On the Sword

Chapter XIV

After hours of dragging and coaxing the delirious pirate across miles of beach, they finally arrived at the Jolly Roger. It was a tedious and difficult affair bringing the pirate home, for he kept trying to walk out into the sea. And when he wasn't stumbling and writhing in pain, or trying to form a coherent sentence, Charming explained to everyone what happened the night before concerning the panther attack. It was Emma who took it the hardest, both angry with herself for not noticing his dire situation straightaway, and for feeling useless in helping him now. She struggled to hold herself together, keeping her emotions in check while simultaneously trying to keep Hook from drowning himself. And when they reached the ship's gangplank, she was all but soaked in both sweat and seawater.

Thusly, once the Captain was taken care of and Emma was sitting vigil by his bed, the others gathered in the galley to regain their strength and discuss their next move.

"I'm not sure which should take priority," sighed Charming, running a hand down his face as he leaned forward to brace his other one on the table.

Rumple sat across from him, and having not said a word since their return, finally decided to speak up. "Getting home shall be our priority," he said, without so much as an ounce of emotion. "The Captain can sort himself out."

Charming glared at him.

"I agree," said Snow, standing next to her husband. "It's unfortunate, but really, what is there we can do for him?"

Charming looked at his wife expectantly. "I can't believe I'm hearing this from you," he said.

"Well," she started, placing a hand on his back. "Unless, Dr. Whale, is hiding in a corner or Regina has some pixie dust left over, what can we do?"

Charming hung his head. She was right. None of them had a clue how to treat the venom, and as much as it pained him to watch his daughter suffer through all this, he didn't have any answers. "So what do we do?" he asked.

"I say let him die," replied Rumple.

Charming rose to full height and stabbed a finger at the imp. "I don't want to hear another word out of you!"

To this, Rumpelstiltskin got up from the table and made his way quietly out of the room.

This left Charming with his wife, his grandson and Regina in the galley with him; all looking to him for answers. And for one of the first times in his life, he felt truly conflicted. With nothing else to do or say, he wrapped an arm around Snow and pulled her close to kiss the top of her head.

Henry came over and stood next them. He looked into Charming's eyes with his mouth set in unyielding determination. "I believe you'll come up with something," he said, with a confident nod. "Captain Hook won't die."

Charming and Snow bent down and placed and hand on each of his shoulders. "Oh, Henry," grimaced Snow. "I know it's good to have hope, but what makes you so sure about this?"

"Cause I still smell leather and spice," he replied, the serious line of his mouth turning into a smile.

Regina approached and knelt beside the boy. "What is this about leather and old spice?" she asked.

"I don't know exactly," replied Henry. "But ever since I've been smelling it on this Island, good things have happened. And no matter how scared or alone I felt with Pan, when I smelled it, I suddenly felt safe and warm; like I was at home or something."

Charming led his grandson to one of the benches and sat him down. Then he pulled a chair out from the table and sat across from him. Smiling warmly, he held Henry's hands in his and spoke. "Emma mentioned this to me," he started. "And how that smell was the reason you trusted Hook. But why did you smell it in the first place? Hook's been with us the whole time."

"Actually, he's been with Emma for most of it," pointed out Regina. "I know you two would like to turn a blind eye and pretend it isn't happening, but your daughter and that pirate have gotten pretty close these past few days."

Charming glared at her over his shoulder. He did not need to be reminded of that now, or ever for that matter. But then he recalled the first time he noticed a spark in his daughter's eyes regarding Hook. They were standing on the pier after the storm and Emma was wearing his coat… the coat that most likely carried the heavy aroma of leather and spice. "On my god," he laughed, softly. "Emma's been doing it this whole time."

"Doing what, exactly?" asked Regina.

"Using magic," replied Charming.

"What? How?" asked Snow, coming around the table to stand by her husband.

Charming looked up to where Regina was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and a confused look on her face. "Is it possible?" he asked her, rising from his seat. "We all know Emma has magic in her, but we've never been able to fully understand it. Maybe she's the reason Henry felt safe all this time, and felt a connection to his family on this Island. Henry was feeling what Emma was feeling because she was sending him messages through magic… through her thoughts."

Regina shook her head. "Adults need pixie dust," she reminded him. "Only children can use that sort of magic."

"But she is a child," stated Snow, waving a hand between her and her husband. "Our child."

Regina frowned and tilted her head to the side. "May I remind you, Emma is an adult as well as your child."

Charming snapped his fingers. "That's it!" he said. "As well as… She's both an adult and a child. We've only been reunited a short time… since the curse broke to be exact. To her, she probably does feel like a child inside."

