A/N: This chapter is split into two parts (the second will be posted tomorrow). Oh, & let's assume the Enchanted Forest doesn't do 'leap years'.
PART I:
There are 365 days in a year.
After the first day of the first year the Curse was enacted, there was only stillness. The White Kingdom was undisturbed and just as it should be: people bustling around here and there, doing their daily duties without trouble. Even the Royal Life was as much as a routine as anybody else's. So as the twentieth and thirty-first and forty-second day passed, it all came down to one simple fact: life in the Curse was simple and mundane and repetitive, and it was a routine.
But she didn't mind. In fact, even as the twenty-seventh day of the twenty-eighth month since the Curse was cast passed by, with the same routine again and again, she remained thrilled with the life she had made for herself and for her daughter. 'We were always meant for the royal life, Regina,' she used to tell her. 'Power, not love, my dear, is where our hearts should reside.' And even though her daughter had been strongly against the Curse, expressing her adamant refusal to have it cast just mere seconds before it was enacted, the cursed Regina after the first day of the first year, and every single day following that, agreed with her mother's sentiment.
There are 365 days in a year. Throughout the 2920 days of eight years since the casting of the Curse, life was perfect. It was undisturbed, untouched, and unblemished. But it was until the 2998th day that her well-crafted life suddenly took a sharp turn, and she was left with fragmented phrases and new worries – all, of course, given by Rumplestiltskin himself.
A prophecy. A Saviour. Twenty-eight years.
Indeed, on the 2999th day, she made it her goal to find the Saviour and destroy them. Because she will not let the perfect life that she had made for herself and her daughter go to ruins. But it was only until the 8780th day during the 24th year that she heard another fragment of the prophecy: a Bounty Hunter, who was prophesized to be the only one who can find the Saviour.
The remaining days were spent on that.
She had been patient (though increasingly anxious) as the 28th year soon approached and still, she had no Bounty Hunter in her grasp. Even when she sought after certain, goal-directed people, 10,385 days passed and still – nothing. She would have taken matters into her own hands if the Curse allowed her to leave the White Kingdom without losing her memories. But she couldn't. So, she waited.
Because when the Saviour comes, Bounty Hunter found or not, she will destroy them.
"Your Highness?"
She jerked from her thoughts, hands still clutching tightly at the golden box in front of her. She turned and glared at the newcomer who had disturbed her. "Did I not tell you not to come down here, Sidney?"
"Yes, Queen Cora, I understand the Hall of Hearts is off-limits," Sidney replied. "But you told me to come to you immediately if anything… strange were to happen in the Kingdom."
She raised an eyebrow to urge him on.
"It is raining."
385 days in a year, and today was the 10, 585th day since the first day of the casting of the Curse. A slow, wicked smile formed on her lips. 28 years has passed since then, and if the drought had finally come to an end –
"Good."
A beautiful young, fair-skinned woman stood in the Queen's room, her long ebony hair swaying with the light breeze that entered from the open balcony doors. She peered around the room, examining it. The rain had finally stopped, though that was not of her concern at the moment. The Queen's room seemed disturbingly… different. And so did the air within it.
She walked around, eyeing the items of the room carefully, until she stopped in front of the Queen's vanity. For a moment, she was distracted by her reflection – 'fairest of them all, they say? Ha!' – until her attention was then grabbed by an object on the dresser.
An arrow with a red feather. Hm, she was sure she had seen this before, 29 years ago…
Suddenly, a stifled giggle was heard and she quickly withdrew her fingers from the arrow. She turned around, bracing herself for the Queen's immediate reprimand for being there without permission.
However, none came.
With a happy sigh and a sultry "good night", the Queen strolled in, closing the door behind her before she slumped against it, a wide smile on her face.
"Regina?"
She quickly shut her mouth – she wasn't supposed to speak out of turn, but a horror was rising within her because what did she just see? Regina, smiling? Whispering… seductive good-night's? Does that mean –
"Snow? What are you doing here?" Regina said in a sharp tone.
