A/N: I'm not even going to say I'm sorry it took me so long. Please know I'm trying to finish this story even if it's costing me months to produce each chapter

Chapter 11: The Plan

Killian stormed into the castle, his long strides taking him hastily into the library. He didn't bother with knocking and simply burst into the room. A few heads turned around at the sound: Charming and Regina were pacing in the room, Snow was sitting by the fireplace and Robin by the window, was looking outside.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Killian asked forcefully, not being able to keep the fear away from his voice.

"Emma…" Charming started, "she's not with you?"

Killian shook his head and Charming's hopeful look faltered. "She should have come back from her trip earlier than we did, but when we got here, she wasn't. No one had heard anything." He cleared his throat. "We thought that – perhaps…" David trailed off, a soft tint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.

"Perhaps what? That I would take the princess away and deep into the sea for a dalliance? That I would just be so inconsiderate to her family?" Killian wasn't able to control the rage in his voice. There was a dreading feeling at the pit of his stomach that he couldn't just shake and hard as he tried, he couldn't stop pouring all his emotions into his words. "Why would I have bring her with me without word when I'd have been able to take what she was very willingly offering before and I've refused?"

The sounds of glass shattering brought him back to his senses and he turned to see Snow's hands shaking, glass shreds at her feet. Killian's heart sank in his chest and quickly he'd closed the distance, kneeling in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Milady. I'm so sorry. I guess you were right; pirates are no gentlemen after all," he said, his eyes locking with hers and reading the fear behind them. He took her hand in his, and spoke with determination. "I know I'm no gentleman, Your Majesty, but I'm a man of my word and I promise you this: I will find her, Milady. I will find Emma and get her back to you. I vow my life to this task," he finished vehemently.

Snow nodded, her hand squeezing his in the heartfelt plea of a mother that had already lost her daughter once and didn't want to go through the same again. Killian gave her a reassuring smile before he stood up again, taking a deep breath to regain his cold, calculating mind. He needed it at the moment.

"How long has she been missing?"

"It's hard to say, but at least a week," David said, running a hand through his hair and sighing deeply. "We've been scouting the villages, trying to find out if there's any gossip or any rumors of possible enemies to the kingdom, or anything that might seem out of place…"

Killian's heart stopped for a brief second, his eyes widening. David and Regina seemed to catch up on this, because they quickly approached him.

"I- I might have heard some things on my trip," Killian explained. He hadn't been actively seeking, not anymore. The Crocodile was gone and even if it weren't, Killian had moved onto seeking something different in his life. But old habits die hard, and old reputations even harder. Everyone knew and remembered how Captain Hook was always keen on having information on anything related to the Dark One.

"There's been rumors," Killian started, "about dark magic activity, some say that it's even happening closer to the Dark One's castle. I – I didn't pay much attention to it, knowing that Rumplestiltskin had died, I presumed someone might be trying to take advantage of my previous interests to deceive me out of a few gold coins." He made a tsk sound with his tongue against his cheek, his words trailing in the air.

"But if Emma is missing and the rumors are actually true…" Regina started, only to stop herself, her eyes widening in surprise.

Hook swallowed, his jaw clenching in tension. "Then Baelfire is doing dark magic."

"But why would he do that?" Snow asked.

"He misses his father. After everything they went through, they were starting to mend their relationship. Perhaps he's looking for options to bring him back." David pointed out.

"You can't bring someone back from the dead, can you?" Robin asked.

"No," Regina said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Not that we know of. But I'm not sure the extent of magical artifacts that Gold might have collected for centuries. Who knows what he had in his vault." She paced back and forth, her forehead frowned in deep concentration. "But if you could bring the dark one back… then it would require a major magic offer to counterbalance. All magic comes with a price," she pointed out and she gaped in realization. "It would require light magic. The purest form of magic that exists."

"Emma… she's the product of true love." Snow choked on the words and David was by her side, holding her hand reassuringly.

"Swan…" Killian said, despair etched in his voice. "He's going to do something to her magic to try and bring his father back."

"We have to stop him," David said. "We need to put together a search party and go to the castle."

"You can't go, mate," Killian said sadly. "You're the ruler of the kingdom, you can't put yourself at risk."

"She's my daughter, Hook!" David had crossed the room as was now facing Killian with an angered face.

"And you have a wife and another one on the way that need you," Hook said calmly. "Emma would never want you to put your life in danger."

"The pirate is right," Regina said. "You need to stay here with Snow, we'll rescue Emma."

"You should stay behind too, Majesty," Killian retorted. Regina's ruthless stare fail upon him, but he didn't falter. "Henry," Hook whispered, "he already has one mother at risk. Do you think is wise for you to put yourself in harm's way?"

"I'm going with you." Regina protested. "There's magic involved… you need magic!"

"And you need to stay with her son!" Hook said with controlled rage in his voice. "Your son. This is his father and his mother that are involved. If something happened, Emma wouldn't want Henry to lose all his family. You know this, Regina."

It took Regina a few moments to ponder Killian's words before she nodded. "You can't go alone, Hook," she said, "it's took risky."

"Too many people can draw attention too, we have to do this quietly. We don't know how volatile the situation can be."

"Take my men, at least one of them," Robin offered. "Will Scarlet. He – he might have some skill sets that you'll find helpful when trying to sneak into places."

Hook smirked. "That would do."

"Hook," Snow said and Killian focused his attention on her. "You have no magic, this can be dangerous."

"I know," he whispered and he turned to Regina. "Can you give me something that might be useful? I'll figure it out the rest on my own."

"I can think of a few things that might help. Give me a few moments to prepare them." Regina said as she left for her chambers.

"I'll gather Will and get the horses ready for the trip," Robin added with a soft nod of his head.

Less than two hours later, Hook mounted his horse, a few trinkets hidden on his saddlebags – a couple of vials with potions, a healthy supply of squid ink – and a blood enchantment on his hook that hopefully will make it easier to sneak into the dark one's castle. Will mounted the horse next to his, both men exchanging a few words earlier about the upcoming mission.

Killian had a determined look on his face. He'd already lost one woman he loved to the dark one. He wasn't going to lose another. His eyes drifted to Snow walking hesitantly to him. She grabbed his hand. "Bring her home, Hook. And take care of yourself."

"Aye, you have my word, majesty."