Hello, all my lovely readers! I am continually blown away by the beautifully positive response I've gotten to this story! Thank you for favoriting, following, reviewing, reading and even just clicking on this. I am just so floored by the response that I've gotten, so thank you!
So… how about that finale? That last scene just about killed me (I was already weakened from the Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen feels though, so that last part just finished me off). All I can say is that I have no idea how I'm going to wait until September/October for the new season. :(
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time or any of its lovely characters.
OK, so enough of my rambling. Here is the chapter- Enjoy!
Chapter 7- Demons
Killian Jones POV
"Zelena took Henry."
I had been waiting for something catastrophic such as this to happen. Blackbeard's words would keep me up at night, striking fear into my heart- not fear for myself, but fear for those around me. I had endangered them because of my own stupidity and Blackbeard had already said he didn't want to only take my life but to make me suffer by hurting those I loved most as well.
I know that I should have told Emma, or at the very least, David, about what had happened to me before I arrived in New York. But I didn't want to bother Emma, not when she was getting closer and closer to delivering our child- a child whose life I had already managed to jeopardize before it was even born. I was the last person in the world who should be a father- besides Blackbeard himself, perhaps.
So, while the Charmings and Regina were formulating a plan to get Henry back, I snuck out of Snow and David's apartment and into the cold night air. The late night chill stung my face, but I didn't pay it any attention. Instead, I quickened my pace until I was heading toward the docks at a run.
I knew that I would find Blackbeard here. Even though Zelena had taken Henry, I had a feeling that it was Blackbeard that I needed to go after to get Henry back.
My breath caught in my throat when I reached the Storybrooke pier. There was The Jolly Roger, her outline majestic against the clear night sky. A pang of longing shot through my heart at the sight of her, but I ignored the nostalgia. I had a pirate to make a deal with.
I walked onto the plank, feeling like an intruder, even though this ship had been my home for nearly three centuries. I fingered the blade in my pocket, trying to draw strength from the fact that I had faced Blackbeard once and survived. You only survived because Blackbeard wanted you to, I thought with panic.
"What a wonderful place for a reunion," A voice drawled out behind me, and I immediately recognized Blackbeard's voice.
"Can't say that I agree, mate," I replied smoothly, disguising my nervousness behind a smirk.
"How is your lovely Swan?" Blackbeard laughed. "Did I interrupt your happy plans to becoming a father?"
"If you lay a finger on her, I will kill you," I snarled. "Your quarrel is with me and you can leave her out of it."
"I have Emma Swan's son," Blackbeard said softly. "Do you want to make a deal with me to get him back?"
I swallowed heavily, knowing that Blackbeard wasn't going to make it easy. I might never see Emma again, but if I could save Henry, I was willing to pay the price. So this is what being a hero feels like, I thought ruefully.
"What do you want?" I asked, squaring my shoulders and praying to the gods that I would see Emma one more time, to tell her that I loved her.
"The Jolly Roger, of course," Blackbeard ran his hand over the wheel of the ship and smiled softly. "But this time, I have to make sure you will truly surrender her to me, so you have to do something for me."
I just knew that there would be a catch, and sure enough, here it is. I took a breath and nodded quickly, "What do you want?"
"Swear on the name of the woman you love. Swear on Emma Swan." Blackbeard smiled wickedly, knowing that he had trapped me in a corner.
"I swear on Emma Swan," I whispered, my voice breaking on the last syllable. The Jolly Roger would never be mine again, but I would happily give up my ship for Emma. Hell, I'd give anything up for her.
Blackbeard gave a short laugh before suddenly disappearing in a cloud of green smoke. When the smoke cleared away, Blackbeard was gone, replaced by none other than Zelena herself.
"Zelena," I gasped, my heart sinking as I realized that I had been tricked. "Where is Blackbeard?"
"Oh, no need to worry about him, pirate," Zelena said with a laugh, and with one quick movement, her hand was in front of my lips. A quick flick of her fingers produced a cloud of green smoke to puff out my lips. "I killed him. I'm very sorry I prevented you from seeing your dear father again."
My hand immediately went to my lips as I tried to figure out what Zelena had done to them. "What have you done?" I snarled, fear filling my heart.
"Cursed your lips," Zelena said lightly. "The next time your lips touch Emma Swan's, all her magic will be taken away."
"I won't kiss her, then," I said matter-of-factly. "I'll tell her what you've done and we will figure out how to reverse it."
"I'll send the Dark One to kill her before you even reach her," Zelena smiled smugly. "If you don't kiss Emma and take her magic away before her child is born, I will start killing people. Starting with your precious, unborn daughter."
