Stefan was used to being second place.

Second in line for his throne, second in his parents' hearts, decent at everything but not phenomenal at anything. He was good enough but not great, loved but no one's favorite. A pale imitation of his older brother. Intellectually he knew none of that was true. That his parents had no favorite, that he was talented, that he was very loved. But still he felt less than. The only person who ever saw him as first place was her.

He was born almost exactly 6 months before her, on a cold day in February. He had known her practically his entire life. His first memory of Hope came when they were about 5, it was the first day of school and she had bolted from their classroom. Stefan had followed her into the hallway when he saw that Hugo, reeling from his first day at school, had curled himself into a ball of tears around the corner. By the time he got there, Hope was on her knees wiping his tears away and whispering reassurances.

He had decided that day that he would marry her.

He made a point after that to talk to her every day. He wanted to make sure she liked talking to him, he knew that was important. And after a while he was pretty sure she did. She of course was a good conversationalist, his mother said all princesses were but he couldn't imagine any other princesses were like Hope.

By the time they were about eight, the two were so close she would come to him with some secrets before even going to Hugo. He was always first place to Hope.

It had almost always seemed like a given to their families. Snow and Charming had seen it almost immediately, at a normal Friday night dinner at Granny's where Stefan and Hope sat in a corner booth with Hope eagerly showing him her newest favorite book.

Hugo had run over to his family, aghast and appalled.

"Henry I need help," he had said as he tugged at his older brother's hip, drawing the attention of just about every family member there that night. Henry had hoisted him up, though he was a bit too old to be held perhaps, even then Hugo was all skin and bones, he weighed barely anything.

"What's wrong Hugh?" Henry got no answer from the little boy as his entire family now watched with interest, going shy in the spotlight, but his eyes did dart across the diner to Hope in the corner, eagerly describing every detail of her book.

"Oh I see," Charming laughed as he followed the little boy's gaze, "Well little man I think we might just have to get used to him," he said playfully. Hugo's only response was to stare daggers at Stefan, there almost seemed to be smoke coming from his ears.

"Dad!" Emma chided her father, apparently the issue of Hope's future romantic prospects was one that had been discussed before.

"Oh come on Emma, we know young love when we see it," Snow chimed in this time,casting a smile at her granddaughter across the room, who was too focused on her book to even notice the many eyes looking at her and Stefan.

"Young love? They're six and Hope would tell strangers about her favorite books if we let her."

Emma once again defended her daughter, maybe she just hadn't wanted to see the spark, or maybe there really hadn't been anything there and she had been right all along. After all, if everyone said it was love, who were they not to feel it?

"Yes, but how many people would she abandon Hugo for?"

Hook countered his wife, gesturing towards their son, now back on his own two feet and quietly telling Henry about the ring he was wearing as he twisted it around his finger

("It's daddy's and it's too big but one day I'll grow into it and I asked if I could wear it and he said I could so long as I don't lose it so I have to hold onto it otherwise it will fall off, I picked this one because I like the gem, it's very red and when you turn…").

"Really? You're aren't going to go all 'Protective Father' on her?"

Regina joined the conversation over the glass of wine in her hand, throwing a wink at Hugo as she did. She loved Hope dearly, but she would always have a soft spot for little boys. Seeing Henry and Hugo interact had recently become one of her favorite things.

Hook threw a glance over his shoulder at his daughter.

"Hope is a terribly bright girl who can make perfectly intelligent choices. Don't get me wrong, when a man wants to marry Hope, I think then we will see just how protective I can be."

The truth of the matter was that Killian Jones didn't know if there was a man alive that he would consider worthy of his daughter. Nor did he relish the idea of the lovely little girl that he could still hold with one arm growing out of his reach. But he was also keenly aware that was unworthy of his wife, or at least had been when they met. And that he would move heaven and earth if it meant Emma's happiness. All of that to say, he hastened to call anyone unworthy, no matter how much he may want to, lest he be unworthy himself. Besides Hope was Emma's daughter, it was hardly as if she was a prize to be won or a beauty without sense. Even all those years ago, when Hope was only six years old, her genius was clear.

