They had just reached the top of the mountain, relief breaking out in David's chest, both of them out of breath, Hook's balance unsteady as ever, when David suddenly felt all of his weight.

"Woah!" he breathed, reflexes catching Hook before the man could hit the ground.

Hook's eyes were shut.

"No," breathed David.

He can't be too late.

He can't be dead.

"No, no, no, damnit, Hook!" muttered David, a touch of panic in his voice as he slowly lowered the unmoving pirate to the ground, leaning him against a rock.

Hook was paler than he's been yet, and with a horrible fear, David saw the black spiderwebs were crawling over his cheek.

"Hook!" exclaimed David, shaking him, unable to keep his desperation out of his voice.

But to David's relief, the shake tore a sharp groan from Hook, his face screwing up in a tight, pained grimace.

David breathed out, his heart was still pounding. They didn't have long. "Hook!"

Hook's eyes were still shut.

In a moment of more panic, David found himself stressing, "Killian!"

That snatched his attention.

Hook's eyes opened, but they were unfocused. He blinked a few times, looking confused. They settled unsteadily on David, his brows kneading like his vision wouldn't clear, and he whispered, "Liam?"

David froze.

Hook's voice sounded so young.

"No," said David, having no idea who Liam could be, his panic chasing away the curiosity. "No… it's David."

Hook's brows kneaded more; he was clearly delirious. "Where's Liam?"

David shut his eyes briefly, wishing he'd asked Hook how to find the water before they got here. But looking around, there was nothing here more than plants that looked a hell of a lot like Dreamshade.

"Where's my brother?" came Hook's voice again, more adamant, with a touch of fear.

Liam.

Liam was his brother.

David looked back at Hook, swallowing hard before hesitantly saying, "I'm here."

And to David's shock, it made Hook relax, releasing the tension in the man's muscles.

"Ho—" began David, catching himself. "Killian," he said uneasily, "where's the water that will cure Dreamshade?"

It took Hook a few moments to register the words, and David watched with fear as the black tendrils crawled further across his cheek.

Then Hook was shaking his head, eyes falling shut again. "Too dangerous," he whispered weakly. "Get back to the ship. Leave me."

"Like hell," snapped David, shaking him again. "Ho—Killian, where is it?"

Hook's eyes opened, a little familiar heat in them. "Not worth it," he said hollowly.

And for a moment David was stunned, for what seemed like the millionth time tonight, at just how wrong he'd been about the "selfish pirate" all this time.

"Just tell me!" said David firmly, unable to keep the panic out of his voice.

And very, very quietly, in a way that looked like he was only answering out of practiced loyalty, Hook relented, "Dead Man's Peak."

David fought the urge to groan. "Where on Dead Man's Peak?"

Another slow blink. Reluctance in the words like weights. "Through the Dreamshade. There's a spring."

David shut his eyes. Through the Dreamshade.

Of course.

He grabbed his sword from his belt, moving to stand, but with shock, felt Hook's hand grab his wrist.

"Liam?"

Hook's too bright, hazy gaze was on him, the only thing brighter than the delirium was his fear. His eyes flicked from the Dreamshade back to David, and his grip on David's wrist only tightened.

David has never heard such desperate fear, and never would have expected to hear it from Hook.

Especially the fact that the fear wasn't for himself.

"I'll be right back," promised David, voice coming out strangely gentle. "And I'll be fine. Stay here."

And to his surprise, Hook let him go obediently, yet reluctantly. His eyes fell shut again.

The black was spreading further over his skin.

He had minutes.

Quickly, David stood.

David was thankful he was wearing his jacket, and that it was winter back in Storybrooke. He donned gloves that had been stuffed in his pockets with shaking hands, and did his best to ensure no skin was showing.

And with a heavy breath, he started cutting a path through the Dreamshade.

Every movement was petrifying, but knowing Hook was quite literally dying behind him gave him the push to ignore the thorns against his jacket, and David held his breath until he hacked a path through.

And there—

The spring.

David ran.

He pulled out his canteen from his jacket pocket, filling it quickly with the water.

Then, he ran back to Hook.

It looked like he was out cold once again.

Unless he was already—

"Hook?" said David breathlessly. "Hook!"

Back at the pirate's side, David shook his shoulder hard.

Nothing.

He shook again. Harder. "Hook!"

Nothing.

"Damn it—Killian!" exclaimed David with another shake, and finally the pirate's eyes snapped open.

His unfocused eyes found him. "Brother?" he whispered weakly.

Something twisted in David's chest, but he shoved it aside. "Yes, now drink this," he ordered, practically pouring the water down the man's throat.

The effect of the water was instant.

The black tendrils faded from Hook's skin, receding back into nothing.

David felt a grin break out on his face.

He watched as the black disappeared completely, restoring even the color to his skin, restoring life.

And Hook coughed, jerking upright, eyes opening with stark lucidity. Disoriented, like he'd been shocked awake, Hook looked from the canteen still in David's hand, to where they were, and then slowly, to David.

David practically watched Hook's mind bring him up to speed. And then—

Quickly, Hook jerked up his shirt, for them to watch the last of the Dreamshade dissolve into nothing, healing even the cut that the arrow had sliced into his side.

