Happy Once Day! here we go with chapter 6 and to the point where I tell you, that this story is coming to its close. We have one full chapter and an epilogue after this one. This has been a wonderful experience with you all. I only hope you'll tune in for the sequel that I'm going to be working on, titled "I'll Fight it For You" which will certainly be more CS than this one now here we go.
special thanks to: A True Oncer, oncer4life11, HogwartsDreamer113, and jadedgurl05 for reviewing and of course to everyone who added this to their alerts list XOXO
disclaimer: I own a print of Killy but not the show
"It's you isn't it?" The question is posed to him, more like a statement, so he doesn't answer. "It's you, the Hook that stopped me in Portland."
Killian turns then, his eyes resting on Neal, who looks like shit, his hair sticking up in all directions, eyes bloodshot, hair rumpled. "Aye." Killian answers, turning back to face the ocean, "I'd ask how you were able to tell, but I've changed much, from the man they all remember me to be."
"What you said back then, you said you loved her…" Neal starts.
Killian turns again, eyebrows raised, "Aye, and I do."
"Then why stop me? I've been asking myself that for years. I just can't see it, I would never be able to do that." Neal says, trailing off into rambles about how he would never have let Emma go.
Killian sighs, "I saw the way she was, how happy she was. I couldn't take that from her. When I saw her like that, I remember her when we first met, when we climbed a beanstalk to get her back to her boy. I saw a broken woman, who had faced so much loss in her life, that she built so many walls around her heart, it took me three years to break through them, and even then if I said the wrong thing, I could see her trying to reconstruct them." Killian saw the sadness in Neal's eyes, as he thought of what he almost did to Emma. "When I caught you that night, about to make that call, I thought, maybe I can keep one of those walls from ever going up. I didn't think it would turn her dark."
Neal sucks in a breath, "Wait, you think…"
Killian interrupts him, "You were her first love." He informs Neal, "I thought if I could trust anyone to keep her in the light it would be you." He storms at Neal, suddenly their slight height difference seeming much larger, "I trusted you with her heart!" his hook pressed into Neal's chest, "I Trusted you, and now Emma's the Dark One. Do you think maybe it's you? That maybe you are the reason everyone around you turns to darkness? First your mother, by running away with a pirate, then your father killing the Dark One, now Emma! I think that's one too many for it to be coincidence. Perhaps someone should get Henry away from you, before you make his heart dark as well."
Neal, brushes Killian off, "Don't you dare." He shouts, his own anger boiling more violently than Killian would have expected, "You think this is my fault? You don't even know what happened! Emma was saving, everyone! My father released the darkness, and she took it, to keep it from swallowing up everyone, starting with Regina!" It's Neal's turn to reach up and poke his chest, "I would give anything to keep Emma from being the Dark One! Problem is, I can't!"
A thought comes to Killian, his hand flashing up, catching hold of Neal's shoulder, "Maybe we can." He whispers, when he thinks about it, in this reality, there was no need for The Crocodile to use his bottled time spell. It would still be in his shop.
"Tell me." Killian starts, "Did Zelena succeed in casting her time spell?"
Neal looks confused, "What? Yeah, she did. Why does that matter? Me and Emma got sent back, had to make a deal with my father to get back here." Neal says.
Killian attempts to hide the disappointment he feels at the fact that Neal had taken his place during the time travel trip. Instead scratching the back of his neck, looking at Neal, "You know what that means right?"
Neal shakes his head, "No I do not know what that means. Why Does it matter if that spell was cast?" Neal looks on in confusion, "Get to the point."
Killian feels a grin spread across his lips, "Because, magic that powerful, doesn't just fade away, it lingers. I know, because that's how your father sent me back to Portland. It should still be in his shop."
"A Time spell? That's your fix? What does that fix?" Neal demands, "Or is it because you can't stand the thought that Emma doesn't love you."
Killian fights the urge to slug the man in front of him, biting his lip. "As you can see. While that is hard for me." He starts, thinking carefully before he continues, trying to keep his anger in check. "That's not what I suggest, we need only go back far enough to stop the darkness from taking root."
Neal shakes his head, "In your future, Emma, she's still got light in her heart?"
Killian nods, "Aye, she does, and shows no sign of ever giving in to darkness, as much as your father tries."
Neal looks up, "What? My father's trying to turn Emma dark?"