Elation showed on Snow's face as she cupped her hands to her mouth. "My goodness," she breathed. "She's been sending out happy thoughts all this time and making things happen."

Charming's mind raced with memories of the past few days, each one careening him closer to a plausible hypothesis. "I hate to say it," he said. "But she did look her happiest when she was with Hook. And just yesterday we were all talking about pixie dust around the table and then suddenly Hook found some and gave it to you," he paused to look at Regina.

"And when we first arrived at Pirate's Cove, she saw something the rest of us didn't…" stammered Snow.

"A happy place," whispered Regina. "It wasn't until we told her what was really there that she saw it for the place it really was."

Charming fell back into his seat with an exacerbated sigh. "And she brought Hook back from the dead."

"What?" replied several voices in unison.

He let out a soft chuckle before answering. "Hook told me he was sure he had died today, or at least was moments away from it. He couldn't understand how he was up walking after he passed out, but yet he was." He paused to look at his grandson with a smile. "It was right after she kissed you and broke the sleeping curse that he opened his eyes again."

"She brought a man back from the dead... or the nearly dead?" asked Regina, both incredulity and jealousy in her voice.

"Apparently so," replied Charming, as he reached to hold his wife's hand. "True love is a very powerful thing."

"Then why is Hook still dying now?" pushed Regina, obviously not quite ready to accept her one time nemesis as a more powerful purveyor of magic than she.

Charming drew in a regretful breath. "I don't know."

"Maybe she just ran out of juice," suggested Henry, who had sat quietly through the conversation. "I'd think it would take a lot of magic to bring someone back from the dead and break a sleeping curse," he continued when all eyes reverted to him. "Maybe she just needs to recharge. Besides, if her magic comes from her happy place, well, she's not exactly in one now."

"So her magic isn't strengthening," finished Snow. "She just needs to find her happiness to make it work again."

"That's not going to happen now," snorted Regina. "How's she suppose to find her happy thoughts when the man she loves is dying?"

Snow frowned and Charming understood immediately. He didn't need to hear what Snow was about to say. But she said it anyway because, like him, she probably felt the need to say it out loud to substantiate its veracity. "Emma is not in love with, Captain Hook," she said.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourselves that," stated Regina, pulling her son from the bench and heading for the door. "In the meantime, I'm going to put Henry to bed. He needs his rest after what he's been through."

Henry defiantly tried to impede his mother from escorting him out the door. "But I want to stay," he pleaded.

"This is adult time," placated Regina. "Keep moving, buster."

Henry grabbed the door frame with what Charming assumed was all his might. "But I have something else to tell you," he implored, finally able to push himself back into the galley.

"It can wait till morning," said Charming. "Regina is right. You need your rest."

"But I know how to get us home!"

-OUAT-

Out of respect for his privacy, and their own personal modesty, Emma and Snow had removed most of Hook's clothing but left him wearing only his leather pants. They also removed his hook and made sure he was comfortably arranged in his bed before Snow had taken her leave to join the others in the galley. Emma was now sitting beside him dabbing a cool cloth on his feverish skin as he tossed and turned. Emma held him still and coaxed him back into a restful state with soothing words until he finally rolled to his side and laid still.

Emma did not stop him from rolling away from her, no matter how hard it was to stare at his exposed back. She and her mother had seen what was probably a very painful reminder of his earlier days as a pirate displayed maliciously on his back when they had undressed him. But it wasn't until now that she could really look at them and imagine what could have made the horrible markings on his skin.

She wanted to reach out and touch them, smooth them away. She didn't need to know the stories behind them, just knowing they were there was enough to give her further insight into his past. She also didn't want to disturb him. He had finally fallen into a peaceful slumber after several feeble attempts at getting up.

With a tired and heavy heart, she glanced over her shoulder to ensure their privacy, then stared down at his sleeping form. "I just want to say something," she said, with a nervous laugh. "I know you probably can't hear me, and that's why I can do this." Speaking about her feelings, intimate or not, had always been difficult for Emma. She was always self-conscious about such things.

Hook on the other hand, never had problems wearing his heart on his sleeve; something of which Emma was beginning to admire in not only him but in those around her as well. Living a sheltered existence wasn't at all fun or easy; erecting walls, pushing people away, it was all very lonely. And exhausting. She wished she could be more like her mother, more like Hook, in the fact that they both opened up their hearts so easily. But without a roadmap, Emma felt lost navigating her emotions. So how was she suppose to let them out when she couldn't even understand them herself?

