Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT. Adam and Eddy do. :(

500 REVIEWS! That's literally the best thing ever! Thank you all so much!

And how good was Outlaw Queen in "Witch Hunt"? Met all of my expectations.

alias093001 asked: "But, is Cora expecting that Hook will work with her again, even after sending him into the curse? And why was he sent there in the first place?"

Cora will be surprised that Hook is here and she'll want to try and manipulate him. We'll see how that goes with Emma there. As for him being sent to SB in the first place, Cora just thought at last minute that Hook couldn't be trusted. And now she's going to regret that decision.

Starlight000 asked: "Are you planning for Emma and Henry to go to NYC and will there be the whole Tamara and Greg thing?"

I plan on NYC, but my version that I've been planning since he beginning of this story is definitely AUish. As for Greg and Tamara, they will make appearances.

weird girl asked: "Who w.s.?"

Will Scarlet. He and Killian/Hook have history.

jollyrogerjayhawk asked : "My one quetion is will he just be called hook now or will they eer start reverting tocalling him killian as he begins to settle into one personality. Because hook is a facet and nickname of killian not the other way around."

They'll return to calling him Killian. Emma just called him Hook because it's what she and he are comfortable with calling him. Everyone else called him Hook following Emma's lead. But yeah he'll be Killian again.

Except for when Hook and Emma are in the EF, Snow and Charming will still call him Killian to the townspeople because they want to keep everyone calm and revealing that their absent sheriff is one of the most legendary dreaded pirates and villains wouldn't do well.

Angel Bells asked: "I do have a question thoug; since Henry sees Killian as his father, will he still be very angry with Emma when he finds out about Neal, and how much will Killian bring him back from his anger?"

Kind of Spoilers: Really in my story Henry is kind of more understanding and that will really be due to Killian's influence so when the Neal thing happens it will be largely because of Killian's tight knit bond with Henry that will keep the family together.

trustpixiedust asked: "Question though, since Lancelot is there, and his connection is to Snow, how will he know Emma or Killian?"

If I recall correctly, Cora was already disguised as Lancelot before Emma and Mary Margaret arrived at the camp on the show. I'll be using that as a plot point.

asked: "One thing does Hook has his leather coat or what?"

Hook doesn't have his pirate coat, but he's wearing the leather jacket Emma gave him for Christmas.

Actually if you guys want to know, Hook's wearing that jacket, a navy blue tight t-shirt, blue jeans, his dark brown work boots, and the compass Emma gave him. Emma is wearing her red leather jacket, jeans, her knee high brown lace up boots, a black tank top, and as usual her silver earrings and circlet and the swan pendant.

Reagan Jones asked: "So how are Emma and Killian going to convince Aurora, Mulan, and the rest of the gang that they're good? Snow had the advantage of Lancelot (even though he was really Cora) but Emma? Maybe she'll just say she's Snow's daughter and everything will work out… :D"

Well that will be the tension within the group. Aurora and Mulan won't know that they are good, but since Cora is Lancelot and she'll see Hook and claim that they are good when learning Emma is the savior and Snow's daughter but she'll really be trying to see if she can manipulate Hook.

Aoi Dragon asked: "It took me a second read through to realize that WS was not William Smee, but Will Scarlet - considering Hook said "boy". Nice addition. How does Will know Hook? Did he know him as the Knave of Hearts? Because there were pirates mentioned in Once: Wonderland. Maybe that can be explored in a flashback or something."

Actually Will and Hook have a long history together. He's very important to Hook and you guys will find out more about that later in the story. But no they didn't meet in Wonderland but long before Will went to Wonderland. Hook only went to Wonderland once, when he was supposed to kill Cora.

Kristina'sMyName asked: "Will Hook look for his ship now that he is in EF?"

Maybe...

"What about Cora? On the show, Snow and Emma meet Cora in a pit. Lancelot knew Snow so they were set free. So with Hook?"