Killian bites his lip, "I really shouldn't say anything about it. I mean if he didn't try it here…"
Neal shakes his head, "No, he came to us, when he realized the Darkness was about to completely swallow his heart, and Em, being the damn hero she is, found a way to pull the darkness out of him, and when she tried to put it in the hat, it got free. Started to go after Regina, when Emma found out. She took the dagger." Neal cringed at the memory, "she plunged it into the darkness, and it just wrapped around her, like some sort of evil storm."
Killian ignored the way the familiar nausea he had felt since seeing that dagger swam in his stomach, "No, where I am, he hasn't been quite the man to do that, since…" Killian froze, not wanting to tell Neal he died.
"Since what?" Neal asks.
Killian shakes his head, "It doesn't matter." He turns away, "What does matter, is that we get the darkness out of Emma."
Neal wants to press, but gets the feeling that the pirate doesn't want to talk about it. "Where is the spell?"
"Not entirely sure, all I know is that it's somewhere in his shop, probably in the vault behind the counter." The Pirate responds.
"Then we should go get it." Neal says softly, his anger from earlier forgotten, replaced by a sinking sense that he was going to have to go break Emma's heart.
"Aye, Bae. We should." Killian responds, before taking off down the gangplank.
~~Swan~~
When the pair reach the Pawn Shop, Neal picks the lock, letting them inside, and Killian goes straight to the safe in the back.
Neal is behind him, as the pirate unlocks it with practiced movements. "Not your first rodeo?"
Killian smirks, "I've seen it opened enough. I can remember how they open it." He says, as the safe opens, and he sees the glowing vial he last saw when Rumplestiltskin opened the top, and used his magic to throw him in.
"Is it there?"
Killian swallows, hearing the Crocodile's words in his head 'villains don't get happy endings Dearie. You, pirate, are no exception' His fingers wrap around the vial, "Aye, it is."
Neal eyes the vial, "That's it?" He looks at Killian, "So how do we do it?"
Killian sets the vial on the counter, and scratches behind his ear thoughtfully, "Truthfully? I have no clue."
"Then we ask the one person that knows." Neal says, snatching up the vial.
Killian's eyes narrow, "You can't possibly mean."
Neal nodded, "All we need to do, is wake my father up."
"Of course we do." Killian griped. "It always seems to come down to the one man that I can't abide, being my only chance."
"You might have another." Regina said, stepping out. "I'll admit. When you defended Captain Guyliner here, I never thought you two would team up and rob your father's shop." She said, "What is that anyway?"
Killian swallowed, "Well… it's ah, ummm…"
Neal cleared his throat, "It's the remnants of Zelena's time travel curse."
Regina's eyes widen slightly, "What? How is that going to help us? Are we going to go back and stop Emma from doing stupid things, and saving my life?"
Killian cleared his throat, "We're going to go back, and fix what should never have happened. And stop Emma from ever becoming the Dark One in the first place."
Regina laughed, "And how do you plan on doing that?"
Neal looked down, "By fixing what Hook changed."
"What Hook changed?" Regina questioned.
Killian nodded, "Aye… it appears that you were right when you sensed something different about me majesty. Because I am not the same Killian Jones I was when last you saw me."
"Because he's a…"
"Time traveling pirate." Regina said in awe. "What did you change?"
Neal scratched the back of his neck, "He stopped me from making a mistake in two-thousand-and-one." He said.
At the same moment Killian said, "I stopped him from breaking Emma's heart."
Regina looked shocked, "Well… I didn't see that coming."
Neal nodded, "Yeah."
Killian was curious about something, "Wait… Regina… Henry? What is your relationship with the boy?"
Regina gave him a confused glare, "Is that really necessary?"
"Yes." Hook told her, "Humor me."
"He's the sheriff's kid. I like him alright, he's a good kid." She said, shrugging, "What does it matter?"
Killian smirks, "You kept him" he said softly to Neal.
"Of course I did! He's my kid."
"Aye, that he is."
"I'm still not clear…" Regina started, "What is the plan with the spell? And which of you, bozos are going to go back?"
"I am!" they both said.
"We are." Killian tells her.
"We're going to break Emma's heart." Neal stated, "We're going to stop the darkness from ever touching her."
"Then you've got an ally." She said, "Considering you need someone to use that magic."
Neal was quiet for a moment. "There's something else we need."
Killian looked at him, "What?"
Neal rubbed his face, "Past me. He's going to need convincing to leave Emma."
The truth of the statement struck Killian hard, "Aye, even past me would need serious convincing."
"Well, what do you need?"
Neal smirked as he thought for a moment, "We need to go have a chat with Emma."