But this mention of marriage had pulled Hugo from the deep conversation about his ring, he looked so startled he nearly let the ring slide off his finger, but he didn't.

"Hope can't get married! He'll take her away!" he cried to no one in particular. The adults merely laughed.

"One day, a long time from now, you won't feel that way," Charming offered to his grandson.

"Yes, when you find some lovely girl to take away," Snow added but Hugo was unshaken. His anger had dissipated, leaving him now in just a state of contemplation. A surprisingly earnest look appeared on the little boy's face

"No, I don't think I will."

And with that the conversation turned into laughter and went about discussing other things.

Stefan remembered that night vaguely, someone had told the story at their engagement party. The party where Hope had worn the lovely purple dress with the gold collar that glittered under the lights. She had smiled and laughed and been utterly charming. She hadn't seemed anything but happy.

By the time he was a teenager he was fully aware he was in love with Hope Jones. And he knew they would make a perfect couple. She was a princess and his best friend, he saw no reason she could ever be unsuitable. His mother had told him before that she was perfectly lovely though a bit too wild at times. But still, even his older brother agreed that there was nothing wrong with Hope.

Perhaps the first crack was the tattoo. As an adult it was her most recognizable feature, the hook on her hand. She and Stefan hadn't even been dating yet when she got it. There had been a fight at school, some stupid kid had been teasing Hugo, calling his father a villain and other horrible things. And always the pirate, twelve year old Hugo had fought back.

It was true that Hope was the spitting image of her father in many ways, but in character, her father had often remarked she was quite a bit like his brother Liam, and Hugo much more resembled him. The Brother's Jones reincarnated.

Hope had arrived to stop the fight but managed to get herself pulled in. Their grandmother had found them and called everyone involved to her office where Hope dutifully explained the entire affair to her parents. Stefan could still recall the look on Killian Jones' face and the hand his wife placed on his arm. The way the two just understood each other, Stefan made note of it, he needed to get better at knowing when Hope needed him like that.

That day Killian Jones had decided to reattach his hand for the second time. He had failed when he did it for his wife, but he would succeed for his children. He couldn't cleeve himself of his past, but he could remove the most prominent reminder of it. He would rebuild himself piece by piece if it meant his children didn't have to be ashamed of him. That was the worst of it, the idea that darling Hope or dear Hugo, who was so much like him, should have to be ashamed of their father.

But the children in question felt no such thing. They tried to convince him of this, Hugo arguing that the whole fight had been in defense of his father, he wouldn't defend a man he was ashamed of. But Killian heard none of it and insisted on retrieving his hand from Gold once again, who after all this time still held it in that glass jar under the counter.

Hope had seen it once in her lessons, just a glimpse before she had turned away quickly. To see a piece of her father floating like a scientific specimen was repulsive. She had refused to look at her hand when Blackbeard cut it off, turning her head away like one might do when getting a shot. But even so she knew she would much rather have seen her own lifeless hand than her father's in that damn jar.

It was that night that thirteen year old Hope and twelve year old Hugo crawled out of Hugo's bedroom window, climbed down the tree outside of it and ran their way to Storybrooke's tattoo parlor. With forged parental signatures and a large dose of Swan-Jones charm, the pair was able to convince the artist to draw the hooks on their left hands. Hugo had taken the pain of it better than Hope had, but neither one of them regretted it as they marched home triumphantly that night.

When they entered the house, Emma had of course opened with anger, their disappearance had been noticed rather quickly. But it was when she saw their hands that she stopped.

Killian Jones then knelt before his children as they held out their hands.

"You can't take yours away now or you'll be the only one without one," Hope had said.

"Now everyone will know exactly who our father is and how proud we are to be his son and daughter," Hugo had followed.

Hook didn't think he'd ever be able to let go of them that night. Emma didn't have the heart to punish them, they loved their father, and she loved them for it.

