Ad Litteram de Libris, Literally Out of the books Chapter 11, an once upon a time fanfic

***BE WARNED THERE IS SOME SERIOUS WHUMP AHEAD... Proceed with caution and do not say that I did not warn you.***

Will they defeat the daemon?

There is only one way to find out... Let us venture forth and find out.

Salvo Praedonum, Saving the Pirate

David pulled Mary-Margaret in to his arms and hugged her tightly to his front, the experience was something wonderful as he literally felt her love for him seeping into his very bones soothing away his worries for the Pirate.

"I'm OK" he whispered against Snow's hair when he felt her concern for him but his attention was pulled away by Regina talking to him as she walked to his side followed by Robin, she was all business obviously just wanting to beat this daemon and get out of here.

"Where is Thanatos? I can feel he has been here"

"Not sure, he's only shown himself a couple of times but he doesn't look like he did before

, he looks like an old man with white hair now" David answered pulling Mary-Margaret round to his side and throwing his arm over her shoulders tucking her close against himself, she encircled his middle with her arms and he felt another wave of reassurance from her.

David could see Henry stooping down next to Emma and talking to Hook, the Pirate was answering back and David thought his Grandson would be a good distraction for the Pirate but as David spoke to Regina Henry looked around in surprise.

"Really? There was nothing in the book about him being able to change his appearance." His brow was furrowed deeply and he looked really confused

"And there was nothing in the book about him kidnapping people either but he did that too" Emma grit out not looking up from the Pirate in her arms.

"Anyway, we have established that he is not all he seems but that doesn't mean that he is not dangerous. I thought he was going to be here but he's..." Regina trailed off as she narrowed her eyes slowly turning around to look into the darkness "Henry, get over here now"

Henry looked confused but to his credit he just did as he was told leaving Emma where she was but David needn't have worried that she was exposed to the danger as Regina and Robin moved forward as one to stand at the Pirate's feet to offer some protection.

"I know you are there" Regina called out "I can feel you"

David stared into the darkness and still nothing happened but they were all caught by surprise when Emma suddenly cried out from behind them.

"HOOK! Killian..." she shook him but he was out cold again and David was moving to their side in seconds followed by Mary-Margaret.

"Let me take him Emma, you need to help Regina" he said urgently

"He was awake one second but then he was gone, why won't he wake up?" Her eyes were wide with fear.

"I don't have time to explain Emma but he won't wake up until you defeat that daemon so I'm begging you, please hurry, I don't know how much more he can take"

She moved quickly after that and David pulled Hook back into his own arms throwing the jacket back to try and look out for new injuries. He silently prayed that Regina could dispense of Thanatos quickly for Hook's sake.

"Hey, calm down" Mary-Margaret cut into his thoughts

"Sorry, I know that you can feel this too but I'm not sure you understand fully what he's been through, that damn daemon has been torturing him in his sleep but to him it plays out as reality." he lowered his voice so Emma wouldn't hear "Look at him Mary-Margaret, he is black and blue but what you're not seeing is the arrow wound in his back and a huge gash across his front, he's lost a lot of blood and I'm not sure he can take much more"

He could feel her emotions rushing through him as her eyes fell onto Hook's battered form and her hand came up to cover her mouth when she gasped at what she saw.

They looked at each other in silence knowing the importance of the next few minutes as they turned to see what the others were doing, hoping this would all be over soon.

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Killianblinked his eyes against the harsh artificial light, where was he? He tried to focus but the light was searing into his brain making his head hurt.

"Shhhhhh... it's OK" Emma's voice spoke next to him and he couldn't help it when he jumped again at the sound of her voice and part of him hated himself for it, if it was Swan by his side he didn't want to make her feel guilty for something that was not her fault.

He tried to open his eyes again but the light was still too bright but in the next few seconds he heard a noise and the light was gone. What was going on? Was this really Emma? He remembered being in the cave and she was there but after that there was nothing. He finally managed to peek through his lashes to see Emma's scared face by his side.

"Swan?" he croaked, Gods he was so thirsty.

"Hey, it's me. You've been out for a while but it's still late, why don't you go back to sleep?" she reached across and brushed the hair from his forehead letting her fingers trail down the side of his face.

"Where am I?" he was very confused, was this real? He just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"Hospital, we did it" She smiled at him widely "We beat him"

He looked about him cautiously, was it really over? He certainly seemed to be lying in a hospital bed but then again he had thought that he had been in Neverland when this all started. He tried to sit himself up a bit to get a better look but the minute he moved his whole body seized in pain. He clamped his hand to his stomach fingers digging beneath the dressing to find exactly what he was searching for. His would was still open, he had no sutures. If he were truly back in Storybrooke this would not be the case and he certainly wouldn't be in as much pain as this, they had drugs there that would have had him feeling like he was floating on a cloud but he couldn't let the daemon know that he knew this, the others needed time to defeat this beast so he would have to play along for the time being.

He settled back on his pillows and smiled as best he could through the pain as fake Emma stood next to him, he eyed her nervously as she took hold of his hand, he tried his best not to flinch but even if he hadn't known this to be the daemon and it really had been Emma he wasn't sure he would have succeeded.

She squeezed his hand in hers and lent in close, her other hand still cupped his face and her thumb started to move in what was supposed to be a soothing motion under his eye but he was anything but soothed, he tried to relax his rigid body in a vain attempt to look like he was happy to have the beasts hand on his face but it would seem that she wasn't to be fooled so easily.