"Now take Henry and go," Zelena waved her hand again, and Henry appeared, looking unharmed but terrified. "You can go and pretend that you are a hero for finding Henry, and not tell Emma about what I've done to you. The fun is just starting for me."
"Henry! Lad, are you alright?" I knelt down next to him so that I was at his eye level. Henry nodded shakily, and I scooped him up in my arms and carried him off the docks and toward David's apartment.
"Killian?" Henry said after a few minutes of silence. "That woman is a witch. She has… magic. And she wants to kill all of us."
"I won't let that happen." I said fiercely. "I will protect you, your mother and the baby with every breath I have."
"You love my mom?" Henry said softly. "And you're the dad of Mom's baby?"
"Aye, lad. I love her to the ends of the world and back." I sighed. Zelena had used me, she had tainted my love for Emma and made me Emma's greatest enemy.
"My mom has been lying to me all week." Henry sighed. "I knew something about Storybrooke was weird, but I still can't believe this. Magic? Seriously?"
"Seriously, lad," I agreed with a slight smile. Henry ran ahead of me to David's apartment, but after a moment, he turned around, a curious look in his eyes.
"Why do you have a hook?" Henry asked.
"This might sound a little crazy, but I'm Captain Hook," I sighed. "All the Storybrooke residents are fairytale characters."
"You're Captain Hook?" Henry asked in shock, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "The Captain Hook?
"Aye, that I am," I replied, trying to share with the boy's enthusiasm, but my smile felt flat and fake, even to me.
The door to David's apartment opened a moment after Henry knocked, and Emma stood there with a look of utter relief on her face. "Henry!" She immediately engulfed him in a giant hug, and when she finally pulled away several long minutes later, her face was drenched with tears. "Henry! Don't you ever dare leave me like that again!"
"I won't, Mom. I'm okay, Mom, don't worry." Henry smiled and returned Emma's hug.
Emma finally glanced up at me and the look of shock on her face hurt me a little bit. Did she still doubt my loyalty to her, even after I had given up everything for her?
"Did you get him back?" She asked in a hushed whisper. "How? Where was Henry? Where is Zelena?"
"Slow down, love," I said with a slight smile. "Yes, I got him back. Zelena was on the Jolly Roger, keeping Henry prisoner."
"The Jolly Roger is here?" Emma asked with surprise as we settled into Mary Margaret's couches.
"Not anymore," I said, trying to smile and be nonchalant about the loss of my ship, but Emma saw right through my facade immediately.
"What did she do to your ship?" Emma asked in a hushed whisper, looking as if she almost didn't want to know.
"She made me swear to trade Henry for the Jolly," I replied, trying to shrug off the loss as a trivial detail.
"You traded your ship for Henry?" Emma asked softly, looking shocked. How long would it take this lass to understand that I care for her? I thought dejectedly.
"I did it for you, love," I replied without hesitation. "Everything I've done since the curse returned me to the bloody Enchanted Forest has been for you."
She leaned in first, and it was as if a magnet was drawing us closer to each other. A hesitant smile lit up her face as she leaned in closer. My heart began hammering as her lips parted, an invitation for me to kiss her.
And then I remembered Zelena's words, and I jumped away from Emma's embrace as if I'd been branded by fire. I couldn't kiss Emma because she would lose her powers. But if I didn't kiss her, Zelena would take our baby.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked slowly, confusion and hurt etched onto her face.
"Nothing, love," I tried to smile reassuringly, but Emma's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Fine. If you don't want to tell me, don't. But I know you're lying." Emma snapped before turning away and walking into David's apartment.
I could imagine how our lips would touch, gently at first, and how my good hand would go up to cradle her head. I could feel her pulling me closer to her by the lapels of my coat as she had in Neverland. But thanks to bloody Zelena, that wasn't going to happen.
David poked his head out of the door. "Hey, Hook, do you want to stay for dinner?" David asked, unaware of what had just transpired with Emma. "Mary Margaret made enough food to feed an army."
"Actually, mate, could we take a walk?" I asked hesitantly. "There's something you need to know."
"Sure," David closed the door behind him and began his way down the stairs with me following behind him.
"So, you and Emma, huh?" David asked musingly. "You better not put one toe out of line, Jones."
David's face remained friendly, but I clearly heard the lightly disguised threat in his tone.
"No worries, David." I said honestly. "I love Emma dearly and there isn't a thing in this world that I wouldn't do for her."
"I believe you." David said seriously. "Just remember that she is my little princess, even if she is the same age as Mary Margaret and I."
"How does that feel?" I asked David curiously. "How does it feel to be the same age as your daughter?"
