3:55pm

Making sure that she followed Dr. Whale's instructions, Emma was required to wake Killian after about three hours - a process she was to repeat any time he fell asleep for the first 48 hours he was at home. If for any reason she couldn't get him to wake up, she was to call for an ambulance immediately – or in her case, magically teleport him straight to the emergency room. Thankfully, that hadn't been necessary as he'd awakened fairly easily and had no difficulty answering the two coherency questions that she was ordered to ask him to ensure that his memory and logic weren't impaired. It seemed a bit ridiculous to ask him such mundane questions as what the name of his ship was or where they'd first met, but Whale had insisted it was important and should be things he wouldn't need to hesitate to respond to. And of course he didn't.

She was also glad that she'd stopped at Granny's on the way home from Gold's shop to pick up some lunch. Since she'd spent the better part of the past two days at the hospital, she hadn't done the grocery shopping that she had planned to do when she got back from Boston and honestly, just wasn't feeling up to cooking. With cravings kicking into overdrive, she'd ordered a cheeseburger for herself with both onion rings and french fries. Baby was definitely in the mood for greasy comfort foods, but she wasn't sure something that heavy would be good for Killian since his appetite wasn't completely back. She'd hoped to get him some soup to replace the batch she hadn't shared with him, but today's soup of the day was actually chili which didn't seem like the best choice. The typically gruff old woman must have had a little bit of a soft spot for the pirate or just felt sorry for his somewhat haggard looking wife because she offered to throw together a quick batch of chicken noodle – an invalid's best friend, she'd called it – just for him.

She brought the food in on a tray and was pleased that he'd sat up and ate about of third of it along with one french fry that he'd swiped from her Styrofoam to-go container while they sat atop their bed, but it was clear that he was still groggy from the medication and probably just flat out tired from the lingering head injury so she cleared the remnants of their lunch from the bed and just let him rest. It wasn't something that she was really surprised by since she'd been warned by both Dr. Whale and the nurse that he'd likely sleep 12-18 hours each day for a while – one of the reasons she needed to wake him regularly to make sure he wasn't at risk of drifting back into an unresponsive state. With everything she'd learned about head injuries and concussions over the past few days, she'd started to harbor a tiny bit of guilt for every skip or villain that she'd taken down with a blow to the head. Not a whole lot of guilt, but enough to leave a lingering thought in the back of her mind.

She stayed at his side for a few minutes, debating whether she wanted to snuggle up next to him and take a nap herself, but she feared she might disturb him and despite her severe sleep deprivation over the past few days, she really wasn't tired. Instead, she picked up the tray and returned downstairs, placing it on the kitchen counter before curling up on the sofa with her laptop, intending to finish up some paperwork she'd started days ago. She eventually changed her mind and decided to watch a silly romantic comedy movie that would have bored Killian concluding that work could just wait until later. A little more than halfway through the movie though, she heard the creak of footsteps on the staircase and knowing that Henry had gone to the library to do some research for a report due on Friday, the only person who could be coming down those stairs was her husband, already disobeying the doctor's instructions.

"What are you doing?" she demanded without taking her eyes off of her computer screen.

"Do you fully intend to treat me as a prisoner in my own home? I'm certainly capable of descending these stairs myself…"

"You're supposed to be taking it easy," she reminded him. "And what if you get dizzy and trip?"

"So that means I can't do anything for myself?" he asked as he reached the bottom step, pausing for a moment to make sure he had his balance before crossing the living room to join her on the sofa. "See – I'm not completely helpless."

"You're impossible."

"I seem to recall saying something along those lines to an incredibly stubborn and lovely woman a long time ago…," he grinned as she closed the cover on the laptop.

"I suppose we both fit that category, don't we?" she chuckled as she set the computer aside so she could wrap an arm around his shoulder. "You actually fared pretty well getting down those stairs. No more dizziness?"