I answered that in Reagan Jones' question as well. Cora is Lancelot as far as whenever Lancelot shows up, so she will recognize Hook, and she'll try to manipulate the situation to her advantage.

"And on the show Snow and Emma fight Hook and Cora, now it's gonna be Emma and Hook vs Cora and ? Or will Cora work solo?"

Oh I have plans for that and it won't be what you guys expect.

"My next quetion is about Neal. When Henry, Rumple and Emma were there Hook attacked Rumple which led to Neal comming to SB with the Jolly. Know Hook can't leave SB and gave up vengence so he won't attack Rumple and...well you see where I'm going with this."

Yeah, there will be another reason that leads Neal to SB, since Hook won't be going to NY.

So glad you all liked the beginning of Season 2. I hope the rest of the season meets your expectations. And remember, I've been planning most of the bigger things since I wrote the prologue, so I've always had a feel for where the story is going in the overall picture, just not with ironing out the details.

Remember questions are always welcome through PMs, Reviews, or Tumblr.

Here we go.

Enjoy!


Chapter 27: New Problems to Face

Emma woke in a strange place, becoming alert quickly as she began to process the situation. She was lying on her side, hands tied behind her back, ankles bound, and Hook was unconscious in front of her, in the same position.

Cold metal met her throat. Slowly, Emma turned her head, careful not to let the blade cut her. She was looking up at the blade of a sword, kept at her throat by an asian woman in armor. A auburn haired woman in a long, pink gown.

"Who are you?" The warrior asked, brown eyes looking down on Emma with a tranquil fury.

"I could ask you the same." Emma said, remaining calm. She had to figure out what was going on, get out of her restraints, and get Hook out of here. Whoever these women were, they weren't making a very friendly first impression.

"Answer her." The red head glared.

Emma shot her an unimpressed look. That girl was the farthest thing from intimidating.

"You could try to be more friendly." Emma growled. "Then maybe I'd be more compliant."

The warrior put more pressure on the blade. "Who are you? I'll not ask again."

Emma stretched out her neck to avoid getting cut, eyes flicking to Hook briefly. Brief enough to know that he was faking being unconscious. Instinctively, Emma knew what to do. Keep the women distracted.

"Look, I'm not exactly from here," Emma started, "but where I'm from, tying people up and threatening them with a weapon when they're defenseless is a crime." She scooted away from the blade, and Hook, causing both women to follow her with their eyes.

"Here we call it caution." The warrior said.

Movement out of the corner of Emma's eye let her know that Hook was about to act.

The red head let out a yelp as she fell to the floor, and suddenly Hook's elbow was digging into her throat, a dagger in his hand, pointed over the girl's heart.

Emma had no idea how he had moved so quickly, let alone how he managed to get his wrists unbound, nor where he got the dagger. Though, considering that his hook was missing, Emma figured he managed to slip his left wrist free.

The warrior's surprise at his attack had her eyes on him now, leaving Emma open to roll away from the blade.

"Cut her free." Hook said, nodding to Emma.

The warrior hesitated.

Hook pressed the tip of the dagger to the girl's chest.

"You won't hurt her." The warrior argued.

"You have no idea just what I'm willing to do for her." Hook growled, eyes flicking to Emma.

Glaring at Hook, the warrior sheathed her sword and pulled out a dagger, before turning to Emma and cutting her restraints.

Emma stood, rubbing her wrists, carefully backing away from the warrior towards Hook. She knelt next to him. "I think you can let her go now."

Hook gave her a sharp look, but it softened when he saw her imploring look. He handed her the dagger, and moved away from the girl, who quickly scooted away. Emma used it to unbind his feet, and then cut the remaining rope that hung loosely from his good arm.

"Are you all right?" He asked quietly.

Emma nodded. "You?"

Hook gave her a look that said he was anything but, however, she had a feeling that nothing was physically wrong with him. He stood, helping her up, a signal that they'd talk later.

