Chapter 3

"Do you realise that I still don't know what your plan is? You only told me that we were going to Longbourn to meet someone. I don't even know who that someone is."

"Aye, I do."

Killian and Emma had stopped working on her fighting skills and were back at the cottage, distractedly eating dinner.

"You have time to tell me the whole story, now."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you were ready to hear it."

"I am."

"Are you ready to believe that you fight dragons and defeat witches?"

Emma pulled a face. "Do I really need to believe that?"

"Aye. The whole story is about you being the saviour. That includes dragons and witches. And magic. Your magic."

She opened wide eyes. "Do I have magic?"

"Aye. I guess that's part of being the saviour. Your magic is very powerful. And beautiful. Light magic. Actually, when it comes to fighting, you usually don't use swords. Your magic is much more effective. If there's always someone to save us all from treacherous situations, it's you. You can do anything."

"You have a lot of faith in me. Maybe more than you should."

Killian lightly shook his head. "You truly deserve this faith. I wouldn't hesitate to trust you with my life."

There was a moment of silence whilst she looked him in the eye. "In this other reality, you love me, right?"

"In every reality, every realm. My feelings for you will always be the same no matter where we are: I love you."

She lightly bit her lip and kept gazing at him. "Tell me how it all happened. How did you fall in love with me?"

"At first sight. But not only: every day I love you more than I did the day before."

Her mouth was slightly open. "Why me?"

"Because you're the most amazing woman I've ever met," he replied instantly. "The first time I saw you, I saw myself in you. I looked you in the eye and could read a whole story about you, you were like an open book. I could see that, even if we were quite different, we were somehow alike. You've fascinated me from the start."

"Was I… Was it the same for me? Did I fall in love with you at first sight too?"

The hint of a smirk appeared on his lips. He glanced down at her crossed arms before looking up at her. "You spent a long time fighting against your feelings. You didn't trust me. And you were right not to, I was not the same man at that time."

"What do you mean?"

"I was Captain Hook, probably much alike the one you've heard of in this realm. But for you, I changed. To be with you, I knew that I had to be a better man. I'm not saying that I'm good now, I'm not there yet. But I'm closer than I was before."

She uncrossed her arms and hesitantly reached across the table for his hand. "I don't think you're not a good man."

Looking at their hands and their fingers now intertwined, he simply nodded.

"What happened next?" she asked.

"Happiness," he answered instantly while looking up. "I mean, life never did run smooth, but you gave mine a meaning. You give me a reason to be. Life in Storybrooke is far from being peaceful, we've been through a lot. Villains, darkness, and even death. But at the end of the day, it taught me to believe that our love, true love, can overcome anything."

Her hold on his hand slightly tightened and she looked momentarily speechless.

"What is Storybrooke like?" she finally asked. "In my dream, it looked very different from here. There didn't even seem to be a castle."

"There isn't. We all live in houses. You and I live in a white-picket fence house with an ocean view. Houses are full of these modern devices and you're often amused because I'm still so often confused by them." She smiled tenderly and almost made him lose track of what he was saying, but he went on. "Modern devices actually aren't only inside houses. We don't get around by horse. Everyone has these contraptions called cars. You have one too, your yellow bug. It's a bit worrying at first, but it can actually be quite enjoyable. It's like a horseless carriage that you can steer from the inside. No need for a valet or anything. It's more private."

"Will this mysterious someone you want to find in Longbourn help us go back to this life?"

"Aye. It's a pirate I've come across a few times. His name's Blackbeard. He's likely to be in possession of a magic bean. With this magic bean, we'll be able to go home."

"Will he give it to you?"

"No. But he will agree to trade it. I will offer him something he's always wanted."

She nodded but still had more questions. "And my parents are in Storybrooke, right?"

"Aye."

"I'm not sure I understand how we landed in here. I recall you mentioned the Evil Queen, but there was so much to take in that I don't remember everything. How did she send me here?"

Killian explained how the Evil Queen had used the genie to send her away from Storybrooke and mentioned she had done this because she knew that, once again, Emma was the only one powerful enough to stop her. The conversation went on and he answered all her questions about Regina and the Evil Queen, about Henry and her parents, and about the first Dark Curse and how she had found herself in Storybrooke and reunited with them in the first place.

The two couples who had occupied tables close to them during dinner had left to their room already, and Killian and Emma decided it was time for them to do the same.

They were about to go to bed when Emma went to stand right in front of Killian with her back to him. She gathered her hair over her shoulder and asked, "Can you help me?"

"Help you do what?" All he could see was her bare neck on which he would have pressed his lips if she had remembered who he was.

"Remove the lace."

