Chapter 29
His announcement seemed to amuse Cora more than Killian had expected. She looked at his empty hand for only a moment, and then shook her head. "Now, Captain,. I don't have time for your games. Don't tell me you told her what we wanted?" She said smoothly, her grin quickly turning vicious. "Could you not reach it alone? You truly aren't the pirate I met so long ago."
Killian could only gape at the witch, his mind racing for explanations and excuses he could use to escape the situation. "I… I needed their help to reach the beanstalk without the wraith taking my soul and she was hardly going to help me without a reason to do so."
His words were clumsy, something that caused Cora to laugh as she stepped closer. "And now she has the compass. Don't try to explain any further, Hook. You chose her and you're going to have live with the consequences of that decision."
He raised his head in surprise, unable to hide his confusion at her words. "Live with?" He repeated. "Why, Cora, it seems like you're not the Queen that I met so long ago either."
"Unlike you, I've hardly changed. You know, at least before, you were slightly unpredictable." She stated. "This time, I knew all along that you'd betray me, although I was hoping you'd be more useful before that happened. Did you truly believe I didn't know what you felt for Emma Swan. You smile whenever she's near you, whenever she's mentioned. Before, the love that you had lost made you interesting. A tool that I could use, albeit an unreliable one. Now, you're just weak."
He swallowed but didn't protest, the witch's words ringing true. Emma had taken advantage of his feelings for her own selfish reasons and then abandoned him, and in that moment, the fury filling him left him missing the simplicity of his life before he met Emma. It had almost been a comfort to have only the single aim of revenge on the Dark One. It had been far easier than thinking about the tangle of raw emotions Emma had left him with.
"There's no need to be rash." He said instead. "I want to get back to Storybrooke. I want to kill the Crocodile. That hasn't changed. In fact, Emma leaving me here empty-handed, well, that's enough motivation to truly work at your side. I can get the compass back and she will not fool me again with any ... pretty words. You need me."
"Your pretty face might work on others, but not on me." She told him, waving her hand dismissively. "You had your chance. You failed. So I'm going to leave you in this realm, stuck with knowledge that I got to your Storybrooke and Emma, well, she won't have the compass much longer. Not when I send my army to get it."
Killian swallowed, his mind bringing back unwelcome images of the hordes of heartless people left behind at what should have been a Safe Haven, and picturing the chaos that would occur when they ambushed Emma and the others.
"I suppose this is farewell then, Hook." She said eventually, an irritatingly smug smile settling across her face when he didn't react to her previous words. "I admit that I have to wonder how you would have acted if you knew that the saviour didn't return your feelings. Were a few trysts with her really worth all this? Either way, I'm sure that outcome would have been less enjoyable for me."
He didn't even think about his response, raising his arm to attack Cora as though that would stop her, but the instant his hook came swinging down towards the witch, she vanished and he fell forward, crashing to the ground.
For a few moments, he didn't bother to get up. His arm ached painfully, but that was nothing compared to the disarray of thoughts running through his mind. He was disappointed that even after everything, Emma didn't trust him, but maybe he could have dealt with such a painful truth if she hadn't revealed it so cruelly.
Once he was back on his feet, he didn't know what to do. If he wanted to return to Storybrooke, then only Cora could help him. As capable as both Emma and David were, he didn't feel prepared to spend any time with Emma. He wasn't even certain that she'd want him to return to Storybrooke with them, if she even knew how to get back.
It was better he returned alone.
He walked towards Lake Nostos, deciding that it would be easier when travelling alone to hijack Cora's portal. After all, Emma clearly didn't want him travelling with her, would rather have him dead than at her side. It would serve her right if he left the realm without her.
It only took a few hundred yards before he reconsidered. He thought of Emma first, and although he thought he should be angrier, the more time he had to think, the more his fury faded into just disappointment.
