"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Emma asked after hours of aimlessly walking around.
"Sorry, Swan, I forgot to check my map of all the caves in existence."
"I didn't think you could do sarcasm, Jones."
He smirked at her, "Oh, I can do a lot of things. Lucky for me, leaving you in this cave is one of them."
"Screw you, it's a cave, not hell. Like I couldn't find my way out. Besides, I only asked because we've been walking for hours and-"
"In case you didn't know, this is a mountain. It's going to take a little bit more walking than crossing the street."
She rolled her eyes, wishing his hair would catch on fire every time the torch seemed to be close to his scalp. "Forget it, I can't have this argument again," she said, referring to every other time they spent hours yelling at each other, fighting over things that made absolutely no sense to at least one of them. "Let's just find our way out and get to that witch."
"Right, Iridia. That's going to be buckets of fun."
Hearing him made Emma think of something, and she spent the next hundred feet trying to think of a way to bring it up. "You.. you said she can see the future."
He nodded, not hearing the slight tremble in her voice, "And the past."
"Do you think she could..." Emma took a deep breath, "tell you who your true love is?" she asked and Hook stopped, turning to face her with and unreadable look. He narrowed her eyes at her, making her feel small.
"Why would you want to know that?"
God damn it. Why did she ask him that? Couldn't she just wait until she met the woman and then ask her? She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to come up with something, anything to say but coming up dry. All she could do was stare at him and wait for... well, she didn't really know what she was waiting for. Maybe a miracle.
Hook leaned against the wall and crossed his arms at his chest, fixing her with a hard stare. "You should know by now that keeping things from me will only result in you dying. So, why even bother? What lethal little secret are you hiding?" he asked. She could tell there was something else buried in his question, but couldn't put her finger on it.
She rubbed her temples, trying to fight off the upcoming headache, "Why do you even care? It's about my true love, so obviously it has nothing to do with you!"
"If it's going to possibly get me killed, then I have a right to know!" he roared, pushing himself off the wall.
"Guess what, Hook, I did not ask you to do this! So don't give me that crap, because it's your own fault you're here, risking your life. Nobody stopped you from simply drawing me a map and letting me go on my own."
He smiled, baring his teeth, slightly scaring her, "Nobody's stopping you from going now."
She looked further into the cave, the darkness making her uneasy. But she couldn't stay with him, because the longer she did, she felt something happening to her. Something that wasn't good and would only screw her up later on. It was time to face the cold, hard truth - she couldn't open her heart up to a man whose own heart was a stone block and who wouldn't even remember anything when she got back to the present. She was living in the past - literally.
She sent him a cold look, before turning on her heel. "You're right. You are definitely right. I hope I don't see you again, Hook!" she yelled over her shoulder as she walked away from him. She forced herself to continue moving, even though her feet felt numb. She felt cold all of a sudden, even with the torch right next to her. Emma knew that wasn't a good sign, she just didn't know of what.
A few hours later, she finally saw daylight at the end of the cave. Tears blurred her vision as she ran towards it, feeling happy and sad at the same time. The moment she breathed in fresh air, she felt her mind clearing up. Looking around, she saw the sun was setting, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Above her was the lilac sky, a single star shining on it, and in front of her stretched miles of a forest that looked less scary than the one she burned down.
Knowing there was no going back, she set out into the woods, before Hook found his way out of the cave. She did not want to deal with him.
By the time she mustered up enough pride to admit it to herself that she was lost, it was too late. The sun was down, more stars appeared on the night sky and once again she realized just how stupid she had been. Out of all the stupid crap she'd done, this definitely took the crown. She reached for her sword every time she heard a noise, and soon enough her own footsteps scared her.
What was wrong with her? She wasn't so distraught and out of her element since... she honestly couldn't remember.
The son of a bitch played and broke her like a toy.
Still, she had to admit that the past few months gave her, if nothing, amazing survival skills. She managed to set up a camp for herself, fire and everything. She even managed to catch a damn rabbit, but didn't have it in her to kill it. So she created a magical cage and put the animal in it. That proved to be a mistake because now the rabbit just stared at her.
She eyed it warily, "You're a weird one, aren't you?" she paused. "Maybe I should name you, since I obviously won't kill or eat you. You'll be... Henry... David... Swan. Congratulations."
Oh God, she was talking to a rabbit.
