Before we begin I want to say thank you for all yours reviews. They were awesome as always! And to the guest review from Kristy, yes I will drop a few minor hints later on about how Hook lost his memories. But you won't find out what actually happened until he remembers because he's the only one that knows what happened. So keep reading and find out. And speaking of reading let's get to the chapter!
After Emma left him his hospital room the second time, after his escape attempt and finding out that the wobbly blue blob was not a hallucination, Hook managed to get some sleep. A few hours later he awoke and was told he was allowed to go. He thought he'd go find Cora but instead the Charmings, unfortunately not including Emma, and a dwarf were waiting for him. He was to take them to his ship and let them look around and he wouldn't be imprisoned for shooting Belle.
He stepped aboard his cloaked ship and found a rail to lean against. He'd had much worse injuries, like the loss of his hand, but his ribs still hurt like hell. And the prince's jabbing of them whenever he made a suggestive comment wasn't helping.
He didn't give them any real answers when they asked about Cora's plans. But he did show them the cage where the now human sized giant slept along with the key. He wasn't sure what he expected to happen, but he definitely didn't expect the ex-giant to attack the prince before fleeing his ship.
The three heroes left his ship and Hook knew he should go find Cora and tell her that the giant was loose. But he decided to do something else before that and went below deck. He first stopped in his quarters to get some rum which would hopefully help his ribs and ease his mind. The choice Swan had given him still sounded in the back of his mind. He wanted to know more about her and their story. He didn't think she was lying but he wanted some shred of proof before making a decision.
'You shouldn't even be considering this.' He thought to himself as he made his way to the storage room that used to be his back when Liam was captain. He shouldn't be letting this girl distract him from his revenge. It had been his goal for hundreds of years; he couldn't let it all go now over something that might not have even happened. Swan could just be making this up and hoping his curiosity got the better of him. But he couldn't make himself believe that.
Hook knew that the trunk which held some of Liam's things was under the bed so he decided to look there first for any trace of Emma Swan. There were two trunks underneath. The first one had Liam's navy hat resting on top. He'd tossed his own lieutenant's hat into the sea along with the rest of him uniform when he turned pirate but he couldn't part with Liam's. He reverently set the hat aside and pulled out a large white cloth that took up the rest of the trunk.
"What the bloody hell was a dress doing in here?" He said aloud.
And it wasn't just any dress, it was a wedding dress. Liam never married and this would be the last thing Milah would ever keep. That left one option, Emma. He quickly shook the thought from his head and put it away as fast as he could. He was almost afraid to open the next trunk but if he could face the Crocodile and every other imaginable foe, he could look inside a silly trunk.
The second trunk with filled with random odds and ends. He found quite a few books, some were novels and others were about sailing and different myths and legends of the sea. There were several necklaces, one he remembered stealing from the king he held responsible for Liam's death. He found several other pieces of jewelry but none of it stuck out to him, except for a ring. But like the dress he quickly put it aside and tried not to think of it.
He put the box with the ring in the bottom of the trunk and when he did he uncovered something he hadn't been expecting. It was a leather covered drawing pad like the one Milah used to have. He flipped through it and knew immediately that Milah was the artist. There were some sketches for different dresses as well as lots of pictures of a younger looking Emma. There was even one of him with her standing at the bow of the Jolly.
Hook knew that almost anything was possible with magic and it didn't seem too hard to believe that he had known Swan in a past time. But when she'd mentioned knowing Milah, he couldn't believe that. After seeing her drawings of Emma though, he couldn't deny it. And if they really did know each other, then Swan was right. Part of him always knew that Milah wouldn't want him to spend his life chasing the Crocodile. But he could never let go of his revenge before, always afraid that it would mean he didn't love her anymore, which he never wanted to happen.
But maybe it didn't have to mean that. He had plenty of things to remember her by. And she'd always be a part of him and a part of Swan as well. He hadn't understood it at the time, but the look on her face was grief when he'd told her Milah was gone. Maybe they could heal together. It had helped to talk to those that served Liam when his brother passed. And maybe one day she'd tell him their story that he longed to remember now that he knew it was true.
CS
A little while later, he went to meet with Cora. He would tell her about the giant but he was also trying to think of a way out of helping her further without getting beheaded. The only reason he was working with her was to get to Rumpelstiltskin and that was no longer a concern. He placed the playing card with the queen of hearts on the ground and expected to Cora to appear behind him, not her daughter.
