A big Thank you to all who took the time to read and review the last chapter, even if the break was long. I hope you're happy to see I updated quickly this time.

As You Wish

It was ten minutes to eight, and Mary Margaret had just fed Neal and held him on her shoulder, slightly patting his back, when a firm knock at the door announced the first visitor of the day. That had to be Hook; she couldn't help but smile at herself when she realized how much that thought actually relieved her. It was a development nobody could have foreseen: when she had met the sly pirate for the first time, she'd taken an instant disliking to him and furthermore despised him with all her heart for his nasty habit to be a real turncoat and side with whoever was more likely to bring him closer to his very own goal. That same quality of his had made her not trust him more than five cents' worth for a long time – and now here she was, trusting him with her husband's life.

If only David wasn't so hard-headed... the previous evening, when Emma'd finally gotten back home with a slightly guilty expression on her face and told them Hook would be there the next morning, David had declared firmly that it was something he had to do by himself and that there was no need to put anybody else's life at risk – after all, so he'd insisted, he had been the one to put the golden egg into the belly of the dragon which had led to Emma having to retrieve it, plus it had been his sword that practically had doomed Maleficent to lose her ability to transform into her dragon form again. Mary Margaret and her daughter had just exchanged a conspiratorial glance and left it at that; they knew there was no use in debating with David when he was in that mood. In the end, they were sure, he would do what was the most reasonable thing to do. And he has the nerve to call me stubborn, Mary Margaret thought.

The knock on the door was repeated, and she quickly went to open it, the baby still on her arm. It was indeed Emma's pirate boyfriend who strutted inside with his usual swagger when she stepped aside to let him in. "Good that you're here," she greeted him almost curtly and closed the door behind him.

Hook cocked his head to the side and raised a mocking eyebrow. "I always knew you'd take a liking to me, Milady," he answered in an amused tone.

"I've taken a liking to the fact that you're pretty good in a fight," she replied dryly and rolled her eyes, but somehow he sensed that it wasn't at him this time. Mary Margaret added: "You better be prepared for a hard struggle."

He tilted his head again in agreement. "I daresay that's my natural state, love."

She stepped closer, invading his personal space; he could smell the scent of the baby she was carrying and was a little distracted for a moment. Mary Margaret muttered under her breath, obviously meant only for him to hear: "I'm not talking about the dark fairy."

Hook frowned; but then the prince descended the stairs, and Emma's mother just moved her eyes to her husband and looked back at Hook again. He understood immediately what she meant, and they exchanged an almost conspiratorial glance. He gave a barely perceptible nod, hooked his thumb into his belt and cleared his throat to make himself noticed by Emma's father. David didn't look too thrilled to see him. Mary Margaret stepped back, and Hook understood.

"Are we ready, mate?" he asked neutrally.

"I'm ready," David replied almost grumpily, "but where exactly do you think you're going?"

Hook waved his hand nonchalantly before resting it against his belt again. "Why, into the woods of course," he answered. "We have a dragon to confront – or whatever the bloody hell that thing is."

"We don't have anything to confront," Emma's father clarified. "I do."

"You want all the fun for yourself, and you call me selfish?" Hook asked in a mocking tone, hoping in vain it would lighten up the situation a little.

David shook his head. "I'm doing this alone, Hook," he told him firmly and with a touch of stubbornness to his voice. "This is a personal thing. There's no need to place anyone else in danger."

"It is indeed a personal thing," Hook growled back. "Or do you reckon it's not a personal thing for me when a nightmarish creature like that is after Emma... or anybody I care about?" David had no answer to that, and Hook rolled his eyes. "See, Dave, this is why I'll never be so much of a traditional hero. I'm lacking one of the most essential qualities you fellows so much excel at: a death wish." David threw him a furious stare, but he scratched behind his ear and went on: "There's no need for you to do this alone."

David snapped. "This has nothing to do with a death wish!" He took a step closer and lowered his voice. "I need you to look after my family for me if anything happens to me."

For a moment, the men just stared at each other, and Hook was completely taken aback by this message. Had Prince you're-nothing-but-a-pirate Charming just told him that he entrusted him with the well-being of his family in case that he couldn't take care of them anymore? He swallowed hard, but managed to regain his composure within the blink of an eye. Then – to hide how much the prince's words had actually touched him – he tilted his head in that mocking way of his, raising his eyebrows. "Your wife and your daughter will both have my bollocks if I let anything happen to you, and not in a pleasant way." He winked, and David gave him the princely death glare. They heard footsteps coming down, and Hook lowered his voice, too. "The best way to look after your family is to make sure that you come back to them!"

"I don't need you for that!" David tried again; he had meant what he had said. The thought of leaving his family behind unguarded wasn't a very pleasant one, and to his own surprise, he couldn't think of anybody better for that job than the pirate whom his daughter had fallen for.

The latter raised a sarcastic eyebrow at David's last words and remarked dryly: "Aye, like in Neverland."

Emma had descended the stairs and was in full armor – she was wearing her red leather jacket and was carrying Neal's sword. "What about Neverland?" she asked with a frown.

