Chapter Three

It was a tricky thing, maintaining the balance in his lessons moving forward. While Swan - the name he'd taken to calling her after learning it had been her maiden name, unwilling to refer to her as Cassidy's and not trusting himself to refer to her so intimately by calling her Emma - seemed to understand his insistence that their lessons include an element of danger, there was clearly a fine line between what she considered acceptable and unacceptable peril, and he wasn't always successful in keeping to the correct side.

He supposed he should be grateful that she'd agreed to continue on with her lessons after August, though it had taken several days and an agreed upon visit to the man so she could make amends before she deigned to submit to his teachings once more. Hook had stood in the shrouded corner of the hovel Swan had once called home, his hand and jaw jointly clenched as he watched the pair shower one another with affection. A time or twice, as he had that day in his great hall, Hook thought he saw something more than brotherly devotion shine from August's eyes, and had to quell the Darkness from spurring him into actions as grievous as those he'd already inflicted upon the man once before. The fact that Swan did not appear to consider August with anything other than a familial regard did little to soothe the nagging sensations churning in his gut, and by the time they took their leave it was a relief to him that she was willing to resume her lessons, for he was in need of quieting the Darkness and nothing appeased the accursed collective like a show of violence.

"But I already used my magic to heal," Emma commented in a hushed tone as they stood beneath the Evil Queen's castle in the dank cell of a convicted criminal. "Aren't there other ways of saving people than healing them of a mortal wound?"

"Aye," Hook sighed, exasperatedly. "But I think you'll find saving someone with whom you feel a sense of care and camaraderie is wholly different from healing someone who may not be deserving of such mercy."

When Hook had informed Swan of their purpose upon entering the dungeons, she had protested. She didn't want to risk another life in pursuit of her magical instruction. It wasn't until she learned the man was to be hanged at dawn for his crimes, and what those crimes had been, that she relented. The lesson had served to give them both what they needed at that moment. For him, the opportunity to wield his hook in a manner that would sate the Darkness' bloodlust, and for Swan, the freedom to explore her magic without the urgency of a loved one's life hanging in the balance. The inmate was as good as dead anyway, and what Hook had said was true. Calling upon her magic to heal someone she felt little or no compassion for would be an entirely different exercise; one she did not fail to complete, healing the man of his wounds with the same show of power and control she had managed to apply to August. And just as it had with August, the repercussions of the display had left Hook reeling, Swan's power affecting his own in such a way that he did not know if he should feel repelled by it or wish to draw closer to it.

He knew she felt it too, the way their magic called to the other's, the way they were drawn to one another's presence even when they tried to stay away. As the weeks, then months went by they both attempted to keep their focus on her lessons, strengthening the bond and ability she had to wield the vast stores of previously dormant magic that, now awakened, had to be harnessed and tamed lest it overpower and consume them both.

As her competency to handle more and more of her magic grew, so too did the scale and scope of the lessons. Some opportunities came to them by happenstance, while others had to be helped along with Hook's prompting. She did not fault him for the carriage careening towards a raveen when its horses were spooked by brigands set on waylaying it. The event had allowed her the chance to practice whisking away its occupants to safety while subduing the highwaymen with conjured ropes she'd made appear from thin air. However, she did not thank him for the house fire he purposefully started so she could manipulate the weather and douse it with a manifestation of rain, nor the dam he'd destroyed, sending a flood of water straight for a small hamlet, forcing her to use her power to hold back the deluge while simultaneously repairing the structure. Her anger at his actions, however, had not lasted long, and he suspected the exhilaration she received from her exertions outweighed the indignation she felt, but the lesson he was currently trying to teach her would likely have a vastly different outcome.

"Tick tock, Swan," Hook goaded. "You have to choose."

"No!" Emma shouted at him once more. "No, I can save them both! I will save them both!"

Arms folded over his chest with his legs casually crossed at his ankles, Hook leaned against the outside wall of the farmhouse, maintaining his bored outward countenance while inside he warred with himself. He hated having to put her through this, but it was necessary. Swan had done so well to gain control over the power residing within her, conjuring and wielding its seemingly limitless stores, but… everything had its limits, and it was time she learned the boundaries within which her magic operated. It was time she learned the hard lesson that, despite the grounding emotions and nature of her magic, not everyone could be saved.