"It's the strangest thing in the world." David replied honestly. "I keep thinking I need to protect my daughter, yet she is a fully grown woman. I failed her."
"You didn't fail her, mate," I said softly. "Even though Emma doesn't show it very often, she loves you and Mary Margaret dearly. She's just too scared to open herself up after being alone for so long."
"You know her very well," David reflected. "How much time do you two spend together anyways?"
"Not much," I replied sadly. "Emma's always been an open book to me, though."
"Is everything alright between the two of you?" David asked with concern. "I mean, the baby must complicate things, but have you talked about the future yet?"
"No, we haven't talked about anything yet, mate," I sighed in frustration. "I know nothing of being a father! I'm bloody Captain Hook! What if I accidently spear my child with my hook? What if-?"
"Hook, slow down," David said soothingly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "First off, no one is really ready to be a parent. You just have to be able to put your daughter first, and everything else will work out. And if you're really scared of hurting her, use the prosthetic hand."
"Mate, I'm not parent material," I remembered Blackbeard's taunts. "Even Blackbeard told me that."
"Wait, hold on. Blackbeard?" David asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Hook, is there something you need to tell me?"
"Actually, there is, mate," I replied, nervously scratching behind my ear. "That's why I wanted to talk to you."
"Ok, so talk," David said. "I'm listening."
"I'm sure you're wondering what I was up to in the missing year," I began. "I met a pirate named Blackbeard, who gave me a magic bean in exchange for my ship. Also, as fate would have it, Blackbeard happens to be my father."
"Blackbeard is your father?" David asked in surprise. "How did you not know your father until now?"
"He abandoned me as a little lad, mate," I sighed. "My older brother Liam was more of a father to me than Blackbeard ever was."
"I'm sorry about Liam, Hook," David looked at me sadly. "I know you were very close."
"Aye, we were," I sighed softly, feeling the ache of Liam's passing acutely. "Anyways, I was a bloody fool. I took the Jolly Roger from Blackbeard, and he in turn took the bean. He imprisoned me on my own boat for several months, and finally gave me the bean with the promise that he would follow me here on the Jolly Roger and kill me."
"Hook, we've all made mistakes." David said fiercely. "The important thing is that we admit that we made a mistake and try to fix it."
"I'm not done, mate," I said grimly. "I met Blackbeard today on the Jolly Roger. I finally surrendered my ship to him in exchange for Henry. He made me swear on Emma's name to give him the Jolly. And once I did, Blackbeard turned into Zelena."
"What do you mean, turned into Zelena?" David asked, his brow creased in worry.
"I mean, she was disguising herself as Blackbeard." I sighed. "And she cursed me."
"What is your curse?" David asked. "Look, mate, you helped me survive in Neverland. I'm going to help you this time."
"Are you sure about that, mate?" I asked. "Zelena cursed my lips. The next time I kiss Emma, Emma's magic will be gone. But if I don't kiss Emma before she delivers the child, Zelena will steal my daughter."
"We aren't going to let that happen, Hook," David said fiercely. "We know something very important about Zelena now."
"And what is that?" I asked slowly, afraid of the answer.
"Emma is Zelena's weakness. Something about Emma scares Zelena." David smiled. "Emma is the key to defeating Zelena, which is why Zelena wants to eliminate her magic."
"Aye." I said softly. "She is the Savior, after all. We have to preserve Emma's magic."
"We can keep the baby from Zelena," David said confidently. "Regina can set up protection spells, making it impossible for Zelena to harm Emma or the baby. And while Emma gives birth, we will all protect the baby."
"You would do that, mate?" I asked, my voice choked up.
"Emma is my daughter, of course I would," David said firmly. "And even though I was surprised when I found out you were the father, I'm glad it's you."
"You are?" I asked in shock. David had been murderously angry upon finding out that I had gotten Emma pregnant.
"I know it didn't come off that way, but there is no one else I trust more to keep Emma safe besides myself." David smiled. "I'm sorry we all judged you."
"Thank you mate," I whispered into David's shoulder as he hugged me and patted my back firmly.
We walked in companionable silence back to the apartment. "What happened to Blackbeard, Hook?" David asked curiously. "Is Zelena keeping him prisoner?"
"She killed him," I replied. Now that I stopped to think about it, I didn't know how I felt about Blackbeard being dead. He may be my biological father, but he was never much of a father figure to me. I honestly couldn't say that I would miss him.
"I'm sorry, Hook," David said. "I know he was a real pain, but he was a father nonetheless."
"He threatened Emma," I remembered Blackbeard's threat clearly. "I can't say that I'm sad that Zelena dealt with him before he managed to come after me."