She immediately composed herself, giving a curtsy for good measure. "Your Majesty. I apologize, I was just – "
"Did I not tell you that you were not to work tonight? Or tomorrow?" Regina walked towards her, eyeing her carefully. She regarded her clothing for a moment. "Were the stables… empty?"
The younger woman didn't reply. "Where were you?" she asked instead.
Regina looked taken aback by the briskness of her tone. "And what concern is that of yours? I asked you a question -"
"And I asked you one as well." She paused. "Your Highness."
This time, Regina narrowed her eyes. "Are you testing my patience, Miss White?"
"Is this his?" the fair-skinned woman picked up the arrow on the dresser, still ignoring her. "The thief? "
Regina's eyes widened fractionally and flickered towards the arrow before quickly snapping back to hers, but the younger woman was quick to notice.
"So yours broke," she said quietly.
"What the hell are you going on about?" Regina demanded. "Why are you speaking to me this way? Why are you here?"
This time, she didn't reply right away, choosing to carefully place the arrow back on the dresser before walking towards Regina. To the Queen's surprise, the fair-skinned woman simply smiled sweetly at her, then sauntered by.
"To answer your question, the stables weren't empty," the fair-skinned woman said. Then she gave Regina a saccharine smile.
"Snow White and Prince Charming are right there."
Before Regina could finish processing what she had just said, a sudden cloud of smoke filled the room, shielding the fair-skinned woman from view. Regina coughed and fumed, trying to wave the smoke away so she could see what the hell that insufferable girl was doing –
"Mother?"
Indeed, the fair-skinned woman had vanished and in its place was a much older woman. And if Regina's shocked recognition of the woman was anything to go by, there was no question that the older woman that had impersonated Snow White was indeed Regina's mother, the Queen Cora. She had the same untouched beauty and powerful aura, though the sickeningly sweet smile on her painted lips certainly did not match the gaping mouth on Regina's expression.
"Forgive me, Regina, but I had to take my precautions," Cora said solemnly. "But do know I did not enjoy taking the shape of that… Snow White."
Regina snapped out of her shock at the name. "What are you doing here?"
"Confirming my suspicions, of course," Cora replied with a smile. "You think I wouldn't know my own daughter - cursed or not?" She laughed at Regina's shocked expression. "I knew there was something off with you. That's why I came here to make sure." She looked away and glanced at the door with a frown.
"Turns out I was correct."
Regina straightened herself, trying hard not to tremble in anger. "You shouldn't have enacted this curse, Mother," she said in a low voice. "You took away 28 years of my life – for your own desires. I never wanted all of this –"
"I'm your mother, Regina, don't you tell me I don't know what's best for my child," Cora snapped. Then she scoffed. "To think you really did throw away your vengeance… My daughter – helping the Princess Snow White, the woman she wanted kill, find her own True love." She looked at the vanity with a scowl "It's because of that thief, isn't it?"
With a furious silence, Regina watched as Cora walked towards the vanity and picked up the arrow with the red feather, holding it up in front of her as if examining it. "This is an important token of the thief's love, isn't it?" she asked.
Still, Regina didn't reply, though her hands were shaking, a mixture of fury and fear. There was a grave look on her mother's face, one all too familiar and reminiscent of a tragic memory from Regina's youth, and when Cora suddenly snapped her fingers, producing a small flame on her hand, her fears were confirmed.
"NO-!"
Cora's frown deepened; her eyes trained on the arrow and flame. "I should have killed him the same way I took Daniel," she said regretfully. Then before Regina could enact her own spell to stop her, Cora snapped her finger again.
An anguished cry left Regina's mouth as she watched the arrow burn under the fire. But even though her whole body was shaking with anger and despair, Regina refused to shed tears in front of the heartless woman she called mother.