The warrior had moved over to the other woman's side, helping her up as well.

"Is this the Enchanted Forest?" Hook asked.

"Where else would you be?" The auburn haired girl asked indignant.

The warrior studied them, their appearance. "You're from another realm. You were cursed when the Evil Queen cast the dark curse."

Hook narrowed his eyes. "Aye, we were."

Emma wanted to call him on the lie, but knowing him, she had a feeling that keeping the fact that she escaped and broke the curse between them was him protecting her. She saw it as keeping a card up their sleeve for later.

"What's happened here, since the curse?" Emma asked.

The warrior looked between Emma and Hook, still wary of them. "We were frozen until the curse weakened. The land has been ravaged by dangerous creatures. Ogres, mostly."

Hook growled, "Bloody beasts."

"Ogres?" Emma asked. "Like fee-fi-fo-fum?"

"That's giants, love." Hook said. "Ogres are much worse. At least the giants had long since been dealt with." Hook turned his attention to the other women. "If ogres have reclaimed the lands, where are the people?"

"A safe haven." The warrior said, suspicious of his questions.

"Is there anyone there who might know of any portals or ways to leave the Enchanted Forest?" Hook asked.

"Why?" The warrior asked growing even more suspicious.

"We have to get back to Storybrooke." Emma said. "It's the place that the curse took the others. It's our home."

The warrior glared between them. "We'll take you to the safe haven."

Emma opened her mouth to say a thank you but Hook spoke first. "As prisoners?"

"What else?" The warrior arched a brow.

"I don't think so." Emma said. "Look, we're not the bad guys here, and I don't think that you are either. We all just got off on the wrong foot. We just want to get home to our family, and you two are locals here and you probably need to head back to safety soon. So, how about this? We all call a truce, you help us, we owe you. Deal?"

"And what if we want nothing from you?" The warrior asked.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Emma stated.

The warrior regarded Emma for a moment. "Fine. I am Mulan. This is Aurora."

Mulan? Aurora? Emma thought. Seriously, when did my life become a mash-up of Disney characters? "Emma." Emma nodded her head at Hook. "This is Hook."

"Speaking of," Hook started, "I'd like to have that back."

Mulan gave him a stony look, before pulling his hook from her satchel and tossing it to him.

He caught it effortlessly, and reattached it to his brace.

"The rest of our things back would be nice." Emma added on.

Mulan, if at all possible, looked even less pleased at handing over their guns. "What are these? Are they some sort of magic?"

Emma smirked. "Depends on who's pulling the trigger."

"Actually, love," Hook began, "we should leave the guns as a last resort. Ogres are blind, they hunt by sound. A gunshot would lure them to us. You're best off sticking with that dagger," he nodded to the dagger that was still in her possession from earlier, "until we can get better weapons."

"Actually that's mine." Aurora said. "I'd like it back."

"Please," Hook scoffed. "The way you had it tucked away so carelessly, I'm surprised you've yet to stab yourself."

"I can handle a dagger perfectly fine, thank you." Aurora glared.

"Perhaps." Hook gave her a bored look, "But you see, this woman is very important to our family, and, while she's very capable of taking care of herself, I'd be much more at ease with her having a weapon that she can use. So bloody well back off, and be quiet like the dainty princess you are."

Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise, as Hook's ferocity was unwarranted, but then, she could understand him using it as a method to convince the other pair that he was being serious, and not to piss him off.

Mulan looked somewhere between impressed, realizing just what he was doing, and irritated that he was acting in such a way towards Aurora.

Aurora haughtily jutted her chin out, eyes seething with defiance. "You cannot just order me..."

"Aurora." Mulan sternly cut her off. "That's enough. Let her keep it." Mulan turned to Hook and Emma. "Shall we?"

They nodded letting Mulan and an incensed Aurora take the lead.