"Still a bit, but not as severe," he told her. "Just the lingering headache – but before you say anything – no, I don't need any more of the pain medicine right now. I want to be able to stay awake and enjoy some quiet time with my wife and perhaps, if my lady will allow, enjoy a make-up dinner for the one we were forced to postpone?"

"You actually think you're up to going out for dinner?" she asked skeptically.

"As I stated – perhaps - although if you're still so concerned for my welfare, we could always order our meal to dine here at home. After all, we do have a very special occasion to celebrate…"

"I think we actually have two special occasions to celebrate," she smiled. "What did you have in mind? And remember – you are still under strict doctor's orders…"

"And you certainly won't allow me to forget that…," he grumbled, "but I'm not quite certain what to expect for our evening meal. I suppose it will be whatever your mother has planned." He laughed as her head snapped around to look him in the eye.

"What?"

"Careful, Love. You'll give yourself whiplash," he snickered while attempting to explain. "Your mother called while you were away earlier running errands and she very pragmatically informed me that she's bringing us dinner this evening so you don't have to fret over anything tonight. Henry is eating with them and your father will drive him home later."

"And exactly when were you going to tell me all of this?"

"Telling you now," he smirked. "I assumed that her Highness had contacted you as well. Clearly that was not the case…"

Emma shook her head as she snuggled into his shoulder. "No, my mother didn't call me, but I'm not going to complain. I'll happily take a quiet night at home where I don't have to cook. I think we've earned it. I'd love to tell her that I'm really craving spicy Mexican food, but that's probably not a good idea…"

"Is there something wrong with spicy Mexican food?" Killian wondered, obviously bewildered as to why it would be a poor choice if it were something she wanted.

"Let's just say it's an awkward subject – made even more awkward by me being pregnant," she replied. "But I'd really rather not go into further detail."

"Then I shall forgo any further query regarding said subject, but I do have one on an entirely different subject…" She noticed that the tone of his voice became more serious as he prepared to change the subject.

"Okay…, what might that be?"

"You paid a visit to the crocodile today, didn't you?" His voice lowered to a near whisper.

"How did you know I went to see Gold?" She was slightly stunned that he'd known.

"Because I know you, Swan. He tried to kill me. I knew you wouldn't just let that go – even if there's no way to prove any of the allegations."

"I went to get some answers. When I was waiting for your prescriptions to be filled, I went and talked to Mr. Blackstone this morning. He admitted to me that he'd never seen the watch before the day I bought it. It had just appeared in his case so we know the coin was already inside. Somehow Gold knew about it so I went over there to ask him how he'd found out. He told me he'd sensed its presence when he saw you with the watch one day."

"He proudly confessed to me that he previously knew of the coin courtesy of Hades. Perhaps the day he spoke of was when he learned the coin was contained inside the watch?"

"It's possible. He obviously knew what the coin had been used for which would explain why he sent Smee after it. He must have been a little antsy that if he touched the coin himself that it might remove his memories regarding the Excalibur-Grail magic too. I mean it could have since Hades had enchanted the coin to remove those memories of yours and then he did tell Gold all about it. If the enchantment was to remove memories of that one specific subject, it might have had the same effect on him. But I'm sure if Smee had stolen it, he would have locked it away in a vault somewhere or simply poofed it away to some remote location."

"That was likely his plan, but fortunately, we uncovered it first and regardless of whether I do possess any residual magic from Excalibur or its predecessor, I do know that it was something Hades feared and likely so did the crocodile."

"Well, you definitely found some magical way to send me that text message yesterday. I don't know how the hell you did it, but I'm sure glad you found a way. Oh, and by the way, I'm so sorry that I forgot your hook when I picked up your things this morning. I completely forgot that it was in David's desk drawer. You'll have it back tonight and I have to say, I've sorta missed it," she grinned.

"You have?" he laughed, partially due to her rambling, but mostly because he'd always known she was attracted to his shiny steel artificial appendage.

