So here we are, the last chapter. It is a long one as I didn't want to split it in two.
Enjoy
Killian lent back with a groan and let the hot water wash over his aching body while making sure to keep his left arm on the edge of the bath to stop the fresh bandaging from getting wet. He was beyond tired and if he had not been so cold he would have much preferred to go to bed for a good couple of hours but instead he found himself trying to chase the chill from his bones.
"How you doing?" Emma asked as she gently moved his hair from his forehead
"Good" he sighed out before opening an eye and looking at her with a mischievous look "I'd be better if you joined me!"
"Sorry, not going to happen tonight. Not with my Parents on the other side of that very thin glass, maybe next time plus I don't think you're in any fit state to enjoy it" she added with a giggle
"You may be right Love BUT I am holding you to that, next time!" he closed his eye again as the water soothed his weary bones.
"I'm going to help with dinner, you alright by yourself?"
"Aye Love, I'll not be long"
She lent over and kissed him gently on the lips, she was just pulling away when Killian scooped his hand quickly from the water and splashed it down her front grinning widely as her mouth dropped open in shock.
"You will pay for that" she laughed grabbing his towel and wiping her face
"I'm counting on it" he replied with a wink
She just tossed the towel back onto the chair and grinned at him before heading out the door. He settled back and enjoyed the heat for a few more minutes before deciding that he should wash and get out. He picked up the bottle of shampoo that Swan had left for him and tried to uncap it but it was screwed on too tight, damn it. He tried again this time using his teeth but still it wouldn't budge, he moved the bottle between his knees and tried again but still could not get it open, this was getting infuriating.
"SWAN" he called out, he would need her help if he was to get his hair washed sometime that night.
He carried on trying to loosen the bottle as he waited on her coming into the room and when the door opened a second later he didn't even look up.
"I cannot get the lid off of this damn bottle" he complained
"Hand it here" he froze instantly when it was not Emma's voice that answered.
His head turned quickly to find Mary-Margaret standing by his side with an innocent look on her face.
"What are you doing?" he cried out trying to make sure that the bubbles were keeping him covered.
"Helping you with the shampoo if you'll hand it over" she said in a sickly sweet voice
"This was her idea wasn't it?"
"I don't know what you mean" Mary-Margaret smiled sweetly but her eyes dropped down onto the bubbles that covered his lap.
"SWAN..."
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"You really are going to sulk all night?" Emma asked half an hour later as they sat down to eat
"Your Mother was like a predator in there" he hissed back glancing towards the kitchen where her parents and Henry were serving the food
"Hook she was only trying to help"
"Yes, help herself to a look at my..."
"ALRIGHT" she hissed back "OK, I admit it, I sent her in. It was a joke that you obviously didn't find very funny can we move past it please?"
He could see that she was sorry and he was too tired to carry this on, all he wanted was to eat his meal and go to bed.
"Aye Love, sorry, I am just tired." he said as he lent his head into his hand
"I'm sorry too" she said furrowing her brow in concern "Your head hurting?"
"A bit but it's nothing that a good nights sleep won't fix" he replied with a tired smile.
The meal turned out to be delicious, it had been a long time since Killian had had freshly caught fish but as much as he would have liked to remain downstairs and spend time with the Charmings he was too tired.
He sat back in the hard chair trying to gather enough energy to carry himself up the staircase but Emma could read him far too well.
"Come on." she smiled "Lets get you to bed"
He was already in his nightwear, he had put it on when he had climbed from the bath an hour before so it wouldn't take much but he was really tired, perhaps he had done a little too much in one day. Emma helped him to his feet and he wearily made his way back to the washroom to take care of business before brushing his teeth and meeting Emma back at the foot of the stairs. He had been managing just fine to climb them himself but today was different.
"Need a hand?" she asked in a cautious tone
"Always" he laughed out but he let her take his left arm gently in her hands anyway
"That's not what I meant and you know it" she chastised
"Night" Henry called out from behind him "Thanks for today, I had fun"
Killian turned just before he started to climb and gave the boy a wide smile
"Me too" he gave Henry a nod "G'night Lad."