He looked startled and wondered what her intentions were. "Emma?"

"I can't sleep with that corset," she said casually. "I can barely even breathe."

"As you wish."

Killian did as he was asked. He slipped his fingertip under the first crossing of the lace and softly pulled to undo it. He was fully focused on his task as he undid them all one by one.

"You're very gentle," she commented.

"Am I?" he asked absent-mindedly.

"Yes. Your moves are soft and you're taking your time."

"I only have one hand."

"I know. Nothing I've said is to be taken negatively."

"Good."

Again, it was absent-mindedly that he replied; bearing in mind that he was undressing her for the sole reason of her comfort required much effort.

At last, the lace was removed and she took off the outer part of her outfit, revealing the inner layer made of a looser cloth. With her back on him, she removed her skirt and once again revealed an inner layer of thinner white material.

"How many layers are you wearing?" Killian inquired.

She quickly stood up straight. "There's only this one, now." Seeing how he was gazing at her, she added, "And I'm keeping it to sleep."

"Oh, of course. I know."

He pictured her removing this last layer and still having to leave a distance between them at night. He lightly shook his head to clear his mind. The situation was already challenging enough as it was.

"Speaking of sleeping," she said whilst indicating the bed, "Which side do you-"

"This one is your side," he interrupted and pointed the left side of the bed.

"How do you know?"

He failed at repressing a smile. "Just a wild guess."

He imitated her and removed some layers to be more comfortable. He was shirtless and about to go to bed when he noticed she was staring at him.

"Having another feeling of déjà-vu?" he asked with the hint of a smirk on his lips.

"No, I just…" Looking him up and down, she trailed off. "It's getting late, we should sleep. Goodnight."

She turned around, blew the candle on her bedside table, and let her head sink in her pillow. In his turn, Killian went to bed and blew the candle on his side, letting the room be lit only by the moonlight coming through the window and falling on their bed. Once his eyes got used to the darkness, he could make out her outline and could even tell when she fell asleep: the moves of her shoulders became more regular as her breathing deepened.

Getting to sleep was not as easy for him. He was not used to this distance between them and was longing to hold her in his arms. He recalled this time when they had travelled through time and had met the past versions of her parents who didn't know her; she had told him that she had never missed them more, and he could now understand more than ever what she meant. He mused on how to make her remember and wondered if she was likely to kiss him soon. Several elements were letting him think that she was already close to him but he had only met her on the previous day.

Not getting to sleep, he turned to the window but stargazing didn't help him, so he went back to watching her. She tossed and turned and he wondered whether she was having a bad dream, but she looked peaceful. She was facing him and he didn't resist: he reached for her and lightly brushed her cheek. That was when she surprised him: he had barely taken his hand back when she shifted closer to him. She didn't open her eyes and seemed to be still asleep when she closed the distance between them, placing her head and one hand on his chest, and interposing one leg between his. When she stopped moving, he softly wrapped her in his arms and she still didn't seem to awake. Despite the clothes separating them, the way he was holding her in his arms was so familiar that he wondered whether she had regained her memories during her sleep, or whether her subconscious had taken over. He didn't have time to muse much on this as he finally fell asleep.

"What… what am I doing here?" Emma awoke Killian by pulling away from his embrace and sitting up. "I'm sorry, I don't know how that happened."

"Emma, love, breathe," he tried to calm her down. "You don't need to apologize, it's alright."

"That's awkward."

"It's not," he contradicted whilst propping himself up on one elbow.

"It is. I don't even know you."

"I can assure you that you know all of me."

"But I don't remember so it's like I don't know you and yet I… I crawled over you."

"Love, everything's fine. We've been sleeping like this for weeks. Look, all I'm trying to say is that there's nothing wrong. The fact you came to me – and I'm glad you did – just shows that, deep down, you remember."

It seemingly didn't make her feel more at ease. She avoided his gaze and glanced around. It was daytime already.

"We should go. Longbourn awaits us."

An hour later, they were back on their horse and riding towards the port. Since their awakening, Emma had not talked much, apparently still embarrassed by how close to him she had come at night, no matter how many times Killian had told her everything was fine. The hooves of the horse hammering the ground and the occasional bird songs were the only sounds surrounding them.

They were halfway between the cottage and Longbourn when the horse suddenly neighed and reared up, almost unseating them. Killian tried to control it whilst Emma tightened her hold on him.

"Killian! Up there!"

He looked up and saw the flying monkey swirling above them like a bird of prey, before it disappeared out of sight above the trees. Killian knew that they needed to get away as fast as possible, but the horse was out of control and refused to move forward. When it reared up and nearly unseated them again, he changed his plans.

