I don't know what woke me up, but for once it wasn't a nightmare. After waking up like I usually do in the middle of the night, after Hook had looked at me with those beautiful, melancholy eyes with concern filling them in and creating a veil over the sorrow that lived within, after he moved closer to me, close enough to comfort me with his presence but far enough to not make me feel helpless or pressured, I had fallen into a dreamless sleep. I tried blinking the shriveled contacts out of my eyes and found the space beside me on the bed empty. Damn bastard! I flipped over to find the cabin equally empty. I wasn't sure if he was still onboard but from what I could feel and remembered the vessel was rocking far too steadily to be moving. Maybe we haven't left yet… I looked out the small window and sucked in a sharp, frantic breath. That is definitely not Storybrooke! I focused as the cold fire of my magic burn through my veins. I ignored the extended black nails, the smell of burning plastic from the dried contacts as glowing magic flared in my irises and inky veins weaving up my hands and arms. I let my magic seep into the bindings on my wrist. Every seam, each frayed hair of the rope was outlined in the electric blue glow. I barely had to raise a finger for the magic to do my will, this was the most basic form of my magic, the form naturally fluctuating through me, basic, simple but powerful. The rope turned to ash and I wasted no time jumping up from the bed and racing for the door. I jiggled the knob, locked. I flicked my wrist and the click of the lock unlatching signified that it obeyed my spell. Flinging open the door I ran up the companionway to the upper deck. The black veins disappeared and my nails retracted once more. Furiously trying to keep the memories of being on this ship at bay I mentally pushed them back and locked them away. Find Rumpel, find Rumpel, find Rumpel… I frantically chanted my goal over and over again. Cold, grey, clouds blanketed the sky and wind that was probably freezing to anyone else whipped my hair in my face. I flicked my head to the side to move my long hair out of the way as I jumped over the port side coaming. My left foot barely hit the pier before my right one was out in front of it. I sprinted up the wharf, only glancing back once to see that the ship was safe out of habit before making my way onto the streets of Manhattan. It's a good thing this is New York because then people can just add me to their list of crazy homeless people given my state of dress and anxiety. My jacket had been long forgotten behind the library back in Storybrooke, it was good thing I ran warm. Snaking through hoards of people and ducking around corners, panic began to arise in me. He could be dead! The last thing you did was yell at him! I rounded the last corner of a brick building and shoved my way through the doors of the apartment building. Hook was in a heap near the corner of the small entryway. A black cage-like gate separated me from the apartments. A glint caught my eye. Hook apparently had gotten his hook back at some point, what made the hot tears fall was that the silver was coated in crimson blood. All rationale flew away as I acted on pure rage, panic and fear. I gripped the lapels of his leather coat and thrust him into the wall. The movement jarred him awake.
"Did you kill him?!" I shouted.
He was dazed and acted like he may have a concussion. "Hook, fucking answer me!" I screamed, salty, wet tracks seeping down my face.
His eyes went wide as recognition and shock shot through his face. "You're eyes are two different colors." He whispered.
"You killed him! I can't believe you!" I yanked him forward and shoved him back, hard, making his head snap and hit the wall with a thud, knocking him out again.
I dropped him and clamped my hand over my mouth to try and quiet my hysteric sobs as I turned towards the gate. I slammed my fist against the buzzers and raked down, creating one long buzz. A short buzz sounded back and I ran through the barred door open as I raced up the stairs. In the hallway stood Emma and some other guy, her head shot up when she saw me. She seemed to sense what I thought.
"Ella, he's alive, poisoned but alive." She reassured me as she grabbed my arm and pulled me into one of the small apartments.
Rumpel was on the couch, breathing heavily. A layer of sweat coated his skin and his shirt was opened enough to view the wound.
"Ella." He breathed in relief.
"Rumpel, I thought you died."
"Can't get rid of me that easily, dearie."
He took in a few more short breaths.
"You can heal me?"
"I can't."
"Yes you can."
"I can't, Rumpel!" I glanced over at Emma and the man, why does he seem familiar? I moved closer to him and spoke quietly so that they could not hear. "My magic and that poison mixed together would kill you."
He rested his head back on the couch.
I turned to Emma. "When did this happen?"
"A few minutes before you arrived."
The man was studying me. "Who are you?"
"I'm his daughter, who are you?"
He looked taken aback. "What?"
"Ella, this is Bae." Rumpel introduced.
I looked at the man said to be Baelfire. I tried to ignore the vibes I was getting between Emma and him, no matter how strong they were.
"I'm not his biological daughter." I hoped that might get that shocked look off his face.
Now he just looked like he wanted to run away and not have to deal with any of this. You and me both, where have I seen you before?
"Neal." He outstretched his hand to me.