They moved slowly up the staircase and towards the bed where Killian slid himself beneath the covers quickly, the cool sheets felt like a welcoming home as he finally relaxed his aching frame. Emma moved to the window and drew the curtains shutting out the street lights and sending the room into darkness with only the warm glow from the main room below casting ghostly shadows across the walls.
Emma walked back to the bed and threw herself down next to him before carefully curling herself into his side. He tugged her into himself as his hand came to rest on her hip and they just lay in silence for a while but it didn't last.
"Did you speak to Whale about the prosthetic?" her cautious voice spoke into the darkness
He didn't want to talk about this right now, he just wanted to hold his Swan by his side and not think about it. He knew that he would have to face the decision before too long and ultimately he would never be the same man again but right here, right now he just wanted to sleep.
"No and I don't really want to talk about it right now" he said gently "I know you are just trying to help Love but I am just too tired, can we discuss it another day?"
"Whenever you are ready to talk to me you know that I'm here, right?"
"Aye Love, thank you" he murmured back
The fact that the metalwork was being removed in the morning was enough to have his mind retreating, he didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to have to deal with it. He didn't know who he was supposed to be anymore, he certainly wasn't Hook but he wasn't Killian Jones either. With a loud sigh he pulled Swan closer, he dropped a kiss on the crown of her head and he held her tightly. He may not know who he was but he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
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The next day dawned and Killian awoke with a groan as the pain in his chest flared painfully from where that damned woman had hit him, his hand automatically came up to clamp itself over his ribs as he opened his eyes to find the bed beside him empty. He frowned deeply and looked around the room but Swan was nowhere to be seen. His eyes flicked to the clock and he noted that it was only six thirty, where was Swan?
He flopped back onto his pillows as he pulled in a deep breath, now that he was awake he knew that he would not be returning to sleep anytime soon so he threw back the covers and sat himself up. He rotated his sore shoulder in it's joint a couple of times trying to knock the stiffness out then pulled himself to his feet only giving a slight wobble as his head tried to adjust to his new position.
Ten minutes later fully dressed he headed down into the room below, Mary-Margaret and David still slept peacefully in the bed under the stairs and Henry slept soundly on the couch. Killian did feel guilty that the boy had given up his bed to give himself and Swan a bit of privacy but was also quite glad at the same time, there had been more than one occasion when they had made a bit too much noise in their attentions to one another and if the boy had been in the room too it would have just felt wrong.
He looked to the bathroom expecting to find Emma there but was surprised when the door stood open, strange! He looked across to the kitchen and he saw a piece of paper taped to the refrigerator with his name on it so he walked across and tugged it off turning it over and read.
"Got a call out, I will be as quick as I can. Whale called last night and said to be at the hospital for nine. If I'm not back in time my Dad is going to drive you, I will meet you there, I promise"
He sighed and dropped the note onto the counter, he needed to think, he had wanted to talk to Swan but she was not here. Making his decision he walked to the front door quickly, he grabbed his jacket and left the loft. He would make his own way to the hospital, the last thing he wanted was David trying to cheer him up.
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Emma walked back into the loft just before eight with a wide grin on her face, she looked at her parents as they busied themselves in the kitchen.
"Is he awake yet?" she asked anxiously
"Nope" David grinned back
Emma dropped her bag by the bottom of the stairs and ran up to the bedroom, she would need to wake Hook if they were going to make it to the hospital with time to spare. She was still grinning to herself when she hit the top step but it slid from her face when she realized that the bed was empty. What the Hell? Where was he? She turned around and rushed back down into the other room.
"He's not there" she called
"What?" her parents chorused
"He's gone. What time did you guys get up?"
"About seven and Henry never said that he had seen him before he left for school." Mary-Margaret replied with a worried look.
"Call him" David said urgently
"He doesn't have a cell, I haven't got round to getting him a new one yet. Damn it Hook, where are you?"
She tried not to worry but it was hard, he was out there by himself when they still didn't know how much of their plan Gold knew. She just hoped that he was not stupid enough to miss his appointment.
"I'm going to drive around and see if I can find him, if I can't I'll head to the hospital for nine and hope that he shows up. I could strangle that man sometimes" Emma groused as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door
"Call us" Mary-Margaret yelled after her but she didn't stop, she needed to find her Pirate.