Fortunately, Emma now knew what it felt like to be loved by a family. Awkward as it was at times, she knew Snow and Charming loved her, wanted to protect her and wanted only the best for her, and she appreciated it. She even liked it. But even more so, she knew what a son's love felt like, and that she would never trade for anything in the world. But it was a man's love that had her all wound up inside; had her stomach feeling queasy, her knees weak, her heart yearning, but all in a good way. And this was what Emma had missed most of her life, and what she had been so thankful for just the other night. But again, it was slowly being taken away from her and she didn't know how to act or what to say.

She took a deep breath and moved herself onto the bed to sit next to him and rested a hand on his hip. "I'm not very good at this," she started again, nervously biting on her lip. "I guess I've never had much practice. But I feel like I have to say something to you. About me. About us."

Butterflies danced in her stomach and she had to take a deep breath. Even with him unconscious she found it difficult to admit her emotions out loud. The thoughts and feelings in her mind and heart felt uncomfortable coming out of her mouth, regardless of how true they were.

So she started with what she knew. "First of all, thank you. Henry is safe because of you and well, thank you…" She let her voice trail off as she threw her head back in frustration. "This is not where I wanted to be going with this," she sighed and looked back down at Hook. She schooled her thoughts and began again. Just say it. Just say it, she repeated to herself.

"Okay. Here it goes. " She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I want to be with you. And I can't imagine the rest of my life without you."

There. I said it.

She blew out a long breath of air and opened her eyes. She felt relieved, but also a little saddened-which she had not expected. Hook was unable to respond, which left Emma feeling slightly dejected. She felt better, freer, for having said it, but although she didn't doubt Hook reciprocated her feelings, it would have been nice to hear something back.

"Now come back to me," she continued, leaning over his body to brush the hair from his forehead. "What we have is magical, full of hope and possibility." She laughed when she suddenly remembered where she heard that before. And somehow, throwing his words back at him now almost felt good. "You were right to compare me to that dried up old bean," she said. "But you've awoken something inside of me now and I hope you never see me that way again."

Emma pulled back off the bed and retook her seat on the chair. She watched Hook sleep until the sun went down outside, and then, unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she let her head fall on the bed next to him and fell asleep.

She remembered hearing people in the cabin, moving about and asking her questions, but it wasn't until she felt a strong arm on her shoulder that she fully awoke. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that it was dark outside and the only light in the cabin came from an oil lamp on the table in the far corner. Then she noticed Hook had moved. He was on his back now with his arms draped over his abdomen, but yet, still asleep.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," greeted a voice beside her.

She turned to see Rumpelstiltskin standing at the foot of the pirate's bed. He was the last person she expected to see, so she eyed him skeptically, shook the cobwebs from her mind and stretched her arms over her head. "What do you want?" she asked. "How's Henry?"

Rumple smiled back at her as he rocked forward on his cane. "He is fine," he replied in a genuine voice. "As for what I want, well, that's a tricky question."

"It seems quite simple to me," replied Emma, reflexively inching her body closer to the man Rumple all but wanted to kill just prior to this whole Neverland fiasco.

Rumple's usually cryptic demeanor instantly deflated. "What I meant by that, Ms. Swan, is that you didn't ask me the right question. What I want is... to know what you want? Without the Dark One's powers, I can't read minds."

Emma raised an eyebrow. Surely he was kidding. "Two tickets to the next Mets game would be nice, or maybe, I don't know, Hook to not die."

Rumple smiled down at his clenched fists resting atop his cane. "Hm, I'll try to work on the first one, but how about I relieve you for a while so you can get some real rest. Maybe even a little quality time with Henry."

Emma sat upright. "Isn't he asleep?" she asked, looking out the back window to see a large, and devastatingly beautiful, full moon hanging in the night sky.

"That he is," replied Rumple, as he moved to stand by the window. "But Regina seems to find staring at his sleeping form comforting, so I assumed you would as well. I must admit I did spend many a night sitting by Bae's side while he slept as a child. There's just something so innocent about them while they slumber."

It surprised Emma to hear such authentic concern in his voice, but then again, he did travel to extreme lengths to reunite with his son as well. "Maybe for a little while," she said, admittedly tired and sore from sleeping in a chair. She did also want to check in on Henry and have a word with her parents.

So she got up and tucked her chair back into the table and spared one more glance at Hook's sleeping form before heading for the cabin door. "You won't try anything, will you?"

Rumple shook his head in reply as he leaned against the ledge running under the window. "You have my word," he said, bowing his head forward ever so slightly. "Besides, what could I possibly do? I have no magic and surely your father, or you, would kill me should I allow harm to come to our dear, sweet, Captain."

Emma did not like the tone of his voice, but he had a point. And she really wanted to get out and stretch her legs before going to check on her son. "I'm going to leave the door open," she warned, making a point that she would be watching and listening. "And call if anything changes. I won't be far."