I wasn't used to blocking his scent yet and I scooted back as it hit me, but I shook his hand anyway. Strange, calloused fingers.
"We have to get him back to Storybrooke, there's magic there now." Emma explained more so to Neal than anyone else.
"I'll get a car to take us." The stress in Neal's voice was rising. That won't be fast enough.
"No, we don't have time we need something faster, the Captain's ship." Rumpel's plan came out breathlessly.
"The Jolly Roger instead of a car?" Emma gave him an incredulous look.
I looked at her and raised an eyebrow, have you not heard the tales of her; there is no other vessel to match.
"It's the fastest vessel in all the realms." Rumpel examined his wound again and dabbed at with a cloth.
"Well that's great but, who's going to Captain it, since the only guy that's qualified wants you dead."
"I can do it." I muttered at the same time as Neal.
My gaze quickly flicked to him. He looked as surprised as I did.
"Rumpel looked at both of us. Bae, Ella?"
"Yeah."
"Aye."
"I can do it." He reassured him again.
"We both can." I supplied, eying him skeptically. How would you know how to sail?
Emma looked at us both. "You know how to sail a pirate ship?"
"Yeah, I do."
I snorted. "I am actually rather useful at times." I tried to shift the attention to keep from questioning how exactly I knew how to do such a thing.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked suddenly.
Neal stood and started doing something on his phone. "Getting us a car."
"I thought you were suddenly a pirate and were going to take a ship." Emma quipped.
I grinned.
"Yeah, well, we still need to get his ass to the ship."
I looked at Rumpel again, his breathing wasn't so heavy and his eyes were closed as he held the rag to his chest. I briefly placed a comforting hand on his forearm, removing it before the contact could affect me.
"So you know Hook?" I quickly glanced up at Emma, startled and panicking, until I realized she was talking to Neal.
I took in a deep breath of relief.
"It's a long story. The short version is that this world wasn't my first stop when I left home." Oh gods, he's from Neverland! That's why I recognized him, he grew up.
I played with my hands as I realized he could recognize me. "Your eyes are two different colors." I froze. He saw… no, oh gods, no. I held my head in my hands as it dawned on me.
"No?"
"If it was I'd be a couple hundred years old by now." Neal's phone beeped. "That should be our ride hang tight."
Henry ran in the room. I gave him a weak smile.
"Emma, you need to see this." He sounded worried.
"What is it, kid?" She asked focusing on him.
He handed her a phone. "It's a text from David and Mary Margaret. You need to read it, now." He demanded urgently.
I leaned forward, resting my forearms on my knees as I waited for Emma to respond.
Her eyes scanned it before she looked at Rumpel. "Bad news, Gold."
"Wh-what? Worse than incurable poison?" He snipped.
"I don't know. You tell me. Got a dagger hidden somewhere in Storybrooke that's the source of your power."
Dread crept in. "They didn't find it? Did they?"
Emma looked inquisitively at me before shaking her head. Rumpel glanced at me and then back at Emma.
"Get to your point."
"Cora's after it. The only way we can stop her is have David and Mary Margaret get to it first."
He leaned his head back again. "Let Cora try."
"You can't seriously be willing to risk this. Not with your son coming back with you to Storybrooke."
"Miss Swan, that dagger has not left my possession for centuries. It's not about to now."
I looked at Rumpel, who refused to meet my pleading gaze before turning back to Emma. Got any ideas, princess? Emma looked at me before sliding off the table she had propped herself on and scooting in between Rumpel and I.
"Here's the thing. You're dying and right now we are your best hope. The time has come for you to start trusting someone and if I were you I'd start with family."
Impressive, usually I could only manipulate people with my more physical traits but Emma was skilled with the more mental aspect of things. Rumpel let out a regretful sigh before answering.
"How do I know they won't use it for their personal gain?"
"I promise they won't." She swore.
Rumpel's peering stare oozed skepticism at her words. I took a deep breath. Are you willing to follow through with that promise? I faced him.
"I won't let them." My voice came out calm and strong.
Emma turned and nodded.
Rumpel let out another sigh. "Clock tower, behind the hands." He acquiesced.
Emma cast me a grateful look that I returned as she got off the couch and headed out the apartment door as she dialed a number into her phone. Henry returned to the adjacent room. I looked back at Rumpel. He was examining my face that had returned to its usually hard expression of blank indifference.
"What?"
"Is all that people know about you only parts of the truth? Broken stories scattered around different people. Does anyone know who fully are?" He asked drowsily.
I studied my nails watching the cold, grey light from outside reflect off them and make them glossy. "There is one who knows more than the rest, although, he doesn't realize it, yet."
"He, Ella, who is this?"
"Why does it matter? I don't think you need to know every facet off my life. Do you really need that power over me?"