"Yes – believe it or not, I have," she replied, but no sooner had the words passed her lips, her emotions shifted as if she'd flipped a switch – her smiling eyes suddenly filling with tears. Realizing her hormone-driven feelings were getting the best of her, she abruptly turned her face away from him, trying to wipe away the tears before he noticed, but she wasn't fast enough.

"Emma…Love, what's wrong?" he wondered, placing his hand against the back of her head urging her to turn around.

"It's okay…just these damned hormones," she said with a sniffle, but he wasn't buying it.

"Swan…"

"Oh, come on. Don't make me do this…," she protested, but just catching a glimpse of his baby blues broke down the wall she was trying so hard to build. "It's just that I leave town for one day and nearly lose you again because of magic!"

"And yet your magic saved my life – more than once. I'm here, Love," he assured her.

"But what if I hadn't gotten there in time? You could have died on that operating table before I even knew anything was wrong. And what if Gold's plan yesterday had succeeded?"

"I didn't and it didn't. You can't dwell on this, Emma. I'm fine and that's all that matters now. We obviously have a child to plan for, so why don't we continue that discussion from last night instead?"

"Changing the subject, are we?" she chided him as she wiped away the tracks of the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve before she at last turned back to face him, her eyes still puffy and red. "So I guess we need to decide if we want to paint the nursery classic white or should we go with a more princessy pink?"

"Princessy?" his attention was piqued by her emphasis on that word. "Now you're the one who's suddenly certain we're having a daughter?"

"Let's just say that something Gold told me today has me feeling pretty confident that it's a girl."

"You're taking the crocodile's word on this?"

"Technically, no. He was simply relaying Hades' message."

"Are you saying that the Lord of the Underworld and the Dark One were at one time engaged in conversation regarding our future daughter?"

"As disturbing as that may sound, it appears they did, only from what I gather, it was really more of a sick joke at the time. There wasn't supposed to be a future…" She couldn't hold back the water works this time as she said those words and the realization struck her of how much they'd really overcome. This time though, it was Killian who wiped away her tears with his thumb as he gently stroked her face.

"Whatever Hades did or didn't say to the crocodile isn't important. If we're having a daughter then I for one hope that our wee princess takes after her mother – and perhaps picks up a bit of cunning wit from her royal bandit grandmother as well…"

"Please don't let my mother hear that!" Emma laughed, finally able to rein in the tears as he pulled her into a tight embrace, but as he did, it was now his expression that changed. While she was unable to see his face, his visage hardened, no longer reflecting the jovial encouragement but instead hovering somewhere between confusion and brooding. It wasn't that he was any less joyous about their child, but rather that he felt that dull ache slowly building in the back of his skull as he'd been struck with another memory of something Hades had said – and now, in an instant – it all made sense. Emma might not have been able to see the look on his face, but she certainly felt the tension in his arms as his hold on her shoulders suddenly felt different. "Okay, now it's my turn to ask – are you alright?" She pushed back from him to see his troubled expression.

"Aye," he replied, bringing his hand to the back of his head as demonstration that his tension was merely a returning headache. "Just a bit of discomfort from my present malaise, but you needn't worry. It will pass."

"Unh uh," she protested. "I'll get you one of the ibuprofen tablets that Dr. Whale prescribed. There's no codeine in it, so it won't make you drowsy, but you don't need to suffer with the aches and pains."

"I'd rather a swig of rum," he grumbled only to get an icy glare in response, "but if my lovely wife insists, I'll take the medicine." Perhaps later he'd tell her the real reason for his shifting mood, but not before he'd had a chance to have a little tete-a-tete with someone else first.

One week later – 10:01am

He'd gotten there early – just as the shop was opening for the day, but despite the door being unlocked and the sign hanging from it turned to read "OPEN", the interior lights hadn't yet been turned on and that was just fine with Killian. He pushed open the door, sounding the bells attached to it and a he entered, used a swift flick of his hook to flip over the sign to read "CLOSED" to allow a few uninterrupted moments to have a word with the shop's owner.