No one else had been thrilled with the tattoos. The immediate family understood but Emma still insisted upon her children wearing gloves at formal events so as not to give poor Snow a heart attack. But they didn't care, they were proud of them and that was all that mattered.

Stefan remembered his parents talking about it. That was the first time the idea of Hope being too much like her father had been brought up. He didn't exactly see anything wrong with her tattoo but he had to admit that most princesses didn't have tattoos. He didn't dare say anything to Hope though, that tattoo meant the world to her. Stefan didn't quite understand her reasoning. After all, her father's time as Captain Hook was not exactly full of good deeds. But he didn't question her, it was what she wanted, so he let it be.

He had kissed her for the first time after their school dance. They had gotten bored and left early, walking until they ended up on The Jolly Roger, staring over the railing out at the sea. She had worn a red dress that night, she looked like she could play Anita in West Side Story (she couldn't of course, but that was what the dress reminded her of). He had known all night he was going to tell her how he felt.

That she was the coolest girl in the world.

That she would always be beautiful to him.

That she would always be first place to him.

Because she always put him first too.

He had always thought that first kiss on the Roger must have been true love's kiss. Such things were very important to Sleeping Beauty's son. He supposed he didn't know anymore.

They had been inseparable in high school, the perfect couple in every way. Hope knew that appearances were important to him, not in a bad way, everyone cares about appearance, but she always came out of her house in the morning looking like a new kind of beautiful.

He made a point of telling her so every day.

He made sure Hope knew that she was it for him. She was everything. When Hope auditioned for the musicals he always made sure he played her love interest.

Liesl and Rolf

Chava and Fyedka

Meg and John Brooke

They were perfect in every role they played. Everyone said so. They were perfect together, just perfect.

Perfect is suffocating.

It was suffocating.

He was suffocating me.

Gepetto had died their junior year of high school. They got pulled out of class when it happened. He remembered so clearly how Hope had practically fallen into his arms in her grief. She clung to him, she needed him. He wanted her to need him to hold her forever.

He almost proposed at graduation, but decided against it. Though he had begged Hope to stay, she insisted on college and exploration. He hadn't understood what more she needed to see or know. All he needed was Hope, he didn't need to know anything else. But she did, and he didn't understand. But it was what she wanted, so he agreed. Under the condition that he get what he wanted too, that she could come back and live their life with him.

He should never have let her go.

If she had just stayed she would have realized that they were enough for each other. That's what true love was.

He remembered being so conflicted when she came home with one hand. He was mostly angry, but at who was unclear.

He hated Blackbeard for hurting her.

He hated her for letting herself get hurt.

He hated Hugo for not protecting her.

He hated himself for letting her go.

But she built a new hand and kept, never slowing down. Until college was slowing down and she had to come home from New York, Hugo had followed her there. Their deal had caught up to her, come graduation day, she was all his.

At Thanksgiving he asked Hook, Henry and Hugo all for their blessings, the prince that he was. Henry and Hook gave theirs, albeit with veiled threats and remarks that it was Hope's decision. Hugo merely said that the only person who had a right to have a say in who his sister married was his sister and that Stefan was welcome to ask her for her thoughts on the matter.

It was telling Hugo that was the mistake.

One would think Hugo and Stefan would have a lot in common. Second born princes who loved Hope Jones. But Hugo's allegiance would always lie with his sister, and she could lie to the rest of the world, but not to him. He couldn't lie to her either. Hugo had long accepted that he may be condemned to a life of contentment rather than full happiness, but he'd be damned if his sister was as well.

Stefan planned to propose at the Granny's dinner the night before their Christmas ball. Hope and Hugo were rushing home from school as a surprise gift to their parents. And Hope was going to get engaged, unless Hugo had a say in it.

Hope had dragged him out of his room the morning of Christmas Eve, each of them throwing themselves into formal wear before rushing out the door, they wouldn't have time to change when they arrived. They had made the drive many times before, the eight hours from New York to Maine wasn't exactly ideal but it was tolerable. Hope started off doing the driving, she always did.

