A/N:First let me say how amazing you all are. Three reviews is far more than I expected for the first chapter, and all the follows and alerts mean the world to me. I hadn't expected to write this so soon, but it literally just started to write itself automatically, and I couldn't stop! This chapter is almost double in length of the first chapter. I've had thoughts of continuing this, but I decided against it. So it will be ending after the next chapter, however, I do have another Red Hook story that my brain is trying to cook up, so I might start working on it soon. Also, there is a hint of Red Whale in this chapter, you have to squint to see it, but it's there. All that is left to say is REVIEW! It is very helpful in helping the plotbunnies.

Ruby stood anxiously outside of the hospital. Her fingers tapping in rhythm against her thigh. She was afraid, not of Hook, exclusively, but of herself. Of what she might do if she got as angry as she had been the night before. Still, curiosity got the best of her, which was why she was standing outside of the hospital.

After her less than productive chat with Storybrooke's very own pirate, she had called Emma. After Emma ripped into her for doing the exact opposite of what the blonde had told her to do, Emma had asked her how the visit went. That had been a fun little chat, especially when Ruby had realized that Emma had placed her on speaker-phone. Snow's audible gasp as Ruby talked about the amount of anger coursing through her, caused Ruby to groan, as Snow explained to Emma what the anger meant to Ruby's other form. That had lead to another stern lecture from Emma, which didn't make it any easier to explain how Ruby had planned to visit Hook again today.

Which is what had led her to stand outside of the hospital, instead of walking inside. Emma had all but banned Ruby from the hospital, though more verbally, and that amount of fear on Emma's account made Ruby think twice about her visit. Emma didn't even fully grasp how close Ruby had come to losing it the night before, and no matter what the sheriff or her parents did or said, if Ruby hurt someone because she lost control of her other half for a split second, the townspeople would never forgive her. Not that Ruby would blame them one bit. In fact, she was certain that she wouldn't forgive herself for it either.

"Coming or going?" The voice brought her out of her dark inner musings, as she jerked her head toward the familiar voice. She offered a small smile.

Shrugging, she spoke, "Haven't decided yet."

His brow furrowed for a moment, before walking toward Ruby. The piping hot cup of coffee was steaming into the chilly Maine air. He smiled softly at her. "Why is that?"

With an elegant lift of her shoulders, Ruby gave a half-hearted shrug with a noncommittal sigh, "My last visit didn't go well. Some parts of myself are harder to control in certain situations. Plus, Emma all but banned me from hospital grounds." Her eyebrow lifted for a moment, "Shouldn't you be in there? You know, being a doctor and whatnot."

Doctor Whale chuckled lightly, "Yeah. I'm just taking a break. Though I'd go for a walk." He turned toward her, his eyes boring into her own before continuing, "Look, I am a doctor here, so I say you can go in. I'll deal with Sheriff Swan..." He paused, his fingers scratching at his chin, trying to think of how exactly to put what he wanted to say next. "As far as your control is concerned, I trust you to be well behaved." His lips lifted in a half smile, "I think that you have more control over that part of yourself then you think. If you didn't, I'm fairly certain that the townspeople would have figured it out."

Ruby nodded, "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"Why don't you go on in, see him. He's been even worse to deal with than usual. In fact-" Whale paused, before lifting an eyebrow at Ruby and quirking his lips into a smile. "I'm assuming that your discussion with our resident pirate did not bode well last night?"

Ruby chuckled, "Oh, if only that even began to describe how horribly unproductive last night was. God! I was so angry when I went in to see him last night, I didn't even stop to think that there might be a legitimate reason why he did it. Granted, that didn't give him any reason to shoot Belle, but the look on his face..." Ruby trailed off, in that instant she made up her mind. She had to see him, and she had to get information out of him. Ruby had to know what in the world had happened that caused him to shoot another human being.

Whale was still smiling, as he turned to leave. He paused briefly, craning his neck to look at her one last time. "I'm going to assume by that determined look on your face that you have come to a definite decision?"

Ruby nodded, "Thank you, Dr. Whale."

He simply tipped his head, "You're welcome, Ruby."

With that, she turned abruptly and stalked into the hospital. She wasn't leaving without answers.

Hook lay against the uncomfortable bed, and sighed loudly. He felt guilty for how he treated the woman that had visited him the night before. His eyes drifted close as he realized that he hadn't even gotten her name. His eyes snapped open at the light knock on the door. His eyebrows creased as he mumbled for his new-found visitor to enter.

The door swung open slowly, as Ruby stepped inside. "Hi," she waved at him, before closing the door behind her. "I feel like I should apologize for last night, but I can't. You hurt my friend, and I shouldn't have to apologize for being angry and upset by that." Hook's mouth bobbed open, causing Ruby to thrust her hand up to stop him. "However, I am willing to hear you out. I want to know what caused you to do that."

Hook groaned as he rearranged himself on the bed, as he motioned for her to come closer. "Okay. That's fair, I suppose." He offered her a small smile. "Before I begin, I would like to ask your name. I realize that I was so ghastly rude last night, not seeking it sooner."