"Why are you doing this to me?!" she yelled. "I'm your daughter - don't you care about my happiness?"
Cora simply gave her an incredulous look. "Of course I do, my dear. Look at the life I have given you - you are Queen."
Regina's eyes grew livid. "I never wanted all of this! Royalty and riches never made me happy. Robin made me happy; Roland made me happy; love made me happy -"
"Love is weakness."
Cora's voice was as deadly as her cold, empty eyes; a dangerous, stony gleam to them as she stared down at her daughter.
"Power is strength."
Regina didn't reply, staring with clenched fists as Cora began walking towards the door, a new determination in her mind from her daughter's pathetic, vulnerable display. "I will get our life back, my dear," she promised. "The Saviour will be destroyed. I will find them."
That was enough to make Regina find her voice once again. "The Saviour is here and they will destroy you," she said. "It's over, Mother. No matter what you do, it's over."
"Oh my dear, sweet Regina," Cora shook her head with a sad smile, turning away to face the door.
"It's only the beginning."
The White Castle stables were silent and dark, and perhaps empty if it were not for the glimpse of black leather and brown fur hidden in the shadows.
"It is quiet," a deep voice said. "Too quiet."
Too busy frowning, Emma didn't even roll her eyes at Hook's dramatic observation. "Rumplestiltskin said they'd be here," she whispered. "Where the hell are they?"
Hook let out a low growl. "I told you, Swan, you shouldn't have listened to him. That reptile has been playing games with us all along and now look at us -"
He stopped when a sudden rumbling noise was heard in the distance. Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like footsteps..."
Hook's frown deepened in recognition as the sounds gradually drew nearer. "Unfortunately, they are."
His hand immediately went to his cutlass, causing Emma to let out a groan because really - when will they ever catch a break? But there was no more room for complaining as suddenly, the ground shook violently, causing Emma to mimic Hook's movements. Drawing out her own sword, she followed him and jumped out of their hiding spot and into the open space.
From the thunderous noise, Emma half-expected an army of guards marching their way. But to her utmost shock, it was… They were…
"Are those…"
"The Walking Statues I so kindly warned you about earlier? Aye, I believe so, love," Hook replied grimly. Stunned, Emma looked back at the two Walking Statues approaching the stables from the castle, whose appearance indeed matched their name. Large, broad bodies shaped like a human's, they were at least 15 feet tall, completely made out of hard stone.
"Swan, follow my lead," Hook instructed in a low voice. "They absolutely cannot see you or else –"
He was cut off by the sudden appearance of a large boulder a few feet from them, as if it had been flung towards them. It was too late – Hook's fears were to come true. The Walking Statues had seen them.
"RUN!"
One of the Walking Statues had begun charging towards them at an unnatural speed, and so Hook quickly took Emma by the hand, dragging her with him.
"How the hell do we kill these things?!" Emma yelled as they dodged another large rock thrown at them. Hook didn't reply, however, and kept his eyes searching for a safe-haven for them to take shelter.
"Hook? Are you listening to me?!"
Still, he didn't reply, continuing to pull her with him as they ran and dodged. But this time Emma noticed how his jaw clenched; his face reddening as his eyes darted away from hers…
"Are you seriously kidding me?! You don't know how to kill them?!" she yelled, incredulous at the realization of the reason for his silence.
"They're bloody stones, Swan! How in the bloody hell am I supposed to know –"
This time, a slab of stone the size of a horse flew their way, causing them to stop abruptly between two windowless cabins and a steep, rocky hill. Completely trapped, Hook and Emma stared at the giant rock shooting towards them – from its trajectory, it was going to land straight on top of Emma, but if he could just –
"SWAN!"
Instinctively, Hook shoved her to the side as the stone crashed onto the ground between them, just nearly missing Emma. However the fallen rock had created a barrier between them, completely blocking him from reaching her.
