Hello my dearies :)
I have a new chapter for you!
ChamberlinofMusic - I'm glad you like way it's headed :)
Lisa1972 - I agree! But maybe someone already has, who knows?
5289belle - It's great to see you are so thrilled about it :)
saku-lee - I don't know what the "lolz" was about? xD But thanks^^
Chapter 10: That answer, you now have
Emma didn't know how long she had been in her prision, if you could call it that. She had tried to kick down the door which, judging by how it looked like, should have been easy. Turned out: It was impossible. True, she wasn't a trained fighter, but she didn't think even The Hulk would be able to get out of here. Regina must have put some kind of spell over the door, so that it would only open from the outside. Maybe it would also open if you succeeded in three tasks, or sang a song to it – she didn't know what kind of stuff an Evil Queen from an Enchanted Forest would come up with. Emma may have seen some things by now but somehow she got the feeling that she still didn't know the frist thing about this other world which, technically, was her home.
After she had realized that it was pointless to throw herself at the door she had just been sitting there and waiting. Waiting for something to happen... she knew that the waiting couldn't take more than an hour. The others had that long to decide what to do – but Emma was pretty sure that there was no decision to make. If anything this was a question of whether or not they were able to talk Gold into giving up the new location of the dagger in under 60 minutes. He was the only one who knew where it was and yet the only one who didn't care if Emma lived or died.
If she'd have a say in this, she'd tell them to hold still and do nothing. If they gave them the dagger Emma was dead anyway, along with her parents, possibly Neal and maybe even Hook. And if they didn't give them the dagger Emma would die and, again, maybe Hook. At this thought Emma was terrified, but even more she was angry. They had dragged Hook into this, when he'd had nothing to do with any of this. He had history with Gold and kind of kept popping up in Emma's life but he didn't deserve to die because of that. He had a good soul, she knew that now. The pain she had seen in his eyes had been so real. Helping Cora against Emma was the very last thing he wanted to do but he had no choice. Emma didn't know a lot about this Heart-Business (in magical, as well as in emotional matters) but she knew that much.
She wasn't just angry at Cora because of Hook. She was also angry, and maybe even more, at Regina, for doing this to Henry. Despite of everything that's happened, everything she has done as the Evil Queen, in a way he still loved her. Of course he did, she raised him... but if she really did this, if she would be responsible for Emma's death Henry would be devastated, not to mention screwed up for the rest of his life. If she truly loved him, how could she do this?
After what seemed like forever the door got opened. It was Hook who entered, but he was alone. Emma couldn't tell whether or not that was a good sign but even though she knew he was being controlled... it was good to see him. Something was different about him, though. He seemed more like himself than before.
None of them said anything, before Emma broke the silence: "So. Did Cora send her walkie-talkie to bring me to my execution?"
Hook bit his lip. "You know, everyone keeps saying I'm an idiot... but sometimes you're not too smart yourself. It's that kind of talk that pissed her off even more."
Emma startled. That was something Hook would have said... the real one. She got to her feet and looked at him, but didn't come closer. "It's you."
He slightly nodded. "Yes. Sometimes it is... Although... I can't let you go. I can talk to you but if you try to escape I will... hurt you." he sounded disgusted by this. "She did this before. She didn't control what I said until after you reminded me that I had told you you would lose against my desire for vengeance."
Emma remembered that moment. She had thought he had looked like wanting to say something but then hadn't. "She stopped you." she said. "You were about to say something but... she stopped you." He didn't say thing. "What was it?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Does it matter?"
"I'm going to die no matter how this situation plays out... the very least I deserve is an answer. I still don't understand why you helped me."
Hook exhaled in frustration. "She can here every word we speak, you know that."
She shook her head. "I don't care."
He looked at her for a very long moment before he said: "I was going to say... you did lose. In Manhattan - you lost. But on my way back here I had a lot time to think. More than I could handle, but it made me realize something. I had admitted to myself that I cared about you the moment I saw you. And the more time I spend with you the more I cared. But when you told me to actually act like it... I felt like I would be betraying Milah. And I have sworn to myself I'd never let go of her and it was that very moment when I realized that I was about to do that. Someone once told me my heart was rotten. And she was right. It was riven by grief and vengeance, that was everything I was able to feel. Everything that kept me going. My love for Miliah had been replaced by revenge a long time ago and I didn't even realize it. I wasn't capable of truly caring about anyone in my life... until you came along. You awoke that part of me again and I felt guilty that it was you and not the memory of Milah. That's why-" he stopped and Emma knew instantly that he was going to say I pushed you away. Instead he ended with: "I said all of that."
Emma had found it harder and harder to breath as he had spoken and it took her a while before she was able to say something. "When you say care..." This question had hovered over her since Neal had spoken about this as love.