"I know you know that it's not her, I can tell by the look on your face" she said suddenly grabbing his hair and yanking his head to the side making him clamp his eyes shut at the resulting pain but they didn't remain shut he needed to know what she was doing.

He grit his teeth as she let his hand go to pull something from underneath her jacket, his eyes going wide when she pulled out a short blade and made a show of running it over his skin before stopping to hold it to against throat where he could feel the tip digging in as a trickle of blood ran down his neck.

"It would seem that it is time for us to say goodbye Killian Jones, it has been fun although with regret I do have to leave but before I go I think I have time for one last taste of that delicious soul of yours"

Killian tried to move, tried to get away but she was too strong and he just didn't have the strength to do anything to defeat her. He watched in horror as she trailed the knife back across his skin, she moved the blade down over his collar bone where it nicked his skin making him hiss through his teeth but she just pulled his hair tighter and carried on. It traveled down the center of his chest and onto the soft skin just below his rib cage where she stopped.

"I had hoped we would have had longer but alas all good things must come to an end. You see this blade, beautiful isn't it? Smooth and perfect on one side and jagged and rough on the other. Do you know what they were used for?"

She held it up for him to see, it lay flat on the palm of her hand so he could see the whole thing and as he got a good look he could see exactly what it was for, it was a throwing knife, smooth and sleek with no hilt just one piece of metal carved into a deadly weapon.

"I can see from your face that you recognize it. Do you know why I like these particular knives?" she paused as if he was really going to answer her but he never got the chance as she looked into his eyes staring into his soul then in one swift she raised the knife quickly and plunged it into his front leaving it there, protruding from his skin.

He couldn't take his eyes from it not feeling the pain just yet but that didn't last, before long with every breath he took he could feel the blade grating against one of his ribs as the ridged edge moved up and down as his chest hitched and lurched working to take in oxygen even when it was the last thing he wanted to do anymore. Fake Emma laughed loudly but even after she had finally let go of his hair he couldn't move, he was just frozen to the spot staring at the blade sticking through his skin.

"I like these knives because they slide so easily into the flesh" She reached forward and placed one finger on the top of the knife pushing it slowly and this time Killian couldn't help the yell that escaped him as he felt it cutting him deep inside but she didn't stop, she just grinned wider as she brought her whole hand up and placed her palm where her finger had been moments before.

"Farewell Captain, it's been fun" she said with a wink before raising her hand up then slamming it down again to send the whole knife beneath his skin deep inside his body where it stayed hidden from sight.

After that he knew no more other than he truly was in hell...

What was taking so long? David watched as Regina stalked her way forward with Emma close on her heals. He glanced down at Hook in his arms when he thought he felt him move, eyeing him carefully he realized that something was different, furrowing his brow he looked at him closely, he was breathing in shuddering breaths which meant he was not under Thanatos' control anymore, when he was gone he just lay still with no movement other than the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Why was he back so soon, it had literally been minutes? David threw back Hook's vest and panic hit him hard when he revealed the hole that was leaking blood at an alarming rate on the right side of the Pirate's chest just beneath his ribs.

David didn't hesitate he just dumped Hook down onto the sand and slammed his hands over the wound pressing down hard to stem the flow of blood. He knew that Mary-Margaret could feel what he was feeling, that she knew what was happening and seconds later she dropped down next to him with her own blouse held out in her hand for him to use in a vain attempt and stop the bleeding. He took it bunching it up and pressing it to Hook's front eliciting a whine from the Pirate as his back arched up from the ground obviously trying to get away from the pain.

"Nooooooooooo" Hook moaned as his hand came up to try and stop David but his attempts were feeble .

A lump appeared in Davids throat when the next words were muttered as the Pirate writhed beneath his hands.

"P-p-please...no more... stop... hurts " but this was the last that he said, he seemed to lose his fight and just slumped back panting heavily as his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out again.

After a few seconds David glanced to the side to see Snow tugging her sweatshirt back over her head and she gave him a worried look, there was no need for words, they both knew what was going on here even without their connection.

Hook was dying right in front of their eyes.

"I know you're here" Regina called again "Why don't you come out and face me?"

Again there was only silence but Regina knew that the daemon was there and she'd had enough. She raised her hands up and sent out what looked like bolts of lightening, they raced to all the darkest parts of the cave fizzling loudly before bursting out into a bright white light to show every nook and cranny but still there was no one there.

"So you are using magic then." she simply said twitching her lip and stepping forward, she paced in a wide circle with her hands spread out in front of her, she could feel his magic in the air it was only a matter of time before she found him.

There... she had him. He was not far off, hiding in plain sight but now that she knew where he was she could see him in her mind.

"I see you" she smirked and raised her hands higher before casting her spell "No one can hide from me. You think that I wouldn't see through a basic cloaking spell?"

Right before her eyes the daemon shimmered back into his human form and he had a look of utter shock on his face but he wasn't looking at her he was looking behind her. She wasn't going to be fooled and nearly laughed at his feeble attempt to trick her but Henry yelling out in surprise had her turning to see the book in his hands glowing, he dropped it quickly stepping back into Emma's outstretched arms and they all watched in horror as the winged beast that had emerged from the library two days before shimmering back to life and hovered just above the fallen book.