Darkness is a Funny Thing… It Creeps Up in You
Chapter Fourteen
Early the next morning…
After yet another restless night of sleep, Killian left the confines of his room above Granny's, then walked downstairs and entered the diner to talk to Granny on his way out for the day. Unfortunately, the moment he entered the main room, he saw Ursula and Cruella sitting up at the bar as they were attempting to get Granny's attention so she could take their breakfast order. However, the apparent irritated woman was doing her best to ignore the villainesses who seemed to be just as annoyed with her in return in spite of their weak attempts to be cordial.
While Granny was busy cutting lemons behind the counter with her back to the Queens of Darkness, as David and Mary Margaret were sitting across the room in one of the booths keeping their eyes on the women, Cruella impatiently began to tap her fingers on top of the bar out of frustration.
"Uh, darling… how much longer for those drinks?" she finally questioned Granny once again, while Granny only continued to ignore her, irritating the villain that much more. "You know, if that old bag still wolfed out, I'd turn her into a coat for my collection."
Killian watched them from the doorway in the back of the diner, as a part of him considered whether he should actually walk further into the room since he knew Ursula would no doubt have something to say to him, while another part of him wanted to walk over to join his love's parents for a few moments. But instead, he simply nodded his head towards David to show them he recognized they were there, then finally stepped forward and up to the counter to ask Granny what he had come down for.
"Good morning, love," he then called out to diner's owner once she approached him with a smile on her face upon seeing him come towards her, and just as he feared, Ursula and Cruella both turned towards him as well, while the Sea Witch closely studied his appearance. "I am on my way over to the convent to speak with Mother Superior, and I was hoping I might be able to pick up the fairies' usual breakfast order."
Granny sighed and then she responded sternly, "You know… it's good of you to want to try to make things right between you and the fairies, but I'm certain getting them breakfast isn't necessary. What happened was on Rumplestiltskin. Not you."
Killian smiled shamefully at her, then answered, "Aye. I suppose, but nonetheless… a little groveling can't hurt. Please, Granny."
"Sure thing," she replied in sincerity, then turned from him so she could begin putting together the fairies' order, until she stopped a moment to glare at the villainess with black and white hair who was now glaring at her for being so quick to help someone else before her. "If you tried being as courteous as Hook here, people might be more willing to help you out. Even me."
"So I gather," Cruella snidely retorted in frustration, as Granny walked away and entered the kitchen so she could talk with the cook in the back.
In the meantime, Ursula continued to stare at Hook, and then she finally spoke to him maliciously saying, "You're not looking too well this morning, Hook. You look exhausted. Sick even. Haven't been sleeping, I gather? Have you been wounded recently? Because you're bleeding out a little. Your shirt's blood stained."
Killian looked down on himself and noticed that she was telling the truth, as he saw that he was bleeding out from the wound in his side, having apparently pulled a few of his stiches sometime during the night. However, he shrugged it off and ignored the pain as he swiftly pulled his leather jacket over the wound and zipped it up in order to be able to hide it from everyone else, then turned towards the Charmings.
He started to walk towards them to join them for a moment, until Ursula called out to him again, "Hey! On your way to the convent so you can confess your sins? Hopefully this… Mother Superior will have lots of time on her hands. Surely it's gonna take awhile to confess to all the treacherous things you've done in your long life."
When he could see that Ursula's taunts were hurting him, David started to get up from his table so he could defend his friend, until Killian quickly raised his hand and motioned for him to stay put, then turned away from everyone as he took a seat at the end of the bar to wait for Granny to finish with the order, no longer being in the mood to speak with anyone until he saw the Blue Fairy.
At last, Granny returned with the bags of food that she packed together into one larger bag in order to make it easier for Hook to carry it all, as well as the drinks with his one hand and hook. Once he gathered everything in his arms, Killian left the diner without another word to anyone.
"For the last time, Sea Witch… leave Hook alone," David firmly warned Ursula, as well as Cruella in hope of getting them both to behave like they promised they would upon the heroes' agreement to allow them into their town. "In fact… leave us all alone and try harder to do as you both said you would. You can't be villains anymore if you have any hope of staying in Storybrooke."
"You have our word," Cruella snidely responded. "We'll be good."
David returned to the table where Mary Margaret remained while she continued to glare at Ursula and Cruella, until Regina and Henry walked into the diner to join them, and the Sea Witch smiled upon seeing her as she called out to her old friend, "Regina! We could use a heart rip over here. Granny needs a little encouragement in taking our order."
While Regina pulled her son protectively behind her, the dog hating villain haughtily added, "Yes… a very effective tactic. Didn't you once rip out the heart of every villager in the north woods?"
"Or was it the south?" Ursula continued, then chortled as they turned back to Granny when she finally set down a couple of cups of coffee in front of the two villainesses, one of which contained a touch of gin for Cruella just like she requested, in spite of it being so early in the morning.
"Thank you, darling," Cruella said snidely without any true sincerity. "Much appreciated."
The former Evil Queen then turned to Henry as she whispered, "Uh… why don't you head to my office. Get started on the book?"
The teenager nodded and then he answered quietly, "Sure. Make sure to get chocolate frosted doughnuts, not chocolate doughnuts, okay?"
"Mm-hmm," she mumbled assuredly with a smile as she patted his cheek, before Henry turned and walked back out to leave so he get working again on Operation Mongoose, then Regina turned back to face the women who attempted to goad her into getting angry just like they had done to Hook. "Let me be clear, ladies. If you bring up my former sins around my son again, you'll find yourselves across that town line faster than you can say 'costume jewelry'."
