Chapter 20:

(Hook)

"I miss lunch, Papa," Alice said as she set down the bags of groceries and other items she'd picked up at the store for the cabin.

I sent her a wan smile. "I know, Starfish, but it shouldn't be like this much longer."

"Alice!" Brantley exclaimed and gave her a running hug.

She squeezed him tightly, whispering rather loudly, "There's something special in there for you."

"What is it?" He asked her.

After tossing him a wink, she shrugged. "Guess you're gonna have to help unload it all, yeah?"

"That's trickery!" He frowned after her, but turned and started to dig items from the bags.

Liv entered the kitchen, towel-drying her long, dark hair. When she realized Alice had arrived, she crossed the kitchen and gave her a squeeze. "I can't tell you enough how much we appreciate you helping like this, Alice."

"I like helping," Alice grinned.

"Would you like to stay for lunch?"

"I'm having lunch with Robin."

A crease appeared between Liv's manicured eyebrows. "Tell her we miss her."

"Aye," I said. "When this is all over, we're doing a family dinner with just the five of us."

"I do like the sound of that." Liv smiled and pressed her lips briefly to mine.

When she began to bustle about, unpacking the bags, I caught my daughter grinning widely. As I walked her back to the door, she nudged me with her shoulder, "Papa, I'm so happy for you."

I smiled, "Aye. You should add matchmaker to your list of skills."

"You already knew her." Those copycat blue eyes rolled to the heavens. "I didn't match that."

She wrapped her arms around me and I pressed my lips to her temple. "Be careful, Alice."

"Always," she grinned and ran out to where Robin stood by her car. The quiver was on her back, bow ready if needed.

From the doorway, I watched them go down the driveway, and then softly shut the door.

We'd been on lockdown for a week so far, as per Emma's orders. She didn't want to leave Liv and Brantley here alone, and didn't want Nick trying to take another shot at me. So, the three of us were told to stay inside the cabin and avoiding leaving at all costs. It was going really well, so far. The separation from most everyone else gave us time to ourselves, which we needed.

Especially after we'd both finally admitted our feelings for the other. What a night that had been—one I'd never forget. It had literally felt as if my heart was going to expand right out of my chest when she'd whispered the words. Her voice, however, had been clear and steady, even though I knew that deep down, it terrified her to give her all to someone again. I would never hurt her, though. She was mine as I was hers. I would protect her and love her until the end of my days.

Crossing back into the kitchen, I helped with putting the groceries away except for the wrench that I needed for the piping under the sink. Mine had broken earlier when I'd tried loosen it, so I had added it to the list of things needed from town that Alice had picked up. The sink stopping up was something it did about twice a year. I'd yet to find the source of why, and too proud to call out a plumber.

When everything had been put away, Brantley ran out of the kitchen with a bag of salt water taffy in hand. His mother called after him, "I don't want to see those papers anywhere but the garbage!"

"Yes, ma'am," he called back as he thumped up the stairs.

Liv disappeared into the broom closet and returned with a mop bucket and hand towels. She set the hand towels beneath the pipes hanging under the sink, and set the bucket on top of them. Then, I withdrew my service weapon from its holster and set it on the counter.

Getting down on the floor, I got to work on loosening the pipe fittings. She'd been smart to place the hand towels, I realized as it began to overflow as soon as it was loose enough. I moved the bucket to catch the rest and pulled the pipe off completely to see if we could discover the problem. There was nothing in the pipe, so I got back down on the ground to see if I could see anything in the pieces we couldn't take off. Her fingers were smaller, so she offered to root around in the remaining pipes.

After a minute, her face went blank, then confused. She wiggled something around that clanged against the side of the pipe that led down beneath the house.

"What is it?" I asked.

She held up a finger and continued to wiggle whatever it was around. Finally, she yanked a spoon out of the pipe. With a laugh, she asked, "How is that even possible?"

With a chuckle and a shrug, I started piecing the piping back together. I was nearly done when footfalls on the stairs sounded. The lad must be coming down to get something—a drink, probably. I glanced up at Liv to find her looking at the doorway, expectantly waiting on him to enter.

The front door opened, and I shot a question up at her. She took a step toward the doorway as our son called, "Mom, I'm going to get my game case out of the car!"

Panic took her over as she broke into a sprint, "Brantley, no!"

I shot up from the floor, snatched my service weapon from the counter, and followed her out of the kitchen. She was out of the house before I could tell her not to, but she stopped on the porch at the top of the stairs. As I rounded her, I saw why. At the bottom of the steps, Nick stood, half-ducking behind our son. Brantley stood stock still, whimpering, as a blade pressed into his windpipe. Fear and fury shot through me and my weapon came up, ready to fire.

Liv's voice came strong and steady, "Nick, please. He's just a boy. Let him go."

"No," he hissed at her, eyes narrowed.

"Better listen to her, Nick. Let the lad go." I growled it out.

"Shut the fuck up, pig!" He shouted, pressing the knife a little more closely to my son's throat.

Brantley let out another whimper, tears streaming down his face. "I'm s-sorry, M-Momma."

"Nick, stop!" Liv shouted, then pleaded with him, "Take me. Take me instead! Please just leave him out of it!"

"Liv, no!" I seethed, reaching for her, but she stepped artfully out of my reach and hurried down the stairs.

Raising her hands, she took another step toward them. "Come on, Nick. Let him go. I'll go with you."

"You don't want to come with me." He sneered

"Yes, yes I do." She insisted.

The closer she got, the more panicked I became. I knew she was doing this for our boy, because she knew I couldn't get a clean shot. Not with him ducking behind our son. But how would her being in front of him be any better? Unless…

"Liv," I warned her.