Hook and David both whirled around to her. David threw his hands in the air, exclaiming in an exasperated voice: "And what do you think where you're going?"

She looked to and fro between her lover and her father and answered, a little startled, because in her mind she was just stating the obvious: "I'm coming with you?"

Hook and David barked in unison: "No, you're not!"

Emma raised both hands. "Whoa, guys!" she replied. "I'm glad you two are getting along, but..."

David rolled his eyes and slapped Hook's leather-clad shoulder while passing by him, going over to Mary Margaret and the baby. "Your job now, mate," he muttered under his breath.

Emma's incredulous gaze followed him; she shook her head and then turned to Hook. "I'm going with you," she repeated firmly.

He held up his hand in a soothing way. "Swan. You heard the Queen." He tilted his head and threw her an intense look. "She needs your help here – you need to stay here and protect Storybrooke with your magic."

"Regina can do that alone!" Emma contradicted.

"The Queen's light magic might not yet be strong enough," he told her in an almost imploring voice. "She wouldn't have said she needs your help if she didn't need it."

"Seriously?" She shook her head in a defiant way. "What do you know about magic?" she snapped. "I can see what you're doing, and I'm telling you I'm coming."

Hook closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head in an exasperated, almost infuriated way before he growled: "Bloody hell, Swan! You're the most stubborn lass I've ever..."

Emma clenched her hands to fists and raised her voice, blurting out what was really haunting her: "I'm not going to lose you!"

For a moment they were just standing opposite each other in silence, the words she had just uttered hanging in the air between them. Hook was touched beyond anything by that open display of her feelings for him. He saw the despair on her face, the same expression she'd had the previous evening when they'd been making love, and it warmed his heart and almost broke it at the same time. He decided to do what he'd always done when he'd seen his Swan in such a weak, vulnerable moment – to play it light. He tilted his head and pursed his perfect lips into a slight smirk.

"Please, you've been attempting exactly that for two years, love," he drawled in a low voice. "Do you really think you're gonna get rid of me that easy now that you've finally stopped trying?" He waved his hand at her to underscore his point.

David had said his good-byes to Mary Margaret and his baby son and approached them again. "He's right, Emma," he told his daughter in a soothing voice. "Your mother and Regina need you here. Hook and I can handle it."

He hugged her briefly and walked to the door without further ado; Emma's gaze followed him, and she asked herself how her parents could handle that – almost all their lives they had had to face danger and been in constant worry to lose each other. And yet – they'd always done what had to be done, and without complaining. She opened her mouth to protest, but he was already out of the door. She turned her eyes to Hook again angrily; standing there in the middle of the room, she felt defeated and was obviously struggling with herself – but basically, she knew the men were right. Yet, she didn't know what to say.

Then suddenly, Mary Margaret's voice came from behind her, very firmly: "Killian."

If he was surprised by Emma's mother calling him by his real name for the first time – except for that fondly mocking Uncle Killian when she had been talking to baby Neal – he didn't show it; he just turned his eyes at the princess bandit without moving. When she saw she had his attention, Mary Margaret raised her chin and said quietly: "You bring him back to me." It wasn't a question or a plea; it was a simple statement – and another display of trust from the Charming family. His jaw clenched for a moment, and that was the only visible reaction he showed. He gave a barely perceptible nod before he simply answered: "Aye."

Mary Margaret acknowledged his answer with an almost curt nod and turned away to give her daughter and the pirate some privacy for their first good-bye in the face of impending danger since Emma had had to leave Storybrooke with Henry, leaving everyone else behind. Hook saw that his Swan had finally given in to her defeat and was ready to let him and David leave, even if she didn't like it. He stepped back from her, denying himself to hug or kiss her; he knew that would make the goodbye even harder for both of them, and he also was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave her if he did that. So, he just gently smoothed out her hair with his hook, like he had done so many times before, and gave her his sincere little smile.

"I'm like a bad habit, Swan," he told her with deliberate casualness in his voice. "I always come back."

Emma's feelings were still in complete uproar, and she snapped almost angrily: "You better!"

Hook tilted his head and swayed his arm before him in that light, almost ironic hint of a bow. "As you wish." And with that, he turned around and followed David out of the apartment, firmly closing the door behind him. Emma stared at the wood like paralyzed, listening to the fading sound of his ridiculous boots on the stairs.

"Emma." Mary Margaret's soothing but firm voice came from behind. "They will succeed." Emma just nodded, not turning her gaze away from the closed door, as if by sheer willpower she could get it to open again. She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. "I never thought I'd say that, but they do make quite the team."

We make quite the team... Those words, uttered by Hook a long time ago on that beanstalk, had proven to be true. He had recognized that from the very first time they had joined forces – even if that had been against her will, and even if his mind had been set on something else then. I don't mean to upset you, Emma... had he ever understood how much it had indeed upset her that she had so much in common with a pirate like him? How much he had gotten to her from the very beginning? Hell, how much it had disturbed her that she'd looked into the handsome, smirking face of a sly pirate whose character she'd only known as a villain from a children's story, and all she'd been able to think had been: here's finally somebody who understands me...