He understood her, he always had, and he believed that hadn't changed, although leaving him without the compass was one move that he couldn't have anticipated. Emma had told him enough about her past, as well as made it clear that she believed everyone left, so he could see why she had tried to run away, but she hadn't just run. She'd taken the compass and left, with full knowledge that he'd be liaising with Cora. Even with Emma's consistent denial, if she felt anything close to what he felt for her, he couldn't see how it was possible for her to have left him behind.
A brief surge of anger went through him at the thought and he kicked out towards a stray tree root, cursing when he made contact with it.
He had been such a fool. He should have realised long before this that it was hopeless, that finding her again after seeing her only once in a tavern so many years before didn't mean anything, not even with how unexplainable that meeting had been. Whatever she did feel for him, it wasn't what he wished she felt.
Either way, he couldn't walk away from her. There were more people involved in what had happened than just the two of them, and if Cora's taunts were true, he couldn't let his bitterness at what had occurred stop him from warning the others.
David was his friend, as was Mary-Margaret and even Henry. If he didn't warn them, neither Emma nor David would return home, and that would hurt their family more than Killian could allow. If he could help, Killian was going to do whatever it took to help them.
As long as he could find them.
It was only hours before he found the others, the group having inexplicably stopped travelling in order to have a rest. Phillip was curled around Aurora, the two of them sleeping despite the bright light of the morning sun, and on the other side of the clearing, Mulan and David were practicing their sword fighting, sharing David's blade as Mulan's was still strapped to Killian's belt.
Killian only spared a second to glance at them, his gaze drawn to Emma. She was sat away from the others, her back against one of the trees lining the clearing, her face clearly stained with dried tears, and as much as he thought that he should feel otherwise, his anger faded when he saw that she was running her fingers over the face of the compass.
He stepped out from where he was hidden from their view, refusing to cross the distance between him and Emma. "You took the compass."
Emma's head rose, her eyes snapping up to catch his and a sharp gasp falling from her lips. She blinked several times, clearly unable to believe he was even standing there, and then she seemed to compose herself, her jaw tensing and her stare leaving his. "Can you name a film we've watched together?"
Her voice shook, but when he frowned at her, she repeated the question, and this time, her words were stronger.
"Superman." He answered, and Emma took in another loud, shaky breath. "Also Time Bandits one time, although I don't remember you paying much attention to that."
Emma sobbed, clutching the compass so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Killian noticed, out of the corner of his eye, David turning towards them, but Emma shook her head and he returned his attention to Mulan.
"We should talk." She muttered, clambering to her feet and gesturing away from the makeshift campsite. "Alone?"
He tilted his head, hesitating for a moment, and Emma's eyes widened, her lips trembling, and when he finally turned to walk away, he heard her stumble after him. He sped up, feeling a bitter satisfaction that she was struggling to keep up, his anger still heating his veins despite her clear anguish over what had happened.
When he finally stopped walking, the sound of David and Mulan's fighting only a distant clanging, he expected Emma to stop and explain. He turned, preparing himself to cross his arms and stare at Emma until she gave him some sort of explanation that wasn't simply that she was scared or didn't trust him.
There had to have been more on her mind when she left him to die.
She didn't offer anything. Instead, she kept moving, walking towards him until they collided. He reached to steady her automatically, Emma's own hands gripping at his jacket.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, repeating the phrase over and over until it was almost incomprehensible.
He tensed his jaw, refusing to let her words soften any of his feelings. "You left me to die." He bit out, his hands dropping to his sides so that he wasn't returning Emma's desperate hold on him. "Do you think sorry is enough?"
Her fingers loosened, and then she shuffled away from him. "I… I guess not." She whispered, tangling her fingers together and fidgeting when his glare hardened. "I wouldn't… a sorry wouldn't be enough from Neal. Not for me. I don't know why I hoped that it would be different for you."
"You took the compass and you left me for Cora to find." He snarled, not even blinking when Emma flinched away from him at his words. "I knew you didn't trust me, but I didn't think you would do anything like that. If you felt anything even close to how I feel, I don't see how you could have walked away like you did."
