A/N: Thanks for your fab reviews! I really love to read them!

Also, I don't own OUAT.

Chapter Eleven

It was a strange feeling, attempting to let go of hate so deeply ingrained in one's being. Hook lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering what it might be like to see the Dark One again. Would he still feel a deep and abiding hate? Yes. However, when he played out the scenario in his mind, he was determined that he choose to ignore the crocodile. He would meet the Dark One's eyes, feel the rage coursing through his veins, and then walk away. Whenever he saw himself walking away from the Dark One, he also pictured himself heading towards Emma.

Hook looked to the other side of the bed and pictured her there, curled up in sleep, a hand flung out toward him. He felt the raging volcano in his chest ebb into a placid river. Yes, she was a much better sight to imagine than Rumplestiltskin. He sighed and thought about what he might say to her the next time they met. Apologizing wasn't something he was good at, nor something he particularly relished doing, but he felt he owed her a little penance for working with her enemies.

Alright, so first he would apologize. Then what? Confess his undying love for her? He snorted at his thoughts and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't quite that far gone on her yet. No, he'd apologize, then he'd kiss her. He smiled at this plan. Yes, kissing her seemed like a good idea. After he apologized she'd likely have a lot to say, so he'd just swoop in and—

His thoughts were interrupted by the swirl of purple smoke that erupted at the end of his bed. Cora. "Get up. We're moving forward with our plans tonight."

Hook leapt out of bed and pulled on his shirt. "Why? What happened?"

Cora shook her head and absently rubbed her chest. "Something's wrong. We need to start moving our forces tonight, so we can be ready for battle tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

Tomorrow. Would Regina be ready by tomorrow? His heart thumped erratically in his chest. "I'll be ready to move by midnight," he told Cora, extending the time he'd need by an hour to delay her.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he held his breath. Finally she nodded and disappeared into a cloud of smoke. He let out his breath with a shake of his head. "Regina, I hope you're ready for this," he murmured to himself as he began packing for their journey.

/

It was nearly dawn and Emma was still awake, staring at the ceiling above her bed, thinking about that damned pirate. She'd done well at avoiding thinking about him for the last two months, and then her mother, while well-meaning, had gone and ruined her fragile peace of mind. She groaned and shifted her position for the thousandth time that night, hoping it would be comfortable enough to allow her to sleep. With thoughts of Hook still rushing through her mind, she doubted it.

Sighing, she curled up on her side and tried counting her breaths. One, two, three, blue eyes. Damn it. Okay, start over. One, two, three, four, five, scruffy smile. She huffed and beat her pillow. One, two, incredibly chiseled body. "Ugh," she groaned loudly, picking up another pillow and attempting to smother herself with it.

The truth was, she wasn't one hundred percent positive she could ignore him on the battlefield. She felt like she was drawn to him, and she knew she'd be hyper-aware of anything he did within her viewing range. It had happened when she and her parents had confronted him at the Evil Queen's palace. Even when she'd been focused on deflecting Cora's magic, she'd known exactly where he was at all times and whether he was in danger of being hurt by Snow's blade.

He was definitely going to be a distraction, one that could get her family or someone else killed. But what could she do about it? She needed to be there to face Regina. She was the only one with magic strong enough to challenge Regina's, therefore she was indispensable on the field of battle. She would just have to figure out a way to shut down her feelings and ignore him.

Before she could think of a way to do that, her bedroom door burst open and Red rushed in. "Emergency council meeting, now," she said breathlessly.

Emma nodded and pulled her clothes on, knowing it must be important if they were calling a meeting in the middle of the night. She made her way down the corridors to the council chamber. She was just about to enter through the open door when she heard her parents whispering just inside. When she heard her own name come up, she stepped back to hide in the shadows of the corridor.

"I'm worried about bringing Emma into this fight, Charming. I don't think she can handle it," Snow was saying quietly.

Her father's voice sounded incredulous. "Of course she can handle it, Snow. She did spectacularly well on her own all these years, and now that she's proficient in magic, Regina—"

Snow interrupted him. "I'm not worried about her fighting skills, I'm worried about how she'll handle being around Hook."

There was a beat of silence and she could picture her mother giving Charming a pointed look. "What?" he fairly screeched, making Emma wince. "You think she…You think they…" he couldn't seem to finish his queries.

"I think Emma may have a hard time seeing him in danger," Snow stated carefully.

Her father groaned. "What do you suggest we do? We can't exactly win this fight without her."

"I'll take care of Hook," her mother decided. "I'll keep him away from Emma for as long as I can. Hopefully that will buy her enough time to take care of Regina without distractions."

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it?" Charming asked hopefully.

Snow couldn't quite suppress her snigger. "No, I'll do it. You've got Cora to worry about."

Others started streaming down the hallway to the council room then, so Emma slipped out of the shadows and into the room along with everyone else. She sat next to her mother, who sent her a comforting smile. Emma merely grimaced back, her thoughts racing about the conundrum that was Hook. She couldn't afford the distraction, and she doubted her mother would be able to keep him from her on the field if he really wanted to find her. She rubbed her head, wondering what to do.