The wraiths screeched and hovered above, kept at bay by dual streams of blinding light emanating from Swan's hands. Each blast was not enough to stop the soul-sucking creatures, in order to destroy a wraith completely she would have to focus all her efforts on one of them, which would leave her too exhausted to smite the other. His Swan was a stubborn thing, though. He knew she would not give up one of them without a fight, would hold off making the choice for as long as she could; the choice of whose life - the husband's or the wife's - she would save from the wraiths that had been set upon them by none other than the Dark One himself.

See how she tires? the Darkness hissed derisively inside his head. She is not the answer you seek. She is incapable of making the necessary decisions. Too weak to accomplish the task you have foolishly set your mind to.

Hook inhaled sharply and shook away the doubt his parasitic companions were trying to seed within his mind, then centered his focus back on Swan. "Soon you'll become too weary to save either of them," Hook told her. "Would you rather orphan their children completely? Leave them without a mother and a father?"

Swan shook her head, determination set like stone upon her features that were streaked with tears, her arms shaking from the immense effort of holding off the wraiths.

"No," she whimpered, her eyes quickly glancing towards the man and woman huddled together, a brand seared upon each of their palms. "Please. Don't make me choose."

"You have to, love," Hook said softly, catching her pleading eyes with an expression of commiseration. "You have to make the choice, Emma. It's the only way."

Resolutely, her eyes fell shut for a brief moment before she turned her gaze back towards the couple and choked out, "I'm sorry."

With a renewed burst of energy, Swan focused all her zeal upon a single wraith. The god-awful sound the creature made whilst in the throes of it's destruction sent a rare chill down the Dark One's spine, and he had to avert his eyes from the blinding light engulfing its form. When night fell around him once more, Hook lowered the arm he'd used to shield his face and waited for his vision to adjust.

The temporary silence was broken by the wails of the woman, left behind to crumple to the ground, her husband having been carted off by the other wraith the moment Emma had freed it from her magic. Scanning the area, Hook sprang from where he'd stood by when he finally located Swan, lying prone on the ground several meters from the distraught woman.

"Emma!" he called out, gathering her in his arms. Her body was limp, her skin clammy and pale. The frantic woman beside them tried to engage him, but he had neither the time nor the patience to deal with her. Tucking Swan securely to him with his braced arm, he flicked his wrist and transported them back to his castle.

~/~

The morning melody of songbirds nesting outside the window roused Emma. Grudgingly, she allowed wakefulness to claim her, but remained cocooned within the warmth of her surroundings with her eyes firmly shut. Wriggling closer to the source of comfort her arm and leg were already draped over, she repositioned her head against the firm but softly covered surface she'd been resting upon. The tip of her nose brushed the underside of a prickly jawline, her sinuses filling with the masculine scent that had not failed to make her head swim since the first moment it had infiltrated her senses.

Rough stubble scraped across her lips before the sensation was replaced with the soft graze of his mouth against hers. A contented sigh settled in the back of her throat when the press of his supple lips became more firm, their desire that she reciprocate more insistent, until she matched the soft slide and gentle nips he was applying with a fresh fervor of her own. His hand tangled into her hair, strands catching in his rings and deliciously pulling against her scalp as his tongue flicked along the seam of her lips.

Emma inhaled sharply at the eagerness with which Hook's mouth devoured hers, a groan vibrating along the length of his tongue as it courted hers. Sliding along the hard planes of his chest, Emma's hand dipped into the open expanse of his shirt; its placket was never fully buttoned and the teasing sight of hair on full display had often made her fingers itch with the desire to scratch her nails through their coarse blanket. A desire she no longer fought against, letting the surprisingly soft strands tickle her palm and wind around her fingertips before her position suddenly shifted and she found herself being rolled onto her back.

A heated trail of tongue and lips forged a path along her jawline and up to her ear, the hot vapor of his breath causing a ripple of raised flesh to erupt down the column of her throat. Her back bowed off the mattress when his teeth nipped at the lobe of her ear before he sucked it into his mouth. A moan echoed through the room, but Emma wasn't sure if it had belonged to her or him… perhaps both? She really didn't care.