"Hook, I can't – I'm stuck –"
Emma's muffled voice from the other side was drowned out by another loud rumbling sound, sending Hook's heart rate to a skyrocketing pace. The Walking Statue that had flung the stone at them was now marching towards him and so he made a movement to take a step forward. However to his utmost horror, he found that his foot was stuck between the fallen stone and the wall.
"No, NO…"
In frustration, he began yanking at his foot, trying to pull it out. However the effort was excruciatingly slow – the Walking Statue was now only mere metres away from him, puffing out its chest as if ready to launch another flying rock at them. Bloody hell - if it was going to be this difficult, then it was only a matter of time until the bloody stones crush both him and Swan to death and damned be him if Emma dies because of his futility –
"WATCH OUT!"
He startled at the unfamiliar voice. Just when he finally pulled his foot out, he drew out his sword and looked up, half-expecting another gigantic rock being launched his way, only to see an arrow with a white feather whiz past him, landing just above his shoulder.
Hook stared at it in bewilderment. "What the –"
"Over here!"
It was the same voice that had warned him earlier and so following it, Hook looked up. However, what he was to find was an awe-striking sight of itself:
A hooded woman with a bow and arrow, standing on the Walking Statue's shoulder.
Although her face was turned from view, Hook says 'woman' because of the slender curves and dark ebony hair spilling from her hood; a hint of red lips and fair skin of which the moonlight allowed a glimpse, despite of the darkness of the night. Hook watched in amazement as the woman jumped from the Walking Statue's shoulder and onto the stable roofs, aiming for the stone creature's neck with her bow. Her agility was impressively smooth and quick, and despite the danger in front of him, Hook couldn't help but to think it was almost reminiscent of a certain blonde…
"What the hell are you doing?! You have to move out of the way!"
This time it was a different voice, and Hook turned to see the silhouette of a tall man. He was too distracted with the hooded woman that he failed to notice the other newcomer that had joined him the same time as the hooded woman. However he didn't have time to try to make out the man's face - Emma was in danger.
Hook looked at the man. "Listen, mate, I need your help - there's a woman stuck on the other side of this rock -"
"The one you saved?" the man interrupted. "I know. We'll help you. But for now you have to move or else we'll –"
A thunderous sound cut him off and they both looked up to see the Walking Statue stumbling towards them, as if in a daze. Whatever the hooded woman did with her bow and arrow, it worked, as it seemed that the Walking Statue was beginning to fall apart. Hook and the man watched in amazement as a shower of large rocks fell and fell…
"No… No… SWAN!" Realizing just where the rocks were falling, Hook shoved the man away and ran towards the fallen stone beside where Emma was still buried, dodging the falling rocks as he desperately began clawing his way through the hard stones. He needed to get to her; if more of these rocks fall…
"Don't worry, I'll get her!" the hooded woman shouted, jumping down from the roof. "I got this! Just get to safety -"
"I'm not bloody leaving her-"
This time, the Walking Statue tumbled over completely, its massive stone body in the process of falling on top of where they were standing.
"EMMA!" Not even bothering to look up at the colossal body of rock about to crush him, Hook continued to throw off rock after rock, his movements frantic as he tried to get to the other side. Any moment and they would… She would be crushed…
"NO!"
Before he could move away another rock, a body suddenly slammed into his, sending the both of them flying to the side towards the cabins. Coughing and spluttering, Hook looked up to see gigantic boulder just inches away from him, completely blocking his view. It appeared as though the man from earlier had pushed him out of the way, saving him from the fallen Walking Statue.
The man had pushed them into one of the cabins, just barely making it through the broken walls. From what it seemed, the cabin was now completely surrounded by remnants of the fallen Walking Statue's body, blocking them entirely from where Emma and the hooded women were.
Hook widened his eyes in horror. "No… No…"
This couldn't be happening… They couldn't be… She couldn't be…
"EMMA!" he called out, pounding on the hard stone furiously. Why did the bloody man push him out of the way? Now Emma was… And he can't even get to her…
He kept on pounding.
