Hook opened one eye, and then the other, completely unsurprised to see that he was alone. He sighed and pushed himself up on one elbow. Damn. Not only had she crawled away at some point, she was fully dressed and sitting as far away from him on the bed as possible.

Well, she picked the wrong corner to escape to, since most of his clothing was down at that end. He looked across at her wistfully - she had her back to him and her legs dangling off the edge of the bed. He'd been nurturing a small sliver of hope that he'd find her beside him and ready for more lovemaking this morning. It wasn't bloody likely, and he knew it, but he'd wished for it anyway.

She had her back to him. Well, that was something. She'd certainly never have turned her back on him before, so her need to get away from what they shared must've trumped her need for personal safety, which meant she found him threatening but not so much on a physical level anymore.

Hook gave a rueful shake of his head as he reached for his breeches. He knew her motivations better than she did, most likely. Being a pirate had a world of advantages, but it also carried a world of memories and burdens that could haunt you. He'd met people like Emma from time-to-time across the years, usually on the streets and always too long alone. She was wounded in ways he didn't even want to start to imagine.

Usually, people like that got a little more consideration from him when he met them - some extra food, or extra kindness, and then he was on his way. He couldn't save them all. And often, they reminded him of his own demons, and the darkness he carried inside him - he couldn't afford the toll of letting any of them get close.

But something in Emma called to him, one wounded soul to another, and he knew that he had try, for her.

He pulled his breeches on and walked across to retrieve the rest of his clothing. She turned her head as he approached, but her expression was wary.

"You're up." She remarked.

"I am. Any sign of our host?"

"He peeked in a while ago, but I guess he decided to let us sleep a little longer," Emma said. "If we can get off the bed, we can go and find him."

Hook pulled his shirt down over his head, tucking it into his waistband. "Well, I'm sure we can manage." He reached down, offering her a hand up. She stared at it for a moment, then put her hand in his.

Somehow, he managed to hide his smile.

###

Meriel woke to her first full night of sleep in days, and she felt immeasurably better for it. She'd drifted slowly up to consciousness, half-expecting Kai to be next to her still, and more than a little disappointed that he wasn't. She turned her head, finding him sitting with his back against the door.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Yes. Thank you." She shifted her gaze to the window. "Any sign of my parents?"

"Not so far. They must've decided to stay the night." Kai pushed himself up to his feet.

"That, or they've been killed falling off a beanstalk or been smashed by a giant who wouldn't wait for an explanation." She wrapped her arms around her waist. "What was I thinking, sending them up there? What if I just ruined our chances?"

Kai sat down on the bed next to her. "You can't think that way. Rumpelstiltskin told you they needed to find the compass, and you were willing to bet that was for a reason."

"Normally, he'd be right, but here...I'm not so sure," She mused. "He and my father hate each other here. And from what I've been able to glean from stories, it goes beyond hatred. Deeper than that, and darker. Who's to say Rumple didn't send him up there to die?"

"They'll come back, Meriel. They will." He started to reach out and take her hand, but she pulled hers away. So he reached out again, and this time, he wouldn't let her hand go.

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't." She tried to stand up and walk away, but he stood with her and pulled her close.

"You're going to listen," He said, and she felt an immediate urge to nod her head warring with her anger that he was obviously trying to influence her. He backed off immediately.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to say it like that." He reached out, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "You just get me so frustrated sometimes, Meriel."

"What do you want me to say, Kai? That things haven't changed between us?" She looked up at him like he was crazy. "They have. And I honestly don't know how I feel right now."

"I'm sure it's confusing - "

"Confusing? How about infuriating? I feel betrayed, Kai. Violated. Taken advantage of. Like you've been a voyeur in my life all this time. I told you everything! Every secret, every thought. And then I gave you my body and my - " Her voice cracked and she took a deep breath. "I - cared about you. And it was all a lie."

His jaw tightened. "It wasn't a lie."

"You didn't lie to me? Because a lie of omission is still a lie."

He shook his head, having a hard time keeping his temper out of his voice. "I told you why I had to! You know what was at stake." He pulled her in closer, then her grasped her chin in his palm, forcing her to look up at him. "Meriel, I can't undo what's already done. And I can't be anything other than who I am. You just need to decide whether we can move forward from here."