"Don't make me say it, Beautiful." he reached out his hand to touch her cheek, but drew it back before he actually did. He seemed afraid of himself, of what Cora could make him do, anytime she pleased to. "The last time I told someone... that. She died. And let's just say I believe in bad omen. I have learned to associate love - with death."
She swallowed. "I have learned to associate it with pain."
A half-smile loomed at his lips. "We're not too different from one another, you and I."
No. They weren't. They were everything but different. But before Emma could say anything he looked up and seemed like a dog who had heard a whistle, only he could hear. Then he sighted. Emma knew what that meant and lowered her head.
"We have to go." he said.
: : : : : : :
Hook had had the order to bring Emma to the deck and so he did. Unfortunately he also had the order to do so, by grabbing her by her arm. She didn't mind him touching her, but it hurt, because it was the arm he had cut before.
When they reached the deck Emma felt like arriving late to a party. Everyone was already there – Cora, Regina and her parents, Mr. Gold and...
"Henry?!" she asked. "What did you bring him here for?" She didn't even care to ask why Neal wasn't here. She figured Gold hadn't wanted him to come and tied him up somewhere but it didn't matter. Right now all that mattered was that her son was here, when he shouldn't be!
Mary-Margaret and David both looked very uncomfortable. After they exchanged a look Mary-Margaret said: "We had to... they want the dagger. And..."
It was David, who continued: "Mr. Gold thought it would be a good idea to hide it inside Henry."
While Mr. Gold did nothing but slightly smiling at Cora and Regina, who, just like Emma, were deeply shocked.
"You did what?!" Regina was outraged.
In this case though, Emma wasn't too far behind her: "You put the dagger into my kid?!"
"It seemed like the perfect place."
"Are you out of your mind? I don't know about your world but here we don't hide sharp knifes in 10-year-old children!" In this moment her worry about Henry overshadowed everything else.
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt me. I don't even notice it. He asked me if he could hide it with me and I said yes."
Emma, as well as Regina, looked at him completely horrified. Regina took a view steps toward Henry, very slowly, as if he was threatening them to jump off a cliff. "Why?" she was really worried about him, Emma could see and hear it. "If you would have said no he couldn't have done it. That kind of magic can only be used with permission." She took a sharp look at Gold. "But I bet you didn't tell him that, did you?"
"Yes, he did!" Henry replied and nearly yelled. "He told me everything and I made the decision by myself. If you get your hands on that dagger you are going to kill my family!"
It took Regina a while to reply. When she did her voice was almost weak and hurt. "I am your family, Henry."
"Not if you have my mom killed."
While Regina didn't seem to know what to say it was Gold who spoke again: "It doesn't matter anymore anyway, does it?" That little bastard seemed to be enjoying himself. Like he was already celebrating a victory over Cora and Regina. "As you may know the only way to get a hidden object out of someone is to kill that person and rip it out. And I highly doubt you're willing to do that. Are you?" He was talking to Regina who was paralyzed.
Maybe he was right about her. But there was another powerful witch, of whom Emma didn't think she'd back away from killing Henry in order to get what she wanted.
"That is not the only way." Cora said who apparently knew more about this than Regina did.
Gold looked at her without any emotion for a moment before he replied: "It might not be the only way to break through this spell, but it is the only way for you in this situation."
"What's the other way?" Emma asked.
"Henry needs to give it up voluntarily." Cora replied. "Which he will."
Emma snorted. "You really don't know him. If Henry has his mind set on something it stays there."
An superior smile appeared on Cora's face. "Does it? Even when it comes to you?"
"Mother!" Regina said. "You can't kill her, not in front of Henry!"
"Not ever!" Henry interjected.
"Oh, I wasn't going to. I was suggesting for Miss Swan to kindly ask him to give us the dagger."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because, my dear" with a single movement of her hand Hooks heart appeared in it again. "If you possess someone's heart... you can do more than just control him." She stared squeezing the heart just a little bit and Emma heard a scream and no one was holding her arm anymore. She turned around and saw that Hook had his hand pressed against his chest and was down on his knees.
Seeing this, Emma somehow felt like Cora was currently squeezing her heart as well. She looked down at him and felt tears rushing into her eyes. "No..." She knew what this meant. She'd seen it before... with Graham. He had looked just like this before he died – supposedly because of a heart attack.
"That, Miss Swan, is why you would ask Henry for the dagger. Because if you don't", she squeezed harder and Hook let out another terrifying scream, his face screwed up with pain. "Well... you get the idea."
I feel like I should note that this fanfic is near it's end. I can't tell you exactly how many chapters there are to come, maybe one or two or three... mostly because I haven't decided on HOW to end the fanfic yet. I thought I knew how it was going to end when I started it but now I'm not that sure anymore.
Anyhow - as ususal, please leave a Review, they are really the only way for me to find out what you think about the story. I'm working on that telepathic-thing, but haven't mastered it yet lol