Ruby pulled up one of the visitor chairs, and sat down. She crossed her legs, and let her hands rest against them. Peering up at the injured man before her, she smiled softly, "You can call me Ruby."

Hook nodded, "Ruby it is..." He sighed, "Let me ask you a question, Ruby. Have you ever lost the one person that you love more than anyone else?"

Ruby fought back a gasp, her eyes going slightly unfocused as past memories flooded her mind. She would never regain the memory of taking Peter's life, and she never wanted to, but seeing him vibrant and alive was almost as painful. It was her one big mistake. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Ruby nodded in the affirmative.

"Well, at least you will understand my fury better than." He sighed, his eyes glazing over as he got lost in the past. "I will admit that I might not be a good person. I'm a bloody pirate, of course I'm not a good person, but have you ever thought that perhaps you could be saved if you were able to have someone in your life that cared enough about you to keep you from drowning?" Hook's head turned, as he stared at her. He wasn't entirely sure why he was opening up so deeply to Ruby, but there was just something about her. Something that seemed familiar, like she had been in his shoes and had felt his pain. Not many people got to see this side to him, the side that proved that he was still a human being with feelings. In fact, the only other person to ever see this side of him had been ripped away from him by Rumpelstiltskin.

He barely saw Ruby nod her head, as rage and fury encroached on him. His hands started to shake, as he turned his head away from her. "I found that person. My soul-mate. She was beautiful and kind. I was no more than a lowly pirate, and I couldn't fathom what she saw in me. It was almost instantaneous how quickly I fell for her. At the time I had no idea she had a husband, she wore no ring and she had never spoken of her marriage. That is, until he came hobbling into the pub that we were at. He was so meager and pathetic. I knew in that instant why she had chosen me over him..." Hook let the seriousness drop for a moment, as he flashed a smile at Ruby. "Why would you want meager and pathetic, when you can have this?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, before focusing on Hook's face. His tone might have been playful, but the smile on his lips was obviously forced and anger still burned deep inside of his eyes. "Please, continue the story, Hook."

Hook nodded, "Very well, love." He sighed, he knew that he would have trouble telling the story, but he hadn't realized just how hard it would be. "She came to me late that night, told me that she didn't want to be forever chained to the village coward. That she wanted a life of fun and adventure, and that she wanted it with me. I hadn't been that happy in my life. So when the meager man came to me the next morning, claiming that I had taken his wife, I merely laughed at him. I told him that if he would fight me for her, that he could have her back. Just as I suspected, he was a coward." Hook could feel tears press against his eyes, and he blinked them for a moment to suppress them from falling. "If I had known what he would eventually have done, I would have simply let her go."

Ruby just stared at Hook, completely entranced, not only by his story but the elegant way that he was telling it. She could see the pain etched on his face as he spoke, and the way his eyes fluttered to keep the pooling tears from falling. She hadn't expected this. To see him be so caring. Because she was so entranced in the story, she had missed the clues as to who he was talking about until he uttered the name.

"My first meeting with Rumpelstiltskin was disastrous. I mocked him, called him a crocodile. I felt no shame in it, and I knew that The Dark One would eventually be my down fall. I had only heard stories up until then, about The Dark One and how powerful he was. He had asked me about his wife, Milah, and I lied. I couldn't stand the thought of that...thing taking her away from me. I told him that she had died, and I felt my heart seize up as the words left my mouth. He challenged me to a duel, and me being the no account pirate that I am, agreed."

Ruby studied him for a moment, as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. Her heart ached for him, and without a second thought she reached out her hand and grabbed hold of one of his.

He sighed, before forging on. "I almost died that night. The crocodile had a grasp on my heart and I all but prayed that it would be a painless death. Cowardly of me, right? Milah, she had begged me to let her come, swearing she would stay hidden. If it wasn't for her, I would have died that night. He would have ripped out my heart and crushed it. Instead, he made a deal with Milah for our lives." He sighed, as a tear slipped down his cheek. "It was on my ship that he did it. Angry at Milah for leaving him and their son, he yelled at her. When she screamed back at him that she never loved him, he reached into her chest, ripped out her heart and crushed it right in front of me. As I knelt grieving my loss, with the one thing he wanted most clenched in my hand, he grabbed a sword and cut off my hand."

Ruby shook her head, unable to believe the words, but knowing that they had to be true. The sheer fact that he had allowed a tear to roll down his cheek unchecked was enough to prove that he was in pain telling her this story. Could she really put it past Gold to do that? Of course not. Leaning forward, Ruby squeezed his hand, causing him to look up at her. She gasped, and shook her head. She closed her eyes and fought the onslaught of emotion that tumbled through her. Her chest tightened and she felt like she was gasping for air. She wanted to hate him, and she had every right to. He had hurt her friend, and it was her right to be angry at him for what he had done. Everything inside of her screamed at her to hate him. However, in one look, with their eyes meeting, all the pain and anguish that she still feels inside of herself is mirrored in his eyes. It is in that instant that she realizes that she can't hate him, when she is the only one that can save him.