Hook looked at him.

In shock.

"You saved me," breathed Hook.

It was phrased in utter bewilderment.

David swallowed, feeling the adrenaline just beginning to calm down in his veins. "You saved Emma," replied David just as quietly.

With just as much gratitude.

Hook was still staring at him in unadulterated incredulity.

Hook let out a breath, like he was still processing the fact that he was no longer dying.

And David sat back on his heels, letting out his own breath, reveling in that fact himself.

The echos of Hook's voice, of that fear, when he'd thought David was his brother, suddenly flitted back through David's mind.

He looked at Hook now, understanding even more just how much pain he's gone through. Not only losing the woman he'd loved to Rumplestiltsin, but losing the brother he'd obviously loved just as much.

And the words came out before David even thought to say them. "I'm sorry you lost Liam."

But Hook froze, his eyes snapping to David.

It was only then David realized that Hook seemed to have zero recollection over the past few minutes.

And prior to that…

Hook had never told David his brother's name.

"How…?" breathed Hook, the single syllable utter shock and puzzlement.

Wincing a little, David said, "You… sort of… passed out. And when you came to, you… mentioned him," finished David unsteadily.

But Hook's brow lifted, seeming to catch the underlying discomfort in David's voice. With perceptiveness that David would never think the pirate would have been capable of, Hook's brow hitched higher and he echoed suspiciously, "Mentioned him?"

David winced a little more. "You thought… I was him," he relented awkwardly.

Hook's brow hitched even higher with something David would have never expected from Captain Hook: discomfort.

"Ah…" said Hook, scratching behind his ear in what looked like a nervous tick.

Feeling Hook's vulnerability, David decided to even it out with some of his own.

With a heavy breath, David said, "I was wrong about you."

Hook's brows reached his hairline.

As much as David had learned about Hook tonight, as much understanding as he'd reached…

David owed Hook for more than just saving Emma's life.

And that meant doing something he never liked doing with anyone—something Snow could attest to.

Let alone the man that David had pegged as his enemy for the past several weeks.

Admitting he was wrong.

Taking a breath, David repeated, "I was wrong about you." At Hook's shocked silence, David continued, "From the day I met you, I put you right up there with Regina and Rumplestiltskin." Meeting Hook's incredulous gaze, David went on, "I thought you were just here for your own selfish reasons. But I didn't stop to—I chose not to stop and see that even though you took that bean… you also brought it back." David let out another sigh, like lingering smoke from a doused fire. "You saved Emma's life when you didn't have to, and even seconds from your own death, you…"

"Leave me. I'm not worth it."

David shook his head a little, but not at Hook.

At himself.

"You weren't the villain of the past few weeks, Hook." said David heavily. "I was."

Hook looked utterly speechless.

"I'm sorry," finished David in an exhale.

It took Hook, who looked absolutely stunned, a moment to find his voice.

"After everything I've… done," said Hook, the single word holding what looked like a thousand pounds of guilt and self-loathing, Hook said, "I don't think your perception of me was exactly incorrect."

The way he said that, the look in his eyes, was pure hatred.

For himself.

And David found that he quite hated seeing it.

"Maybe who you were," said David, "but not who you are now." A little smile— "You've changed, Hook, and… I should have given you the same chance that I gave Regina and Rumplestiltskin," he said, something even more meaningful in his gaze. "Considering the fact that you're the only one who took it."

And, again, Hook was struck speechless.

But David stood, and offered his hand to Hook.

Hook stared at his hand, in a similar way that he had hours ago, when David had convinced him to come here, to live.

But this time, in Hook's eyes was a different kind of confusion.

Because this time, Hook wasn't weak.

David didn't need to offer Hook his hand.

It wasn't out of necessity.

It was out of acceptance.

And from the new sort of incredulity in Hook's eyes, Hook saw it as exactly that.

With a grin, the type of smile David had never seen from Hook before, something that didn't hold cunning, but instead held something purely genuine, Hook took his hand, allowing David to help him up.

"You good?" asked David, not letting go of Hook until he felt that Hook once again had control over his own balance and strength. And he did; it seemed the Neverland water had fully and completely healed him.

Hook let out a breath, reveling in that fact for himself. "Aye," he said, and for the first time, David knew that wasn't a lie.

Something a little heavier in his gaze, Hook said softly, "Thank you, David."

And somehow, David knew that the gratitude was for more than just saving his life.

"You saved Emma," said David. Matching the heaviness, the seriousness, the truth in Hook's voice, David said, "Thank you, Killian."

The use of his name rose the pirate's brows again, once again in utter shock.

But then, he smiled.

And David returned it.

"Let's get back to camp," said David.

Something passed through Hook's eyes, a sort of surprise, a relief, like he hadn't expected to be able to return to it.

It was a relief David felt all the same.

And together, they set off down the mountain, heading back to the camp.

"I'd always wondered what it would have been like, though. To actually have grown up with my brother. To have… had one."

With the strangest feeling, yet one that somehow felt right, David didn't think he had to wonder anymore.