He knew what it meant to be on her bad side, especially in this town. So he decided to play along and continue to help them for a little while longer. It wouldn't do him any good if he wound up dead before he could speak to Emma about his decision.
He waited while Regina gave the giant a mushroom that would restore him to his proper size and the followed her to where Cora was laying low. He stood in the door way as the two shared a sort of mother-daughter moment over Henry. He wasn't really listening until he heard them mention Gold, old habits die hard.
"Back? From where? Where has Rumpelstiltskin gone?" He questioned them only for Regina to tell him that she didn't know. "Well, if he's left town then he's powerless. He can be killed."
He knew that not that long ago he'd decided to try and let the Crocodile be, but he couldn't pass this up. Surely Swan would understand, he'd be doing the world a favor. And no one else needed to get hurt if he was powerless. Wasn't that her biggest concern, Belle getting hurt?
"Even if you could find him, do you really think you can just walk up to him and stab him in the heart with your sword?" Regina asked him.
"Well, I prefer my hook but I can't find that now."
Somehow Cora convinced him to stay and help them find the dagger instead of going to New York alone. But he should have known better then to listen to them. As soon as he showed them where the dagger was according to the map, Cora sent him flying into the book case.
Hook finally came to and went straight to the sheriff's office. Time was not to be wasted; he needed to get to the Crocodile before Cora and Regina. He took the keys from the prince, whom he'd knocked out with a crow bar, and retrieved his hook. He also 'borrowed' several maps for his quest to finally kill the Dark One.
CS
(Time Jump) (Emma's POV)
'Oh, crap' Emma thought to herself as she boarded the Jolly Roger. It had been over a decade but it felt like yesterday now that she was back. She looked over at the spot where she last was before being taken away from Killian and tried not to think about the fact that she had left him behind once again. This time it was in a basement. But it was his own fault for stabbing Gold with his hook. Revenge was more important than lost memories to him after all she supposed.
She stood on deck for a little while and watched Henry sail with Neal. It was bad enough having him back in her life since it turned out he was Gold's long lost son. But he then he saw Henry, did the math, and assumed the kid was his. Henry was already going through enough with his other mom being the Evil Queen, she didn't want Neal getting close to him and then bailing out like he did with her.
After a little while she decided to go below deck and check on Gold. She trusted Neal with Henry for now, even if he did almost say the 'b word' in front of him. Gold was getting worse but there was nothing to be done until they got to Storybrooke. Instead of returning to Henry and Neal she decided to rest for a little while in the captain's quarters.
It looked mostly the same when she entered. But there were a few subtle differences like more books and maps on the shelves, a drawing of Milah by his bedside, and an old worn blanket on the bed instead of the quilt that had been given to her by Milah's mother. One thing that hadn't changed though was his knack for keeping everything, no pun intended, ship shape. Which, he learned through Liam and his days in the navy. In fact, the only time she remembered seeing his messy was one of the happiest nights of her life.
CS
Month 9
"Permission to come aboard, Captain?" Emma asked as she stood on the gangplank of the Jolly.
"Well, that depends. Why does a beautiful lass like yourself want to be on pirate ship?" Killian asked, deciding to play along with her.
"So I can kiss the dashing rapscallion that I've missed so much." She replied and they both smiled at her choice of words.
"That seems like a plausible reason." He consented and offered his hand to help her aboard. As soon as her feet were on deck she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for the promised kiss. "Looks like you missed me just as much as I did you, love."
"Are you kidding me? There's no way you missed me as much as I missed you. Don't ever leave me again, Killian Jones!" She yelled at him in all seriousness, but with a hint of playfulness. She was too happy to actually be mad at him.
"You know why I couldn't take you with me on this voyage." He sighed and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
Yes, she did know, but that hadn't made it any easier. They heard rumors that there was a reward for Killian's arrest and Cogsworth told them a navy ship was docked in a nearby village looking for him. Killian was not one to run away from a fight and decided to seek them out instead of waiting for them to find him. But he didn't want her caught in the crossfire if anything happened to him. So she had stayed with Milah's mother the past two weeks. She enjoyed the time on land, especially now that she felt more comfortable after nine months in this realm, but she never stopped worrying about her pirate.
"But that's all taken care of now and I have no intentions of leaving you behind again." He assured her. "Now, why don't I take you to Lumière and Cogsworth's place for dinner? And after that we can come back here and stargaze, just the two of us. How does that sound, love?"