She thought back to how many fights and perilous situations they had been through together since then; they had confronted sea tempests, deathly mermaids, Peter Pan, forgetting curses, flying monkey monsters, the Wicked Witch of the West and a damn time travel – they had fought all that, and they had succeeded – together. They had always had each other's back. Because they did make quite the team. Emma realized that this was the first time one of them had to directly confront danger since they were a couple; but, unlike on those other occasions, this time they were not together. This time, she wouldn't be able to have his back, and that made her feel utterly helpless.

The helplessness turned into anger. Really, all that asshole had been able to say had been I'm like a bad habit, I always come back? Didn't he realize what the hell he meant to her? Oh, and then again, of course – his goddamn as you wish! Emma knew what it meant, what it had always meant, and she knew he'd just said it in order not to burden their goodbye too heavily in the face of danger. And now the realization hit her like a ton of bricks that she had never told him that she loved him; she knew that he knew it, but still – she hadn't said it yet, and if – God forbid! – anything should happen to him and she had wasted this occasion to tell him, she would never forgive herself.

She jumped to the door, yanked it open and ran outside, Mary Margaret's voice ringing in her ears when she called after her: "Emma!"

Without slowing down her pace, she raced down the stairs and out of the house; when she reached the street, David had already started the engine of his truck, and Hook had his hand at the handle of the passenger door and was about to open it. Thank God they were still there. Her heart leapt, and she called out: "Hook! Killian! Wait!"

He whirled around and stared at her in disbelief, and Emma stood rooted to the spot, maybe ten feet away from him. Damn that lass! He was angry that she made it so hard for him, standing there so stubbornly with her fists clenched to her sides and her beautiful eyes staring at him like two emeralds. Bloody hell, didn't she realize how much willpower it had actually cost him to walk away from her, with the prospect of maybe never seeing her again? He wasn't a pessimist, but he also was no fool; the danger they had to face was real and mighty.

"Damn, Swan," he growled, "do I really have to use the shackles on you this time? If you're not listening to me, then listen to your father!" He pointed inside the car where David was watching what was going on. Hook went on in an upset voice: "I told you, you're not..."

Emma's fists unclenched. Her voice was firm and calm suddenly when she said: "I love you."

At first he frowned and didn't believe his ears, but the look on her face told him that he hadn't heard wrong, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still, an he stopped breathing. I love you. He had known it all along, since he had said those three words to her during their first night – had that only been three days ago? – and seen her reaction to it; he had known that she felt the same but just needed a little more time to confess it in words to him. But to hear her actually say it – and with the clear intention of him hearing it – to see she had taken another step, another leap of faith, almost blew him off of his feet now. Despite the situation of impending danger, his heart felt light and invincible all of a sudden. Their stares locked, and he swallowed hard while a muscle in his jaw twitched and the skin around his blue eyes crinkled a little.

Then he tilted his head slightly in that mocking way of his and cocked his eyebrows. "I know."

Emma drew a deep breath and nodded seriously. "Good."

In the car, David looked from his daughter to Hook and then down on the steering wheel, slightly smiling and shaking is head to himself. Hook climbed in the car, and Emma walked slowly backwards, back to the house, and then finally turned around and entered the building without looking back again. It took the pirate a few seconds before he regained his composure, but finally, he turned to David and raised his eyebrows. "Shall we, mate?"

He kept his voice deliberately nonchalant, but David had seen the expression on his face and the telltale glitter in his eyes when his daughter had confessed her love to him – on plain day, in the middle of the street. He steered the car on the street and threw at Hook from the side in an amused voice: "Not the romantic type, huh?"

Hook scratched behind his ear. "Well, you know me." His voice was still unusually hoarse. He tilted his head in a shrug. "Pirate." David threw him a sideways glance and reveled in the pirate's almost embarrassed expression; he thought back to his talk with "Prince Charles" at the campfire in the Enchanted Forest and grinned to himself, shaking his head again.

Then he cocked his head, a gesture very similar to Hook's trademark head-tilt, and replied dryly: "Yeah, not you at all."

When Emma had closed the apartment door behind her again, she loosened the belt that held Neal's sword and let it drop to the floor. Mary Margaret threw her an understanding glance.

"I still think I should have accompanied them," she complained.

Her mother shook her head. "You know they were right, Emma."

Both women turned their heads to the door when another knock was heard. For one heart-stopping moment, they both had the irrational hope that their men were back, but when Emma yanked the door open, Regina, Henry and little Roland were standing there. For a moment, she was taken aback.

"Hi, mom!" Henry said and hugged her, then he just walked in and gave the little brown-haired boy a push. "Come on, Roland, let's go to my room. Hi, grandma!"

"Uh... Regina," Emma said, "I was just coming over..."

Regina shook her head. "No, we should all be together." She threw a glance at Mary Margaret. "Family bonds make it much easier to perform light magic," she added a little reluctantly.