She looked off to the side, refusing to meet his eyes. "I don't suppose we have a choice - we have to move forward and see this thing through if we're ever going to get our lives back."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about us. When this is finished, we need to decide where we go from there."

Her startled eyes swung back to his. "I don't know, Kai."

He gave her a half-smile. "Well, that's not a 'no'. It's a start." He reached up, running his fingers lightly through her hair. "Maybe you and I just need to start over. Honestly." He stepped back, offering her a small bow. "My name is Kai. I'm half-Nereid and the man who sired me is the undisputed ruler of the water realm. Nice to meet you."

She shook her head. "Stop. It's not going to work."

He persevered. "That makes me a prince, if that makes any difference. And I'm better at archery than you'll ever be."

"That is not true and you know it!" The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. Of all the nerve. She was taught by her grandmother, after all. "If memory serves, I shot a grape off the top of a fencepost at the age of ten, and you only shot my brother."

"Yes, but you got the blame," He grinned down at her. "And it was a dulled arrow with cotton wicking on the tip. It probably changed the whole trajectory."

Meriel crossed her arms. "And I ended up getting an anthill in my bed that night, courtesy of a brother with a bruised behind."

"As I recall," Kai said, reaching down for her hand. "I made you a bed on the windowsill and sat beneath it all night to make sure you didn't roll off."

She looked down at their joined hands, but didn't pull away.

"You're right, Meriel," Kai said, "We've gone too far to go back to the beginning. And I don't want to. I adore the girl I grew up with, but I also want the woman I came back to. She's who I thought about every single minute I had to spend in the court of a monster. She's who kept me company in my thoughts as I swam oceans looking for a way to free her. She's who I wanted to be holding every night I was alone in some far-off realm, trying to find a way for us."

"Kai - "

He pulled her close, leaning in slowly and hesitating for a moment before he kissed her, giving her a chance to turn away. It took everything he had to restrain himself when she didn't, keeping the kiss gentle and ending it far sooner than he would have liked.

"Let's take it slow, you and me," He whispered. "We've had three years apart and too many secrets between us. We need to get to know each other again. Can I ask for that much, at least?"

She gave him a tiny nod. "All right. I suppose I owe you that much."

He shook his head. "I don't want you to try because you owe me. If I win you, Meriel, I want it to be because you want me."

She turned away, packing her things into her satchel, refusing to respond to that.

Refusing to let him know what those words did to her, inside.

###

"Thanks for the lift, Anton. Much obliged, mate." Hook dusted himself off after Anton lowered them to the ground. "Where will you go now?"

"We actually have a place high up in the mountains - too far for Cora to come looking, anyway," Anton said, with a shrug. "I can stay there for as long as I need to."

"If things change in the kingdom, how can we let you know?" Emma asked.

"There's a lake at the foot of the mountain," Anton said, pointing. "Just light a signal fire on the banks, and I'll be able to see it."

"Best of luck to you, Anton!" Hook called up.

"Yeah, be careful!" Emma called out as well. Anton gave a wave and he lumbered off, with flocks of birds scattering in the trees before him. She shouldered her satchel and then turned to Hook.

"You ready to go?"

"I suppose." He grabbed his own bag, tossing it over his shoulder. "The lass will be wanting her compass."

Emma looked troubled. "Yeah. We'd better get that back to her." She started walking, and he stopped her, turning her around.

"You don't want to do this, do you?" His blue eyes held hers and she felt the uncomfortable sensation of him seeing a bit too much. She shook her head.

"I just don't know. They've been gone so long." She shifted from foot to foot, not finding the right words to say.

"Then don't do it."

She looked up at him, puzzled. "What?"

"Don't go with her. You're under no obligation to the girl."

Emma mulled that over a moment. "But she needs the compass."

"So we take it to her, and then we take our leave." He shrugged.

"We?" Emma wasn't going to let that go unremarked upon.

He stepped in, sliding his arms around her. "We. Come with me, Emma. We can let the wind fill the sails and go wherever it takes us. We can be free, just the two of us. See anyplace you'd like."

"But...the kingdom..." She started.

"Will be far behind us. You can leave this place and all its memories and start over. With me. What do you say, love?"

She looked torn, and very confused, but she leaned up and kissed him lightly.

"I'll think about it."