Suddenly, she heard a twig snap and was on her feet in a flash, sword drawn and pointed at the source of the sound. A couple of footsteps later, she allowed herself to breathe again when she recognized the figure, but didn't lower her sword.
Hook came out of the shadow, his arms up in the air and a knowing smirk on his face. "Now how did I know this would happen? I have to say, not being able to kill that rabbit was a bit pathetic of you. No, wait. It's really pathetic. I thought you were tougher than that."
She ignored him. "Hook," she breathed out his name, barely noticing her hands were shaking. "What are you doing here?"
"That is a pretty stupid question, don't you think, Emma?" he said quietly, placing his hand at the sword's blade and pushing it down slowly, never breaking eye-contact with her. He watched her as she tucked the sword away. "Now that there are no sharp objects threatening to dig my eyes out, I would assume an apology is in order. I overreacted, I... I'm sorry." Emma quirked an eyebrow, slightly impressed. Knowing Hook, she knew how hard it had to be for him to get those words out. His ego was the size of the whole Enchanted forest.
"I guess... I also got defensive over nothing. I mean, the whole thing is about something a fairy told me. The same one who said I could go back through another time portal also said a way for me to go back was by finding my true love. But, I mean, come on, be serious," she rolled her eyes, "if I couldn't find the guy back in my time, how in the hell am I supposed to find him three hundred years in the-"
The rest of her words were left unsaid, because he was suddenly right in front of her and he was grabbing her shoulders and pushing her, making her back collide with a tree. Her breath was knocked right out of her, but her painful gasp got muffled when he kissed her, keeping his hands above her shoulders, pressing her up against the tree. She imagined the idea was to keep her from running away, but it's not like she would have anyway.
Her initial response to the kiss was to try and push him away, because nobody has ever tried anything like that before. Going by what her gut told her, she pressed her palms on his chest and tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. His lips kept moving over hers, creating a fire in her stomach that quickly spread through her and reached the tips of her fingers and toes. Before she knew it, her eyes were closing, her fingers were curling around his coat and pulling him closer, and she was just... losing. Losing herself, her reason, the battle, the war.
The way his stubble scraped her face and the way his tongue ran over her bottom lip was making her go disgustingly weak in the knees. The way his hand moved to her face and behind her neck, pulling her even closer, if it was possible, made her ears burn. And when she gasped for breath and he took the chance to deepen the kiss, she swore magic was building up in her fingertips.
But he broke the kiss soon after, and the magic quickly drained out of her. She felt him move his arms away and opened her eyes, only to see his back as he stalked back into the depth of the forest, not even throwing her a glance. She gritted her teeth and clutched her fists at her sides, knowing where this was going. Emma wasn't scared he wouldn't be back - the exact opposite really, she was absolutely sure he'd be here when she opened her eyes again in the middle of the night. She was more terrified of him coming back, because knowing the way he thought, things just took a turn for the complicated.
If he spoke another word to her while she was here, she'd honestly be surprised.
She looked at the rabbit, who was scrunching it's nose at her. "What are you looking at?"
He wandered through the woods for hours, trying to run away from the blonde that waited for him back at the camp, even though he knew it was useless. He'd be going back without a second thought, because apparently that's what he did now. Once upon a time, even Milah didn't give him that sense of importance, like he had to be near her or everything would go to hell.
Milah. His sweet, beautiful, strong Milah.
He closed his eyes, trying to picture her. He could still remember the way he ran his fingers through her hair, or how her grey eyes would sparkle when she looked at him or get sad when she talked about her son. He could still smell her perfume, still perfectly relive her dying in his arms. But something was off. He couldn't recall how her lips had felt against his, or how a smile lit up her whole face. He fought desperately to remember, but all he could do was think about her and hate himself for it, because he knew Milah probably cursed the ground he stood on.
Was it really so easy for him to forget about her for some strange woman who came out of nowhere and was the biggest pain the world has ever seen? But she was so different from Milah. Whilst Milah was strong and unbreakable, Emma was lost and sometimes more than just slightly confused, a lot like him. She saw the world through a pair of dark, pessimistic eyes, not willing to let anyone in, knowing whatever she did someone would end up hurting her, over and over again. She had an insane amount of sarcasm and fake confidence, but didn't believe in herself if someone put a gun to her head. Milah had a spark in her, but Emma... Emma had a fire.
He would have to do something about her. This was going too far, farther than he had initially planned. She had to go away, and soon.
