This fic is for justanother-unluckysoul's birthday! Happy Birthday, Elsie! I promisd you hurt/comfort and whump, and I hope I at least sort of delivered with this! I wanted to finish this for you, but my muse is just not cooperating right now. So, as your gift I have the first 2 chapters of this, and a hopeful promise that I'll come back and add to it in the future. But if I don't, I think where it ends isn't very cliffhanger-y or anything :)

Takes place in s2, right after Tamara shows up to Storybrooke and reveals they have Hook tied up in the trailer. I couldn't help wondering what would have happened if Emma found him :)

I hope you like it! :)

~cosette141

Emma felt the hair on the back of her neck rise with instinct. The darkness of the night didn't help with the ominous feeling.

The trailer wasn't here before Tamara showed up to town, and it was a small town. It wasn't from here.

Emma's flashlight beam caught it, glinting off the metal. Lapping waves of the ocean were the only sound in the air. The moonlight was bright, illuminating the area well enough without the flashlight now that she was close.

She walked around the trailer, gun out in front of her, but no one was around. She relaxed a bit.

There was a single padlock on the door, and Emma grabbed the lock picks from her back pocket, getting to work on it.

Once it clicked, she pulled it off, and yanked open the door.

And there, tied to a chair, was Hook.

Emma felt her jaw drop.

Hook winced away the moment the door opened, but at the sight of her, his eyes widened identically.

Hook was tied tightly to the chair, not one limb free. His hook was missing and there was a gag tight in his mouth. Blackening bruises stood out on his face, in a pattern that could have only come from a fist.

"Hook?" breathed Emma.

He made a muffled sound, jerking in the chair, shutting his eyes when his attempts were unsuccessful.

Emma rushed forward, shaking fingers working to untie the gag around his mouth. Once she freed him from it, he breathed hard. "Bloody hell," he croaked. "What the—" began Emma, still in shock. "Who did this to you?"

"Woman… Tamara," said Hook raggedly.

Tamara.

Tamara.

She knew it.

The only question was why—

But she'll answer that later.

"How long have you been here?" asked Emma, feeling the slightest bit of concern inch into her words, seeing just how tired he looked.

"Not sure," whispered Hook. "Two days?"

By the look of him, that sounded about right. Tamara got to Storybrooke almost three days ago. Hook was pale, exhausted and sounded like he'd barely had any water.

Emma moved to untie him, but paused, then said, "I want to help you. But…"

The last time she'd seen him was days ago, after she'd locked him in the closet of Neal's building.

"I will not be a danger to you, Swan," he managed tiredly, and he certainly sounded like he wouldn't be able to manage the energy to even be an irritation, let alone danger. "Won't knock you out and lock you in a tiny room, if that's what you're asking," he added, a slight edge to his voice.

Scratch that. He does have the energy to irritate her.

"You want to argue or you want to call a truce?" said Emma impatiently.

Hook blinked tiredly. Then, "Truce."

She got to work untying his legs. "Why the hell did she do this to you?" she asked, freeing his left ankle.

"She wants my assistance," he said, voice just barely slurring with exhaustion, "in exchange for helping me kill the Crocodile. Whom you just had to save." There was the edge again. But it sounded more hurt than anything. "You realize he's a bloody demon," he muttered. "You know how hard it will be to get another chance?"

"What happened to our truce?" muttered Emma, trying not to feel guilty for something she hadn't been happy doing. Saving Gold was not enjoyable and watching Mary Maragaret tear herself apart for her part in it wasn't either.

"My apologies," he said half-heartedly. "Aye, we settled on a truce."

As she freed his right ankle, Emma huffed, "To be honest, I didn't want to save him."

"No?"

Emma could tell Hook wasn't completely in his right mind, almost drunk with exhaustion and perhaps a concussion.

"No," agreed Emma, moving to his left forearm. "But we'll talk about it later. Do you know if she's coming back?"

"Not until dawn." said Hook softly.

Emma felt herself relax a little. She finished untying him in silence. Even when he was free, he didn't get up.

"Hook?" asked Emma hesitantly.

"Mm?" he mumbled, eyes blinking open.

"Can you stand?" she asked.

Hook blinked again, delayed giving her a nod. Then he went to stand, grimacing as he moved. He made it to his feet, but stumbled with weakness the moment he did. Emma was inches away and caught him with surprise.

"Bloody—" he gasped, trying to right himself. Emma had grabbed him by the arm, but it wasn't enough. She quickly moved closer, grabbing him around the back as he leaned his weight into her. It was his silence that told Emma he was serious; he didn't make one comment about having her so close to him.

Now worried more about his condition, Emma helped him walk, saying, "My car isn't far."

"Car?" he echoed, stiffly walking.

"Transportation; vessel; boat that moves on land. Carriage without horses. The thing that hit you the other day," Emma deadpanned.

He tensed a little, and Emma was surprised to feel his sudden fear at the thought. She wouldn't have thought Captain Hook was afraid of anything.

By the time they made it to the bug, Hook was leaning heavily on her and panting. Emma leaned him against the car to open the passenger door. "Get in."

He opened his eyes tiredly to look at it warily.

Emma sighed aloud and took his arm gently, guiding him into the seat. Thankfully he was too weak to protest and only groaned a little when he was inside and she shut the door.

Emma got into her driver's seat and started the car, the sound of the engine making Hook jump.

But soon she was driving to the loft and along the way, his eyes shut and didn't open again.

She spent most of the drive wondering how the hell she was supposed to explain bringing home a pirate to her parents.