"You gave me quite a scare, love," Hook murmured, his tone strained and husky, whispering across her skin as he made his way back towards her mouth. "Next time, don't be so stubborn, else your magic might not be enough to save anyone."

Emma's eyes flew open. Images of the night before filled her mind and the memory of the wraiths' cries shrieked in her ears. With all her might, she pushed against Hook's chest, forcing him off of her so she could scramble off the bed, tears stinging her eyes as a sob painfully caught in the back of her throat.

"How could you?" she accused, in near hysterics. "How could you do that? How could you damn that poor, innocent couple then force me to choose which to save?"

"Swan, let me explain-"

"No!" Emma shouted, her chest heaving with anger and sorrow. "There is nothing you can say to justify last night's lesson." Spinning around, Emma marched towards the wardrobe and wrenched open the doors, pulling items she'd accumulated over the past few months from within. "I'm done. There is nothing more I wish to learn from you. Our deal is off. I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" His voice was low and cold, a dangerous sort of quiet that sent a shiver of trepidation down her spine, a sensation that only intensified as she sensed his approach. "And where, exactly, do you plan to go? Back to that fool husband of yours who traded you away so easily? Or to August, perhaps? I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to welcome you home with open arms. Especially once he learns you've managed some mastery over your magic."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Emma turned to face him. "What is that supposed to mean?" she challenged, standing toe-to-toe with him, her chin lifted in defiance.

"It means," he growled, darkly, pressing in closer until she had no choice but to take a step backward, her body trapped between his at her front and the wardrobe at her back, "while I am sure your brother will be glad of your company, I imagine he'll find your magic rather useful in reviving the business he inherited from his father. The one he has subsequently run into the ground." Hook's features twitched and twisted maliciously, his lip curling and baring his teeth as he all but snarled, "Why do you think he pushed for you to seek magical instruction rather than marry? Did it never occur to you that he wished to use your gifts for his own purposes? That he was no better than Cassidy in his intent to exploit you? Tell me, love… when will you stop wasting your time on men whose only desire is to take advantage of you?"

Emma's hands balled into fists at her sides and she swallowed angrily, meeting Hook's piercing gaze with a withering one of her own. "Right now," she stated in a clipped tone, closing the scant space between them. "Or have you forgotten that the only reason I'm here is because you also wished to take advantage of my magic?" Hook blanched and his eyes slid from hers, casting themselves to the side as the truth of her statement hit him. "Do not pretend your motives are pure," she continued. "The Dark One does nothing out of a sense of altruism, so whatever the task was you were training me to perform, I can only deduce it was for your own benefit." She stayed the response he'd snapped his head back towards her to give with the raise of her hand. "Granted, I am leaving here with a deeper understanding of my power, but your instructions have been for one purpose, and one purpose only. Yours." Turning back to the wardrobe, Emma continued to gather her things. "I am no longer interested in serving the purpose of the Dark One. I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to do so in the first place. Your methods have proven you care for nothing and no one other than yourself, and I am through being a pawn in whatever-"

"My Lord?"

A muffled voice preceded a knock on the door, drawing both Emma and Hook's attention.

"My Lord, your subjects have begun to gather. Shall I begin showing those seeking an audience with you into the Great Hall?"

Hook ran his hand down his face and let go a heavy sigh. They'd both forgotten this morning marked the seasonal collection of taxes. The Dark One would be expected in the Great Hall, ready to hear the concerns of his subjects and offer deals to those desperate enough to seek one. Emma had half a mind to transport herself down to the hall ahead of him so she could warn off the peasants. No good could come from making a deal with such a devil. Perhaps, if things had progressed differently, she could have offered her own brand of aid, but there were still components of her magic she had not mastered and did not feel confident enough to present herself as a solution to whatever problem the people had arrived with.

"Aye," Hook called out, gently brushing her to one side so he could retrieve a fresh shirt and waistcoat from the wardrobe. "I shall be down momentarily."