"I didn't…" She protested, stepping back towards him and clenching her fists, her voice rising. "Look, I panicked, okay? Cora didn't even come to mind. I just thought that once you found a way home, you would leave me."
"Leave you?" He repeated, barking out an angry laugh and matching the volume of his voice to hers. "Why would I leave you? Storybrooke wouldn't even be a home without you there! Not since I found you."
Her breath caught, another sob escaping her when she first tried to speak. "You left first." She bit out. "You had already left. Don't try and act as though I had no reason to think you were just waiting to leave me! And yeah, you're right. I don't trust you. How can I? I don't even know you anymore."
Killian shook his head angrily, frustrated by her words. She was so stubborn, and although sometimes he found it endearing, at that moment, he just found it infuriating. "That's crazy." He snapped. "You do know me. You just refuse to let yourself see that I haven't changed. How can you even think I don't still lo-"
"I made a mistake." She cried, interrupting him before their argument led to him saying something he knew she wasn't ready to hear. "I didn't think it through and I'm sorry. I thought I'd killed you and I… I can't lose you. I had thought that maybe, if I left you first, it would hurt less than waiting for you to leave me. Except as soon as I was gone, as soon as I realised what I'd done, I knew that even losing you on my terms hurt too much."
Killian swallowed. He had wanted an explanation, he still wanted one, but it felt like her words had drained away most of his anger and left him simply stunned. "You can't lose me?" Emma took in a few depths and then nodded in confirmation. "Emma… Perhaps you won't believe me, but I was just trying to save you. I would have always come back to you."
She bit her lip, glancing away for only a moment before stepping up to him, her hand snaking around his neck and pulling him down to her. The kiss was different than the one she'd used as a distraction at the top of the beanstalk, the hand at his neck sliding up into his hair, the other gently against his cheek.
It wasn't a distraction, it wasn't anything other than them being together, and when Emma ended the kiss and didn't move away, her nose brushing against his and her breath warm against his lips. He closed his eyes, only for a moment, enchanted by the way she was pressed to him, her thumb brushing his cheek lightly.
He should be angrier, he knew that, but her clear regret had driven that away. However, he couldn't trust her, not after she'd used his feelings the way she had. Of course, he wanted to trust her, still wanted so much more than he thought she could cope with, but her words and her kiss weren't enough to brush the betrayal aside.
"Swan." He said, taking hold of her arm and gently pushing her away from him. "I understand why you ran. I can read you well enough to know that you're scared that letting me in means that I can hurt you. You've been hurt before and you don't want that to happen again. I understand. That, I can forgive. But you used how I felt to run. You knew that I trusted you, that I… cared for you, and chose to use that knowledge to distract me. It's going to take some time before I can accept what you did, and as for understanding why you were willing to do that to me, I don't think I can."
He started to walk past her, back to the others, but then he felt her hand take his, her grip firm as though she was trying to hold him in place. When he looked back at her, she was crying.
"Look, Killian, everything has changed and it was… easier to think that you were different instead of hoping that you weren't." She muttered, her expression pleading for him to stay with her and listen. "I know I was… selfish, and I know I shouldn't have left you, especially the way I did, by fooling you, but before you decide that whatever this is is actually finished, I just want you to know that…"
She took in a deep breath. Killian thought, for a moment, that she wouldn't say whatever she seemed to think would change something. He opened his mouth to reassure her that, although he needed time, he doubted that what they shared would ever be over, but that seemed to hurry her into continuing.
"You being Captain Hook. I don't care about that." She breathed. "I mean… you haven't changed. I know that. I always did, somewhere. And I'd understand if things are different now because of what I've done, but if there's any part of you that still cares, you should know that I don't want to run away from you anymore. Everything else is so crazy and… well, it turns out that I think that I need you. And I hate that, but it doesn't mean it isn't true."