"Safe to assume that you're not here to purchase anything," he heard Gold's voice say before the Dark One stepped out of the back room.

"I guess you could say I'm here to make a deal, crocodile, but this one will be on my terms, not yours."

"And what makes you think I'd ever agree to such a deal?" Gold asked, not about to lower himself to the pirate's standards. "I seem to recall the last time you attempted to set the terms of a deal, it rather spectacularly backfired on you…"

"Suffice it for me to say that it's due to the fact that I know precisely why you tried to steal that coin and then tried to kill me when Smee failed to obtain it for you…." Killian stared directly at Gold with no fear in his gaze this time, knowing for the first time in a long time that he truly had the advantage.

"I'm listening…" the Dark One hissed, not really interested in being bothered by Hook, but still curious to learn if the pirate had indeed remembered the final missing piece of his memory puzzle – the last remaining part of the conversation Hades had stolen from him.

"It's taken a while for all of the missing memories to fall into place," Killian stated, "but my recollection is fully restored and I know for certain now that you never feared if I still possessed any of the magic from Excalibur. That never concerned you for a moment. What's been vexing you is that Hades mistakenly revealed to me an important fact about the Dark Curse – under what would be considered 'normal' circumstances, you can't be re-afflicted. My death released Emma from the grip of the curse and your little subterfuge with the potion released me from it. No living being was ever intended to be a vessel for the Darkness more than once in a lifetime – especially since the death of the previous Dark One is traditionally what passes on the curse. But you – you had to be unique. You had the Darkness taken away from you by the Apprentice before all of your evil deeds completely blackened your heart. You could have been done with it, but you couldn't live without the power. You stole the curse back with a potion, thinking no one would ever be the wiser, but Emma could still hear the call of the dagger and yes, so can I. What Hades erroneously said while so gleefully torturing me was that Emma and I were left immune to the Dark Curse. If either of us were to stab you with your shiny new dagger, all of your dark magic and power just dies with you. That's the part you were so eager to ensure I didn't remember. After all of these centuries of seeking revenge, I finally have a way to end you once and for all…" Killian paused as he searched his enemy's face for any cracks in his tightly veiled exterior. He had the upper hand, but he wasn't naïve enough to think that he wasn't still in danger. "But I've no intention to do that…," the pirate continued. "I realize that you could still kill me right now, but you've no way of knowing if I've already relayed this little secret to Emma. Are you willing to take that chance – that she couldn't get to the dagger first? So, what say you, Dark One? Shall we call a truce?"

Gold contemplated his options in silence. The pirate was correct on both fronts – he and Emma were now immune to the Darkness and yes, he could kill him right here and hope that Hook hadn't already relayed the message to his wife. Or he could agree to the truce. There was no way to entirely conceal the dagger from either of them as all living former Dark Ones could hear its call. Hook's words rang true – either of them could kill him with his own dagger and neither would be afflicted. It would simply mean the end of the Dark One – the feat that Hook had attempted with his own sacrifice. That was the secret that he had hoped to keep hidden forever, but it was too late now…

"That's an interesting proposal," Gold stated, still mulling his choice.

"Do we have a deal? We leave you to live your life and you stay clear of our family?"

"Your wife asked me that same question last week," Gold said before at last conceding. "I believe the answer to both of your questions is yes – we have a deal."

"Good," Killian grinned as he prepared to unleash his last surprise for the crocodile. With scarcely a flick of his wrist, the sign on the front door flipped itself over to read "OPEN" once more.

"So, that part was true?" the Dark One asked, although he'd already known the answer. "I see you've figured out how to use those powers…"

"Aye. I've had some time to practice while convalescing at home for the past few days, but I've really no interest in using it. Just a few little parlor tricks as you once called them, but I'm certain Hades made you aware of the potential?"