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Killian walked through the hospital doors sometime later still not any clearer on his decision. Part of him wanted to fit in with everyone else and that would mean having a false hand but another part of him wanted the world to see his deformity and be repulsed, that was the reaction he was used to, that was what he fed off, it felt safe and familiar but maybe it was time for a change.
He walked through the corridors slowly towards the area where he knew Whale would be waiting for him and plonked himself down with a sigh onto one of the chairs and looked up at the clock. He had a few minutes to wait but he was impatient, he just wanted this done.
He was pulled from his musings when Emma appeared through one of the treatment room doors to his left, why had she been in there?
"You're here" she said in relief
"Of course, where else would I be?" she replied as he stood up and hugged her
She gripped him tightly for a few seconds then pulled back.
"I came back and you were gone. I was worried"
"I am fine Love, I just needed time to think" he replied trying his best to give her a smile against the nerves in his stomach.
"Well there is plenty of time for that later, you know you don't need to make any decision today. Come on Whale is waiting" she said with a wide smile but she was acting strange, what was going on? And what was that smell? He thought he recognized it but couldn't quite place it.
"Are you alright Love? You seem... different" he asked quirking a brow
"I'm good, lets just get this done and then you and I are having a nice lunch then maybe a walk in the park." she gave him a little smile that morphed into a wicked grin as she leaned in and whispered "I've booked into Granny's for the night so the quicker we get this over with the quicker we can get on with our day."
"Truly?" his jaw falling open, they were going to get some alone time!
"Yep, come on Pirate"
She took his hand and pulled him into the treatment room where Whale stood wearing green scrubs but Killian couldn't help the laughter that left his lips.
"Do not laugh, this is not funny" Whale complained with a sickly sweet southern accent, his blonde hair fell in ringlets down his back from his high pony tail.
Killian had to hand it to the Queen, she really did know how to create a beautiful woman as Whale stood in front of him. He was about the same height as Emma but had a much curvier figure and cheek bones that could rival the Queen herself. He looked good... until he walked and it became clear that he moved EXACTLY like a man walking in heals, Killian just grinned wider as he laughed internally.
"Whale" he greeted in a low tone trying to keep his features steady.
"Apparently not anymore, my name is Mary now, Mary Shelly to be precise. Very amusing for all I am sure" he grumbled
Emma laughed quietly by Killian's side
"I feel I owe you an apology Miss Swan" Whale said suddenly looking very serious in the moment
"Me? Why?"
"I have come to realize quite quickly that being a pretty lady in this town draws a lot of attention and quite a lot of that attention is unwanted and I realize that I MAY have participated in some of that attention at some point or another" he looked uncomfortable as he spoke
Emma's jaw dropped so Killian spoke instead
"Well it does seem that the Queen knew EXACTLY what she was doing when she turned you into a woman" Killian chuckled "I am glad to see that you have realized the error of your ways"
"Yes, quite" Whale replied before turning into the room and motioning for Killian to sit down.
"OK, Now I hope you don't mind but I will lie you back a bit just in case you have a reaction to the medication" Whale said with a chuckle
"Yes Mate, very funny." Killian groused, he just wanted this done.
"OK keep your pants on." Whale replied in his sweetest tone and batted his eyelids before carrying on "I am going to give you an injection into the your arm, it will numb the whole bottom section so that you cannot feel the pins being removed. You won't feel the pain but you will be able to feel movement, it can feel quite strange but I will be as quick as I can."
Killian sat down on the chair and Whale quickly reclined it before swinging a small table down next to his side. He watched as Whale lifted his arm and lay it across the cold metal surface but it would seem that Emma did not want a repeat of the last time he had watched Whale work on him as she spoke to get his attention.
"Hey" she took hold of his hand and tugged him slightly
He turned his head towards her and gave her a smile.
"Hey yourself" he replied
"So. Where do you want to go for lunch then?"
"What are the options? I have only ever been to Granny's or that other place we went on our first official date but if I remember correctly the menu was maybe a bit too extravagant for our intentions today"
"Well, let me see... there is Granny's... Granny's or Hmmmmm? Granny's!"
Killian laughed at her obvious attempt at humor but his attention was pulled away when there was a sharp pain in his arm, he glared at Whale but the Doctor didn't even look up.