"No, of course not, I simply wanted to know what made him different."
I thought about that, I have no bloody clue. I looked up from my hands and stared straight ahead at nothing in particular. What is that, why does it feel like that, I can't describe… ugh, this is stupid. My brow furrowed at what felt like my insides being torn, then healed, then set on fire, then soaked in soothing water. As if I don't already have enough things warring inside of me.
"Ella…" I turned back to Rumpel, his eyes were mere slits but a small comforting smile appeared.
"Aye?"
"Do you love this man?"
I was startled by this and visibly jerked back as if trying to physically move out of reach of that question. "What? Rumpel, you can't be serious. We're… not capable of love, remember?"
"Did you ever think dearie that by chance you were? You are only half Shade."
"Rumpel!" I looked around to see the apartment was still empty. "I'm not having this utterly absurd conversation with you." I crossed my arms in defiance.
"You don't believe he'd love you back."
I scoffed. "I know he wouldn't. I'm a Shade Rumpel, we go after every member of the opposite sex, don't think he'd do much but lust after me and if by some miracle he did love me, I don't believe he'd be able to stick by me, to trust me while I wanted every other man in sight."
"Do you?"
"Want every man in sight? Rumpel as sickening as that is, yes I'm physically attracted to every single bloody male." I snarled harshly.
"Are you while you're around him? Or are all your attentions drawn to him?" He suggested lightly.
That would explain the inability to control myself as easily around him- are you kidding me, you don't love him! You can't experience true love only true lust.
"I'm natural-born, if the Shade doesn't throw him the natural-born will."
...
Emma's ear was pressed to door, her brow furrowed as Neal slid up next to her leaning on the wall.
"What?"
Her confused look only increased as she pulled away. "What do you know about Shades?"
Neal looked startled. "Um, not much, they're purpose in our realm is usually kept from children and I left when I was a teenager."
"But you still know what they are?"
He rubbed his neck and shuffled slightly. "Yeah, they're kind of… natural whores."
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"I don't completely understand how it works but supposedly they can't resist any member of the opposite sex physically. They're also apparently unworldly gorgeous." He frowned for a second as he paused. "Wait, why?"
Emma ignored the question. "What's a natural-born?"
Neal's frown darkened. "They're not to be messed with, Emma, they have magic but they're born with it. It's like blood for them and they use it for darkness."
Emma tried to hide the fear and concern filling her. Neal stared at her.
"Emma, why are you asking me this?"
Emma didn't want to betray Ella, she hadn't used magic on anyone yet and come to think of it she was pretty sure she was still a virgin, so maybe she just misunderstood. Emma shrugged trying to appear nonchalant.
"I overheard someone talking about them the other day and was curious."
"Yeah, well, we need to tell Ella and my father we're leaving." Neal ushered her in the door, the conversation between Ella and Gold stopping abruptly.
Emma strode in, Ella turning to face them as they entered.
"The car is here, we'll go get it." Emma explained.
Ella nodded slowly. Neal couldn't help but realize how beautiful she was and how something about her sparked familiarity.
"What about Hook?" Even her voice was smooth with the flat tones hiding something else he couldn't decipher.
"Emma locked him in a storage closet." Neal answered.
She rose from the couch looking back at Rumpelstilskin before facing them once more. "That won't hold him for long. I'll go make sure he can't get out while we're still here."
"What if he becomes conscious again?" Emma questioned.
"He won't be for long." Her muttering filled with menace as she marched gracefully, but forcefully out of the apartment.
...
Don't do it, don't- I ignored the rational part of my mind as I slipped into the closet. I just need to check on him. Hook stirred his eyes opening in slits. The painful pounding in his head and the grogginess blurred his vision but he could make out a blonde-haired woman standing near him.
Slightly delirious he spoke the first thing on his mind. "Am I dreaming?"
I stepped back from him. "No, this is a nightmare." I hoped he fell back asleep.
"You look like a-" I cut him off.
"An angel? Original, don't pull that bullshit with me. Underneath I'm just a demon haunting you."
Alright, he's okay now go before he comes to his senses! His eyes blinked into focus as I rushed out, slamming the door behind me. I heard him calling my name but it was muffled from the shut door's interference. I cringed as I formed to cast a protection spell over the entryway as well as a timed lock to give us some distance while stealing his ship. I didn't cringe because my inky black veins coming into view or the sight of my nails like daggers sliding farther out, but because of the name he was yelling after me wasn't Ella but Earla.
Author's Note: The bit about Neal noting Ella's beauty and voice isn't supposed to imply that he likes her, but he's a male and she's a Shade it's simply to show how she attracts all males. Fear not he has no feelings for her, thought that should be clarified.