She looked back at me and those grey eyes smoldered with a fiery determination. "Stay back, Rogers."

I stopped halfway down the front steps. She hadn't called me that since she found out my true name. Why the sudden use for it, now?

With an arrogant smirk, Nick waved the knife in front of Brantley. "Stand there. In front of the boy."

She moved with purpose. When she was directly in front of our son, Nick then instructed her to turn around, facing away from him. She did. Nick shoved Brantley on the ground, then swiftly grabbed a handful of Liv's hair and yanked her backward.

A yelp escaped her and I stepped forward, down another stair, growling, "I will kill you."

"Sure thing, pig," He sneered, pressing the knife to Olivia's throat. "Try it and she will die."

There was never a more difficult task than to stand there and watch as he backed them away with her in front of him as a human shield. My service weapon stayed up, held ready, as I stepped down two more stairs to where our son still lay on the dirt. I helped him up and reached into my pocket, giving him the phone from there.

"Call Emma and tell her he's here." I told him and waited for him to nod. "Go back inside and do not come out for anything, until your mom, Emma, or me tells you that you can."

"Yes, sir," he hiccupped through a sob, then turned on his heel and tore off into the cabin, already dialing the sheriff.

My eyes never left Liv's as I followed them towards the tree line.

"Pig, if you don't stop, I'll slice her up right here."

With a dark chuckle, I told him, "No, you won't, not after decades of preying on her."

"Get him to stop!" He commanded Liv.

She gasped as the cold metal bit into her neck. "Rogers, stop."

Why the hell was she calling me Rogers?!

'Because she needs the cop, not the lover,' a voice in the back of my head said.

Without lowering my weapon, I backed up a few feet. "Fine, fine. Just don't hurt her."

"Oh, she's going to love what I'm going to do to her." Nick spat back at me, then ran his nose along the curve of her neck and pressed his filthy lips behind her ear.

That was my move.

A humorless smile settled on my face as I growled, "You have no idea who you're dealing with, boy."

"You don't scare me, pig."

"You should be scared. Haven't you noticed this town is a lot different than any you've tracked her to?"

That sick smile on his face faltered a bit. "You mean the magic?"

"I mean we're all from a place, but it's not here. The names we go by sometimes are different personas, only used for this world. My name is not Rogers."

He shifted, bringing the blade closer to my love's throat. "Then what is it?"

Another dark chuckle escaped me. "Captain Hook."

"Bullshit." Yet, fear sparked in his dark eyes.

My eyes narrowed. I was sure I looked quite dangerous. "Surely you saw my counterpart—the one who looks just like me—during all your surveillance since you've been here. I wear this hand only so people can tell us apart."

"You're lying." It lacked conviction.

I took a step forward and I knew the look on my face was murderous. "Try me."

"Hook," Liv whispered.

Fury took over Nick and he pressed the knife into her throat hard enough that it drew blood. "Shut the fuck up, now!"

Rage flew through me.

Those stormy grey eyes met mine and she mouthed, 'Now.' Then, she kicked back at his shin as hard as she could. Nick howled in pain, trying to keep his grip on her as she struggled to get away. The knife left a trail of red on her neck that kicked my heartrate up in fear and panic. No, I told myself, no time for that, now. I lined up a shot and got him in the shoulder farthest from Liv.

Shock and pain screwed up his face. He reached for her, grabbing ahold of her shirt and pulling her down to the ground with him. She gasped in pain as I crossed to them. My heart sank as I rolled her over, seeing the hilt of the knife sticking out from beneath her ribs.

My knees hit the dirt between them, and I reached for her. Those grey eyes met mine and she whispered, "Hook, please."

Nick sneered up at me, saving face that he was in as much pain as he was, "Lock me up, pig. I'll just get out, and when I do, nothing will protect her from me. Not you, not anyone."

Murderous rage shook through me as I glared down at him. "Perhaps you didn't hear me before. The name is Captain Hook, the most ruthless pirate to ever sail the realms." I leaned down and pressed the barrel of the pistol right between his eyes. "I promised that you would die at my hand, and I always keep my promises."

Fear sparked in the dark shading of his eyes and I pulled the trigger.

Shoving his body away, I returned my focus to Liv. "Don't pull that out," I told her about the knife as the first note of a siren could be heard. "Emma will be here any minute."

I tugged the shirt over my head and swiped at the long, thin cut across her neck. It was shallow enough to be non-life threatening. I wrapped my shirt around the knife and held it there. She sucked in a sharp breath from the pain of the pressure, but otherwise made no complaint.

The fabric was soaked within a minute. She was losing too much blood.

"Damn it!" I shouted. "Brantley, bring towels!"

Softly, she shushed me.

"Liv, I've got to stop the bleeding."

"Killian," she whispered. Her voice was faint and fading away. "Tell him I love him."

I took her face in my hands, forcing her to focus those grey eyes on me, and trying not to see the blood I'd transferred onto her cheeks. "Liv, he knows you love him. You've got to fight, love. Emma will heal you as soon as she gets here, but you've got to fight."

The corners of her lips turned up in a weak smile. "Killian, I love you."

Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I pressed my lips to hers. "I love you, too, Liv."

Tires skidded to a halt behind me. The siren cut off mid-wail. Beneath me, Liv took a great, shuddering breath, and then was still.

"No!" I shouted, feeling for a pulse.

It was faint, but there was one.

Emma, Hook, and David came running. As Emma kneeled down, she reached for Liv's wrist. She felt what I felt, the faint pulse, and wretched the knife out, placing both of her hands over the bleeding wound.

"Come on, Liv," I whispered, bringing her limp hand to my lips to press a kiss there.

The white light that was Emma's healing magic grew brighter and brighter until I could see nothing else.

Please, Liv. Please don't leave me.