"I'll make tea," Mary Margaret announced with a smile, and Emma opened the door wider for Regina. The former Evil Queen entered the apartment, carrying a huge basket that was covered with a purple velvet scarf – and a huge, slightly crooked wooden staff with a pretty gruesome-looking, horned iron dragon sitting on its top. The dragon had its wings spread and its maw wide open; on its back, between the spread wings, there were pointy bits of glass that looked like remnants of a shattered glass orb.

Emma stared at it with her jaw hanging open. "Is that..."

"Maleficent's staff," Regina informed her and shrugged off her coat, throwing it over the back of one of the chairs. "I couldn't leave it at home... too dangerous."

Emma slumped down on a chair. "And you bring it here? But what am I saying. You brought her here."

"Emma." Mary Margaret cleared her throat while pouring boiling water into the teapot. "Where's Robin?" she asked, directed at Regina.

"He dropped us here," Regina explained. "Then he drove after your husband."

"Really?" Mary Margaret whirled around, the relief on her face palpable.

Regina shrugged. "He thought the dynamic duo could use a hand."

Emma rolled her eyes, and Mary Margaret swayed her head. "I hope he is persistent. David barely allowed Hook to accompany him." She sighed. "He's not very good at accepting help."

"Well, neither am I," Regina admitted unusually openly, "but let me assure you that never kept Robin." For a moment, an even more unusual soft expression flew over her beautiful face, before she added: "And I'm sure David is smart enough to understand he needs every help he can get."

Emma huffed, and Regina threw a glance at her. "What is it, Miss Swan, are you worried?"

"Of course I am!" Emma snapped. "That thing looked like she could butcher an entire army!"

Regina tilted her head. "And she could."

"Great," Emma growled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "A truly great idea. Why did you even bring her here?"

"Emma..." Mary Margaret soothed.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't change that now, can I, Miss Swan," Regina replied arrogantly, "but it's not as bad as you think. Your pirate boyfriend tricked her already once."

"Well, then let's hope your thief boyfriend can indeed be of some help!" Emma snapped angrily.

Mary Margaret had had enough. "Ladies!" she said sharply and with the authority of the revolution leader she had been a long time ago in the Enchanted Forest. "Not helpful! Can we just agree that we all have our men out there and want them safely back?"

Emma looked a little guiltily at her mother, and Regina cleared her throat. "Look, Miss Swan," she said in a more encouraging voice, "I know how you feel." Emma threw her a sharp glance, but said nothing, and her former enemy went on: "I'm not saying it will be easy to defeat her." She looked over at Mary Margaret who had sat down with them, putting the teapot and three mugs on the table. "Your father is an excellent fighter. He has defeated me..." – she cleared her throat – "...the Evil Queen a few times already. Then, nobody knows how to sneak safely through the woods like Robin. And your pirate boyfriend..." Emma shot her a glance, but she saw that Regina's expression was far from disdainful this time. "If there's one thing he's always been good at, it's surviving," she went on. "And now he has something to live for – and believe me, I know how that feels, too." She exchanged another glance with Mary Margaret who nodded with a slight smile.

"Thanks, Regina," Emma murmured a little reluctantly, genuinely surprised by the other woman's obvious try to make her feel better – she wasn't used to that.

To play it light, Regina added a little regal snark on top: "There's nothing that will keep him from coming back to haunt your likes, Miss Swan." Despite the situation, Emma grinned, and Regina put her palms on the table in a down-to-business way. "Now, should we focus on the main task?"

While Regina and Emma were busy working on several protection spells, Robin followed David's car outside the town to the Wicked Witch's barn where they parked. Of course, a little debate ensued, but like Regina had predicted, it didn't take David much to accept Robin's help. They entered the forest where Maleficent had been seen twice before, and not long after that, Robin's men joined them. But even though the men spent the whole day searching the forest meticulously, they never even saw as much as a footprint or any hint that some creature of a non-human form had been roaming through the woods. So, either Maleficent was always one step ahead of them, or – and that was far more worrisome – she lurked behind them. Everybody had the disturbing feeling of being watched and the fear that the creature was only waiting for the right moment to attack – even if so far it hadn't looked like attacking was her first goal.

When the night dawned, they agreed that it would make no sense to continue their search. They debated a bit whether it was better to go back home and return the next day, but in the end they agreed that it would be better not to leave the forest. They set up a camp for the night and took turns holding watches in large spiral circles around the camp.

When it was David's and Hook's turn to sit by the fire, David didn't waste much time and cleared his throat.

"So," he said brightly, "this is a campfire, we're here waiting for hell to break loose..." Hook turned his head to him and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Tell me about your ship," Emma's father demanded unexpectedly.

Hook was taken by surprise and shifted a little uncomfortably. "Why, you're quite persistent, mate."

David shrugged with a sly grin. "Runs in the family. You should know that by now." The pirate snorted a little laugh and threw a handful of dry leaves into the fire, but said nothing more. "You said the Jolly Roger is gone, what did you mean?" David inquired. "Didn't your ship take you to New York?"