Whatever he had expected her to say, that wasn't it. She was saying things he'd wanted to hear for years, and suddenly, the betrayal didn't seem as insurmountable anymore. It was still there, still on his mind, but it wasn't enough for him to walk away from her. Not if she truly needed him.
Killian kissed her, harder and more punishing than her kiss had been, but she met his every move, clinging tighter whenever Killian attempted to pull her closer. At some point, he'd backed her into a tree, although he hadn't been aware of anything except Emma's lips on his when he'd done so, and when he realised this, he pressed even closer. She whimpered when he left her lips to suck a path of kisses from her jaw, down her neck, his hand rising to tug her shirt neckline lower when it got in the way.
"I am sorry, you know." Emma said suddenly, her voice so breathy it was almost inaudible. "Really."
He paused only to glance up at her, suddenly captivated when he saw the way her head was thrown back, eyes closed, neck marked by his kisses and her chest rising and falling with each deep breath. She was so beautiful that he couldn't look away.
"Killian?" She whispered, peering up at him through her eyelashes. "Don't stop?"
He chuckled and obeyed, brushing his lips over hers as he rocked his hips lightly and grinning against her lips at her sharp gasp in response.
"Why?" He asked, biting gently at her lip. "Haven't managed to steal what you need yet? I don't think I have anything valuable left on me."
Emma pushed him back, scowling at him and although there was bitterness behind his words, he plastered a teasing smirk across his lips and raised one eyebrow and that seemed to be enough to make Emma relax.
"You remember at the station? When I kissed you?" She asked tentatively, her fingers toying with the chains of his necklace until he grabbed her hand and stopped her. He suddenly found that he didn't want her to know about the bean that was hanging off one of the chains, even if it clearly no longer worked.
He realised she'd asked him a question only after she raised an expectant eyebrow. "Sorry?"
"When you said we should get dinner sometime?" She prompted. "You know, together. We should do that. When we're home. I mean… if you still want to try that. Us. Or was that some sort of goodbye make out?"
He swallowed, hearing her voice hitch on the word 'goodbye', and thinking only of how she'd left him with exactly what she'd just described. "Swan, what you did isn't just going to go away." He said, and she pushed him further away, a broken expression crossing her face at his words. "But I'm never going to say goodbye to you."
"Me too." She whispered, a smile dancing across her lips when his eyes widened and he gaped at her in astonishment. "Not again."
He let himself believe that that time, when she kissed him, her kiss felt like a promise.
The two of them only returned to the clearing when they heard David calling for them. They hadn't talked any further since their argument had turned into kisses. Killian hadn't had too much to say to Emma, not wanting them to retreat back to harsh words, so he'd prevented any silences from falling by making sure that they were entirely occupied by one another.
It was easy to pretend that attraction and love was enough, but when they couldn't distract each other anymore, Killian doubted he'd be able to stop himself from thinking about the total lack of trust between them.
Emma had seemed willing to ignore David's summons, if she had even heard it, but Killian seemed unable to be similarly sidetracked, not even by Emma's soft lips and wandering hands. He'd broken their embrace instantly, nudging her hands aside and then straightening his slightly askew clothes before walking away from her.
When David saw that he was the only one returning the clearing, the man crossed his arms and gave him a cold look. "What? Did you decide sticking with us was a better plan after all?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. "Where's my daughter?"
Killian scowled, thrown by David's harsh tone. "She's coming. As for your bad mood, I'm not entirely sure what triggered that so there's no need to take it out on me."
"Not entirely sure?" David repeated, spluttering in surprise at the same moment Killian felt Emma's hand slide into his, their fingers lacing together. "You… wait, what? Emma, I thought you said he left you?"
Killian turned to look at the woman at his side, quickly forcing away another burst of disappointment. "I left to climb the beanstalk, Dave, but I never left for good."
"I know you went to climb the beanstalk." David muttered with a roll of his eyes. "But I was told that Emma returned alone because you had walked away. She wasn't happy about that and I thought you'd done something. Didn't you?"
