his pain away with it. He closed his eyes and savored the sensation, a grin spreading across his lips. Finally, that invincible feeling kicked in.
Snow, Belle, Neal, Granny, and the dwarves filed in, followed by Robin Hood, Little John, and a couple other of his men Hook had yet to meet. A few dwarves came over and shook Hook's hand and told him they were glad he was alive and well, which Hook had a difficult time adjusting and reacting to. It wasn't so long ago that the majority of those in the room would sooner watch him walk the plank than be in his presence, but he thanked them sincerely, regardless.
David got everyone's attention and turned to Hook, giving him the chance to report what he found at Regina's palace. Telling them that Rumple was alive and that the witch had him and his dagger garnered a wide range of reactions—from Belle's gasp and tears of joy, to Neal's wide-eyed shock, and from Regina's half sneer and whispered curse, to Robin's apparent confusion. After giving everyone a minute to process what Rumple's current predicament meant to them, Hook continued on, telling them what Rumple thought the witch was up to—to include the possibility of another curse that would return them to Storybrooke or worse—and that the only way they would be able to defeat the witch and free him was with Emma's magic (which earned him an indignant snort from Regina).
"So once again, Emma is our only hope to get out of this?" Snow asked.
"Even if we could figure out a way to get to her, she's not going to remember who any of us are. You know Emma, she's not going to trust a stranger," David added, frustration evident in his tone and flush creeping into his cheeks.
"Wait," Snow said. "There is one of us she'll know." Snow turned toward Neal and looked at him. "Neal, she'd listen to you."
All eyes turned toward Neal, but he couldn't meet any of them. Hook had a pretty good idea what was coming next—an explanation as to why he had not been with Emma for the last eleven years, and all he could do was step out of the way of the Charmings, press his lips together and give a slight shake of his head. There was no way he was going to interfere in this coming storm even if he did still care for Bae's well-being. He knew Neal was the cause of Emma's distrust of men, and that he did the leaving, but that was really the extent of his knowledge of events.
Neal gave a nervous chuckle and shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think that's such a good idea. If she can't remember finding me again in New York, she isn't going to want to see me. Trust me on this."
David narrowed his eyes at Neal while Snow's mouth opened with an unasked question on her lips.
"Why's that, Neal?" David asked carefully, taking a step closer and looking at Neal with a hardness Hook was well-acquainted with.
"Emma didn't tell you?" Neal asked, disbelief written on his face. He took a deep breath and continued. "The last time she saw me—before Storybrooke—was right before she went to jail...instead of me."
"Wait...what?!" Snow closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. Hook could practically see the confusion, disappointment, and belated protectiveness work their way across her face as she processed what Neal was saying.
Conversely, and with absolutely no thought at all, David jumped right to rage and grabbed Neal by his tunic front. "You are the reason my daughter went to jail?! You left her alone?! For ten years? You son of a bitch..."
To his credit, Neal did his best not to engage and held his hands up in surrender. "I know. I'm sorry. There's no excuse. I'm sorry!"
Unfortunately, his apology didn't stop David from wheeling his arm back and punching Neal square in the face, knocking him to the ground. Hook winced, knowing all-too-well how painful David's short jab felt, never mind a full-on wallop. Still, he didn't feel particularly sorry for Neal at the moment. Letting anyone take the fall for your crimes, let alone the woman you claimed to love, was extremely bad form and Hook was ashamed that the lad had turned out more like his father than he could have predicted. But Hook was in no position to exact retribution, nor would he. From what he could gather before leaving Storybrooke, Emma settled her relationship with Neal and he wasn't about to waste time in some grand gesture to defend her honor that she would neither ask for nor appreciate. But, as her father, David was welcome to unleash his fury in whatever way he saw fit, and for Hook, he was a satisfactory instrument of redress.
"David! What the hell are you doing?!" Snow yelled and ran up, pulling David back from Neal. "This isn't helping and it's too late to change what's already happened."
"How can you say that? He left her. In jail! She was pregnant, Snow."
Belle helped Neal to his feet, and he swayed a bit as he wiped off the blood dripping from his nose onto his sleeve. "Not that it makes any difference, but I didn't know she was pregnant. If I had known..."
"If you had known...? What then, Neal?" David shouted. "Where the fuck were you when she got out, huh? Where were you then?!"
"I'm sorry. More sorry than you'll ever know. All I can say is I made a huge mistake. I would give anything to fix it, but I can't."
David shrugged off Snow's grip and stalked over to Neal again and leaned in close to his face. "Damn right you made a mistake. There's no way I would let you near her now."
Turning his back on Neal, David stomped off to the other side of the room. Hook glanced over to see him taking deep breaths, trying to regain control over his temper. Snow was also looking at David with a pained expression but caught Hook's eye as they both turned back to the group. She looked away and down then took a steadying breath. Awkward didn't begin to describe the atmosphere in the room.
"What are our other options?" Snow asked quietly, trying to get back to the real problem—how to get to Emma.
Hook cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. "I'll go," he said. "I'll find Emma."
"Do you even know how difficult that's going to be?" Snow asked.
"What does it matter if it means bringing Emma back? Rest assured, I'll not fail."
Regina scoffed. "Well, good luck, Hook, but I'm not going to wait around for the Savior. Who knows how long it will take for that to happen? I'm not going to sit around waiting to see what this bitch is going to do. I'm going to pay her a little visit."