Hook sighed and tilted his head; obviously, there was no way escaping this conversation, and probably tonight was as good as any other moment. "Well," he drawled a little reluctantly, "she... kind of did."

"But how did you even get there?" David poked further. "I mean, I know your ship's made of enchanted wood, granted – but it still cannot transport you to another world without a portal. You needed a magic bean for that."

"It would appear so," Hook commented a little reluctantly and scratched behind his ear.

"But I thought there weren't any left?" David frowned. "Even for someone as resourceful as you they must be almost impossible to come by! Unless, of course, you'd have something really valuable to t-" Suddenly, he cut off himself, and his jaw literally dropped almost to the floor. He stared at Hook who avoided his gaze by turning his eyes to the fire again and fidgeting with his earring. It took David a few seconds, before he found his voice again, and he said slowly, in utter disbelief: "You traded your ship for a magic bean?"

Hook looked at Emma's father again with his head tilted and raised his eyebrows. "It seemed such a good idea at the time," he replied dryly.

David was still shocked by what he had just realized. "But that ship... was everything you had, your home!"

Hook peeled an imaginary lint off of the sharp metal tip of his hook and replied quietly: "That it was indeed. For a long time." He didn't even notice that for the first time in three hundred years he had referred to the Jolly Roger as an "it" instead of a "she". He shrugged. "I reckon when you live as long as I have, one day you come to the point where you realize that's just not enough anymore," he went on in an almost absentminded voice, as if he was talking more to himself than to Emma's father.

"Why on earth didn't you tell anybody?" David still almost couldn't believe what he had just heard; but then – he knew it shouldn't really surprise him. He remembered the voice of a handsome young prince who had told him at a very similar campfire thirty years ago he'd go to the end of the world for his princess... or time. But why had the pirate kept a secret what he had done?

"What for?" Hook asked back a little sharply and threw him a sarcastic look. "To make a good impression? Earn me some trust?" He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Now that would have been the selfish thing to do, of course." David grinned a little sheepishly, and Hook went on with a slight shake of his head: "I don't care what people think of me, except for a very few. Kind of a hindrance when you're living a pirate's life." He waved his hand dismissively. "How I got to New York doesn't matter. It was the only way to get to Emma, so it was done."

"Does she know?" David asked quietly.

Hook's head flipped around to face him, and his jaw tightened, his eyes challenging the other man's. "Only very recently," he pointed out hesitantly and thought: if the prince insinuates I told her that only to get into her frocks, I'll gladly punch his face, father or not.

But obviously, David had no such intention. Much to Hook's surprise, a slight smile creased the skin around his eyes, and he just told him: "You do realize she loved you even before, don't you?"

Hook averted his gaze before turning his head and wordlessly pulling out his rum flask, but David had seen a telltale glint in the other man's blue eyes and grinned to himself. "Yeah," he murmured in an amused voice, "as if you'd care... not the romantic type at all."

Hook took a swig from his flask and handed it over to the prince. David took it, but didn't drink right away. "You know," he said slowly, "if I had had a say in Emma's choice, I surely wouldn't have picked you." Hook cocked his head silently in a grumpy shrug. "I would have picked a more decent man, a less flawed one," he went on, and Hook's jaw clenched a little while he kept staring into the fire. Yeah, right. Just a pirate. Why in blazes did the prince feel the need to revert to belittling him now?

"I've learned, however," David continued with a shrug, "that when it comes to love, there's no choice to be made anyway." He took a slow, thoughtful sip from the flask now, the rum like sweet and liquid fire running down his throat, and went on: "Emma surely could have found a more suitable man." He handed the flask back, and Hook snatched it almost angrily from his hand, when he added almost casually: "Anyway, I doubt she could have found a better one."

Hook's head snapped around, at first not sure he had heard right; but the look on the prince's face was sincere, and a twinkle in his pale blue eyes showed that he had just been teasing him before. The prince, being an actual droll? That had been unexpected. For a moment, he looked down and fidgeted with his earring again, not really knowing what to say. Then he decided for the direct way and glanced at David again.

"Thanks, mate," he acknowledged with a serious nod.

"I meant it," David assured.

Hook smirked, having found his wits again, and replied pointedly: "I know."

Emma's father chuckled. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

The pirate cocked his head, his eyebrows twitching in fond amusement. "I daresay we're getting better at it."

David nodded slowly, then he slapped Hook's leather-clad shoulder and winked. "You break her heart, I break your neck, mate," he told him brightly.

Hook wasn't offended. "Fair enough," he replied almost solemnly.

David hunched his shoulders a little when a sudden chilly wind blew over them and frowned because it seemed to bring a lot of dirt with it. "What the hell is that," he growled, waving his hand in front of his face. A whirlwind of dust seemed to blow through the camp.

Within the blink of an eye, Hook was on his feet and drew his sword. He had seen that before, and he had realized at once that this wasn't just dust. It was ashes. David saw his reaction and jumped to his feet, too. "What the hell is that, Hook?" he repeated while the wind swelled.