When he returned, she was fast asleep. He knew she probably faked it for a while in case he came back, but her even breathing gave her away. Her face was blank and peaceful, she had her hands crossed on her chest, and kept the cage with the rabbit close to her, the sight almost making his lips twitch. He rolled his eyes, settling on a log across her. It was another thing about her that fascinated him - her not being able to kill a bunny just because it looked at her and scratched it's nose was ridiculous to him. She had to be starving, yet she almost looked like she was about to extend her arms and wrap them around the animal, just to snuggle with it.
But it was a cold shoulder from now on. He knew it, she most likely knew it too. It's probably what she would have done anyway.
She woke up, drenched in sweat and tears, feeling like someone just let her out of hell after spending an eternity there. She shook her head, trying to make the nightmare go away. Emma frowned, wondering why she was suddenly having nightmares that felt so real, so vivid and almost touchable. She could still feel Henry's heart in her hand, beating slowly as she crushed it, turning it into dust. She still heard Mary Margaret's cruel laugh, one Emma has never heard before and couldn't even imagine how it sounded. Until now. David's furious face when he picked up his sword and threw it at her, trying to kill her, flashed before her eyes and she shivered.
She really wished she had some alcohol with her. Anything to make the images go away.
Emma slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust them to the bright light. She shook her head, snapping out of her haze. Looking around, she realized she was alone. There was smoke coming out of the improvised fireplace, the fire going out hours ago. A small flicker of panic lit up in Emma, and for a second she thought that son of a bitch actually ditched her. She fought to convince herself otherwise, but seriously, who was she kidding? She should have known the situation would go down this way, hell, she did know. People always ran the second they got even the dumbest reason.
Well, there was no time for her to think about it anyway. She had a witch to find and a son to get back to. The pirate was a problem she'd deal with later. Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, before flexing her neck. Sleeping on a damn log was about as comfortable as getting stabbed in the eye with a carving fork.
Something landed on the ground next to her with a thud and her head snapped to the right, her eyes landing on her sword.
"Get a move on it. We can't prolong this anymore," came Hook's voice. Still sleepy, Emma didn't hear the stiff anger in his seemingly light voice, which made her think she was wrong - maybe he'd let it go. Maybe he'd go back to acting like before, when things were simpler. But looking at him, really looking, she saw he avoided her eyes, keeping his own on the ground or ahead of him. Her face fell as she realized she was right - he was being a jerk even though the whole thing was his fault.
She sighed, getting up to her feet. Her fist itched to punch him, but Emma clenched it and kept it at her side. Her mood got even darker when she realized there were still hours worth of travel ahead of them and the most likely case was that they were going to spend it in awkward, tense, angry silence. She picked up her sword and gripped it tightly, imagining herself stabbing him for a few seconds. She could afford that.
"Hurry up!" he barked at her, already getting away. A growl came, deep from Emma's throat, and she fought the urge to slap him silly. What gave him the right to treat her like crap just because he hated himself?
Emma shook her head, hurrying to catch up to him. "Men..." she mumbled, "can't live with 'em, can't live..." she stopped, "no, that's it. You just can't live with them."
Hours later, with wordless miles behind them, Emma finally caught sight of a small cottage surrounded by large oak trees. It was hidden well, and the old wood the house was made of blended in nicely with its surroundings, so if Emma hadn't been looking for it, she probably wouldn't have noticed anything was there.
She sighed, feeling relieved. Emma didn't think she could handle any more silence or avoided looks. She was well enough going crazy and the need to do something that would make him hurt was starting to feel overpowering. She had to get away from him and his attitude soon, or she wouldn't be responsible for her actions.
"Thank God..." she mumbled, roughly pushing past him. She figured if he was being a jerk, she could be one too, and act like the kiss never happened, like she wasn't replaying it in her mind before she fell asleep last night. Emma wondered when she became the one trying to break down his walls, and decided that had to change. If he thought his act would get to her, he had another thing coming.
Before she could reach the door though, she felt his hand close around her forearm and jerk her to a stop.
His eyes were cold and tone heavy as he passed her. "Wait here," was his short command. Emma rolled her eyes, about to completely ignore what he said, when she stopped. As much as she wanted to get on his nerves, she didn't want to piss off the witch inside the house. Getting yelled at by Hook was one thing, but getting turned into a dog was a whole other story. Going by the old, better safe than sorry, Emma stayed outside, waiting for a sign she could go in.