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Regina," Snow warned.
"Oh really? And what exactly have I got to lose? I have nothing right now. No home, no Henry, no family, only the outfit on my back. Let her try to take me down."
"You still have a kingdom, Regina." Snow narrowed her eyes as she thought about that. "You are going to start a war...is that it, Regina? We just got back, have barely had time to breathe, and you are going to pick a fight with a witch who is so dark she turned green. Great."
Hands on her hips and a glare in her eyes, Regina was indignant. "I didn't pick the fight. She did. I'm not afraid of her and I'll be damned if I'm going to let her just take over. If she wants a war, a war she'll get."
Robin Hood stepped forward and cautioned, "Do you even have an army? What if she appropriated that from you as well?"
"I've got you, haven't I?" Regina asked with one of her more convincing smiles aimed at the archer.
Raising an eyebrow, Robin said, "That remains to be seen now, doesn't it, your majesty?"
Snow's voice was tight and her tiny frame rigid with frustration. "And what about Rumplestiltskin? She controls him now. You know as well as I do that he could kill us all in an instant if she commands him to."
"Leave that to us," Belle interrupted. She looked at Neal and he gave her a small nod in return.
"We have to warn people," Granny asserted. "We can't just let them fall into her trap."
Regina shrugged. "Fine, we'll travel the countryside recruiting. Kill two birds."
"She didn't say 'recruit', Regina, she said 'warn.'" Snow took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
"Whatever."
"Actually, ladies, I can be your emissary," Hook said. "Obviously, I'll need to find a portal of some sort to return to Emma's world, and I need to get back to the Jolly Roger, so on my journey to accomplish both those tasks, I will alert the masses. But I could use some help."
David, finally calm, had come back over to stand with Snow. "A diversion, perhaps? Something to keep the witch from getting in your way?" he offered.
"Great minds think alike, eh Prince?" Hook said with a wink.
Just then, the doors to the room slammed open and a small boy of 4 or 5 years, curly dark hair, wide grin, and an infectious giggle ran in and jumped into the arms of Robin Hood. "Roland!" Robin exclaimed. "Good morning, my boy! You are up early, aren't you?" He matched the boy's grin and gave him a loud kiss on the side of the boy's head, sending him into another fit of giggles.
While most everyone else in the room couldn't help but smile at the sweet scene playing out, Hook watched as Regina took a step back away from those around her. If someone looked at her, she might seem to be smiling, but Hook could easily see the pain seeping through. One hand unconsciously covered her heart, and the other took a quick swipe at her eyes and she turned and made a hasty exit.
The sound of the doors closing abruptly caught everyone's attention, and murmurs of what to do to prepare for the next phase of their lives began. The dwarves, discussing tunnels, left en masse, Snow went looking for Regina, and David consulted with Robin about the state of the horses and weapons. Before long, the room was nearly empty.
Hook pulled Neal aside after everyone else dispersed. "Neal, going to find your father — it's folly. The surrounding area is filled with traps. She'll catch you before you can free him. Besides, I offered and he refused. And for good reason."
"What makes you think getting caught isn't part of the plan? Maybe having someone on the inside is just what we need."
Hook drew his eyebrows together with a frown. "You don't know what this woman is capable of. If she figures out what you are doing she just might kill you. Worse, she might order your father to kill you. Please, don't be foolish, Bae" he pleaded.
Neal smiled and shook his head. "Listen, man, I appreciate your concern, but I'm doing this. I gotta prove I'm not just the guy who broke Emma's heart. And I can't abandon my father when I just got him back. I'm going."
"Be safe, but more importantly, be smart. Please," Hook requested.
"Hey, before you go, there's something you need to see," Neal said, nodding toward the cabinet at the back of the room. Hook followed him over and Neal reached in and pulled out a glass orb. "This, uh, lets you see people. I used it to figure out where Henry was when he was taken to Neverland. The other day, Belle and I both saw my father in it, but we weren't sure if it was real or wishful thinking. But then you confirmed it, so we knew we had to go after him."
"What else did you see?" Hook asked.
"Not 'what,' Hook, 'who.' Go ahead and hold it. Think of Emma."
The sphere rested heavy and cool in his palm, the weight incongruous with the lightness of the purple clouds inside it, swirling and rolling like a sudden squall. The more he thought of Emma, the more transparent the clouds became until there was his Swan, safe in his hand. She was smiling at Henry, who was showing off and balancing on some rocks in a park. She looked so happy, so beautiful, and content. How he wanted to be a part of that—to make her smile with joy in her eyes, make her feel cherished all the time, to someday laugh at the antics of their children.
Hook couldn't take his eyes off Emma, or her smile, even as Neal interrupted his thoughts. "She's in New York City–that's Central Park."
"New York City...that's where..."
"Yeah, that's where you tried to kill my father. Where I used to live. Well, technically, do live—I still have my apartment. Never had time to do anything about it before we hustled back to Storybrooke. Let's hear it for rent control and automatic withdrawal."
Only half of that statement made any sense to Hook, but he was too preoccupied watching Emma and Henry to ask for clarification. New York City. The only other place besides Storybrooke he had been to in the Land Without Magic. Providence surely smiled upon him.
"Thanks, mate, for showing me this," said Hook, taking one last look at the radiant Emma Swan and handing Neal back the crystal ball. Now that the "where" was solved, the "how" and her lack of memories remained. His day was definitely improving.