Protecting Her Heart
Chapter Ten
After leaving the heroes behind in the woods surrounding their quiet little town, Hook swiftly made his way to the pawnshop where he knew his greatest enemy would be holed up along with the Author, while they worked on whatever dark plan they had in store for the people within Storybrooke, himself included. The Captain had been shaken by the words Emma had said to him moments ago, but it didn't matter to him. He wasn't about to let those lies she tried to get him to believe deter him from his goals of getting his revenge on Rumpelstiltskin at last.
"Good afternoon, Captain," Gold stated coldly as Hook entered the shop through the back entrance with his hook and sword raised and ready to strike the evil man down, finding him upon the floor in the main room as he clutched at his heart, while the Author immediately took a few steps back nervously upon seeing the pirate come in. "I suspected that you would be walking in here at some point. I take it that you're back to your old self again?"
"Aye, that I am," Killian responded skeptically upon seeing the smugness upon the villain's face despite the obvious anguish he was in from his heart becoming fully blackened by the darkness. "You did this to me? The foul word carved into my chest, the curse, or spell I was under… or am under…"
Mr. Gold used his cane, as well as the cabinet that he was leaning against as leverage to help him to stand up in front of Hook as he replied, "No, it's definitely the spell that you were under, Captain. I have freed you at last from the Savior's spell she cast on you years ago and restored you to the man you truly are."
The pirate stared at him as he looked for any sign of deceit, then he asked, "If that's true, Crocodile, why would you do this for me? That woman somehow twisted my mind into believing that I was a different man, a hero all for the sake of love, a man who wouldn't be here now to kill you now had you left me to remain cursed."
"Because Isaac here and I need your help," Rumple answered plainly. "But first let me ask you, what do you feel for Emma Swan now?"
"The love I felt for Emma wasn't real," Killian responded coldly as he looked between the two men standing before him. "I hate that woman for making me a man that I'm not, for using me for whatever making me that love-struck fool did for her. I hate her, her family, and the rest of those friends of hers. No one decides the kind of man I am, but me."
Gold smiled and replied, "That is exactly what I was hoping you would say. Forgive the cruel carving. I assure you, it was necessary to undo what the Savior has done."
Hook shrugged and then answered, "It's no matter. A villain is who I am. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you where you stand, Crocodile."
"Because we can give you something you want even more," Isaac said nervously as he looked between the pirate captain and the Dark One.
"What the Author here means to say is, we can give you something even better in replace of your lust for revenge," the real villain amended the other man's response.
Killian glared at the Dark One as he replied cruelly, "Seeing my hook buried through your black, dying heart is the only thing I want in this world. If death comes to me, so long as I see you dead first, it matters not."
Gold looked over at Isaac, then turned back to Hook as he glared at his enemy and answered, "You know what it is we are planning for all of us here in Storybrooke, heroes and villains alike. What if I were to tell you that Isaac can give you an equally substantial happy ending that will make your desire to kill me, obsolete? He can bring your beloved Milah back from the dead. Then together, the two of you will be free to sail off into the sunset and be pirates for as long as you both shall live. What do you say now, Captain?"
Hook once again looked skeptically between the two men before him as he lowered his blade and asked, "And if this was truly possible, what would I have to do? Surely you want more than just for me to not kill you, Dark One."
"Why, you must kill the only person now truly standing in the way of you getting your real happy ending," Rumpelstiltskin responded with a cruel grin. "You must kill Emma Swan."
"Actually, you have to kill the Savior and her son too," the Author quickly added. "They are the only two not born within the fairytale world, or at least, the boy isn't. And Miss. Swan is the Savior, so of course the rules for her don't exactly work the same way either. Her boy could be just as much danger to us as she is. They could both potentially ruin everything."
Killian chortled and replied mockingly, "So, that is why you helped, free me from that infernal curse over me. Because you can't kill one woman or her fourteen year old son."
Gold answered angrily, "The Savior's power makes her strong and able to thwart whatever plans I have come up with to try to destroy her, yes, but so long as you are truly the real villain you claim to be, Captain, then this time, I will not fail. You are the only one who can get close enough to her and the boy because despite her intentions for casting the spell over you in the first place, she mistakenly fell in love with you against her better judgement and those of her family's as well. Miss. Swan, will do everything in her power to try to save you, or protect you long enough to reinforce her spell once again. You will use her feelings for you, against her and then kill her. So, what is it that you say, dearie? How badly do you wish to be with your real true love?"
"I'd say we have ourselves a deal, Crocodile," Hook responded after taking a few moments to think about the Dark One's proposal, while clenching his jaw out of disdain for even considering something coming from his enemy's mouth. "But if you fail to keep your word to me this time, I will come back here to kill you as I should have done the day we met and this time, I will succeed."
"Duly noted," Rumple replied in frustration and then watched as the pirate left the shop by walking out the front door.
As soon as he was gone, the Author moved to stand beside Gold and spoke up again saying nervously, "I thought I told you that bringing the dead back to life is not possible, even with magic as powerful as my quill and ink."
The villain looked over at Isaac and answered smugly, "It matters not. I never intended on keeping my word to him anyway. You shall rewrite the Captain's story the same as we have discussed, whether he succeeds in killing the Savior and her child, or not. And when you do, his threat will no longer matter."
"And if he does fail, then it's possible Miss. Swan can ruin everything," the Author responded again. "Their deaths, are the only way to guarantee our happy endings will last forever."
"Try not to worry so much," Rumple replied. "Win or lose, we move forward with everything as planned. All of the heroes, as well as Hook, will be miserable, and we villains, will get exactly as we deserve for once."
Isaac nodded and then asked, "And if Hook can't do what we need him to do, what kind of story is it that you wish for me to write for the Savior? I can't leave her out of the book as I can her son. She must be a part of it in some way."
Gold grinned as he answered, "I have just the thing for her. You will write her in is as a mad hag locked away in a tower. All of her memories will remain intact, but she will have never had any powers. She will no longer be the Savior."