"She lied." Killian snapped, tugging his hand out of Emma's grip. "You might find the truth to be slightly different."
Emma seemed to think that affection was the way to apologise, because she wrapped her arm around his and curled against his side, her forehead pressed against his shoulder. David scowled at them, blinked, and then seemed to remember that he hadn't called them back just to look disapproving.
"Anyway, Aurora's woken up." He said, gesturing behind him to the young princess, who was surrounded by Phillip and Mulan. "She had some stuff to say that I thought you'd want to hear."
Emma nodded, kissed Killian briefly on the cheek and wandered over towards the group. Killian watched her walk away until David stepped in front of him and blocked his view. "What is it, mate?"
"I want an explanation." David stated, folding his arms across his chest and fixing him with a stern glare. "I don't think I'm going to get anything out of Emma, She clearly wasn't telling the truth about where you were, but whatever happened made her cry and if you made my daughter cry…. well, I'll do something. I just haven't thought of it yet."
Killian swallowed. He'd known that Emma had regretted leaving him behind, but it was different hearing it from David. "We got separated." He explained briefly, unable to tell David the truth despite his expectant look. Not only did he not want to say the truth out loud, but whatever image David had of his daughter, Killian didn't want to be the person to change it.
He doubted David would ever leave anyone behind.
"Perhaps Emma jumped to conclusions when we didn't immediately find one another again." He said slowly. "I meant to stay behind in order to find out more from Cora. Maybe I didn't make that plan clear, but I always intended to return to her."
David narrowed his eyes, tilted his head back and then, after a minute of Killian feeling very judged, he nodded. "Okay. Fine. Just don't let that misunderstanding happen again. I don't like her being that upset, and I'd bet that you don't either."
Killian shrugged, unable to meet David's eyes for a moment. In his attempt to avoid his gaze, he caught sight of the others talking quietly. "So, why is it so important that Aurora's awake?"
"Because when she sleeps, she talks to Henry."
"I'm sorry?"
"After Snow woke from her sleeping curse, all her dreams were spent in a burning room. The same goes for Aurora. And for Henry. It turns out, they're dreaming of the same place and when they're both asleep, they're both there."
"They can communicate?"
"Well, I guess we can't be certain that they're actually talking. But Aurora told us about Henry, not the other way around. How could she have known him otherwise?" David pointed out. "We're hoping that Henry can tell us what's been going on back home, and that Aurora can tell him that we're trying to get back."
Emma rejoined them before Killian could ask any further questions, her arm sliding around his waist as soon as she was at his side. "Storybrooke sounds… as weird as this place." She told them. "Apparently, Dr Whale lost and then regained an arm, Mary-Margaret shot someone called Daniel with an arrow and Regina's still locked up in the Sheriff station."
That brief summary of whatever crazy events were happening in Storybrooke only raised more questions than answers. "Aurora didn't mention if Henry had said anything about Lacey?" Killian asked, speaking before David had the chance to voice any of the questions he clearly had. "If she's alright?"
"Aurora didn't say anything." Emma muttered apologetically. "But she did tell Henry that, with Cora's portal, we'll be home soon. She said that he seemed excited. That he can't wait to see me again."
"Cora's portal?" Killian repeated, stiffening at her words and nudging her away from him. "Swan, how can you possibly believe that we can use Cora's plan to return home? She is the only one who can open the portal, and without the compass, she won't open it. With any of us nearby, she definitely won't open it. The plan that I had to get you back to your son isn't possible anymore, and you know exactly why that is."
Emma swallowed, and he felt a twinge of guilt when she hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms across her chest. "I've apologised." She mumbled, glancing nervously towards her father. "And can we really not get home now?"
Killian shrugged. "Not as soon as you wanted." He told her. "That is, if we even survive the army of corpses that she's sending after you and the compass you stole from me."
"The army? You didn't think to bring this up sooner?" She asked, exchanging a horrified glance with her father. "What? Did you think we didn't need to know?"