"These are blood diamonds, I'll have you know," Cruella offensively replied as she laid her hand over the bracelets she wore around her left wrist.
However, Ursula stood up from her stool to leave while she urged her partner to do the same as she stated, "Come on… let's take our business elsewhere."
Once the Queens of Darkness were finally gone, Regina finally joined her friends in their booth and sat down across from them, then David spoke to the Mayor as she asked, "So what's the plan here?"
"To deal with our... latest crisis," Mary Margaret sternly added.
"Those two might be tactless morons, but… They couldn't magic their way out of a paper bag," Regina confidently responded despite her rising frustration over them being there among them all. "I wouldn't worry. And they're here to seek redemption."
The Princess looked at her stepmother as she questionably asked in disbelief, "You don't actually believe that?"
The Queen looked between her and her Prince while she answered, "If I didn't think it was a distinct possibility, I wouldn't have let them in town in the first place."
"Now that they're here, we have to be certain, which means keeping eyes on them twenty-four, seven," David strictly replied.
"Which sounds like a job for the sheriff's department," Regina retorted again. "I have bigger things to worry about."
A short time later…
Killian finally arrived at the convent, then walked up to its doors and rang the bell once he set the bags in his left arm down on the porch in front of him so he could do so, before he struggled to pick the bags up again and took a few steps back to wait for the fairies to open up to him. Much to his relief, Tinker Bell was the one who came to open the door and she smiled upon seeing him there, even though she knew that things between her friend and her sisters were still strained from all that happened between them.
Tink spoke softly saying, "Good morning. It's not bad seeing you here, although it is a little surprising. Are you doing all right? You don't look well."
The Captain sighed out of frustration, then responded irritably, "People keep telling me that. But I'm fine. I brought breakfast. I know it can't make up for what I did, but I hoped it could at least help to ease the tension. I have to speak with Mother Superior. With the Blue Fairy. I need her help to help me free the old man and Zelena from the hat like Emma and Regina did for the rest of your sisters."
"You have no need to keep feeling guilty over what Gold made you do, Killian," the Green Fairy started to answer him gently, until Hook kept her from going any further.
"People keep telling me that too, but the truth is that I'm tired of hearing it," he crossly retorted while he stepped just inside of the foyer of the convent, before Tink closed the door behind him, then quickly reached out to take the drinks in his hand from him so he could have his hand free. "You weren't there in the diner that day, Tink. You were lucky. The others weren't. And I'm not finished until everyone is freed. But I need Blue's help. As well as yours and the other fairies possibly, if you're willing. Please, Tink."
She nodded and then motioned for him to follow her inside. Once Tinker Bell led him into one of the back room within the convent, Killian found the Blue Fairy inside as she and a few of the other fairies were putting together care packages for a few of those less fortunate throughout their town.
When Tink and Hook entered the room, Blue looked up at the pirate in surprise upon seeing him there, then she asked in concern, "Tink? What's going on? Is everything okay?"
The Green Fairy assured her, "It's fine, Blue. Killian… He's here because he needs our help. To help him free the old man he also trapped inside the hat. And… Zelena."
"Please… I know that Zelena might deserve to remain inside for all she's done, but we have other ways to imprison her that don't involve how I managed to do it because of Gold," he anxiously answered her out of worry. "And the old man… He was an enemy to Gold, so I've no doubt he's a good man. He didn't deserve what I did to him. Right now, I can't do anything about Ursula or Cruella being here in Storybrooke, until they prove themselves the threat I believe them to be. So I have to be useful in another way. I need your help. Whatever you might think of me, please… Help me free him."
"Of course we'll help you," Blue sincerely replied to him. "I can use the Dark One's dagger just like Regina used it to free us. If you can go get it from Regina, or from where it might be right now…"
Hook interrupted, "It was given back to Belle to hold onto. David and Mary Margaret were holding onto it, but Belle's been feeling concerned. More worried about the bloody Crocodile returning than usual. And I can't say I blame her. I've felt it too. She feels safer with the dagger in her possession, in case her instincts are right."
The fairies' leader nodded in understanding as she responded, "All right… then go and get it. And the hat, of course. I suggest you bring Emma, Regina, and the others with you too, for when we release Zelena. We'll need them to help keep Zelena from any kind of retaliation, and I've no doubt that she'll try."
"Of course," the Captain answered her, then started again towards the door to leave, until he looked to Tinker Bell again and nodded his gratitude, then turned back to the Blue Fairy as well. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she replied to him with sincerity once more, then watched the pirate leave the convent.
After Killian stepped out of the fairies' sanctuary, he started walking down the alleyway to cut through town faster so he could make his way to the Charmings' loft. However, he didn't make it much further, when a very familiar voice suddenly startled him as it spoke from behind him. Killian immediately spun around and came face to face with his darkest of enemies. But before Killian could react at all to seeing him again after these six months in which the Dark One had been banished, Gold swiftly rendered the pirate unconscious using his dark power to do so.
Once Hook was on the ground, the villain bent down as he knelt over his enemy and then looked in front of him for a place to hide Hook for as long as he needed the pirate out of his way so he could do what he needed to do next in order to keep his plan moving forward. Upon seeing a parked car that he recognized to be Leroy's, Rumplestiltskin used his power once again to open its trunk, magicked Hook inside of it, then slammed the trunk closed, all without stepping anywhere near the car. He then turned back towards the street, but before he left the alley, he suddenly disguised himself as his enemy to keep from being seen as anyone other than Captain Hook, and made his way to his shop so that he could talk with his wife.