"EMMA!"
He pounded and pounded, yelling out her name tirelessly until his voice grew hoarse. Shutting his eyes tightly, Hook let out a shaky breath, choking out a small sob as he leaned his forehead on the stone.
"Emma…"
"It's no use. We're trapped inside here," a tired voice said. Recognizing it, Hook whipped around in its direction. He couldn't see the man properly – just a silhouette bent over, as if looking for something – but it didn't stop him from glaring.
"Why did you push me out of the way? You should've left me be – I could've saved her –"
"Your friend is fine," the man said calmly. "And so is mine. The Walking Statue fell mostly on this cabin, though most of the stones covered the entrances. I saw them before it fell. They're fine. They'll find us – you saw how skilled my friend is. They'll be here soon."
Hook narrowed his eyes at the man's silhouette, which appeared to be holding an object in the air, examining it.
"And trust me when I saw they will find us," the man continued before Hook could open his mouth, and the latter was surprised to see that the man was now lighting up a match, revealing a lantern. "Snow is a pretty damn skilled –"
The man abruptly stopped, freezing when he looked at Hook, whose face was now illuminated from the lantern. But Hook didn't even notice the bizarre reaction – the light revealed the man's face as well, allowing Hook a clear view that he was not able to catch earlier. Stunned, Hook gaped at the man's appearance, which was strikingly familiar: blue eyes and swept blonde hair, the exact same colour as… And he mentioned the hooded woman outside was 'Snow'…
It didn't take long for him to put two and two together. "Hey, you don't happen to be –"
"YOU!"
Before Hook could confirm his suspicions, the man suddenly shoved him to the wall, pressing his sword onto Hook's neck.
"I know you," the man hissed. "I saw you with Cora months ago by the stables. You work for her, don't you? Don't you," he glanced at Hook's skull necklace. "Pirate."
At the threatening (and very familiar) gesture, Hook managed to snap out of his shocked trance. Oh yes, he was definitely correct in his suspicions.
"Like father like daughter," Hook muttered in annoyance, glaring at the blade against his throat.
"What?" the man said in confusion, before quickly shaking his head. He applied more pressure to his throat. "Hey, I asked you a question, pirate."
Clearly the venom in the man's voice wasn't allowing Hook any room for pleasantries. He let out a sigh. "Listen, mate, I'll explain if you'll just – "
"I'm not your mate," the man pushed against him harder. "This entire Walking Statue stunt is one of her tricks, isn't it? You had a hand in this, didn't you?"
Hook glared at him. "I assure you I had no bloody hand in this."
"You're a liar. Those Statues only follow Cora's orders and I know you work for her –"
"Trust me, mate, my business with that witch had nothing to do with retrieving you," Hook hissed, momentarily losing his temper. Then he sobered, looking at the stone that had trapped them with a deep frown.
"I was sent to get someone else."
The man looked at him in surprise. "The woman you pushed out of the way earlier?"
Hook nodded stiffly, and the glare quickly returned on the man's face. "Then all the more reason for me not to let you go," the man said. "I can't let you kidnap an innocent woman for Cora."
Hook raised an eyebrow. "How do you know if she's innocent?"
"Knowing Cora, she is," the man replied grimly.
Hook let out a long sigh - he had a point there. "Well I'm afraid things have changed – I'm no longer in Cora's alliance. Besides," he gave him a hard look. "You saw what I did earlier for... my friend. I don't plan on betraying her."
The man remained unconvinced. "Maybe you need her alive. Because anyone who has worked with Cora is never to be trusted –"
The man broke off in a grunt, having been shoved away by a now hot-tempered Hook, who had twisted his arm, freeing himself from his hold. Now there was a switch in position, with the pirate pointing his hook threateningly at the man's face as he pushed him back against the wall.