Killian looked at him in shock, "What?"
"And by we, I mean me and Regina. You're going to break in the back, and steal her dagger." Neal says.
"Do you honestly think that will work?"
Hook nodded, "Aye, it will. Emma would never expect it. She believes I'm still the Hook that this time created, not the one that will do anything for her."
"Then there's no time to waste." Regina said, "I'll get a locator spell, and we'll find out where our miss Swan is hiding."
~~Swan~~
The locator spell, led to a large manor home in the woods, a small pond with a white swan swimming in it set off to the side of the path that led up to the front door.
As Neal and Regina came to the front step, the door swung open, and a rather annoyed Emma stood there. She was still wearing her dark leather suit, her hair pulled much too tightly to her scalp.
"What do you want?" she snapped, "And why did you bring her?"
Neal pressed his lips together in a thin line, "You know why I'm here Emms." He said softly, layering as much into that short sentence as he could, "I love you, and I'm not going to stop fighting for that."
"Then why is she here?" Emma asked, tilting her head to the side, "If you wanted a rendezvous, why bring an audience?" She stepped down the steps, standing before Neal "I'll admit, you're one of the only people I don't hate right now." She whispered.
"Why are you doing this Emm?" he asked, "And don't tell me, it because you're the goddamned Dark One." He growled, his hands grabbing at hers.
Emma pulled away, "It's because, I'm the Dark One, and that opened my eyes to how they truly feel." She told him, "They don't care about me." Her eyes cut to Regina, filled with contempt, "I'm the life ruiner. The Savior. The Dark One. Nobody sees me as Emma."
"I do." Neal whispered, "I've only ever seen Emma. Henry has only ever seen Emma."
Emma gave him a look that was almost hurt, "That's why, I can't understand why you would betray me." She said, "You didn't think I knew what you were planning?" she sneered, "Did you honestly think I wouldn't know? The only thing I don't understand…" she started, waving her hand. In a flash of smoke, that swirled from the ground up, Killian appeared. His hand outstretched as though he was reaching for something. His eyes widened in shock, "What I don't understand, is how you convinced him to help. The stubborn pirate wouldn't even help me." She moved to him, running a hand over his shoulder.
Killian cringed under her touch, "Tell me, Hook. What made you become a hero?" she questioned, her palm coming to rest on his chest, her cold eyes focused on his face. She searched his eyes, looking for some reason.
He bit the inside of his cheek. "Don't you know, Emma?" he asked, reaching up, his hand resting on her cheek. A shocking show of tenderness, "It was you." He told her, the truth coming out pained, as his hand drifted down in a soft caress.
A flash of confusion crossed her eyes, "How? We haven't spent more than a moment, since the beanstalk."
His heart leapt, one thing the same. "Because. I've wanted nothing more than to be someone you could trust. You changed me, and that's what I intend to help you do. No matter how much it kills me." His hand left her cheek, and reached into his jacket, "Emma Swan." He said, feeling guilt bubble in his throat. "Dark one." His voice cracked, as he pulled out the ornate dagger, "I command you to stand down, and let us go."
Emma recoiled, looking as though she was slapped, she took a shocked step back. Then her emotionless mask snapped back into place, and she sneered. "As you wish." She growled, then raised her hand, the smoke pooling at her feet before reaching up to swallow her whole.
Neal looked back and forth, between the pirate and the spot where Emma had disappeared. "How? How did you get it, before she caught you?" He asked.
Regina scoffed, "It doesn't matter. Let's just get you back, so you can fix, what captain Guyliner here broke."
Neal and Killian shared a glance, "You mean, break what he fixed." Neal said softly.
Regina rolled her eyes. And reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial. "It doesn't matter, let's just get this done." She sighed, as she closed her eyes, and the vial floated before her, and the portal began to form before them.
See you next week just to hold you off, here's a teaser
He thought of all those moments he and Emma shared, him helping Henry with his first steps. Taking them to Navy Pier on vacation when Henry was six. Their little house in Tallahassee, dancing with Emma at their wedding. Hearing their son's first words "Dada" reading the little boy bedtime stories. Holding Emma's hand as she gave birth. Holding her as they watched the sunset from the hood of the bug, Henry sleeping soundly between them. Kissing her in the rain, after a nasty fight, where Emma had almost left him, taking Henry with her. Finding an old beat up storybook in a bookstore, for their son, who was just turning ten.
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CS kisses to all of my lovelies until next time Allons-y!
