I don't own OUAT

If I am destined to be with Hook, so be it. It may well be a horrific idea, but what must happen must. I have learned to live with that knowledge. But as for the other ideas brought up in the visions, it will not happen. I will not replace my heart and allow weakness to overtake me. I must maintain control over both myself and my Captain.

-Cora Mills

Hook woke up, his arms wrapped around a beautiful woman. He kissed her head, her hair soft against his skin. She turned in her sleep, her head rubbing against his chest sweetly. A set of gorgeous chocolate eyes blinked open drowsily. His face broke into a wide grin as he pulled her closer to him, simply enjoying this moment of stolen time conveniently hidden inside their time-locked reality.

"Morning, love." She shifted slightly, her sweet lips touching his own softly before pulling away. She muttered a quick "Morning" before plunging her head beneath the covers. It was not yet light, but she had developed something of a pattern for not wishing to get up in the morning. There must be something particularly lovely in Cora's dreams, because each morning she desperately fought to reclaim them. Hook chuckled at her childish behavior. It was another rare window of innocence in her. He longed for there to be more of them.

She had been less concerned with being lady-like lately, though nothing could break the effortless inhuman elegance she always kept about her. Even in a wrinkled nightgown wit near-ferocious hair, the air buzzed with her energy. It was not money, of which she had more than enough of, or beauty, something she perhaps held more of than wealth, that made her so unique. It was cruelty and magic that made his mistress so powerful. It drew him in, and forced him to love her. It was hardly the same way Milah had taken his heart, but his love for Cora was just as sure.

"Rest, my Queen." He rolled out of bed, not quite ready to leave the warmth of his queen, but there was work to be done, and it was quite apparent that Cora would not be the one doing it. Even so, it would only take a word from her to keep him there, but her lips had fallen silent once more as sleep mercifully allowed her to return, a favor Hook himself would never have been offered.

The day was barely breaking by the time he had gotten far enough away from their clearing to prepare a meal for Cora. The sun, thankfully, was the one thing in this land that had not frozen. It rose and fell beyond the horizon as it always had, too powerful an entity to be controlled by Cora or her daughter's spells. At this time of day, it was just beginning its quest across the sky, shooting deep red and yellow streaks before it to prepare the way.

He had started a small fire, smoke billowing up from it to cloud the tie-dyed sky. After much searching, he found a thin rock pallet to place over it, two thick logs on either side supporting it. As it was heated over the flames, he climbed a nearby tree, snatching an egg up from the nest of some bird that was nowhere to be found. After a moment's brief hesitation, he took one more before returning to his make-shift stove.

He cracked an egg gently, small fissures forming across the surface. A huff of frustration escaped his lips, and he beat it harder, shattering the egg inside itself. He plucked the broken shell out swiftly, which had, for the most part, stayed whole, and poured the egg onto the pallet. Using a simple wooden spoon, he shifted the egg around so that it would cook evenly. After he finished, he slid the egg onto a plate and began to gather berries, their little sweeteners, for his queen. He busied himself in the arrangement when he felt a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Is that for me?" he smirked, turning to the woman he loved.

"Well, that depends, love." He slid the plate behind his back. "What will you do to deserve it?" She settled herself down into his lap and wrapped her arms around him. He fought to keep a grin off his face.

"Oh, pet. Have I not done enough for you?" He frowned at the name, not because he disapproved of it, but because he felt certain that she could feel his approval from her place upon his lap. He was her throne, her cook, and her pet. But she was his queen, and that was enough for everything to be worth it.

"You know you have. I simply require a small payment for your meal." She shifted her position, her dress hitching up as she straddled him. He responded in turn, wrapping an arm around her body, trying not to focus on the increasing tightness in his trousers. The tip of his hook grazed her spine lightly, sending small yet gratifying trembles through her body. He bit his lip, eyes locked on her every move, his body completely in tune with hers.

"I think I may be able to pay that price." she moved forward, kissing him slowly. Her hands cupped his face, holding him to her as she took control. She pushed him, his back landing on the perpetually dew-damp grass. Hands roamed his body torturously, lingering where she could feel his pleasure. She felt her way around his body, stroking him when she had gotten to her target. He was incapable of response; she had enchanted him long before. She unbuttoned his shirt at a ridiculously slow pace that could only be for the pain and pleasure that it caused them both. A single moan escaped him as he laid powerless beneath her. His eyes fluttered shut in pleasure as she reached for the lining of his pants. However, the instant his vigilance stopped, so too did her movements.

"Something wrong, lo-" The sight in front of him was ridiculous. Cora was laid out across his half-naked form, appearance frazzled at best, eating the eggs he had made her. She stood, plate in hand, returning to their bed. She had left him stranded in the woods, thoroughly unsatisfied. As he stood, unwillingly, to follow her, he heard a loud crack. That extra egg had broken open. All over his back.