"Just ask," he muttered with his mouth full of waffles from across their table in Granny's diner. Emma's fork stopped mid air, her pancakes holding on for dear life.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Your curiosity love,"

"What have I told you about reading my mind?"

"You're practically screaming it's hard not to hear,"

"What am I screaming then?" she asked with a raise of her eyebrow she expected some sort of innuendo in response but the serious look on his face told her she wouldn't get one.

"You want to know why? So just ask,"

"I'm not going to,"

"You've wanted to know ever since we met,"

"Well, you're the one villain who doesn't go on about his back-story, the why, excuse me for being curious. But I'm not asking, you obviously want to talk about it since you brought it up."

Hook scratched behind his ear, it was true and it annoyed him that she had hit the nail on the head. He didn't know what it was but speaking to Emma he discovered was easy and he like to talk to her and subconsciously and actively he wanted her to understand him, he didn't want her to see him as a villain, which confused and worried him greatly. Seeing his past self had caused a lot of over thinking to go on in his brain. Though everything always seemed to link to her. He knew he couldn't be falling for her, that was crazy, he couldn't love again, not like that anyway. Love was he really thinking about love?

"It's hard to focus on my waffles when all I can hear are your thoughts,"

"Then don't listen" she said quickly taking her bite of pancakes before it fell off the fork. She'd noticed that they were both extremely cranky this morning, it wasn't because they had had a bad night's sleep, in fact after they had both settled down they had the best night's sleep of their life. It was just as soon as they woke up, Emma snuggled up in his chest, their legs entwined and his hookless arm wrapped around her, that they because suddenly very short and snappy with one another.

"Why?" she sighed deciding that she may as well sate her curiosity and give him what he wanted, which was clearly the get the whole thing off his chest. He blue eyes looked up from his waffles and met her gaze, already he looked a little lighter, those blue eyes not so burdened and he had yet to even relinquish the load.

"I learnt the hard way that no one cares about you or what you do. I learnt that this world is not a good place and when you have hit rock bottom no one cares, no one will come and help you. He took everything I loved from me, and no one came to help. I went to seek help but...nothing. I had nothing left but anger, I had two options let it consume me or use it. As I've told you many-a-time I excel at surviving, my very core is about survival so I used the anger; revenge, revenge against everyone. That anger made me what I am; made me as everyone labels me a villain, but I'm merely doing what everyone else does or thinks about doing, I hear them all, I hear all their monstrous thoughts. People aren't good, all I'm doing is actually owning what I do and think unlike everyone else. They are all villains, none of them care, so why should I care for them. He unleashed the anger, he took away everyone that I loved. My brother, my...Milah, killed them before my very eyes, because I dared try to be a hero and stop him. Being a hero gets you nowhere, being a hero leaves you alone because they don't win, love, they never win because they don't play dirty. To win you have to play dirty and have nothing to lose. I had everything to lose and I did. They died because I tried to be a hero..."

The unspoken statement hung in the air both knew what it was but he wouldn't say it and she wouldn't bring it up: as a villain he could bring back what he had lost.

"Come on Savior, let's go and get this portal,"

"You know the way?"

"Yes wifey," he nodded. "I know the way."

"I can't believe we're stealing a boat!" Emma sighed.

"We're not stealing if the boat is mine, well, my past self's at least I finally have the answer as to why by boat mysteriously disappeared," he stated from behind the wheel.

Emma had donned the baby bump, to which Hook responded to acting as if she had given birth. She was sitting at the front of the fishing boat receiving a light spray from the ocean her blonde wavy hair billowing out behind her. Her eyes were closed as she took a deep breath.

"You alright there love, not sea-sick?" he called out to her.

"No," she called back, "I'm fine,"

"Just enjoying the sea air,"

"Yeah,"

"I've missed this. Missed being out at sea, sailing, feels good,"

"Hmmm."

Emma sat at the front of the fishingboat for a long time before she finally got up and joined Hook at the wheel. "What's the plan Jones? And are you going to tell me who we are going to meet, what's his name?"