Wherever they were going, Emma just hoped that they'd be there soon. She and Hook needed to get back to their son soon. Who knows just what Regina might be up to?


The seven dwarves were at the Storybrooke town limits, Leroy, or Grumpy as he was known as in the Enchanted Forest, finished spray-painting an orange line to indicate the border of the town.

"This, gentlemen, is our mission." Leroy began. "The great barrier of our existence: does it remain? We must investigate the line." Leroy pulled out a handful of straws. "I made straws. Short one crosses."

The dwarves gathered and drew.

Happy spoke first, "With the curse broken, we can cross, right? It should be no problem."

"With magic back, it could be even worse now." Walter, or rather Sleepy, said.

"Like, vaporize us." Doc continued.

Bashful looked stricken. "Let's go home."

"Guys!" Leroy snapped. "We are the Royal Guard, loyal to Snow White and Prince Charming. This is our mission under the orders of the royal family. We must do this. Now, show your hands."

The dwarves seemed to collectively sigh as they revealed their straws.

Mr. Clark, Sneezy, had the short straw.

"You're up, snotty." Leroy said, taking him by the arm and dragging him to the line.

Sneezy hesitated. "You know, what if we found a turtle and sort of nudged it over first?"

Leroy rolled his eyes. "Oh, for the love of..." He shook his head and pushed Sneezy over the line.

When he crossed, a bluish, electrical hue of magic swept over his being.

"Sneezy, you okay?" Leroy asked. "Sneezy!"


At the town hall Crisis Center, the volunteer coordinators were struggling to keep order.

"If you are looking for a family member, come to the front table." Ruby shouted over the raised voices of the crowds. "If you need counseling, Dr. Hopper has a signup sheet. If the wraith damaged your house, there are cots at the school."

"This is getting out of hand." Mother Superior sighed. "People are in a panic. They don't know what to do."

"It's okay." Ruby reassured her. "It'll be fine. We just need everyone to remain calm. I have a feeling that our royal couple is working on something right now."

Mother Superior nodded, before she went to help a few of the other coordinators.

"Eh, Ruby?" Marco came over to her, posters for his missing son Pinocchio in hand.

"I take it he hasn't turned up yet." Ruby nodded at the posters.

Something flashed in Marco's eyes, something that Ruby felt was guilt, before he shook his head. "Uh, no, but you must tell me, Snow White and the Prince, they, ah, will find a way to, ah, get Emma and my boy back."

"Killian?" Ruby cocked her head. "You still think of him as your son too?"

Marco smiled, sad and small, "He was my boy during the, eh, curse. Why should the curse being, uh, broken change that? I have ah, already lost one boy, and can't, uh, find him. I don't want to lose the other one too."

Ruby placed a reassuring hand on Marco's shoulder. "Snow and Charming love Killian too. They will find him and Emma, and they won't stop until they are both home."

Marco swallowed, nodding. "I, ah, will go see if Archie needs help. The crowd, ah, seems overwhelming."

Ruby smiled at him as he left, but frowned once he was out of sight. She hadn't seen Snow or Charming yet this morning, and she was beginning to worry. Hoping that they had an idea of what to do, Ruby threw herself back into helping the citizens.


"Are you sure that you can't make it work?" Snow asked Jefferson, handing him the remains of his hat. They, and David, were walking down the street toward Regina's house.

"Unfortunately, I can't." Jefferson sighed. "I'm just the portal jumper. The magic, that was all Rumplestiltskin, if he even made the hat. Why we're going to Regina's is beyond me. Rumple knows more about magic than anyone, and he probably even has some, whereas it seems that Regina doesn't have any right now."

"We need to check on her." Snow said. "Not only to keep an eye on her, but for Henry's sake too. His parents are in the Enchanted Forest up against God knows what. Regina is his only parent left, and he wants her to prove that she can change."

"And after everything she put you and your family through, you still think that she can?" Jefferson asked.