She watched as Rumple took up residence in a chair on the far side of the dining table. "I promise to never leave my seat, unless he leaves this cabin on his own two feet."

-OUAT-

Again, Hook's sixth sense kicked in. He felt someone watching him from deep within the dream world. With a fog-laden mind, he lulled his head to the side to look about his room. He was alone. Which was odd, because he could have sworn someone was there watching him.

He pushed himself upright in the bed with great difficulty and swung his legs to the floor. After taking a moment to adjust to his surroundings and stop the room from spinning, he stood up. Instantly, his legs collapsed beneath him but he was able to catch himself by bracing his arm on the dining table.

Once his legs were somewhat secure underneath him, he searched for the door he knew was directly in front of him. But the ship was rocking and the sounds of waves crashing against the Roger's hull disoriented him and he couldn't focus on anything.

But he knew now was his best chance.

So far, no one had stopped him; so he figured he better get moving.

If only his body would co-operate.

He concentrated on moving one leg at a time until he was standing. Then, using the furniture and walls for support, he stumbled his way out of his cabin, through the small corridor, up the stairs and out onto the deck of the Jolly Roger.

The sea was calling him and he didn't like to keep her waiting.

But when the cool night air enveloped his feverish skin, he suddenly felt light-headed and collapsed to the ground once again. He had to crawl the rest of the way, scraping his knees and the stump of his left hand on the rough deck of the ship to get him there. But eventually Hook found salvation when his right hand came into contact with the ships starboard railing.

He dragged his body up till he could rest his hips against the ledge and lean out over the sea. The dark water below was hitting the hull with rhythmic timing, lulling the ship into a peaceful roll. He pushed back and braced himself on the railing and dropped his head to stare at the deck.

His sixth's sense started tingling again.

After taking a moment to gather his wits, he turned his head to look toward the main mast. "Don't bother trying to stop me," he said, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I'm not here to stop you, dearie," returned Rumple's overtly chipper voice. "I'm here to help."

Hook breathed in deeply, a mistake he quickly regretted when it made his nausea rear its ugly head. "Will you?" he asked, while holding his left arm against his wound to relieve some of the pain. "Help me?"

"I would like nothing better," replied Rumple, walking over to stand just behind the pirate.

"I don't have much time," explained Hook, turning so that he was now facing the imp. He leaned back against the railing and ran a hand down his face to clear his mind.

"I know you don't," replied Rumple.

Hook gathered enough strength to look the man in the eyes. "You knew this whole time, didn't you?"

Rumple smiled back. "Of course I did," he said.

"Then why didn't you tell them?!"

Rumple looked down at the deck with a sinister grin. "And deny myself the pleasure of watching you suffer? Why would I do that? Besides, I knew eventually you would make your way topside. All I had to do was wait. And patience, dearie, is something I have abundance of."

Hook couldn't believe he was about to give his great, centuries old nemesis the pleasure of killing him, but he really saw no other choice. He'd spent the last few hours trying to tell everyone what he needed to do, but no one understood. Everyone kept pushing him back into bed.

He stepped forward and away from the edge to move closer to the imp. "Promise me this," he said, looking down at the man. "And do it quickly."

"And in return?"

Hook eyed him sideways. "You get to relish in the fact that you were the cause of my death? Isn't that enough?"

Rumple sighed. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But it's not. Regina informed me about your plan the other night, which is why I returned here. I was not required. But it also means I know what it is you have in your possession. It is something I cherish greatly, as you do your life. Or well, death."

"Are you proposing a trade?"

"Your death for Pan's heart."

Hook laughed quietly to himself, knowing all too well what a trade with Rumpelstiltskin meant. But since he planned on giving the imp the heart in the first place, he didn't have a problem making the deal now. "Inside coat pocket," he said. "You'll find it there. Now can we get on with this before someone comes up on deck?"

Rumple smiled and nodded. "As you wish," she simply stated.

Hook nodded and turned to head back to the railing, but something made him stop.

"What is it?" asked Rumple.

Hook glanced back at him for the amount of time it took to smirk. "It's a conundrum. I either lack the will power to move or I'm more exhausted than I thought, because the distance between me and the railing appears insurmountable."

"Let me help you with that," replied Rumple, giving the pirate a not-so-gentle push toward the ledge.

After that, Hook turned around to face Rumple and leaned back as far as he could without falling overboard. "Now, if you please."

Rumple reared his cane back as far as he could, and then he let his arms swing forward, carrying with them all the kinetic energy built up over centuries. He hit the pirate on the side of the head with so much force, Hook flung backwards over the ledge and crashed into the cold water below in one clean movement.

More to Come…