Her father called the meeting to order then, drawing her attention away from her current predicament. "Regina's army is on the move," he stated gravely. "They are headed this way and will be here by this afternoon at the latest."

The council shared worried looks and murmured comments, trying to figure out what their next steps should be. Finally, everything was in order to move out. "Baelfire, have you heard from your father yet?" Charming asked, tapping his fingers in a rapid rhythm on the table.

Bae sighed heavily and shook his head. "No, unfortunately I have not," he said quietly, rubbing his red eyes.

"Well, dearies, it would seem you're in a bit of a pickle," came a high-pitched taunt from the back of the room. All eyes jerked to Rumplestiltskin, who was sitting comfortably in a chair in the corner. "Perhaps I can help you with that," he said, holding up a small brown sack.

"Is that…?" Bae swallowed hard, walking toward his father.

Rumple's eyes shifted to his son and his leer softened into a grin. "Cora's heart? Oh, yes it is. Took some effort to retrieve it, but I told you I'd get it and now I have."

Bae took the sack from his father gingerly, keeping it far away from his body as he handed it over to Snow. "Thank you, Papa. This will definitely help us win the battle today," Bae said with a small smile.

Snow opened the bag to look at the heart and Rumple let loose a high-pitched giggle. "I took the liberty of casting a spell on it. Once her heart is back in," he waved his hands in the air dramatically. "Well, let's just say you won't have any problems with her in the future."

Snow's eye widened and her jaw dropped. "What will happen to her?" she whispered, horrified.

"She'll get what she deserves," Rumple said coldly.

Charming cleared his throat and called everyone to attention again. "Alright everybody, you all know the plan for today. Let's get moving." There was a flurry as everyone moved to leave and work on their assigned tasks to prepare for the fight.

Before Emma could leave, Rumple called her to a halt. "Wait, princess. I need to speak with you for a moment." His tone sounded more like the man than the Dark One.

Bae lifted a brow to her in question, but she waved him along. His father probably had some advice on how to counter Regina's magic or something. "What is it?" she asked him after the room had emptied.

He studied her for a moment before he stood and started wandering around the room. "I overheard your parents earlier," he started, sending her a sly look.

She swallowed heavily. "Eavesdropping is rude, you know," she stated, not looking away from his eerie black eyes.

He giggled and hopped onto the table. "Then I guess we're both in trouble, aren't we?" he taunted, tipping his head to the side and studying her curiously. "I've got a solution," he sang to her, pulling a vial out of his pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

Her throat went dry. "My mother told me you once gave her a potion to forget my father. Is that…" she nodded her head toward it, unable to finish the thought.

Rumple giggled again and bounced off the table. "Is this the same potion? Why yes it is, dearie, and I thought you might like to have a bottle as well." He held it up and she reached out.

"Wait," she said pulling her hand back and narrowing her eyes at him. "What do you want for it?"

His insect-eyes widened fractionally and he placed a hand on his heart. "You still doubt me." He shook his head and stepped closer to her, the bottle even with her eyes. "It's a gift, dearie, to help you in the upcoming fight. Like dear old mummy and daddy, I'd hate to see you hurt because you couldn't keep your thoughts from the dirty pirate," he stated, jiggling the vial.

Emma lifted her hand slowly and gripped the bottom. "Thank you," she said slowly, watching his eyes for his reaction.

He didn't let go of the bottle, merely stepped closer as she pulled it toward her, until their faces were merely inches apart. "No worries, dearie. I wish you luck with Regina today; she will definitely require your full attention," he pointedly eyed the bottle as Emma pulled it away from his slackening grip.

She exhaled shakily as she looked down on the potion. "I'll keep that in mind." She met his eyes and nodded, grip tightening around the vial. "I wouldn't want to be distracted during the fight," she murmured to herself as she walked out of the room, leaving a gleeful Rumplestiltskin behind.

/

They had a tent set up on the battlefield, away from where most of the action would take place, but close enough that they could keep an eye on the fight. Charming was adjusting his armor when Emma walked in, determination in her eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

She turned to him and helped him with his armor. "Of course I'm alright. I ran from that woman for nearly three years. You and Mom have been fighting her half of your lives. I am ready to see her put away, or dead if it comes to that," she stated bluntly.

Charming gave her an odd look as he started helping her into her armor. "Your mother would really like it if we could just capture Regina, put her in prison. Killing her has always been our last resort."

"Yes, and look where that's gotten you," Emma snapped. Charming merely raised an eyebrow at her harsh tone. "I'm sorry," she placed a hand on her temple and rubbed. "I'm just…I'm ready for this to be over."

He chuckled and said, "Aren't we all? But let me give you some advice from your mother, who learned it from her mother: You should always keep the spirit of goodness in your heart. This fight may have ended a long time ago had we chosen to kill Regina when we had the chance, but that's not who we are. We will always choose to do the right thing rather than the easy thing." He placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "I know you'll always do the right thing, Emma," he said quietly.

"Thank you, Dad," she murmured, closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss he placed on her forehead. "I will always try to do the right thing."

A/N: Just so you know, tomorrow will be the last updates. I'm kind of freaking out about how you're all going to react…!