"If there's one thing that you need to know about our family," Charming sighed. "Is that we always have hope, and that we have to have faith. And if Henry has faith in Regina, then we have to support him and hope that he is right."

Jefferson nodded. "Look, Hook and Emma are my friends, so I want you both to know, even without the hat, I'm willing to do anything to help get them back."

"Thank you, Jefferson." Snow smiled.

They reached Regina's porch and rang the doorbell.

Regina opened the door and rolled her eyes. "Well, if it isn't the Charmings. I'm surprised you don't have armed guards 'round the clock."

"Don't need them." Charming glared. "We all know that if you step outside, there's a line a mile wide for your head."

"Who'd risk coming here?" Regina scoffed. "Other than you three idiots."

"Look, Regina," Snow started. "We didn't come here to fight." She held up Jefferson's ruined hat. "Jefferson can't do anything with this, but what about you? Can you help us get Emma and Hook back?"

"Why should I?" Regina said. "So that your family can be reunited and happy, and those two can take away my son."

"Henry asked you to help bring them back." Snow said. "Think about that. He believes that you can change for him. Do you still hate me and Emma so much that you'd keep Henry unhappy? Because he is unhappy without his parents."

"I'm his parent." Regina snapped. "Those two are nothing."

"The hell they are." Charming growled. "You know, I'm pretty sure that that wallpaper trick of yours was an anomaly. You're having trouble with you're magic, aren't you? If you weren't, then you'd take Henry and this town would be charcoal by now. So here's the thing, Henry is the only reason that you are alive right now."

"Charming!" Snow gasped, but Charming continued.

"Like Snow said, Henry believes that you can change." Charming said. "And I hope he is right, but refusing to help us, isn't proving that. You want Henry back, you have to prove to him that you are willing to work with us. That means helping us get our best friend and our little girl back. Whether you want to or not."

Regina pursed her lips, looking as though she'd kill Charming if she could. "I can't do anything to help. I don't have magic. You'd have better luck getting help from Rumplestiltskin, if he's willing."

"Why wouldn't he be?" Snow asked.

Regina smirked. "Why don't ask him just who it is that your daughter jumped after in that portal. Now, I should think that you two should be more concerned with taking care of my son, then worrying about those two."

"Right, because you took such good care of him." Jefferson said.

"I will not listen to child care lectures from a man who abandoned his daughter for a quick buck, and two idiots who shipped their five minute old infant off to Maine in a magical tree." Regina made to shut the door, but Charming blocked her.

"Listen, we need Emma and Hook." Charming said. "Henry needs them. There's magic here now, so there has to be a way to follow them, or to bring them back here."

"Good luck with getting magic to work." Regina said. "As you said, this town would be charcoal."

"Oh, frustrated are we?" Charming hissed. "It serves you right. You've earned every bit of this."

"Keep on baiting me, Charming." Regina hissed. "I may not have magic right now and I may not have my son. But, when I get one, I get the other. And you don't want to be around when that happens."

"If you have to use magic to keep your son, you don't really have him." Snow said.

Regina knocked Charming back, sending Snow an icy glare before slamming the door.

"Well, that was pleasant." Jefferson sighed.

"I guess that leaves us with our only option." Charming said.

Snow nodded. "Rumplestiltskin."


He wasn't talking to her, so Emma had a feeling that she was in trouble.

They'd been walking along, still following Mulan and Aurora, for a couple of hours at least.

Not one peep from Hook.

Sighing, Emma figured that if they were going to talk, it might as well be now. "So, you have something to say?" She began cautiously.

Hook's eyes flicked to her, glancing ahead of them to gauge the distance between them and their guides, seeing if they were out of earshot. Feeling as though they were too close, Hook slowed his pace, Emma falling suit.

"Why did you jump after me?" He asked quietly, keeping his eyes on the women ahead of them.

"You know why." Emma said. "I went to Rumplestiltskin for help and killed a dragon to make sure you lived. You really think that I'd let you get sucked into a portal to God knows where alone?"