"I'm gonna break up with Stefan," was how she started their conversation once they had reached the highway. Rather than open with the cheers that seemed natural, Hugo opted for a more solemn approach.

"What broke the camel's back?" he said quietly.

"I don't think I love him enough to put my heart on the scale,"

Hugo of course knew what she meant. He may act debonair with a devil may care charisma, but his love for his family was embedded in every cell in his body. He loved his parents fiercely, and of course he envied their true love.

"He's going to propose."

Hope nearly ran the car off the side of the interstate.

"What?" she could barely keep her hands on the wheel.

"He asked me and Dad and Henry for our blessings at Thanksgiving, little sexist of him but whatever,". Hope was silent for a minute, her eyes fixed on the road like she couldn't move them. They looked more gray than blue.

"And everyone approved?"

"Well I told him that I didn't have a say in the matter, I'm sure Dad and Henry threatened him or something," Hugo was examining his sister's expression, he arguably knew her better than anyone, and yet he couldn't quite read her face.

"And they said yes," Her voice was still remarkably emotionless, her right hand, or her fake hand rather, left the wheel and brushed over the tattoo on her other hand. This was what gave her away.

"Hope…" he spoke like one might speak to someone standing on the edge of a cliff. His voice was gentle but stern, like everyone knew, he knew her better than anyone.

"Everyone thinks we're meant to be, even Daddy," she paused, thoughts of Stefan running through her head, what they had was real, maybe if she worked on it, it could be enough. "Maybe everyone is right,"

"Oh don't you do that Princess Daddy Issues, don't you backpedal on me now," .

"I'm not backpedalling, I'm just reconsidering,"

"No you are finally doing something for your own good, not so you can be Daddy's perfect angel and you're being a fucking coward."

Anger had risen in Hugo's voice, he felt the seatbelt flex against his chest, he'd instinctively turned towards her, he'd get up and throttle some sense into her if he could. But he wasn't the only one in that car with a temper.

"Oh don't you dare call me a coward Hugo, you fucking hypocrite. At least I love Stefan,"

Hugo cut off her rage with his own.

"No you fucking don't Hope and you know it. You don't love Stefan, you were going to break up with him like 20 minutes ago and the only reason you aren't now is because Daddy says you should marry him. You have been adjusting yourself to suit Stefan's needs your whole life, who knows if he even loves you or the you that you created for him? But God forbid Hopie do something Daddy doesn't want her to do,"

"Stop saying that, stop making fun of me,"

Angry tears were flying out of her eyes now, the tips of Hugo's ears had gone red as he yelled. The two of them had never truly exploded at one another. They were best friends, always had been, Rumple had once said they had twin hearts even if they weren't twins. But anger buries itself deeply in pure hearts, and when it gets to be too much, it comes rushing out and it just won't stop.

"No I won't because you're perfect Hope, you're dad's favorite, perfect Crown Princess Hope, you could marry anybody you choose, you can be happy and you won't, but for what? The undoubtedly average sex you'll have on your royal wedding night? Because that's right Hope still hasn't had sex yet, the perfect waiting-til-marriage saint she is. But instead of actually making yourself happy, you'll just marry the only guy you've ever bothered to try to fuck? I'm sick of you acting like the world isn't fucking made for you,"

Years later Hugo wouldn't even remember what he screamed that day. That entire monologue would be lost to time, but even though he didn't remember the words, he wished more than anything he could take them back.

"Oh shut the fuck up Hugo. You do hear yourself don't you? God how can you even say any of that? You keep acting like some tragic victim forever trapped and suffering but you're not Hugo. You're GAY, you're FUCKING GAY. And if you told Mom and Dad, you could literally marry anyone you want. You think they'd care? They fucking won't. You don't get to tell me I am throwing away my happiness when you are literally the only thing preventing yours and don't even act like you aren't."