"I was preoccupied." He snapped back. "You seemed rather happy to keep me from talking."
"No." David said loudly. "No. I don't want to hear anymore about you being… preoccupied. I want to know about this corpse army. Nothing else."
"Cora told me once that if you hold a heart in your hand, you can control it." Killian started. "She took the hearts of every single corpse in the haven, and even dead, she can make them do what she needs them to."
"It's going to be hard to defeat an army of people that are already dead." David muttered, his fingers dancing over the hilt of his sword. "But that doesn't mean we don't fight. We're going to defeat Cora's army, or at least delay them, and we are going to find a way to be there when Cora opens up the portal. After what Aurora said, I'm not spending more time away from my wife and my grandson than I have to."
Once everyone was aware that the corpses were most likely shambling through the forest towards them, they'd packed up their few belongings and continued walking through the trees. David insisted that he knew the way to Lake Nostos, so he was leading them, his sword at the ready.
The only plan they had been able to think of was to hope that if they confronted Cora near the lake, she might open the portal in an attempt to get away and they would be able to follow her through.
Killian doubted it would work.
As they walked, Killian kept to himself. Emma had tried to walk alongside him, her hand in his, but his silence had driven her away eventually. He was glad that she seemed willing to admit that she felt something for him, but he didn't feel like spending his time in casual discussion with her.
He hadn't really let himself wonder about what would happen when they returned to Storybrooke. At first, it had been because he didn't want to dwell on the possibility that Emma would decide that, knowing he was Captain Hook, she didn't want to be with him.
It was different now. He'd agreed to be with Emma, he still wanted to be with Emma, but things didn't feel the same anymore.
No matter what he felt, he couldn't stop thinking about a way to return to Storybrooke. David's idea relied on brute strength and luck. David's words about returning to Snow and Henry, as well as Aurora's few words about the status of Storybrooke had reminded him that, although he had let himself be distracted by getting Emma home, and then her betrayal, there were other reasons to return to the town he had spent the last thirty years living in.
The corpses weren't quiet when they attacked, bounding clumsily through the trees but moving quickly enough so that the group got barely any warning. Killian was jolted back to attention when he heard a gunshot from Emma's direction, hurrying away from the attack with Aurora, his hook ready to attack if any of the bodies managed to fight past the armed members of the group.
Emma's shots seemed to only delay the corpses, sending them staggering a few paces back before they returned to shuffling forwards, but David, Mulan and Phillip were able to prevent the group from being overwhelmed. David's attacks were powerful, even if they weren't particularly graceful, but it was Mulan that was most effective at destroying the attackers.
With her sword in hand, she ducked and weaved between the slow-moving bodies, her style graceful as her sword flashed out quickly to knock back an attack. Phillip had clearly fought with her before, his own precise strikes working perfectly alongside the fluidity of Mulan's.
Mulan discovered very quickly that although nothing was enough to stop the army from determinedly attacking, they were much less dangerous with fewer limbs.
Once they'd hindered the army enough, the six of them continued moving, walking with swords still drawn in case there were any attackers they hadn't yet debilitated. Cora wouldn't stop attacking them until the compass was in her hand or she had no more hearts, although Killian was well aware that she could always gain more.
A live enemy would be harder to fight than the clumsy, mindless bodies that she had already sent after them.
Then, suddenly, he knew just what to do.
"Stop." He ordered, repeating the word a few times until the others listened. "I have an idea. I know how we can get back to Storybrooke."
"Another idea?" David asked, exchanging a curious look with his daughter. "If you knew of another way to get back, why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"I don't know another way to get home." Killian corrected, holding his hand up to halt the questions he knew were coming. "But I do know a way to trick Cora one final time."
"And what would that be?" Mulan questioned, folding her arms and raising her eyebrow. "So far your so-called plans haven't worked out well for us. Why should we expect this one to be any different?"
