"Tilly," Rogers said with an exasperated sigh as he plopped a plate littered with crumbs and sticky orange spots in the sink. "She really needs to stop leaving these things on the counter. They'll bring in ants."

He doused the plate with water to make a basin for the soon added, marmalade covered butterknife. The jar of organic orange marmalade, he had bought at the farmer's market the week before, was shockingly low, halfway devoured. Even though he knew Tilly could buy all the marmalade she wanted from her new job, the detective was sure the slightly bitter yet sugary spread couldn't be healthy consumed on the daily. Not that he could stop her from doing so, being grownups themselves, but he was determined to buy some more fruit and vegetables to fill the fridge with, creating more options for the both of them from their preferred bread and butter.

As he closed the marmalade jar and used a disinfecting wipe to clean up the stickiness, the toaster dinged, popping out slices of his favorite bagel, the aromatic Everything Bagel. The detective put back the jar in the fridge, only to grab out some cream cheese, kicking the door close with the heel of his boot. After setting it down on the counter, he filled the coffee filter in the coffee pot and turned on the coffee machine. Like an automatic conveyor belt creating a complex item with a bunch of simple steps and ingredients, Rogers ended up sitting down on a stool at the kitchen island ready for breakfast in ten minutes flat. Chewing his cream cheese lathered bagel nonchalantly while doing the crossword on the back of the newspaper, he waited patiently for the coffee to brew, listening to the rain rapping on the windows outside.

"Hmm, missing something." He scratched the side of his ear in frustration with his pencil. "Twenty one across, ten letters, orange melon. Must be cantaloupe, with a u!" He scribbled down proudly, eraser shavings brushed off.

Orange… the word just keeps popping up this morning, he thought. Rogers made a mental note that the next time he saw Tilly, he was definitely going to bring up the need for tidiness and maybe try to get her to eat more variety. Speaking of the devil, Tilly dashed into the apartment through the front door slipping and sliding as if chased by a rabid dog. The door closed with a slam behind her as she caught herself with the edge of the couch.

Rogers gripped his pencil tightly trying to still himself quickly after she gave him quite the fright. He knew how much she loved sleeping in on the weekends, so he hadn't expected her at the front door so soon. "What manner of speaking got you caught in the rain so early, so much that you left your dirty dishes out?" Rogers asked, concerned but still disgruntled from earlier.

"Sorry about that, I'll clean it in a bit," Tilly breathlessly said, the ends of her blonde hair dripping. "Margot and I wanted to get to the flea market early to explore all the wares but the rain caught us by surprise. More of a thunderstorm than I liked really, putting a stop to our exploration." Tossing her drenched green canvas jacket on the coat rack and wiping her boots on the entrance mat, she continued, "After we got to Roni's safely under her umbrella and it lightened up, I thought I could run here fast enough. Clearly nature wants to play today."

"That's a shame. How's the bunch doing and how's Margot taking the Heights?"

She sat down at a stool opposite him, having sent a quick text to Margot that she got back safe, if not drenched, sadly slumped with her head on her arms, "Roni and Kelly are worried about something, talking about missing ingredients and bad weather. Don't know what that has to do with the sale of alcohol but Margot says her mom and aunt could get like that over a new item on the menu or local gossip." She shrugged before a smile crossed her face as she looked up. "Margot's well, said the lack of customers just means she has more time to spend exploring what Hyperion Heights has to offer." More time to spend with me doing so, Tilly thought, blushing ever so slightly, trying to play it off as her being cold by shivering.

Rogers lifted an eyebrow at her trying to be discreet as he smiled back, happy seeing at how smitten she was with Margot. Tilly couldn't stop talking or hanging out with her after all. He had gotten up, pouring himself a hot mug of black coffee and blowing on it. "Did either of you find anything good before the downpour?

"Nope," she said dejected once more before brightening up with energy. "Ah wait! I did find a memorizing flower growing out of a crack in front of the apartment building. Thought you should see it."

Tilly scrambled, grabbing the small plant from the inside of her jacket pocket and returning to place it gently down in front of him as he sat back down with his mug. "You can have a look at it." Noticing his crossword, she excitedly asked, "Ooooh crosswords? I love solving them. Can I have a go at it, any you're stuck on? He nodded and she grabbed the newspaper and pencil.

Rogers picked up the flower, examining it close to his face. For a fully bloomed rose, it was so tiny and a dark shade of pink. He'd never seen anything like it before. It was certainly not anything local that should have been growing on the pavement. Suddenly, it glowed and he was hit with a pink dust as the flower wilted, barely hanging onto life.

The detective dropped the blossom on the table, nearly his coffee too, as he rubbed his eyes, hoping the pollen didn't give him allergies. When Rogers reopened his eyes, he felt painstakingly hit with vigor and a wave of memories. He was overwhelmed, remembering his rough childhood, the roaring ocean, his vengeance on the Crocodile, Gothel's betrayal, his time spent with Alice in the tower, the drunken nights after his heart got cursed, and his chance to start anew due to his alternate self.