And there it was, Hugo's secret, the one Hope had known all along. She was the only member of his family, hell the only resident of Storybrooke who knew in fact. Hope had never been anything but supportive, practically begging him to come out after every ball where he obliged his charade by dancing with every eligible female in Storybrooke. He had done those school musicals too, he was a damn good actor and a damn good flirt. He knew Hope was right, that he had no right to tell her to get out of her own way. But everything seems easier from the outside, you always think no one knows the situation like you do, because they aren't in it.

Hugo knew there was nothing he could do to make his family stop loving him, at least intellectually. But his father was centuries old, his family was that of fairy tales. Sure, they had supported Red, but Red wasn't their son, grandson, brother. He just didn't want things to change. He couldn't risk losing the things he loved most, even if it gave him his best chance.

"I am just trying to make everyone happy Hugo, if that makes me perfect I don't care. I can be happy with Stefan," Her voice had lowered, it was no longer a screaming match, but they certainly weren't done.

"You could live in strong ambivalence with Stefan, just like I could with some lovely princess, but we wouldn't be happy, even if everyone else was." Hugo paused, looking at his sister's tear stained face as she still stared out at the road before them. He softened, his voice retaining the gentleness he used in comfort.

"And not everyone would be happy, because if you were to marry Stefan, you would be miserable, that I would know that, and I could not bear to see you unhappy so I would be miserable too."

Hope let her eyes leave the road to look back at her brother, conflict plain to see in her blue, blue eyes.

"If you didn't want me to change my mind, why did you tell me he was proposing?"

"So that you could spare the guy's feelings and not have to break his heart in front of our entire family by turning him down."

There was silence again as Hope turned back to the road.

"I am begging you, Hope, as your brother, who loves you more than anything, do not accept Stefan's proposal. Just because Dad approved of him doesn't mean it's right. You have to know he's not your true love, even if everyone thinks he is."

"You're right, he's not my true love,"

Tears fell again, this time not out of anger, but profound sadness.

"It would hurt him, I don't want to hurt him," she said through her tears, the road going blurry through her watery vision.

"And marrying him would hurt you both, you would be denying Stefan his true love as well,"

Hope didn't say anything after that, they hardly spoke for the rest of the ride as well. Hours upon hours in silence as they both contemplated their next move. Hope excelled at planning, she could calculate the move with the highest success rate in a matter of seconds. But not this time, this time she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do.

What she ended up doing when Stefan got on his knee was flickering her eyes to her brother, who shook his head almost imperceptibly, before looking back at Stefan and giving him a "yes" full of false joy.

She loved her family too much to give them anything but their best chance, and she wasn't going to ruin their story, or dear Stefan's, who she really did think she could maybe love if she tried hard enough.

Even though she knew you weren't supposed to have to try.

But her engagement made everyone happy, except her.

And Hugo who came to her every day after she accepted the proposal and begged her to call it off. He wanted so badly to just make her see reason, but deep down he knew that if he found some girl who would please his parents and he could be reasonably content with, he'd probably do the very same thing Hope was doing. They'd rather be loved by the family than risk it going away.

Until Hope couldn't do it anymore and she called off the wedding, disappearing from her grandparent's living room in a cloud of pink smoke, leaving her entire family in shock. Hugo and Neal had arrived to the wedding planning late just after she disappeared.

"What'd we miss?" Neal asked as he viewed the utter disbelief on the faces of nearly everyone he knew.

"Hope called off the wedding," Snow had answered, Hugo felt his heart nearly stop beating.

"She did?" He let a bit too much of excitement into his voice, for every member of Stefan's family jerked their heads towards him.

"Don't sound so surprised," said Phillip, Stefan's brother not father, with anger in his voice. Neal jumped to his technical nephew's aid.

"Where is she?" he said to change the topic back to business.

"She's probably just getting cold feet, all brides do," Phillip had turned back to his little brother, offering comfort as best he could.

"I think Hope's thoughts on marriage are less of a priority than where she is, she was clearly upset when she left and I don't think she should be alone," Stefan spoke up for the first time since Neal and Hugo arrived, he was clearly shocked by Hope's announcement, but it was more abundantly clear that he agreed with his brother, that his wedding was still very much on.

