August was in considerable pain. Considering that he'd just been tied up for several hours, been threatened by the Dark One, and tortured by the Evil Queen, Ursula, Maleficent, and Cruella de Vil, it was understandable.
He was intrigued by Cruella, though. He understood that most of the fairy tales of the world were real, etc., but he had never considered that Cruella de Vil of Bring Death to Puppies Land was real.
But then Snow and Charming and Emma burst in to save him. Mary Margaret knocked Cruella out with a frying pan, Emma magicked him loose, pretty much free except for the actual running, when Ursula came back into the cottage.
She looked both triumphant and devastated.
"No one is going anywhere."
Emma's eyes darted around, somehow in complete disbelief that Ursula was there. "Where the hell is Hook? What did you do to him?"
"Sorry, sweetheart." Ursula strolled into the room like she owned it – well, she did own their attention, August had to admit. "Your boyfriend is shark bait."
Then she whipped out a tentacle and pulled Mary Margaret in, choking her. Emma threw her hands up, about to blast Ursula away from her mother, but Ursula raised a finger.
"Drop those hands. Or your mother is gonna need gills to breathe."
August looked at Emma, and, as she slowly lowered her hands into fists, he saw only two things in her eyes. Desperation, probably for the fact that her mom was about to be strangled before their eyes. And grief.
Apparently, the tiny little Emma, the one he'd failed to protect twenty-eight years ago, had actually fallen in love with Captain Hook.
He had memories of seeing them around town from when he was the small little Pinocchio once more. Emma smiled when he handed her coffee; Hook's eyes softened when he saw her; she laughed when he walked up from behind her to hug her and kiss her.
It astonished August, really, that that woman he had met in Storybrooke more than a year ago, that woman with her walls up and her emotions and feelings guarded, had become this—a woman who could love again, who could let someone love her, who could open herself up that much and let someone like the pirate inside.
August was still thinking—and also how to run—when Emma spoke. "Ursula, you don't need to do this."
"That's where you're wrong. I can't have him leave with you. Not when the Author is the only one who can give me what I want."
Darn, she was talking about him. Was a peaceful life too much to ask for?
"That's not true," an accented voice sounded from the door. August saw tension literally and figuratively fall from Emma's shoulders as she let out a sigh of relief.
Ursula berated and Hook bantered as the man walked over to Emma's side. Emma's hand immediately rose to clutch Hook's arm, like a lifeline.
When Ursula's father walked in – seriously, this town was messed up enough without adding Poseidon to the mix – Ursula let Mary Margaret go, back into David's arms, and August couldn't help a bit of relief.
As Poseidon and Ursula talked in the nonsensible and typical once-again-Disney-got-the-story-weirdly-wrong way, August loosened the scarf around his neck and glanced over at Emma and Hook. She had moved closer to him, his hooked arm wrapped around her carefully yet tightly. She clutched at his leather lapel like it was her solid ground, the only thing keeping her standing, as Ursula got her voice back.
Then Poseidon and his daughter hugged in a touching family moment that August generally tried to avoid. In an attempt to avoid seeing the touchy-feely-ness, he glanced back at Emma and Hook. He was watching the sea people hug, an expression of satisfaction on his uncomfortably handsome face. Emma's eyes were turned up to his, her smile proud and happy and loving.
Naturally, in the midst of all the happiness, they had forgotten to watch Cruella, and David said, "She must have slipped away, most likely to warm Gold. We should clear out before they get back." There was a general silent consensus as Ursula thanked Hook, and Emma made sure that August didn't fall and break his newly human-once-more nose.
"Are you okay?" All he could do was nod and let David and Mary Margaret help him out of the cabin.
It didn't escape his notice, though, that Emma and Hook stayed behind.