"Don't know it,"

"You don't know his name?"

"He doesn't give it out. I have just taken to calling him Rumplestiltskin, you know after the fairytale with the imp. He makes deals with people, unholy cruel deals, he is a trickster. Just like the fairytale"

"Yeah I know the one you are talking about," she nodded. "So what's the plan? I doubt we can just ask nicely."

"He doesn't know me yet,"

"So we could just ask?"

"Wisest thing to do, safest thing to do, but just be prepared for it not to go smoothly,"

"I'm always prepared,"

"Ah yes, always in a perpetual state to fight."

Emma didn't answer him, instead she changed the subject "How much time do you think had passed in the present?"

"Love, we're in the past, no time has passed in the present."

"Oh, so everything will be as we left it?"

"I expect so," he nodded.

"Woah," gawked Emma as she stared up at the large imposing mansion, though it seemed more like a castle. "This is crazy, what is this place? New York doesn't have any places like this. I mean we just walked through a forest,"

"The Enchanted Forest," Hook corrected her,

"Seriously? We're not in a story book,"

"It's what's it called and who said we were in new York? In the present we were, we're in the past now remember?"

"Oh yeah, your past. So we're in England?"

"Exactly, love,"

"So when did you move to America?"

"When there was nothing left for me here,"

"There's a place called the Enchanted Forest in England?"

"Well, no, it's just what the locals call it," he informed her. Emma could see how he clenched his jaw as he looked at the building, she could see the way his blue eyes became hooded and the darkness showed. Darkness that she hadn't seen since he had arrived at her flat asking for her help.

"So let's go and knock on the door,"

"No need dearie" came a voice behind them. Emma saw how Hook's whole body tensed. They both turned around to come face to face with the voice. Emma's mouth opened slightly at the sight of the man, his eyes were like a crocodile's and his skin had a strange greenish tint and was almost scaley.

"How?"

"I'm a very powerful man, though of course you know that why else would you be here?" the man smiled with a glint in his eyes that made Emma's blood run cold; she knew a villain when she saw one. "So what do you want?"

"We're from the future," Emma stated, "and we need to get back to the present. I believe you can help us,"

"You're from the future?" he scoffed,

"Aye, mate, we are," Hook informed him

"Time travel's not possible, mate," Rumplestiltskin responded with a flourish of his hand.

"It is," Emma assured him. "Someone found a way,"

"How?"

"We're not telling you," snapped Hook.

"But you expect me to be able to get you back to your time?"

"All we need is a portal that can recreate the same energy that got us here,"

"Well, you're in luck. I can do that." He walked around them as if to walk down the path to his home before he suddenly spun around on his heels, "Though of course everything comes with a price. I am a living example of that," he gestured towards his looks.

"What do you want?" Emma asked.

"Hmmm, I have yet to decide. Follow me in. We can discuss over tea."

Rumplestiltskin sat at the head of his long wooden table, his left and right hand's fingers touching as he peered over at Emma who sat on his right (Killian sat on left hand side at the table). Emma lifted her cup of tea up from its saucer and took a light sip, Hook had not touched his tea and his jaw was in a permanently clenched. She saw how he stroked his hook with his right hand his dark hooded eyes never leaving Rumplestiltskin.

"So tell me who are you?" he asked Emma. "So I know who I am dealing with,"

"My names Emma Swan,"

"Lovely name," he smiled.

"So when are you going to get us out of here?" demanded Hook interrupting the pleasantries being exchanged between Emma and Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin's head turned finally from looking at Emma to looking at Hook. "Are you going to help?"

"I haven't decided what I want," he giggled. Hook immediately got up from his seat and his hook found its place at the man's throat.

"How about your life?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Hook," warned Emma,

"Not now, Swan, I'm making a deal with this cretin," he sneered, the smile that plagued his face was unlike anything Emma had seen before, it even terrified her.

"You don't want to mess with me," Rumplestiltskin stated,

"Oh believe me, I do, very much, so in exchange for passage back to our time you can have your life, deal?"