Mulan looked doubtful, but David seemed willing to listen, as did Emma. "Everything I said before still applies. Cora won't open the portal without the compass and she won't open the portal with anyone there that she doesn't trust. So what if we use that?"
"Go along with Cora's plan?" Emma already had the compass out of her pocket, her thumb running over the glass face, but she seemed confused by what he had said. "How does that do anything but help her get to Storybrooke?"
"There's only one thing Cora truly trusts and that's power." He explained. "What if we give her a heart, one of our hearts, and let her use it to make us bring the compass to her? If she thinks we're powerless, and if she's in possession of the compass, there's a chance she'll open the portal when we're nearby. We take the heart back, Phillip, Aurora and Mulan obstruct her path to the portal and then we jump through. We'll be back in Storybrooke, and Cora won't have a way to follow us."
"Sounds wonderful." Mulan said before anyone else could contribute. "Except for the whole heart part of the plan. And the fact that you'll be leaving the three of us to keep Cora at bay. What are we supposed to do when the portal closes? Run away? Or just let her kill us?"
"I can take a heart." Killian snapped. "She doesn't need to truly have possession of it. Not if I use it to bring you and the compass to her. Do you think I'd let anyone lend their heart to this plan unless I could promise it's return?"
"After you left all of us, and stole my sword, do you think any of us trust you to take our heart?" Mulan laughed. "You're a pirate. Why should we let anyone give their heart to you? If you think this plan will work, give her your heart."
"No." Emma protested, moving to Killian's side and then sending Mulan a stern glare. "I trust him. If he believes this plan will work, then it's the best plan we have. And we do it."
Mulan exchanged a look with Phillip, the two of them having a silent conversation that ended with Mulan nodding begrudgingly. "We'll help. But if it doesn't work, then it's up to you after that. We won't risk our lives again. And none of us are giving the pirate our hearts."
"Thank you." Emma muttered, and Killian watched her grip the compass tightly, her knuckles white. "And as for the heart, well, I have the compass so it should be my heart. I trust Killian with it."
Killian's heart raced at her words, even though he knew that she hardly meant what he wished she did. "Swan? Are you-"
"Cora won't get Emma's heart." David had interrupted Killian, snatching the compass out of Emma's hand as he joined the discussion, ignoring Emma's protests at his actions. "We can't predict what Cora will do. If she takes the heart from you, then all she has to do is crush it and one of us is gone. I can't let it be Emma's heart."
"Well, it's not up to you." Emma told him. "No one else is volunteering. We need a heart and we need to get home. Giving my heart to Killian is… well, I know he'll keep it safe."
Even Emma seemed astonished by her words, her cheeks reddening slightly, but that didn't stop her from leaning over to brush her lips to his, as though emphasising her declaration. Killian couldn't even breathe, and for a moment, it was as though he'd forgotten everything other than the love he felt for her.
"Oh, and Aurora?" Emma said, sounding breathless once Killian had stepped close and rested his hook over her heart. "Could you go to sleep? It would be great if you could tell Henry that his mom's coming home."
Killian assumed Aurora had agreed, but he couldn't look away from Emma. She wasn't looking back at him, seemingly unable to meet his gaze, but her hands were steady and her breath was growing calmer, and although it seemed an impossible thought, he truly believed she trusted him to take her heart in his hands and keep it safe.
He didn't want to take it.
"There's another option." Killian sighed in relief at the sudden input, twisting to stare at David. "You take my heart."
"David!" Emma protested immediately. "We've discussed this. It's not up to you."
"No, it's not. Offer your heart to Hook all you want. I can't stop you from doing that." David agreed. He looked away from Emma then, to Killian, and a determined expression settled across his face. "But I want to keep you safe. I'd rather risk my heart than risk you."
It may have been hard for Emma to understand but Killian felt incredibly grateful to David in that moment. The choice was easy.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter - soon, we'll be back in Storybrooke! Thank you for all the reviews/favourites/story alerts and, of course, thank you to BlackDragon733 for editing this with me!