"Listen here, mate," Hook hissed through gritted teeth. "Yes, I do need her alive and you want to know why?" He lowered his voice into a growl. "Because I want her alive. Because I need her, and I would go through bloody hell and time and death back again for her but thanks to your bloody heroics, I couldn't even protect her. I should've been the one under those rocks –"
One look in the man's eyes stopped him in his outburst. Hook drew in a sharp breath and looked away, clenching his fist in frustration as he attempted to regain his composure. Now he was very aware of the blonde man now staring at him silently but studiously, as if trying to sift out any deception in Hook's words. The eerily familiar look was off-putting, but it was enough to remind Hook just who the man in front of him really was…
…But mostly, who was his daughter.
He lowered his hook. "I don't care who you are. I don't need to explain myself to you. You're wasting my bloody time."
He turned and began to walk away, trying his best to push away the guilt now forming. There will be time for calmer meetings and better impressions on Swan's father – his willpower had returned, and right now he needed to find a way to get out of here and to her…
"You care for her."
Hook abruptly stopped in his tracks, the man's sudden words catching him off-guard. Behind him he could hear shifting, in what could only be the man's hesitation.
"I… apologize," the man said, causing Hook to turn in surprise. "I can see you're telling the truth and from what I've seen, I had a feeling that you probably weren't working for Cora anymore but…"
"You had to make sure you weren't wrong about me?" Hook finished.
The man looked at him in surprise, nodding slowly. And despite the ridiculousness of the entire situation, Hook couldn't help but stifle a snort. Honestly, how strong does the blood run in Swan's family? Because truly this man was most definitely Emma's father – all skepticism and stubbornness and suspicion, not to mention the annoying need to shove their swords against his neck…
His amused thoughts were cut off by the man taking a step towards him, offering his hand.
"I'm David."
"Charming name," Hook bit out, unable to resist the opportunity. He shook David's hand. "Killian Jones, although I've earned a moniker inspired by this contraption here…" He waved his hook nonchalantly.
"Hook?" David said with a hint of amusement, and Hook nodded slowly, eyeing David carefully as he walked past him.
"Well, Hook, let's say we put that contraption of yours to use and get the hell out of here."
"So how did she kill that bloody thing?"
David looked up at Hook in surprise. They had been sitting for a few minutes now, passing back and forth Hook's rum that they used as a substitute for water. It was an exhausting task, trying to find a way out of the damned cabin, and it became even more so when they finally found a small hole where the moonlight peeked through, large enough for them to try to push and hack at it in an attempt to make it budge. And finally, after much bickering and heaving, they managed to break off a few pieces of the barrier.
So yes, they deserved a bloody break.
"Snow?" David asked.
Hook nodded, a mixture of uneasiness and amusement filling him at the sound of the name. Although he was mostly distracted with finding a way to get to Swan, there were moments like these where he was reminded of the bizarreness of the entire situation. The bloody Prince 'Charming', Swan's father himself…
He snorted. Charming. What sort of moniker was that, anyway?
"The Walking Statues' life source is in the nape of their necks," David said, answering Hook's initial question. "Snow's arrows are the only weapons that can fit in the hole where it's hidden behind." He smiled softly. "She's great at it. Really skilled."
Hook raised an eyebrow at the fondness of David's tone. "From the looks of it, mate, I'd say you're quite smitten with the lass."
A faint blush crept on David's cheek at that, much to Hook's amusement. This was all rather entertaining – he could see why the Crocodile enjoyed taunting them whenever the imp knew things others didn't – though he wondered just how much of this encounter the Prince will recall once the curse breaks.
"Is it that obvious?" David said, breaking him from his thoughts.
Hook chuckled. "Just a lucky guess, I suppose."
David let out a sigh. "I don't know…" he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "It's weird. My whole life has always felt like such a blur, just cleaning stable after stable, looking after horse after horse. And even though all we've really done was spoken a few times, for some reason… For some reason…" He trailed off hesitantly before dropping his hand back down to his lap.