"You should have." He glared.

"What?" Emma asked, shocked and a bit angry. "Why the hell should I have let you go?"

"Henry." Hook said. "He needs you."

"And he doesn't need you?" Emma huffed.

"You're his mother."

"You're his father." Emma hissed. "At least, you're the closest thing to one that he has. Look, I know that you're still struggling with your memories, and that's hard for you, but you have a family now whether you like it or not. We need you. So, let's just get to this camp, and find a way home. Together."

Hook said nothing, inwardly at war with himself as Emma seemed to think that he had a family with her family, not Killian. She seemed certain that both men were one in the same, just a few differences here and there. No, Killian was a hero, a man of honor, a father figure, a friend. Hook was none of those things. He could never be any of those things. Why couldn't Emma see that?

Mulan stopped ahead of them, speaking with Aurora, before the princess wandered off.

Hook and Emma stopped a few yards away.

"Where is she going?" Emma asked.

"To pee." Mulan said, turning to look ahead of them, surveying the area.

"Swan." Hook stepped towards her. "I'm not Killian."

Emma tilted her head, something akin to pity in her eyes. "You're both of them. You just don't want to see it."

"I'm not a good man." He said. "Hook is who I really am. I know that that must be upsetting to you, but it's the truth. Killian is a small, insignificant part of me, true, but Hook is the real me, and that is a reality that you're going to have to accept."

Emma sighed. "You really want to be seen as a villain, don't you? Are you really that afraid of hurting me, or hurting yourself?"

Hook bristled. She was purposefully trying to get under his skin. He hated that; hated that she was reading him in a way no one since Liam ever could. How could she just know how much he was afraid to love her? Afraid to move on from Milah? How he was afraid to get attached?

His mother, Liam, and Milah all died because of him, and his father abandoned him. Everyone who ever loved him, left him. Loving him was a curse that Hook wouldn't want anyone to bear. It was best to keep as much distance between him and Emma; to keep his heart protected, and to protect her.

So, hiding behind his walls, he glared at her. "You don't know anything about me, Swan. Don't pretend that..." Hook was cut off by a hit to the back of his head.

"Hook!" Emma stepped forward to catch him, so focused on him that she didn't see his attacker go for her. She saw colors explode behind her eyes before falling into darkness.


David and Mary Margaret were on their way to Gold's Pawnshop when the dwarves came running down the street.

"Snow! Charming!" Leroy called out. "Terrible news!"

The dwarves came to a stop in front of the Charmings.

"What's happened?" Snow asked, worried for the men that she viewed as her brothers.

"We were out at the town limits." Leroy said. "Tell them who you think you are, Sneezy."

"Oh, will you stop calling me that." Mr. Clark said. "You know who I am. I'm Tom Clark. I own the Dark Star Pharmacy. What's going on here?"

Leroy turned to the royals. "If you cross the border, you lose your memory all over again."

"And coming back doesn't fix it." Charming sighed.

"So we leave, then we become our cursed selves again." Mary Margaret said. "They become our only selves."

"I wonder if Regina knew about this." David ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, Leroy, you and the dwarves take Snee-Mr. Clark to Blue and see if she can fix him. Don't tell anyone about the town line just yet, but call for a town meeting in a few hours."

Leroy and the dwarves nodded, before leaving.

"This means that we're all stuck here." Mary Margaret said. "We have to figure out how to fix this."

"Yeah, but first we need to figure out how to get our daughter and Hook back." David resumed the walk towards the pawnshop.

They entered, ignoring the "closed" sign on the door.

"Gold!" David called out when they didn't see him out front. "Gold, you here?"

"I put up that sign for a reason, you know." Rumplestiltskin appeared from the back.

David tossed the remains of the hat onto the counter. "Jefferson and Regina can't help, but you can, can't you?"