It was then that Hook had snuck out of the room as they began to discuss where Hope might be, he didn't need to discuss such things. Hope was his daughter, she went exactly where he did when he needed to get away. She stood up by the wheel of the Roger, her fingers grazing its edges without turning it.

"Permission to come aboard?" Killian had called from the docks, Hope's eyes jerked out of her daze to see her father, she sighed before nodding and watching him climb aboard his own ship.

"Daddy I-" she started to talk but he wouldn't let her, holding up his hand to stop her.

"I believe the only apology to be offered tonight is mine," Hope looked at him quizzically as he continued, "I remember when you were very small, and I was teaching you about this ship, and I would watch you and your brother and your mother all run about and I wondered just how I had come to be so lucky. For there was no way a man such as I could possibly deserve you. I told you once that it was a father's job not to let his little girl fall, but I did and I am truly sorry."

"You didn't let me fall,"

"I almost let you marry a man you do not love, that my darling lass is the definition of falling,"

Hope smiled and brushed her hair off her face, that had always been her least favorite part of the sea, it had no respect for her hair.

"Well you didn't have much to go on, I'm a pretty good actress,"

Killian laughed as he joined his daughter as she leaned over the rail of the ship.

"You did play a bloody fantastic Meg March in high school,"

They remained on the Roger for most of the night before returning to join the family the next morning. Emma and Hugo had known where they had gone as soon as Hook's disappearance had been noticed, leaving Stefan and his family to go home in bewilderment.

Hope went to see him the next morning, to tell him she was going back to New York earlier than she planned, it was only fair.

He had tried to apologize for overloading her with wedding questions, he should have known it was too much. But it wasn't too much she had said, she just didn't want to marry him. She kept saying that but he didn't seem to hear it. He had begged her to see reason, to remember when Gepetto died, how she clung to him, how she needed him. He needed her like that always, she could want him that way again. He didn't need the marriage to happen right away, he could wait, she was his true love.

"No I'm not, and you aren't mine. What we had was beautiful, but it's not meant to be forever, "

He felt his heart shatter when she said that, not that he believed it, he knew she was wrong, but the very idea that she couldn't see it was blasphemy. He had held her hands as he begged her to stay.

"Look at my hands Stefan, look at them, one is marked by my pirate father and the other isn't real, these aren't the hands of your Princess Hope, they are my hands but they aren't the ones you want,"

She wasn't making sense. Hope was Hope, that was all he knew. As she pulled her hands away and walked to her car he called after her saying that she would remember just how much she loved him, and he'd wait for her until she did.

"Please don't Stefan, I beg you, please don't."

But he didn't listen, he hardly heard a word Hope said that day. He hadn't heard her beg him not to wait for her as she got into her car and drove herself and Hugo back to New York. He knew she would remember how much she loved him, that was what true love was, you always find your way back to each other.

So he waited for her to come back, because he knew Hope, and he knew she would.

And then he showed up. A thief, a criminal, perfectly unsuitable for a princess, Stefan always had a knack for forgetting the pirate half of her.

Stefan wasn't willing to believe his story of Hope's brash heroics, as far as he was concerned, at best Hope had sent him to Storybrooke because she was kind and good and would protect anyone she saw fit. And at worst he was a brutish liar who told nothing but lies about his Hope.

And then Hope was back, half dead though she was. Again he found himself burning with anger at both her and himself.

None of this would have happened if he hadn't let her get in that damn car.

She claimed he was her true love, that she had given up her own beating heart for him. Just like her mother had so many years ago.

But what Stefan knew that she didn't was that Hope's heart was so pure, she'd give it up for nearly anyone. She was just that truly good.

She still loved him, she was meant to be with him, even if she didn't remember it. Even if she had been seduced by some thief. He didn't care, he had sworn he'd marry her in that kindergarten hallway and he would.

She would love him again.

He would make her see.

She would remember.

He knew exactly what he was going to do.