Okay, this is the last chapter I had fully pre-written and edited lol. So it'll be a few days before you get the next one haha xD

Thanks for reading and this will be updated very soon! :)

~cosette141

"You want to keep wasting time or do you want to live to see morning?"

Hook felt shock wash through him.

What he deserved was to die a painful death, alone and unloved.

What he wanted was to live to see the day he wins Emma Swan's heart.

No one has cared to save him in centuries.

No one has cared about him in centuries.

And if he were to put his faith in anyone, it would be the family that had defeated Cora, changed the Evil Queen (more or less), and saved their town from a seemingly-impossible-to-stop destruction.

He has yet to see any of them fail at anything.

Perhaps they could find a way to save his life, beyond the Neverland spring water.

But the one thing he'd never thought possible was David, Emma's bloody father looking at him with something other than contempt.

"Can you stand?"

Hook shook himself a little, refocusing his vision. He had just managed to catch his breath; his jaw was killing him—and that was the second time the prince had struck him this week—and he'd very nearly passed out.

Bloody gods, he was so weak.

The poison was hours away from his heart, and hell he was feeling it.

"Aye," breathed Hook, but was shocked once again when David's expression furrowed with something Hook would almost call concerned.

Swallowing, Hook allowed the man to pull him to his feet. Hook shut his eyes as his sense of gravity tilted, and he used his hook to catch himself on the tree. He blinked his eyes open as it settled, finding that crease in David's brows deepen.

"Come on," he said, "we should tell the girls."

Hook felt his chest clench.

David started back toward the camp, and Hook took a heavy breath, and followed, his hand twisted in the material of his shirt. The poison burned under his skin, making him all too bloody aware of how close he was to his end.

But he forced himself to keep up with David's pace, his heart beating faster.

Once back at the camp, Hook took another breath to steady himself, and released his vest, straightening as much as he could.

"Where's the vine?"

Hook felt his chest hurt at the sound of Emma's voice, walking into view of them. Emma and Snow White had stopped working at the sight of David empty-handed, and Regina even gave them a lift of her brow.

"Uh," began David, with half a look to Hook. "About that… Hook is—"

"—I think there's something we can use to read Baelfire's starmap," said Hook, cutting off David, ignoring the sharp rise of David's brows.

"Hook—" began David with surprise.

Hook shot him a look, then continued, pulling out the torn scrap of material from Liam's satchel—the only part of Liam he kept with him—with shaking fingers. "David and I found this; it's from my brother's—" Sharp pain in his chest. "My… Captain's satchel," he amended quickly, blaming the poison for loosening his tongue, "from the first time I set foot on Neverland," he found himself whispering. "I'd thought it was gone forever. But Pan had stolen many things from those who wander here," he said, shutting his eyes for half a second, trying his best to not sway. He opened his eyes, meeting theirs, Emma's, saying, "If this survived, I believe his sextant did as well. We can use it to decode the map."

David was staring at him with an incredulous look on his face.

But Hook met his eyes, and David held the gaze for a long moment, before saying to the others, "Hook… said it's a few hours' trek from here. I say he and I check it out while you three get in touch with Henry."

Emma and Snow stood.

"You want to split up?" asked Snow softly.

With another look to Hook, who wished he was closer to a tree he could use to steady himself, David said, "It's our best shot."

Snow bit her lip, then nodded. "Okay."

David pulled his wife to himself, kissing her and Hook felt himself look at Emma, who was already looking at him. "You and David on a trip?" she said with half a laugh. "One of you might not make it back."

And Hook swallowed, his chest hurting, because that was more than a possibility, and why she mustn't know the truth of the trip.

"Be safe while I'm gone." he whispered, eyes burning into hers.

Because even if he doesn't make it back…

She must.

Emma seemed a little taken aback by the heaviness in his voice, and she swallowed. "Always am," she said just as quietly.

And his eyes lingered on hers, wanting to say it, needing to say it.

But he can't be another man to love and leave her.

So he feigned a smile, something holding every ounce of his brokenness, and he forced himself to walk away, feeling David follow behind.

"What the hell was that?" demanded David the minute they were out of earshot of the rest.