"I'm afraid portal jumping is just outside my purview." Gold said.

"Of course it is." Mary Margaret huffed. "Surely you must know of some way to get to the Enchanted Forest, or to get them back here. Do you have a way to find someone?"

"Not if they aren't in this realm, dearie." Rumple said. "Alas, your daughter and the pirate are not."

"So you have absolutely no idea of how to find them?" Snow asked.

"Oh, I have ideas, just not the means."

"What's that supposed to mean?" David asked.

"It means that perhaps your wife can find a way." Gold said.

Snow tilted her head, "What do you mean? I have no idea about magic."

"Ah, but you've been on the receiving end of it." Gold smirked. "Think about it, dearie. Have a good day."

The door burst open before the other three could do anything else.

Ruby looked concerned as she approached the Charmings. "Leroy just told us the news."

"Wh all did he tell?" Charming asked. "I told him to call a town meeting so the town wouldn't panic."

"He just told Blue, Archie, and me."

"What news?" Gold asked.

"Just something at the town line." Charming said. He turned to Snow, "We should go. We need to plan what we're going to tell everyone."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Let's go."

They made to leave when Gold spoke.

"What about the town line?"

David sighed, "You can't cross it. You lose your memory of everything of our old lives. Looks like we're stuck here."

The Charmings and Ruby left.

Gold swallowed, anger bubbling within him. He couldn't leave? He couldn't leave. He gripped his cane tightly until he was unable to hold in his anger, and he smashed the glass display cases.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

He had to find Bae. The whole reason for this curse was to find Bae. He wouldn't sit idly by in this town for the rest of his life when his son was within his reach.

No. No, he would find his son. He wouldn't stop until he found him.


Emma woke up in what seemed to be a dark cavern. Obviously a prison. Groaning, she sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head.

Her eyes found Hook lying next to her.

"Hook." She whispered, shaking him gently. "Wake up, Hook."

He groaned softly, blue eyes blinking open slowly. "Swan." He croaked. "What the bloody hell happened?"

She helped him sit up. "I'm going to guess that Aurora got the drop on us. They used our underestimation of her to their advantage."

It made sense. Mulan was in front of them when they were knocked out, whereas the little princess wasn't accounted for.

"Bloody wenches." Hook grimaced as his fingers rubbed against the sore spot behind his head. "Must've planned it while we were talking."

"Probably." Emma said, brushing her fingers against his jaw, relieved that he was okay.

His eyes met hers, and she suddenly realized their close proximity. Even though they'd been much closer before, Hook was still wrestling with his cursed and real memories, and Emma didn't want to push him. But something cleared in his eyes, and Emma's heart pounded.

Her eyes fluttered closed as he closed the gap between them.

He sighed, relaxing into the kiss, as though he needed the contact just as much as he did.

It wasn't passionate or lustful, but filled with the need to just know that the other was really there and that they were still together in this.

Pulling apart slowly, they rested their foreheads against each others, Hook nuzzling her nose with his own. "Are you all right?" He asked softly.

"Yeah." Emma said. "Just can't wait to get out of here and get back to Henry."

"Aye." Hook pulled back, small smile on his lips. "Knowing our lad though, he's probably trying to create another Operation Cobra with your parents, to get us home."

Emma chuckled. "He would."

The sound of movement from the other side of the prison alerted them that they weren't alone. Tensing, both of them stood together, searching the darkness for the person.

"Who's there?" Emma called out, eyes narrowed.

"A friend." She said.

Hook tensed at the voice, pulling Emma behind him, almost violently, taking Emma by surprise.

"You!" He hissed, venom in his tone.

A woman in old clothes, dark brown hair in a mess as though she was roughed up, brown eyes looking on with sympathy.

"Hook."

Hook growled, preparing for a fight. "Cora."


And there's Cora. Just you guys wait. I have plans. (insert maniacal laughter here)

Sorry for the short chapter. Just felt like I had to end it there.