"Get off the horse!" he ordered Emma.

"What?"

"Get off the horse!" he repeated while holding out his hook to her, offering his arm as a support.

She complied and he followed.

"The horse won't lead us anywhere," he said whilst tying the horse up to the nearest tree. "We need to find shelter."

"Killian, that monster, it's the same as those who took Henry and my parents away."

"I know."

"What if it's coming for me?"

"Not for you, Princess," answered a female voice.

Hand in hand, Killian and Emma froze as they saw the green woman ahead of them. They had not even got the time to leave the path and were still on the large strip of grass separating it from the forest.

"Zelena," Killian acknowledged while hiding Emma behind him.

"Indeed," she confirmed.

"What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth and she laughed.

"What do I want? Isn't that obvious? I said I'm not here for her. And I'm not here for the horse either. I'm here for you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to know how you know me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Zelena, the Wicked Witch, doesn't everyone know you?"

"At the castle, I heard you told her I sent the flying monkeys. How did you know?"

"Well, your monsters were not very discreet. Everyone in the village was talking about flying monkeys."

"Because I didn't tell them to be discreet. But how did you know it was me?"

"Flying monkeys. I mean, who else would it be?"

"No one in this land is supposed to know who I am. How do you know?"

Killian silently gazed at her with a raised eyebrow and scratched his head, wondering where to start.

"Don't play with me, pirate!" she said impatiently. "Answer me, or your girlfriend dies."

"Always blackmailing me by threatening her," he rolled his eyes.

"What are you talking about? What do you know about me?"

"Oh, I know a lot about you," he said with a smirk. "I know you're the Wicked Witch of the West. You live in Oz because you were abandoned; you were originally from the Enchanted Forest. The reason why you're green is jealousy; you're jealous of your half-sister Regina who grew up with a family and became queen, whilst you got nothing."

"How do you know all of this about me? Where do you come from?"

Killian could see she was curious, and also concerned. "Afraid my knowledge might hinder whatever wicked plan you're working on? What are you up to, anyway? Your half-sister is dead."

Zelena threateningly stepped forward and, when she held her hand close to his throat, he felt like he was choking.

"Killian!" Emma, who was still standing behind him, worried.

The witch ignored her and addressed him. "Mind your own business, my plans are my own. Who are you and where do you come from?"

Seeing he couldn't speak, she let him breathe.

"Killian Jones, also known as Captain Hook," he introduced himself. "I'm coming from another realm where I'm trying to go back, but you're standing in my way."

"What is this other realm?" Zelena inquired.

"Reality," he answered with a cocky grin. "This realm is fake. Everything here is fake. You are fake."

She used her magic to choke him again, undoubtedly because she disliked his words.

"Let me explain," he managed to articulate and she let him breathe. "Thanks."

"Explain," she ordered.

"Aye. That will help if you stop choking me like this. I was saying that this realm was fake," he summarised. He was watching for another one of her attempts to choke him, but she seemed to be listening carefully. "I was saying this because it's been created by a genie's wish. This other realm is where the real version of you lives. That's where I know you from."

"Does that mean we're all trapped in this wish realm?" she asked, this time without a hint of threat in her voice; Killian seemed to have truly captivated her.

"Not you. Only Emma and I are trapped here. We're the real versions of ourselves, you're not. The real version of you is still in Storybrooke."

Killian suspected she would choke him again but she didn't, and simply asked, "What does that make of me?"

"A genie's creation, I guess."

She shrugged, apparently accepting the concept. "Is the real me successful?"

"I guess that depends on your definition of success."

"Do I rule the kingdom?"

"Is it what you're trying to do here? You want to rule the Enchanted Forest?"

"Yes. Now that I got rid of the royal family, I can have everything."

"There's still one standing," Killian pointed out and she laughed.

"Her?" she asked, designating Emma. "She's no threat to me. She's not a threat to anyone. Now, in this other realm you're going back to, do I rule the kingdom?"

"No. It's not a kingdom, it's a town, and you don't rule it. But I can tell you're healthier in this other realm: you're not green. Also, you have a daughter."

"A daughter? Whom did I steal her from?"

Surprised that this was the first question she was asking him, he repressed a laugh. "You didn't steal her. She's yours."

She looked rather confused. "Whom did I have her with?"

"Long story short, you pretended to be someone else, left with that someone's man, and became pregnant instead of her."

She seemed satisfied. "That's more like me. Is my half-sister dead?"

"Nope. You actually sort of have two of them, since Regina split herself. There are now Regina and the Evil Queen. Last I checked, you were working with the Evil half."