Hook let out a breath, staggering ahead of David, and David felt himself hovering close. The man looked like he was about to collapse. "What?" managed the pirate weakly. All the bravado that he'd shown in front of the girls vanished in a second, and David felt something he never thought he'd feel for a pirate, let alone Hook.

Pity.

"The lying out of your ass," clarified David, matching Hook's slow and uneven pace. "Why the hell did you do that?"

Hook swallowed, stumbling and catching himself on the trunk of a tree before pressing on. He shut his eyes briefly. "Because I'm not entirely sure I'll make this trip," he admitted quietly. At David's confusion, Hook said, "The arrow was meant for Emma." David felt his chest tighten at the reminder that it was almost Emma stumbling beside him, dying before his very eyes. "She'll blame herself." Even quieter, something horribly sad in his voice, he said, "And that is a curse I'll not leave her with."

David hesitated for a moment, at the sheer weight of the words.

Those words sounded heavier somehow.

Experienced.

David felt his mind click pieces into place.

"David and I found this; it's from my brother's—my… Captain's satchel, the first time I set foot on Neverland."

"The spring there… Its water has the properties to heal any ailment. I once used it to heal my br—one of my crew from Dreamshade."

"Since its power comes from the island, it only works in Neverland. If I were to leave Neverland, I'd die."

"It was your brother," said David softly, and he saw Hook stiffen to a stop. "Wasn't it?"

Hook went deathly still.

"You lost him to Dreamshade… didn't you?" said David, stopping beside him.

And he felt himself freeze at the look on Hook's face.

It was just…

Pain.

Hook shook himself a little, pressing on, only saying, "It's not far now."

David felt himself follow numbly.

Because he's never quite seen that kind of pain before.

"She'll blame herself. And that's a curse I'll not leave her with."

Whatever exactly happened to his brother… Hook blamed himself for his death.

Taking blame for anything wasn't exactly the action of a pirate.

And it was becoming more and more like Hook's actions weren't that of a pirate.

Ever since he was a boy, David had grown up with the knowledge—the simple fact—that pirates were selfish scum. Hurting innocents, taking what they wanted when they wanted it.

And the reputation of Captain Hook had spread across the realm. He was not only no exception to David's view on pirates; he was the worst of them all.

David hadn't ever given thought to thieves or pirates beyond that simple fact that they were bad and he was good.

But with the knowledge that Emma had been a thief at some point, stealing from innocent people, and Snow hadn't exactly only stolen from the rich as a bandit.

It was only now that David realized that maybe Hook wasn't the same as people like Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin hurt people for the glee of it, for the sport. He'd chased off his only son and chose not to make up for it when he had the chance.

But what David knew of Hook's life was that he was one of the most feared pirates in the realm, and that he was on a suicidal quest to kill the man who'd killed the love of his life.

For the first time, David felt himself realize that Hook had given up the tirade.

Sure, he was here for Emma, not out of general nobility, but…

Pirates don't care about anyone but themselves.

And pirates definitely don't go to the lengths Hook has for a good time with a woman.

In fact, Hook had gone after his revenge solely for the woman he'd lost.

As much as David hated admitting it, he might have been slightly… wrong, about pirates.

And certainly about Hook.

His innuendos and flirting with Emma and Snow aside—though David had noticed the flirting has shifted fully and solely to Emma recently—Hook has put forth more of an effort to change than Rumplestiltskin and Regina combined.

Rumplestiltskin was here out of obligation to his son.

Regina was here because she needed Henry in her life, not solely because Henry needed her.

And Hook was here, David had thought, because he wanted Emma for himself.

But to sacrifice his life for her?

"Be safe while I'm gone."

David had heard the words, and every emotion behind them.

Hook had changed, and David had been too stubborn to change his own mind about him.

Hook stumbled again before him, letting out a groan, catching himself on a tree, taking yet another break in their trek.

David held back, feeling guilt and fear for the man creep up his spine.

They'd given Regina and even Rumplestiltskin a chance to change, and neither have exactly taken it.

Hook had.

And David suddenly found himself wanting to see the man he became on the other side.

He just hoped, as he watched Hook stumble once again, that they would both be able to.