Inside, Hook faced the woman he once hoped he'd never have to see again. "Iridia. You look..." pause, "absolutely old. What happened to you?" he frowned, observing the witch in front of him. "The last time we saw each other you looked about five hundred years younger."
"Captain," she drawled lazily, not at all surprised to see him, "ever the charmer I see."
He gave her a half-shrug, "Just being honest, love. No point in lying when you can read my thoughts."
She grinned, her teeth showing. "Right you are, dear. Well captain, what brings you by?"
Hook heard a difference in her voice, and when he turned around - he was slowly looking through her house, interested in all the weird trinkets she had there - his eyebrows shot up. "Oh, hell," he said, eyeing the young, very attractive woman that now sat in an armchair in front of him, "why do you always do that? I've told you, it's weird and bloody ridiculous. Can't you just look your age? Your real age?"
"I don't think either of us want to see that."
He had to admit, she was right. That horror even he couldn't handle.
Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "No more stalling, pirate. Where is the girl? I can sense her magic, it's quite powerful - she's close."
He hesitated for a second, not liking the look in Iridia's eyes when she spoke of Emma's magic. "She's right outside," he said slowly, "but before she comes in, I have a demand."
"Oh?" she arched an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're in a position to make demands?"
"Consider it as a favor due to our life-long friendship."
Iridia sent him a pale look. "I would hardly call it life-long. Or a friendship, for that matter."
"That was incredibly hurtful, I hope you know that," Hook said, sarcasm evident in his voice.
"I shall do it, however," she said, interrupting him, "for all the times you've assisted me. But I do hope you know that that makes us even and I am of no need to ever come to your aid again, should you need it. I'm not fond of having debts, and yours captain, I have yet to repay. So tell me, what is it that you need me to do before I meet the famous Emma Swan? All the exciting news seem to be about her since she came to our time."
"You will do what she asks of you. Give her anything she requires, but once she obtains it, send her back," Hook took a deep breath, struggling to get the words out. "Send her away."
A knowing look crossed her face, "Are you sure you want me to do that? It would seem that your thoughts tell a different tale."
"Stay out of my head," he growled, stepping closer menacingly.
Iridia couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Very well, man, I understand. As you said, I'm quite old, I know how this works. Just send the girl in and let me see what I can do."
"She'll be here in a moment," he said, already going for the door. Iridia's words, though, stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you sure you don't wish to say goodbye? Many men and women end up regretting it when it's already too late."
"No." It took everything in him to say it, and they both knew it was a lie, but there was no other way. Saying farewell would get the best of him, bring him to his knees, break the already broken man. So he steeled himself, focused on the rage, anger and pain he felt, and opened the door.
Emma didn't say anything, she simply looked at him coldly, before walking past him and slamming the door shut behind her. He felt a flicker of pain as she did so, but pushed the feeling down. It wasn't her fault, none of it was. She didn't know that the icy look was the last one she'd give him, or that he honestly hated himself even more for hurting her. Really, he hadn't known her for a long time, but it felt as if he did, and he knew how easy it probably was for Emma to feel rejected, thrown away. He was basically re-opening old wounds and wished it never came to it.
Emma couldn't help herself, so she stared at the door for a few seconds, before she turned around. There was a bad taste in her mouth, and a feeling of wrongness in her stomach, all because of the man on the other side of the door.
Her mouth slightly dropped open when she caught sight of Iridia. Hook told her she was old as the realm itself, and Emma had to admit that in her mind she pictured her as a typical witch, warts and everything. It's needless to say that she was surprised when she saw a woman around her age, with thick and long black hair, sitting in an armchair, a cup of something nestled in her hands. She was gorgeous, Emma noted. Gorgeous and mystical, incredible, interesting, captivating, enchanting and what in the hell not.
And if she saw it, Hook probably did too. Why did that bother her so much?
She seemed friendly enough to Emma, but the first words that left her mouth were, "You burned down my forest."
They, uh... kissed. *CS feels* It's my late Christmas present to you. Hope it wasn't bad - l kinda liked it. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.
I guess this is the last chapter for this year. Happy New year to all of you, I wish for you to have a great time and make some awesome resolutions, eat, laugh and for those of you who will, like me, be on Tumblr going through OUAT and CS posts, remember, we're awesome!
I shall see you next year, my dear Oncers! *flies away on her broom with Colin O'Donoghue and Josh Dallas tied to it*