She looked astonished but simply inquired, "Am I happy?"

"I don't bloody know, I'm not the cricket."

"Who rules the kingdom?"

"The town, not the kingdom," Killian corrected.

"I don't care. Who rules it?"

"Regina is the mayor."

Zelena choked him once again and, this time, also lifted him off the ground. "You're saying Regina has everything and I don't succeed."

Killian didn't reply anything. He found the ground with his toes, but was visibly struggling to breathe.

"Don't hurt him! He answered all your questions."

Emma unsheathed her sword and stepped closer. Noticing how hesitant her moves were, the witch laughed and sent her sword away with a simple move of the hand.

"Your magic, love," Killian managed to say.

But Emma had no idea how to use her powers. She didn't even know if she had any of them in this realm. Panic freezing her, she watched the scene, powerless. Zelena had focused her attention back on Killian. Her magic was choking him but also immobilising him; there was nothing he could do to escape her.

"I don't care if you consider this realm not real," she said. "It is to me, and I won't let you go back to this other reality. Not now that I am so close to finally have everything I've ever wished for!"

"No!"

Emma screamed but it was too late. She saw the dagger that Zelena had brought out of a pocket going through Killian. His face contorted with pain.

"You're not going anywhere," the witch told him. She pulled out the blood stained blade and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

"Killian! No!"

Blood was trickling over his hand which he was pressing against his stomach. He looked like he was about to lose his balance and she wrapped him in her arms right in time: his face fell forward on her shoulder and he collapsed in her embrace.

"Killian, stay with me. Please say something."

"Love," he weakly whispered.

Tears filled her eyes and blinded her. His weight was too much for her to bear. She laid him down on the ground and pressed her hand on his own to help him compress the wound.

"It's going to be okay," she reassured him and, mostly, tried to convince herself. He had told her all these stories about everything they had been through; they had been through much worse than this, she couldn't lose him like that. She repeated, "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," he whispered with difficulty.

His words crushed her hopes: it was not going to be okay. She realised that they had found themselves in worse situations but had been through them only because she had been the saviour. In this realm, she wasn't, and because of this she was going to lose him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Emma, love, go to Longbourn. There will be a ship, the Jolly Roger. Killian Jones, the other version of me, go and see him. Tell him to find Blackbeard, to trade his ship for a magic bean. For you, he will do it." Saying this exhausted him and he closed his eyes.

"Killian, no! I don't want another version of you. Don't leave me."

He forced himself to open his eyes. "You can do it. Trust me. I love you."

Again, his eyes closed. His hand was pressed only loosely over his stomach. She pushed it to replace it with hers and compressed as hard as she could. Kneeling by his side, she leant over him and sobs escaped her.

"Don't leave me," she begged.

She didn't know what to do. She was unable to think. She only had this feeling of déjà-vu which she didn't understand and didn't want to think about.

"Killian, you need to stay."

All she wanted was to feel the intensity of his gaze on her. His eyes were the first feature which had caught her attention; there seemed to be so much to see into them.

"You can't leave me. I didn't even tell you that I… I love you."

She felt a tingle run from her heart and down her arm. Wondering what was happening, she looked up and a bright gold light seemingly coming out of her hand blinded her. The blood around her hand seemed to resorb.

"Killian! You were right, I have magic!"

At this moment, it all came back in flashes; flashes which came very quickly one after the other. Among them were pictures of a beanstalk, a kiss, a dance, Storybrooke, Camelot, the Underworld, and their house. She remembered.

"Killian."

He still had his eyes closed and his wound had not fully resorbed yet. With her heart pounding in her chest and sobs sporadically escaping her, she focused on healing him by flooding the wound with the light of her magic. Slowly, it closed itself. Too slowly to her taste; she was impatient to see him open his eyes and to hear him breathe again, and to make sure he was fine.

At last, there was no stain of blood left and he took a deep breath.

"Killian!"

Even before he had time to open his eyes, she let her lips crash against his own and passionately kissed him. Feeling him slightly breathless, she let him catch his breath. He was gazing at her with eyes full of love and this smile she loved so much. The first thing he did was to reach for her cheek.

"My Emma."

"I'm here." She leant into his hand and covered it with hers. "Are you alright?"

"Aye. I knew you could do it."

She recalled the last words he had said before closing his eyes and realised. "That's what you were talking about when you told me that I could do it. You were not talking about finding Blackbeard or the other you. You were talking about my magic."

He nodded and she pressed her lips on his own before peppering his face with kisses.

She was still lying over him when she said, "We need to go to Longbourn."

"Just a few minutes. I still need to recover."

He captured her lips and she giggled as they rolled over in the grass.