"Sorry, should have warned you. Your arm will start to feel numb in a few seconds. Do not look this way, I don't want a repeat of last time"
Emma's hand hooked his chin and moved his gaze back to her face.
"It will be over soon"
"Aye Love" he smiled back, she was a perfect image of beauty as she perched by his side and in that moment he realized that she would never leave him. It did not matter what anyone else in the world thought as long as she was with him. "I have made a decision"
"Really?" her eyebrows shot up in surprise
"Aye. I may no longer have my hook but I am not yet ready to be "Captain Hand", I think that I leave it a while, see how things go but for now I will just be me" he said nervously voicing his decision for the first time
"I think that is a very good idea. It's a big thing Killian" she smiled sweetly but he winced internally
"Hook Love. I will always be Hook to you as you will always be Swan to me"
She grinned widely and squeezed his hand lovingly. He tried to forget about what was going on his other side but Whale was tugging and pulling his arm so much that the whole chair was wobbling and he was starting to feel quite faint again. He pulled in a deep breath and started talking, trying to take his mind off his arm.
"There is one thing that has been bothering me since last night" he said letting his brow fall in to a frown.
"Go on?" she squeezed his hand again and he carried on.
"Something that Cruella said. She told me that my darkness was showing and in that moment she was right Love. You have no idea how easy it is to fall back into the darkness."
"Whatever mistakes you have made you have fixed." her eyes danced with sorrow for him
"Aye but it a stark reminder of something"
"What?"
"With all this talk of Authors and the book... We've never discussed one fact... I was a villain."
"But you're not anymore" Emma tried to sooth him
"Neither is Regina but she still lost her happy ending. If we're to believe the rules of the book then it's only a matter of time before I lose mine"
Emma looked shocked "Wait... if you're afraid of losing your happy ending that means, you've found it. What is it?"
The look on her face made his heart clench, she really had no clue.
"Don't you know Emma? It's you"
Tears instantly sprung into her eyes and she pulled herself to her feet leaning in gently and kissing him tenderly. His eyes stung with his own tears, fear and joy in his heart all at once. He did not EVER want to lose this woman that held him in her arms right now.
"OK. As much as I want to gush over this beautiful moment I'm done making another one just over here"
Emma stepped back and laughed as she scrubbed the tears from her face and Killian mimicked her before blinking the remaining wetness from his lashes and turned his head to have a look at his now metal free arm but his breath caught in his throat and more tears instantly formed as his eyes fell on his very own hook reattached to his still slightly swollen arm.
"What? How?" He slowly bent his arm and raised his hook into the air, it felt strange, the weight felt odd after so many weeks of not being there but it looked just as good as it ever did. He turned quickly to Emma who was smiling by his side. "I don't understand Love. I thought that it was lost"
"So did I but I was willing to look for it, for you. I went back to the cove and it was still wedged in the tree. Marco had lent me some tools to free it but it was quite weather beaten, I didn't think that we'd be able to use it but when I returned the tools Marco assured me that with some love and attention he was sure that we could restore it to it's former glory. That's where I was this morning and that is why I stink of leather conditioner"
"You did this for me?" he asked in awe
"When will you get it through that thick skull of yours? I would do anything for you. We might have a battle or two in front of us but we also have battles that we have fought together behind us that made us stronger than ever. I don't know what the future holds HOOK but the one thing I know is that you are not a villain, not anymore and I am not going anywhere so we better start looking for a way to free that Author from the book so we can put an end to Gold's plan and get on with living out our happy ending" she smiled sweetly as more tears tumbled down her cheeks
He couldn't contain his smile or his tears as they cascaded down his face all witnessed by Whale but Killian didn't care he just pulled himself from the chair and tugged Emma into his front as his lips crashed into hers. She was right, no one knew what the future held but he knew one thing for sure, he would take on the world to ensure that Swan stayed by his side for the rest of their days.
Well that is it... all done. We can carry on from the next episode now with only the issue of Whale being a woman still to be addressed but hey, you can all imagine what happened there and you can laugh to yourselves that you can almost lay money on the fact that Regina made him stay as a woman as long as humanly possible :D
Thank you all so much for reading and please please please leave a review. See you all on my next fic xx