AN: This chapter takes place during the same time frame as Gold's last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Hook:

Hook woke up, confused about where he was. He could hear some soft snoring coming from his left, and remembered that he had slept at Mary Margaret's loft with Henry. A cursory glance around the small apartment told him that there was no one else there. If Emma and her parents had come home last night, he probably would have heard them, and been purposefully awakened as well.

He walked over to the kitchen, looking through the cupboard to see if there was anything recognizable to prepare for breakfast.

"Did anyone come home last night?" Henry asked, walking into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"No. I didn't see anyone. The only noise I heard all night was a few snores from you, and ringing from that thing," Hook said, using his hook to point to a cellphone on the counter. Henry picked it up and began looking at it.

"What is that?" Hook asked. It kind of looked like that remote Henry showed him last night during that awful movie.

"It's my cellphone. It lets me talk to people that aren't in the same place," Henry said. He turned back to looking at it intently. After a few moments, he explained what he'd been doing. "Four missed calls from Ruby, two from Archie, and even one from Marco. They all left voicemails. Hang on a second."

Henry put the cellphone to his ear, and Hook could just barely make out voices, all of them frantic and panicked. "You should hear this," Henry said.

He pushed the phone, and an urgent woman's voice was produced. "Henry, I went by the Sheriff station, and no one was there. Whenever I call Emma's phone, it goes straight to voicemail. Something is definitely wrong. Call me when you get this!"

"She sounds bad. What could have happened?" Henry asked.

Hook's musings from last night returned to him, but he wasn't positive that he was right. If he was right, his duty was to protect Henry as best as he could. "I think…" he began, but was interrupted by pounding on the door.

"Emma, Mary Margaret, Charming, Henry, are you in there?" the same voice from the phone called from the other side of the door.

Henry opened the door and was immediately engulfed in the arms of a young woman with long brown hair and red streaks. Hook's hand went to his sword, assessing the level of danger the young woman posed, but not overly concerned at the moment.

"Ruby, what happened to my mom?" Henry asked.

"I was hoping they would be here. Since they aren't…"

"We need to look for them. Can you get their scent?" Henry asked.

"Their scent? You can smell them?" Hook asked.

The woman's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "You must be Hook. I'm Ruby. Unfortunately, we don't have time for proper introductions, as my best friend and her family are missing. Unless you plan on helping, I suggest you stay out of my way. Tonight is the full moon."

Ruby turned and walked out of the apartment, not even caring that Henry was in his pajamas. Henry didn't seem to care either, and he ran after Ruby. Hook sighed slight, assuming this journey would be fruitless, but following the two nonetheless. Ruby held her head high in the air, reminding him of a bloodhound.

"Who is this Ruby?" he asked Henry.

"She's Little Red Riding Hood. She's also the wolf, so she's really good at tracking people."

"Ahh. Makes sense then," Hook said.

"I can't separate out a distinct scent. I think the rain last night mixed it all together. I'm sorry Henry," Ruby said.

Hook's theory seemed to be better and better, but he didn't know if it would appease everyone.

"Maybe we could go check with my mom," Henry said.

"For all we know, she's probably involved," Ruby said.

Hook creasing his brow, confused about what they were saying. "How can you talk with Emma? She's missing."

"No, not Emma. My adoptive mom, Regina," Henry said.

"Oh, well, let's go," Hook said.

Henry led the trio of trackers down the street, arriving at the Mayor's office shortly. "Mom?" he called out as they walked in the door.

The only thing that greeted them was silence, and Hook quickly determined that no one was there.

"Where would she be? Do you think she took Emma and my grandparents somewhere?" Henry asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time she's done something awful. But I don't smell them in here, so they weren't here recently," Ruby said.

"Well, then, we'll need everyone's help. Ruby, go to the diner, tell everyone to go out to the woods in teams of two or three. Tell them we're looking for any sign of my family," Henry said.

"Wow! You've been spending a lot of time with Charming, haven't you? You're starting to act like a proper prince," Ruby said.

"Just do it!" Henry said.

Ruby left, and Henry turned to Hook, reverting back to a scared little boy. "Help me find my family. Please."