"Indeed he did," was Gold's dead-pan response. He knew all too well.

Killian returned a satisfied smile as he exited the pawn shop, confident that the Dark One would uphold his end of the bargain. He'd executed the gamble successfully as he hadn't yet revealed the secret of the Dark Curse to Emma. He'd wanted to secure their safety first and he certainly hadn't let on that he'd been practicing magic, not that she would have noticed as she'd been so preoccupied with his recovery and her pregnancy. Now that the deal was in place, he would reveal it all to her, but first he had to quickly get himself to the location he was actually supposed to be in right now – his follow up appointment with Dr. Whale. He'd promised Emma he was capable of walking there on his own accord as she'd left on a call that morning. He didn't dare be even a minute late…

One of Whale's stipulations before he would discharge him from the hospital a week ago was that Killian had to schedule a follow-up immediately so that the doctor could ensure that his patient was still healing properly. The bouts of vertigo had finally abated but while he hadn't openly complained, he was still suffering lingering headaches and fighting through a rather nagging weakness on his right side. He wasn't about to let on that he was struggling with anything though or Emma would never have allowed him out of the house. She'd already spent more than enough time worrying about him and at a time when he should be doting on his pregnant wife, he was instead finding that recovering from this latest concussion was a grander challenge than he'd expected.

He'd arrived to the clinic on time, expecting Emma to already be there, but she appeared to be running a little late and Whale, being the busy doctor that he was, wasn't about to wait on the Sheriff. Inviting his patient into the exam room, Whale picked up the folder containing Killian's medical records and gestured for the pirate to take a seat on the exam table against the far wall.

"Not subjecting me to one of those awful scanning machines today?" Killian wondered.

"I thought we might have a conversation first and then I'll decide if I need to send you for further tests. How are your symptoms?"

"Perfectly manageable."

"No more vertigo? Headaches?"

"The dizziness has subsided, but unfortunately, the headaches persist. Milder than before, but ongoing."

"Same areas as before?"

"Mainly at the temple, but other spots when I'm fatigued."

"Anything that the medication doesn't ease?"

"Honestly, I prefer not to take the pills. I don't like the affect they have on me."

"So you prefer to suffer?" Whale said snidely. "Forever the tough as nails pirate…"

"My choice," Killian reminded him.

"Experiencing any other lingering side effects? Irritability?" Killian rolled his eyes as the doctor emphasized that adjective purely out of spite. "Any weakness?" Whale watched his patient's eyebrow raise ever so slightly at the word weakness. "I gather from your reaction that the answer to that question is a yes?"

"I've found it difficult at times to grasp objects and I've occasionally found myself unable to stand for long periods of time and maintain my balance. I've even had my knee give out beneath me once for no obvious reason. Is there something that explains those unusual symptoms?"

"Not surprising," Whale stated. "I suspected that you may have suffered a stroke before Emma healed you after the seizure. This could be some of the residual effects from a stroke."

"A stroke?"

"In simplest terms - a blood clot that traveled to your brain and got stuck, severely damaging a portion of the tissue. You were likely in the very early stages while you were comatose - right before Emma healed the majority of your head injuries. Perhaps there was some damage from a stroke that she wasn't able to heal that was simply masked by the concussion?"

"I gather this is something you could ascertain from one of those machines?"

"Possibly – depending on how much visible evidence remains. For the moment though, we'll give it a week. If those symptoms are still bothering you, we'll arrange for some additional tests."

"Further tests for what?" came a voice as the door swung open slowly and Emma poked her head in. "Sorry I'm running a little late, but the nurse said you were in here."

"I apologize that we started without you," Whale said, "but I've a busy schedule to keep up."

"Understood. You were saying something about tests?" she asked as she closed the door behind her and sat down in an empty chair at the foot of the exam table.