Emma turned her back to him, giving him privacy as he changed while attempting to ignore the distraction of his undress. Chewing on her lip, she forced her mind to focus on a plan, still intending to follow-through with her decision to leave, while fortifying that resolve as she prepared for whatever argument he might use to try and persuade her into staying.

"You're right, Swan." His words and contrite tone caught her completely by surprise. "I'm no better than Neal or August." Emma chanced a glance over her shoulder, taking in the tick of his jaw and tight way in which he held his eyelids shut. "You are, of course, welcome to leave anytime you wish, I simply…" He licked his lips and his Adam's apple bobbed. "I simply ask that you stay these next three days whilst I tend to my subjects."

"Why?"

His eyes slid open and captured her gaze, a sincere clarity shining from their blue depths. "So I might have time to reach out to some… acquaintances of mine. Other magic wielders whose methods you might find more palatable than my own." Something pinched in his features, an awkward expression that might accompany a poorly timed joke. "There's no reason you shouldn't continue on with your training, and if you'll permit me, I feel making such arrangements is the least I can do."

Emma considered the earnestness pouring from his eyes, the almost pleading expression lingering over his features, while considering his offer.

"Or, at the very least," he continued on, "Should you decide you do not wish to continue your training, waiting a few days would allow you time to truly consider your options and where you would like to go once you leave here, rather than making a rash decision in the heat of the moment."

Hook's chest rose and fell heavily before he returned to the task of making himself ready for his waiting subjects. As he donned his coat and boots, then snapped his hook into his brace, Emma stood rooted in her vacillations.

Should she risk staying even one more hour, much less three more days, when her magic was already rebelling against her determination? She could feel it now, the heightened state of her magic in response to the intimate moment she'd shared with Hook. It thrummed beneath her skin in a similar rhythm to the lust that pulsed deep within the center of her core. Vibrated through her extremities in waves that matched the humming surge of ardor in her blood. Longed to reach out and connect with his magic, fusing their combined power until one was no longer distinguishable from the others, in much the same way her flesh wished to join with his.

Emma shook her head, banishing the dangerous musings taking root within her mind, and swallowed past the aridness inhabiting her throat. "Fine," she croaked, pulling his gaze towards her, though she refused to meet it. "Three days. I'll wait until you've had a chance to contact these acquaintances of yours before I decide where I am to go once I leave."

An audible exhale left Hook's lungs and he looked as though he was about to approach her when he seemed to think better of it.

"Thank you, Swan," he replied, softly. "You should try and get more rest. I'll have a tray brought up to you later."

A swirl of crimson whisked him from her presence, leaving her and her magic feeling bereft. Crawling back into bed, Emma pulled the blankets over her head, isolating herself as best she could from the saturated atmosphere of the Dark One's seductive sorcery. Three days. She had to be strong for three more days. Once she was no longer inundated by the alluring qualities of his darkness, Emma was sure her body and magic would see reason and align themselves with the conclusions of her mind.

As tempting as Hook was, he was more beast than man. A beast who cared only about himself and his own interests, who gave little to no thought of those he used or harmed in pursuit of his goals. Those like her, destined to be another in a long line of poor unfortunate souls who came out on the losing end of a deal made with the devil. She'd fallen victim to making a pledge with the wrong man before, holding true to vows, honoring a covenant they'd made together only for him to break them in ways she never could have conceived. Though she knew Hook was bound by the terms of his indenture to the Darkness to fulfill his deals and not break them, it did not mean he wouldn't find loopholes or corners to cunningly cut so he always ended up with the advantage. While he had been good to his word, training her in magic so she could awaken a certain object to its purpose, an awakening that seemed to require all of the light magic she possessed, how much of herself would be left once the deed was done? What would it ultimately cost her? How far beyond the margins of decency was she willing to tread in order to hold up her end of the bargain? Best not to blindly stay and continue down his descending path lest she find herself in a fresh hell of her own making.

Three days. Three more days, then she'd be free of the Dark One and his deal. Free to pursue her magic on her own terms. Free to take command of her circumstances rather than serve the interest of others. Free to live a life of her own choosing. Free to use the grounding emotion that fueled her power on someone she now realized deserved it most of all.

Herself.