"Not what," Hook replied in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the small swirl of grey ash flakes dancing beside the fire, steadily growing. "Who."

Meanwhile, at Mary Margaret's apartment, the boys were sleeping in Emma's room which seemed more like an adventure to them; especially to little Roland who had developed a clingy fondness for Henry. Emma shared the bed with her mother, and Regina was camping – very un-royally – on the couch.

But while Mary Margaret was constantly moving and shifting in her sleep, she was at least asleep; Emma, on the other hand, kept tossing and turning restlessly, and in the end she got up and quietly left the room, anxious she would wake her mother up. Maybe a hot cocoa would help.

When she came to the kitchen, she was surprised to find Regina there, wearing a silvery dressing gown over silk pajamas, sitting at the kitchen table, an untouched cup of tea in front of her. Her hands were playing with the crooked wood of Maleficent's staff that was placed in the middle of the table. Her expression was somewhere between thoughtful and worried.

Emma forgot the cocoa and sat down beside her wordlessly. Regina threw her only a short sideways glance. After a while, Emma asked: "Just between us. What do you think will happen? What does she want?"

Regina shook her head and sighed. "I have really no idea," she replied soberly.

"Why did you really bring her here?" Emma wanted to know, her voice bare of any reproach this time. "You knew she was dangerous and would hate you for stealing the curse. Why not just..." – she pursed her lips and shrugged – "...kill her?"

Regina pressed her lips together and kept running her finger up and down the staff. "She was my only friend." Finally, she looked up at Emma. "I know that doesn't make any sense to you, Miss Swan. It doesn't even make sense to me now." Emma didn't reply, and almost angrily, she added: "Look, you probably think I should say I regret what I've done in the past, and maybe I should." She narrowed her eyes. "But the thing is... I don't. I can't. If I hadn't done what I've done in the past, I would never have met Henry. Maybe there would even be no Henry."

Emma nodded thoughtfully; funny how Hook had used almost the same words, although his past and Regina's – or the things they'd done – couldn't be compared by far, of course. "I know what you mean," Emma said slowly, and her former enemy snorted.

"Really? How?" she snarled, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Emma glared at her. "Do you think I've never pondered over and over what would have happened if I'd kept Henry? Or desperately wished I did?" She shrugged. "But then, nothing of all this," – she made an all-encompassing move with her right hand – "would ever have happened. I'd never have met my parents, never found out who I really am."

For a while, the two women kept staring at each other; not in a hostile, more in a probing, a searching way. Emma realized that, in an absurd way, she and the former Evil Queen had more things in common than she'd ever thought. Although they were completely contrasting persons with backgrounds and characters that couldn't be any more different, in the end they both had been closed up in themselves, almost prisoners – lost, lonely and homeless. What impact Henry had made on both their lives... her gaze fell upon the remnants of the broken orb on top of the staff. She motioned to it with her head, and Regina's eyes followed.

"What happened to it?" Emma asked.

"That's where she kept the curse," the other woman explained. "I had to break it to get the curse. There's nothing else inside, I checked it."

As if magically drawn, Emma touched her fingertips to the sharp edge of the broken glass orb and drew in a sharp breath a second later when her index finger was cut. She put the finger into her mouth when she saw Regina's eyes widen, still fixed on the staff. "What did you do?" the former Evil Queen asked in an urging voice.

Emma frowned cluelessly at her. "Nothing, I just..." She fell silent when she saw a faint light reflect on Regina's face and finally looked down at the staff again. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw that it was the staff that had started to emanate that faint, pale light. The edge of the broken glass, where she had touched it and shed a bit of her blood, was glowing the most. She'd be damned if it didn't almost look like the glowing of the glass wand down in Rumple's vault, the one that had reopened the time portal for her and Hook to return home.

"Do it again," Regina commanded sharply, "touch it."

Emma's eyes were widened in disbelief, her hands twitching on the table. Regina took her wrists and guided them firmly to the staff, letting them hover over the crooked wood where she loosened her grip. "Touch – it," she repeated.

Emma didn't really know what to do and spread her fingers, her palms still hanging about two inches above the magical staff; she felt a weird tingling on her skin that she couldn't find accurate words for to describe. She had felt a similar thing only on very rare occasions – those few times she had actually performed magic with her hands – but never as strong as now. She drew a deep breath and lowered her hands on the object until her skin was lightly stroking over its rough surface. The rugged wood seemed to glow from within, and a warmth transpired between Emma's hands and the staff. Suddenly, one by one, letters appeared on the staff, forming words...

"What the hell is that?" Emma gasped.

Regina stared at the staff incredulously and squinted her eyes. "Words," she murmured and looked closer. "Wait. It reads... The closest friend will cause torment, but... but... only who defeats your deadliest form is meant to reunite you with what you love the most."

She looked up at Emma again who took her hands away from the staff; the light faded away within instants, and so did the letters. "What does that mean?" Emma demanded to know.

"It's a prophecy," Regina replied quietly.