"I was saying that I'm going to wait another week to see if the ongoing symptoms subside," the doctor explained, "but let's get a quick check up of all of the Captain's vitals out of the way and then Emma, I haven't forgotten what we talked about…"

The brief exam took mere minutes and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, at least not based on the doctor's expressions as he took readings and transcribed them into the records.

"Well, Captain, everything looks perfectly fine for now," Whale stated. "Your blood pressure is normal; heart and lungs sound fine and your reflexes are almost back to normal. I'm fairly confident that the lingering weakness should clear up on its own, but if not, we'll address that next week."

"I'd much prefer this to all just go away," Killian replied as he hopped down from the exam table. "Our lives have certainly been disrupted enough."

"I agree," Emma said with a sideways grin. "Keeping him out of trouble is a full time job!"

"Pardon me if we pirates do not fare well being confined to a dwelling," Killian retorted as he reached for his jacket, hung on the back of the chair she was occupying.

"Not just yet," she smiled as she stood up and made a motion for him to take a seat in the chair she'd just vacated.

"Am I missing something here, Love?" he wondered as Dr. Whale stepped out of the room for a moment, returning seconds later with a strange looking electronic contraption in his hand.

"I'm trying to make up for something you missed out on while you were recovering from the attack – something you should have been there to witness," she stated as she climbed up onto the exam table herself, stretching out on her back and tugging her blouse out of the waistband of her jeans to expose her midsection.

"What are you doing?" Killian demanded, both startled and alarmed by his wife's actions.

"It's okay, Killian," she laughed. "I asked Dr. Whale to do this for you…"

"To do what?" the pirate wondered, not entirely comfortable as Whale approached her and pressed some sort of metal probe against the bare skin of her abdomen.

"One moment…" Whale said, adjusting a dial on the device as he moved the probe around slowly. The sound of static and the crackle of white noise filled the room as he attempted to find just the right spot. And then suddenly a sharp staccato drowned out the other cacophony. It was rapid with a slight echo and was the most alien sound Killian had encountered in ages. "And there we are…" the doctor said, reserving emotion for the parents to be. "Fast and strong."

"What is that?" Killian pointed to the device pressed to her stomach but he also meant the click-like sound he was hearing.

"It's a microphone – it's used to magnify sounds that would otherwise be difficult to hear," she explained, but it didn't appear to lessen his confusion.

"And what the devil are we supposed to be hearing with this microphone?" the pirate couldn't help but ask.

"A heartbeat. A tiny little heartbeat," she replied, her eyes going bleary as she saw the instant realization wash over him. She extended her hand to him and laced her fingers with his as they'd done so many times only this time, it was part of a memory she'd treasure forever. She was already looking forward to all of the little moments that would come as they moved forward on this journey together. They might live in a town where the next crisis was always lurking, but she was determined to make every second of this special. After everything they'd faced together, nothing mattered more than their family right now. Their lives weren't going to get any less insane and after all - what was crazier than the fact that the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming was married to and was now having a baby with Captain Hook? But no matter what, all she needed for her own comfort was the awe and complete mesmerization that she'd just seen reflected in his eyes. There was little doubt that he was already entirely devoted to both her and their little princess to be.

But she also knew she was never leaving this town without him again. Never again.

Putting characters through stressful situations has always been a coping mechanism for me - give them more pain than you're dealing with and work through it. Yes, I put Killian through a lot with this one and it certainly helps when you have an actor like Colin O'Donoghue who plays the angst so well that it's so easy to picture it in my head. As I mentioned in my earlier notes, I started writing this back in July and completed it in late November, but I went back and forth with myself as to whether I was going to post this online and finally decided that I would share it. This was my first ever story to exceed 50K words and while I did do some research regarding head injuries, I'm not in the medical field so please forgive any technical inaccuracies. Thankfully, fiction and fantasy give us some artistic leeway. Hope you enjoyed reading this and I look forward to sharing future tales with everyone!