The curse! Hook gasped, staring down at his hands, well, one prosthetic hand instead of his trusty hook and his other normal one. He pinched himself, startled by the pain that meant this was real. He looked back up, seeing Alice still immersed in the crossword. Maybe it only looks like that, maybe she's still regaining her memories like he had, Hook thought.

"Alice!" he cried desperately frantic, still a bit dizzy. "Are you awake?"

Instead of her looking up at him in recognition, joyful and a bit tearful like he had expected her to, it stabbed his heart to see her looking at as if he was daft. "Alice? Are you sure you drank your coffee this morning, Detective?" she asked, confused with a laugh. "And of course I'm awake, unless you've lost your eyes to the Sandman's sleeping spell as well."

Hook grimaced and bit his lip. What he knew about broken curses was usually there should be a bright flash of light, rainbow colored and overpowering, but he didn't remember seeing or feeling a shockwave. The curse wasn't broken. Feigning ignorance with his quick thinking and a nervous chuckle, "I guess the caffeine hasn't hit me yet, Tilly." He took a swig for good measure as she went back to solving the daily crossword.

Bracing himself, he thought of the last thing he could test. He got up and went over to her. As he advanced, Hook found himself cradling his chest, waiting for the pain to start rearing its ugly head and stab him like a thousand needles. However, nothing happened and his brows furrowed. "You sure you didn't see anything strange a moment ago or remember anything?"

"Other than you and this crossword? No." Tilly paused, the page having only one word left to fill, and grabbed Hook's jacket covered arm, worried. "Rogers, are you sure you're okay? You seem unsettled."

He patted her hand with his prosthetic one and assured her he was. She let go reluctantly, trying to smooth things over and asking him if he wanted to solve the last row to destress.

"That last one is probably guitar, seeing as how it's a stringed instrument, six lettered, and common," he answered aloud, pointing at the crossword, obliging to her offer.

"Congratulations! We did it!" Tilly exclaimed, happy with the outcome, unaware of his plight. "Let me know if you ever want to do another."

He nodded, the back of his eyes burning. Hook could finally cherish this moment, doing a simple game with her, but his starfish wasn't there, not fully. It took all the former pirate could to back away from Tilly, to not hug his little girl and assure her that he's there for her, that all the things that could hurt them were over. The woman in front of him might have been his cursed self's close friend that he felt a deep connection to but didn't know why. Although knowing why now made him feel like he was in a worse hell of anguish and unsteady. At least while he was cursed, Hook could hang out with her casually as Rogers did as a flatmate. However, seeing clearer than ever as her papa, standing in front of her, he felt utterly useless, lost. He couldn't tell her anything without arousing suspicion. Rogers may have been clueless by default and ignorant of what wasn't logical but as Hook, he had no excuse if he couldn't save her happiness and from pain now.

Hook partially regretted giving away the white elephant but shook his head, knowing that it was for the best since Lucy and Ella needed each other and they could handle themselves. Alice, cursed as Tilly before him, had been dealing with more hardship than they had envisioned. Fewer trees and walls in the way and yet he couldn't protect her, trapped in the spell himself. Still, what a tragic white knight he made, Hook thought, scoffing at himself. Alice had saved him in countless ways, brought back parts he thought he'd lost, and was a big part of who he was today.

Tilly pulled him back to reality as she questioned, excitement dying as she bubbled up with worry again, "Detective, are you upset because of earlier? I'll try to tidy up better." Noticing his forehead wrinkle and he looked as if he was in pain, tongue tied, her gaze softened realizing it was something she knew all too well. "Ah, if it's about something else then. I'll let you in on a secret. Whenever I hear the nasty voices get too loud, I think of something sweet and real. If you want, I'm always here if you need a chat."

"Mm, I'll catch up with you later." Hook smiled, relieved that she was the same as ever, perceptive and caring. That was enough comfort for him as he felt his head clear. He felt lucky and glad that they had met again, that she was comfy under his roof, and they could converse at any time, even if they couldn't remember their past.

Although he felt better, his underlying guilt for the time being gnawed at him. He didn't have the faintest idea as to how to wake the others or stop Gothel's schemes. Wait, he thought, there's only one person that always has a loophole out of everything. The Dark One had to be awake!

With a short cough clearing his throat, Hook asked, "By any chance, can I take the flower? I want to show it to Weaver and I have to head to the station anyway."

"Sure. I'll wash my dishes in the meantime. But why are you showing it to Weaver? You-" Tilly trailed, walking over to the sink. getting cut off as he grabbed the blossom and his keys off the kitchen island. He said his thanks, that he'd see her later, and was out the door in a hurry as she finished, "It's a Sunday!"

She sighed heavily as she couldn't understand her housemate. "I can't believe him. After he lectured me on my dishes, he left his there and didn't even finish his bagel all the way!"