"A prophecy?" Emma echoed. "Well, great, but what does it mean?"

Regina looked at her. "A close friend will cause torment – that would be me, obviously," she explained dryly.

"Okay..." Emma nodded. "And what is it she loves the most?"

"That must be her unicorn," Regina replied, and Emma's eyes widened again in disbelief, but she said nothing when the other woman shot her a severe glance. "She has a unicorn. She had it in her castle," Regina explained. "Rumor has it that it's not really a unicorn, but someone very dear to her who has been cursed never to walk in human form again. Nobody knows who it really is. But I do know she risked her life to defend it."

"But wait..." Emma raised her hands. "When you cast the first curse... why wasn't it transported to Storybrooke, too?"

Regina nodded. "That's a good question, Miss Swan."

Emma frowned. "Okay... so – whoever defeated her in her deadliest form is meant to reunite her with her... unicorn." She hardly could bring herself to say the word; even after two years of being the Savior, some things still seemed absurd to her. "But who – and how?" she asked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, I have no idea about the how," she admitted, "but the who is pretty obvious, isn't it?"

Emma leaned a little forward, her eyes big and full of question marks in her clueless face. "It is?"

"Miss Swan," Regina huffed, her patience with that much ignorance wearing thin. "Wouldn't you agree that the dragon was quite a deadly thing?" Emma's jaw dropped, and Regina nodded. "You defeated her. The prophecy is talking about you. That's why she approached you without even attempting to harm you. She doesn't want revenge, she wants your help."

"But how can I possibly help her?!" Emma gasped. "I didn't even know about her unicorn until just now!" She frowned. "It's not here, is it?"

"Of course not." Regina shook her head. "Even if it was in the woods – someone would have noticed it during all those years."

"But then – what happened? Why is it not here?"

"I don't know!" Regina almost snapped back, then she drew a deep breath. "Look, I know you probably think I should know everything about this because of who I am..."

"Was," Emma corrected matter-of-factly, and the other woman threw her a surprised glance and cleared her throat.

"Anyway," she went on, "I'm afraid I don't have all the answers. I don't know why Maleficent's unicorn was not transported to Storybrooke when I cast the curse. Something must have happened to it before."

Suddenly, Emma stared at her with wide eyes. "But she must know!" she gasped.

Regina nodded slowly. "You'd think so," she agreed. "But, unfortunately, she can't communicate, remember?" She raised a chastising eyebrow.

Emma's intense gaze bore into her brown eyes. "Not as long as she's not human," she said almost triumphantly.

Regina frowned. "What are you saying?" Emma just tilted her head and threw the former Evil Queen an almost challenging look. "No!" Regina thundered when it dawned on her what she meant. "You can't be serious!"

Emma leaned forward eagerly. "But it's the only way to find out how to resolve this! I have to talk to her!"

"It's too dangerous!" Regina contradicted.

"It always is!" Emma threw back at her and huffed in exasperation. "If I have learned one thing since I've joined this... this... this" – she waved her arms in an all-encompassing way – "then it's that there's never an easy solution. I have to dot it." She reached out for the crooked wooden staff, but Regina snatched it away.

"I can't allow this!" she declared firmly.

"Regina," Emma replied in an urging voice, "you know I'm right. There is no other way." She reached out for the staff again.

Her former enemy looked down at the magic staff she was clutching with her hands. "This," she said gravely, "will not only restore her ability to transform into a human form again, but it will give her enormous power."

"I know," Emma said and nodded, then shrugged. "At least I think I do. But as you said, if she wanted to kill me – or anyone – , she could have done it easily. According to the prophecy, she needs my help, right?"

"Right," Regina agreed reluctantly.

Emma tilted her head. "Well, then she better not hurt me or anyone out there."

Regina couldn't help but admire the sheriff's gumption; that had always been something she respected – as much as Emma Swan had never shown to be afraid of her, she had never been afraid of anything or anybody else; even before she knew she was the Savior. "I don't like this," she growled.

"I'm not crazy about it either," Emma admitted matter-of-factly, "but if I fail, you can always..." – she waved her hands again – "...do whatever you do to save the day." Slowly, she rose from her seat. "I'm gonna get dressed."

Little more than five minutes later, she came down the stairs again, fully dressed and approached the kitchen table. This time, when she reached out for the magic staff, Regina didn't object and let her take it; it seemed to thrum lightly in her hands.

"Any bits of advice?" she asked.

Regina threw her a serious look. "Be careful," she just said.

Emma nodded and left the apartment without another word. When the door clicked shut behind her, hurried footsteps came down the stairs, and Mary Margaret's alarmed voice called: "What is happening here? Emma?"

Regina rolled her eyes and got up from her seat. "We found out something..."

"Where did my daughter go?" Mary Margaret asked sharply and threw Regina a threatening glance.

"To the woods," the former Evil Queen replied a little hesitantly. "We discovered what Maleficent wants, and..."

"No!" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "I can't let her..." She was heading for the door, but Regina quickly blocked her way.

"She knows what she's doing," she tried to soothe, "and it has to be done."