"It just feels like Snow's the only one I've got the clearest memory of, you know?"
Hook nodded silently – he knew the feeling. He knew what it was like to have a long life of wasteful years passing by that life itself becomes a blur, and yet only one bloody person found a way to ensnare and anchor him, and for the first time, something was clear in his dark life…
Hook frowned. Excellent. He was stuck inside a destroyed cabin, bonding with the bloody Prince Charming over romance.
"Anyway," David continued, clearly not having noticed Hook's discomfort. "I'm sure you understand. You have your friend… Emma, was it?" He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Emma. Nice name."
Hook snorted. I would think so, as you picked it.
"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that, mate. You see, I've yet to regain her full trust after all I've done."
"Ah, right. Cora," David frowned, nodding in understanding. "Why did you even make a deal with her in the first place?"
"A means to my revenge," Hook replied with a shrug, and before David could ask 'On who?', he added, "You happen to be fond of Rumplestiltskin?" David grimaced at the name in disgust, causing Hook to smirk in delight. "Aye, him."
David paused and looked at him thoughtfully. "Yet for some reason, you've given it all up and changed for her."
A sudden mixture of defensiveness and embarrassment rose within Hook. "Oy, I said no such thing about giving it up –"
David laughed. "From the looks of it, I'd say you are the one smitten," he paused before adding with a smirk, "Mate."
Hook scowled. Oh no, he was not discussing this with Emma's father.
"No hard feelings, Hook," David continued. "Whatever happened, you seem pretty genuine with what you're doing." He gave him a small smile. "Guess the pirate's got some honour left in him."
Hook huffed. "I would like to think so. Honor is but a pirate's code."
David considered that for a moment. "You seem like a good man, Hook – despite what I thought before. And if you really meant what you said earlier, about what you'd do for Emma, well then… I hope for nothing but happiness for the both of you."
Hook blinked at him. Did Emma's father really just say -? He raised his eyebrows. Yes, he did, and he contemplated for a moment, thinking that this was probably the best – only – opportunity he'll ever get.
"Wait – repeat that again for me? I really want you to brand this moment into your memory forever." He let out an exasperated sigh when David only raised an eyebrow in response. "Just – just do it – you'll get it someday, mate, all right?"
David narrowed his eyes suspiciously before shaking his head. "All right… You seem like –"
"No no no. The last part."
David flashed him an irritated look but much to Hook's utmost delight, complied anyway. "I hope for nothing but happiness for the both of you," he repeated, causing Hook to smirk widely.
Hook bit his tongue for a moment, wondering if he should make David carve those words on a stone with his signature to use as proof, or if he should give in to the urge to call him 'Daddy-in-law' – just to push it a little further. For his own entertainment, of course. But Hook very much treasured his life, so he shut his mouth for the time being before he could say anything that could lead to his hanging if the Prince were to recall this moment once the curse breaks.
"Hey, it'll be fine," David suddenly said, seemingly mistaking Hook's silence for disappointment.
"Ah, I don't know, mate," he chuckled, shaking his head. "She's a stubborn pain in the arse. Gets it from you, I suppose."
"Wait – what?"
"What?"
Hook blinked at the bemused expression on David's face, cursing himself inwardly. Damn his big mouth – now he has to think of a good excuse…
"What's that sound?"
Silently thanking the heavens for the interruption, Hook closed his mouth shut and followed David's gaze.
There was a muffled noise, and something like banging and scraping, and there was… A voice…?
Hook furrowed his eyebrows. "It sounds like –"
"HOOK!"
A/N: I just felt like this chapter & the next one are one whole piece that belong together, hence why I called Ch29 "part II".
Sorry for the wait in updating! Life has been very hectic lately but things are slowing down so expect quicker updates :) That said, tomorrow (Monday) I will post Chapter 29 (which was one of my favourites to write... Hehehehe)
Thank you for the reviews & support once again :) I really do enjoy reading all of them.