"Perfect," She smiled and gave him another kiss.
A few hours later they returned to the Jolly and stood at the stern for the stargazing Killian promised her. It was one of her favorite pastimes. And having the entire crew leave was a rarity and she appreciated the privacy she and Killian had.
"What one is your favorite?" She asked him as she pulled his leather coat closer around herself.
"Well, most sailors prefer Polaris. As long as you can find it in the sky, you can find your way home they say." He said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind to keep her warm. "But I've come to find that I prefer Cygnus."
"That wouldn't have anything to do with me would it?" She asked teasingly considering her last name was Swan.
"Aye, maybe," He replied and scratched the back of his neck. "But it pales in comparison to you, love."
"Stop!" She yelled at him as she laughed and turned away.
"Why should I when it's true?" He asked and moved so he was right in front of her. "You know most women can't get enough when a man compliments them."
"When am I ever like most girls?"
"You never are. And that's exactly why I love you, my swan, my Cygnus, my shining star in the sky, my light, my home." He told her and she could see the love he had for her in his eyes.
"Am I really all that to you?" She asked. She had never been anything to anyone, let alone all those things.
"Aye, and so much more, Emma." He answered and reached into his pocket, pulling out a box. "But there is something I must ask you. There is one more thing I would love to call you."
He stopped speaking for a moment as he got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a ring.
"Emma Swan, will you do me this honor, and make me the happiest man in all the realms, and be my wife?" He proposed with a hopeful yet nervous smile on his face.
"I…Killian, I…this is crazy." She stuttered. She wanted more than anything to say 'yes' but she was still a teenager and they had only met a few months ago.
"I know it seems that way, love. But I also know that nothing has ever felt more right than this."
She heard what he said, but his words weren't the only ones sounding in her head. She thought of Milah and her mother. Milah had said from the beginning that Killian had his eye on her and would be crazy not to propose. And she had been the one to encourage Emma to be with Killian all along the way. And her mother could have been married longer if her husband wasn't so stubborn. Emma didn't want to be the reason for wasted time between her and Killian, not anymore.
"Yes," She finally whispered with a smile and tears in her eyes as well.
Killian's smile grew wider and he quickly placed the ring on her finger.
"I love you." He stated whole-heartedly and kissed her. And at this point both of them were crying tears of joy.
The wind started to pick up so they went to his quarters to avoid catching a cold.
"What happened here?" Emma asked. It looked like a tornado had gone through the room.
"Well, taking care of those navy men wasn't the only thing I did while I was away. I purchased a ring and told one of my men to take it back here. And right before we docked here I started looking but couldn't find it anywhere. I tore the place a part and after I finally found it I started pacing and trying to think of what to say instead of tidying up." Her fiancé admitted and was once again scratching his neck.
Fiancé, wow it felt so good calling him that. And hopefully soon she would be calling him husband.
"You were really that nervous to ask me? I know I didn't answer before you could even finish the question. But did you really think I could say no?"
"I wasn't sure what you'd say to be honest. I hoped it would be yes, but it took so long for you to admit you loved me in the first place and I was afraid it would be too soon. I also know that, while it's common in this land, girls your age don't marry in your world unless…what was the term you used?"
"Shotgun wedding because the girl got pregnant and her parents were forcing the guy to marry her." She finished for him. "And you're right; I did think that was a reason to say no. But I know we're meant to be, Killian, so what's the difference between marrying at seventeen versus twenty-seven? Besides, I'm feeling more at home in this realm than I ever did in mine. So, if this is how it's done here then why not?"
"Swan, are you saying what I think your saying?" He asked hesitantly.
"I know you said a long time ago that you would come with me if we ever found a way back to the Land Without Magic. But I don't want to go back anymore. I want to stay here with you, Killian." She told him and sealed her words with another kiss.
Thank you guys for reading. And I hope you enjoyed the little surprise of having part of this chapter from Hook's POV. I figured it was about time. And you'll be seeing his side now and then but this story is still mostly from Emma. As for Hook's sudden change of mind, it's not that he doesn't care for Emma, because he is starting to, but right now he just can't let go of his revenge. And that will also be explained a little more in the next chapter, Mrs. Jones. Yes, you read that right but that's all I'm saying for now. So check back later this week for more and please don't forget to leave a review :)