"You have very ill-mannered company Miss Swan," he stated.

"Hmmm," nodded Emma. She placed her cup down and eyed Hook. "Remove the hook,"

"He hasn't agreed,"

"And I won't," he spoke, "Don't make me remove the hook, or get rid of your other hand,"

"What so you can have the full set?"

"Excuse me? What are you on about?"

"Nothing," snapped Emma. "Just ignore him." She got up from her chair and walked round to hook and placed a hand on his shoulder. He relaxed slightly but didn't remove his hook. "Remove, the, hook, now," she whispered in his ear. Her grip on his shoulder tightening just a slight warning to remind him of what she was capable of.

Slowly he removed his hook and stepped back, Emma stayed station by his side. "Thank you Miss Swan, I didn't want to have to harm your boyfriend beyond repair,"

"My boyfriend? Hook?"

Hook's head turned to give her a small wink, but his heart wasn't really in it, all he wanted was to lodge his hook in Rumplestiltskin's heart. "I know what I want dearie," he said bringing Hook out of his revene.

"What?"

"Tell me the object that brought you here and who owns it, then I'll recreate your portal."

"I don't think it's wise to give you such information," Emma stated.

"Fine, no portal then," he shrugged. "Get out, I have no business with you. Come back when you have changed your mind."

"We're not leaving," hissed Hook.

"My deal stands do you accept it,"

"No,"

"Then get out,"

"No."

Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes before getting out of his chair and facing Hook, his hand flourished forward and sent both he and Emma flying back and crashing to the floor winding them both. Hook recovered faster than Emma and was up on his feet only to be met with the sensation that a hand was wrapping around his throat and squeezing the air out of him.

"Hook!" Emma exclaimed worried. At once she disappeared from sight the action surprised Rumplestitskin and his grip faltered slightly. He felt something grip at the back of his collar and fling his across his wooden table and into the glass cabinet against the wall. The glass shattering.

Hook gasped as he could breathe once more. "Well done, love," he choked out as Emma became visble once more. "Move!" he shouted suddenly as he pushed Emma out of the way as a fireball came flying towards her. The fireball just caught his arm and burnt a hole through his jacket down to his skin.

Emma looked up with wide green eyes from the floor with Hook atop her, she opened her mouth to say something, "You can thank me later Savior right now we need to get out of here." He stood up and went to help Emma up went a fist collided with his face and his body fell back against the table. Rumplestiltskin peered over at him, a cruel smile tugged at his mouth.

"Just who are you Hook?"

"A better man than you are,"

"You don't know me,"

"Oh but I do. I know you are a coward, who chose his powers over his own son. You're a monster,"

"What do you know about my son?" Rumplestiltskin's eyes widened and a billion thoughts went through his head, none of which escaped Hook, who grinned in response.

"Just that he's better off without a coward of a father like you! Hiding behind his powers," Hook didn't care that he was goading the man, in fact he revelled in it.

A cane appeared in the Rumplestiltskin's hand at once he lifted it high above his head and brought it down against Hook. "I don't need my powers to kill you!"

"Go on. Kill me then! Kill me like you killed them," Killian shouted after the third brutal hit from the cane.

"Who's them?" her paused for a second perplexed.

"My brother and my Milah!"

Rumplestiltskin raise an eyebrow in confusion, Hook's words didn't make any sense, not now they didn't. Little did the man know that one day they would make perfect sense and would drive him further into committing the crime. He returned to hitting him.

"Killian!" Emma shouted as she got up onto her feet.

"Get out of here, love," he told her between exclamations of pain. "Just get out!"

Emma stood frozen on the spot unsure what to do, she looked at the door leading her away from this man, and then back at Killian who he was so brutally attacking. "If you stay you'll die,"

"Listen to him," Rumplestiltskin said. "I like you Miss Swan, so I am giving you once chance to get out of here, just out of common courtesy and the fact you have done nothing to aggravate me. This is a once in a life time opportunity. Take it."

And she did.