"Out of my way, Regina," Emma's mother almost hissed and tried to walk past her.

"Miss Blanchard," Regina said severely and blocked her again, "Mary Margaret!" But she would not listen, and a desperate determination was showing on her face. Regina grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. "Snow!"

Mary Margaret turned her eyes at her, and Regina could see the horror and despair on her face. She drew a deep breath. "Your daughter is one of the bravest women I know," she told her. "And her magic is more powerful than I've ever seen in someone who is not a fairy." She shook her head. "Not even I managed to defeat her, and God knows I've tried."

Mary Margaret drew a deep breath. "When this is over," she finally said, "I want you to teach her how to use it properly."

Regina looked at her stepdaughter and nodded. "I think she's worth my time," she replied.

It wasn't really a battle that was going on in the woods between a ghostly, weirdly bodiless Maleficent and the men; it was more of a circling each other. David and Hook were side by side with their weapons pointed at the monstrous ashen creature who was almost dancing on her grotesque limbs. Robin and his men had positioned themselves in a semi-circle around them. Sometimes one would make a step ahead, then Maleficent screeched and hissed, but otherwise she didn't really make a move.

"What is it you want?!" David's voice thundered through the forest. "This has to end!"

Hook inclined his head to the side. "I hate to break the news to you, mate," he said dryly, "but I doubt this lady will reveal anything to you." The creature swayed her head in Hook's direction and hissed at him. He told her: "I always appreciate a woman who speaks her mind."

"I hate to break the news to you, mate," David replied with sarcasm in his voice, "but your smooth talk isn't very likely to impress her."

Suddenly, a strong female voice echoed through the woods. "Hey! Maleficent! I'm here!"

The creature swirled around, and so did both men, looking in the direction of the voice so well-known and dear to them.

"Emma!" David gasped incredulously. "What the hell..."

"Swan!" Hook called. "No!"

"It's okay," Emma replied to them, not taking her eyes off the creature. "Stay where you are. I know what she wants. She's not gonna hurt me."

Hook and David exchanged a glance and a barely perceptible nod; as much as they had to suppress the strong urge to run over to Emma and protect her, they also trusted her judgment. Obviously, she knew more than they did, and if she said it was alright, then it probably was.

Maleficent hissed and approached Emma who was holding up one hand, showing the ghostly creature her palm in a soothing way. "I know what it is that you want!" Emma called firmly and flinched a little at the sight of how huge the shadowy figure had grown; Maleficent seemed to be swaying back and forth like ridiculously gigantic reed in the wind, and that made Emma a little nervous because her moves looked very unpredictable. "I know about the prophecy," Emma called firmly, "I'm here to help."

"Prophecy?" David echoed, and Hook frowned.

"I don't like that at all," he growled. Both men stepped slowly forward, in Emma's direction.

"I'm here to help!" Emma repeated and held up her other hand, and the men saw that she was holding a huge, crooked wooden staff. The ashen creature gave a sharp screech.

"Bloody hell," Hook murmured. "I really hope she knows what she's doing."

"Emma," David warned. He, too, had recognized what she was holding in her hand and holding out to Maleficent now.

"We need to talk," Emma said slowly, directed at the creature, and hunched down to place the staff carefully on the moss-covered ground. Then she stood up again and took a few steps backwards. Hook and David rounded Maleficent in a wide circle and joined Emma, standing to both her sides now. David squeezed her shoulder lightly, and Hook touched his hook to her hip.

"What prophecy?" he asked under his breath.

"Regina and I found it on the staff," Emma replied. "Looks like I'm the one who is to reunite her with what she loves the most..."

Hook rolled his eyes. "Wonderful."

"And what is it that..." David started, but then he fell silent when he watched what was happening in front of them. The creature seemed to shrink to the size on an actual human and bent forward, never ceasing its screeching and hissing sounds that were inhuman enough to chill one's blood. She reached out for the staff with both her ghostly arms, and the moment she seemed to touch it, it was like she dissolved into a whirlwind of ashes so dense and whirling in a dizzying speed that for a few second nobody could see anything but a dark grey swirl.

"What the hell..." David murmured, and then the ashen cloud cleared slowly. He recognized immediately what he saw.

Emma on the other hand hadn't expected to find herself standing opposite a gorgeous blonde woman with full lips and the most beautiful grey-blue eyes. She was wearing a voluminous purple gown made of some sheer material and a glittering head piece in the same color; the artfully crafted head piece ended in two wrought horns. She held the staff in her right hand and raised her chin almost triumphantly. Slowly, she took a step nearer and let her gaze sweep over the three of them, a diabolic smile curving her mouth.

Then she drawled in a surprising melodious voice: "Well, well, well... whom do we have here?"

Acknowledgements:

Probably the hardest part of this story was to figure out what Maleficent really wants, and I'd never have managed to come up with a plot that halfway makes sense (but judge for yourself for this and the following chapter) without the help of my muse Silvia who practically developed that soryline with me! Grazie mille, sei omicidiale!