"Of course. I will do anything for you."

Henry smiled. "We need to find my dad. Maybe he knows what happened to my mom and her parents."

"Perhaps." The whereabouts of Rumplestiltskin's son were a much lower priority to Hook. He would prefer to look for Emma with just Henry. Neal would probably just complicate matters. But Henry needed someone stable in his life, so Hook walked over to Granny's with the boy, conversation between the two stifled by the somber atmosphere.

No one was managing the front desk, so Hook and Henry helped themselves to the check-in registry. "Room eight," Henry said after glancing through the book.

Hook walked up the stairs purposefully. He banged on the door, silently hoping that he was waking the man up.

"Dad? Are you there?" Henry asked. No response came, and Henry tried the door. "It's locked."

"Watch and learn," Hook said, carefully picking the lock. Too late, he realized how bad this was to teach the boy, but rationalized that with his mother being the sheriff, and having the Mayor as his mother would keep him out of any real trouble.

"Dad? Where are you?" Henry asked.

"I don't believe anyone is here," Hook said. Henry looked about the room frantically, but there was no place his father could hide. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, he smacked himself in the head.

"Of course! He said he was having breakfast with Tamara." Henry pulled out his phone and dialed his father's phone.

Hook could only hear Henry's end of the conversation, so he had to try to fill in the holes himself. "Hello. Is my dad there?... What? Why?...My mom is missing, tell him that….What do you mean he doesn't care?...Tamara, I need to talk to my dad….Well, tell him that Mom was right about him, and he is a loser that just runs away from his problems."

Henry's face was flush with emotion, and before Hook could ask what happened, he broke down into tears, rushing forward and hugging Hook tightly. "My dad is going back to New York. He said that mom will show up, and I shouldn't be so worried. Really, he's just a coward."

Hook felt like an intruder, not knowing what to do with the boy's grief. He felt out of his element with a happy child; an upset one was completely foreign to him.

"Henry, let me tell you a little secret," he said, pushing the boy away slightly so he could look into his face.

"What?"

"Your mum will be just fine. I know exactly where she is."

"You do? Where?" Henry asked.

"She's in Neverland."

"Neverland? How do you know?"

"Because, that's where we met," Hook said.

"I thought you met in the Enchanted Forest," Henry said, his mind suddenly distracted from his grief.

"That's where your mother met me. It's a long story, but the short version is your mother is currently a hundred years in the past."

Henry clutched Hook tighter, making it hard to breathe for a moment. "Thank you. Thank you for keeping her safe."

It took a moment, but eventually instinct kicked in, and Hook put his right hand up to cradle Henry's head. "Don't worry. I would do anything for your mother."


Henry was amazingly like his grandfather. It was only hours before the entire population was mobilized into search parties, each covering various locations around the town. Everyone had a duty, and everyone was doing them.

"Hook, when will my mom get back?" Henry asked as the two took a moment for lunch. Even with knowing Emma's location, he had insisted on continuing the rescue teams in the hopes that Regina, Charming or Mary Margaret could be found.

"I don't know. Time moves differently between realms, or at least with this case it did. It could be that she comes home tomorrow, or it could be another year."

"How do you know that she even left Neverland?"

"Trust me, I know."

Hook's eyes betrayed his emotion, and in his mother's perceptive nature, Henry stated "you love her."

Hook thought how much he should actually reveal to the boy, but he decided that this truth was too obvious and important. "Yes, Henry, I do. I hope that's okay with you, by the way. I would hate for that to be an issue for you."

"Okay? I love it! I mean, as long as you treat her right, of course. She is my mom after all, and I won't let anyone do anything bad to her."

Hook suppressed the chuckle in his mind at how grown-up Henry was trying to sound. The boy was deadly serious, and he was equally serious about his intentions. "I promise Henry. But, I might need you to do something for me on that front."

"What?"

"When your grandparents return, I doubt they will be as thrilled about my feelings. Will you help me convince them that I only have the best of intentions toward Emma?"

Henry gave an enthusiastic nod. "You can count on me."

Hook clapped the boy on the shoulder. "Come on, we should go to the woods. We are trying to find your family after all, and they're certainly not here at home."