We reached the apartment door. David reached into his pocket for the key to unlock the door, and then fixed me with a firm gaze. "You should apologize to Emma," He said lightly, but I recognized a threat there all the same. "Pregnant women tend to be moody, but that doesn't mean you should keep Zelena's threat from her."
"Do you eavesdrop on Emma and I, mate?" I asked, keeping my voice light and friendly, but I was very concerned all the same.
"Hook, you and Emma aren't exactly quiet," David laughed. "And, besides, if you want privacy, you shouldn't be visiting my apartment this much."
"Fair enough, mate," I conceded, entering the apartment after David.
My eyes immediately sought out Emma. She was reclined on the couch, her feet propped up on the table. She and Mary Margaret were watching the strange moving picture box- no, television, I reminded myself, and eating something white right out of its carton.
"Love, what is that stuff?" I asked curiously, eyeing Emma's carton of the white food. It had flecks of brown and gold in it.
Emma gave me a look of complete astonishment. "Hook, its ice cream," Emma said with wide eyes. "Have you never had ice cream before?"
"Can't say that I have," I said with a grin, eager to try this strange food that seemed to please Emma so greatly.
"Ok, we're going to fix that now," Emma said.
I cautiously took the spoon full of ice cream from Emma and tried to bite into. "It's cold," I gasped, glaring at Emma as she giggled at me. I had never heard Emma giggle before. The little minx, she was enjoying my pain!
"It's called ice cream for a reason, Hook," David called from the kitchen with laughter in his voice.
"Shut it, Charming," I muttered. I chanced a look at Emma, and my anger melted away. How could I stay mad at her when she laughed and looked so bloody beautiful? I took another spoonful of the ice cream and took a bite of the sweet, being more careful this time around, and I couldn't help the tiny moan of satisfaction that escaped from my lips.
"Is it good?" Swan asked me, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes.
I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being right, so I merely shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.
"I know you like it," Emma smiled. "That's enough satisfaction for me."
Mary Margaret excused herself to go check on David. "I just need to go make sure he didn't burn the kitchen down," She said with a smile. "He's been in there for too long for my comfort."
Once her mother was out of earshot, Emma turned to me with a glare. "I haven't forgotten about our argument from earlier." She hissed. "I was only trying to keep up appearances for Mary Margaret. And let's face it; David doesn't need any more reasons to cut off your other hand."
"David and I have solved a majority of our differences," I said proudly. "And, love, I wouldn't expect to get off so easily."
"Good." Emma said promptly. "Now, tell me, what have you been trying to keep from me all day? And tell me about you and David being best mates now too."
"Demanding, aren't you, love?" I said with a roguish grin, but I quickly jumped into the story about Zelena pretending to be Blackbeard, and cursing my lips after I traded the Jolly Roger for Henry's life.
By the time I was done recounting my sob story, Emma was pacing in the living room, looking agitated and downright furious. "That green bitch," Emma hissed. "She pretended to be Blackbeard?"
"Aye, love. She knew that I was your weakness, and she was hoping to exploit that reality." I sighed in frustration, because I was now a liability to Emma. I had only been trying to protect her, Henry and the unborn lass, and now I was the cause of a huge problem.
"This isn't your fault." She said, as if reading my mind. "It's all Zelena. I'm just mad you didn't come to me right away! Did you not trust me?"
"I trust you to the ends of the world and back," I whispered. "I just didn't want to upset you, especially as you near the dangers of childbirth."
"What dangers? Hook, what on Earth are you talking about?" Emma asked in a baffled tone.
"I don't know what I would do if something happened to you while you deliver our child." I explained. "Childbirth is dangerous, love!"
"Hook, that is the least of our problems right now." Emma whispered, gently lowering herself down on the couch so she was sitting right next to me. She took my hand in both of hers and smiled. "Childbirth is not dangerous here. There are all sorts of technology to keep the mom and baby safe the whole time. Very few women die in childbirth in this world."
"Really?" I asked, not daring to believe her yet.
"Yes. I'll be fine," She smiled reassuringly. "Hook, did your… mother die in childbirth? Is that why you're scared for me?"
"Aye." I whispered, my eyes suddenly feeling moist. "I never even knew her."
"I'm so sorry," She whispered. She leaned into me comfortingly, still holding my sole hand in hers. "But I'll be fine. I gave birth to Henry before, did you forget about that?"
We were both quiet for a long time. I rubbed her distended belly comfortingly, relieved that she was still talking to me and not as mad as I feared she would be.
Emma pulled away from me suddenly, her eyes taking on an excited glint. She looked at me shyly for a moment before beginning. "Mary Margaret scheduled an appointment for me with Dr. Whale, which isn't awkward at all… Anyways, it's my last appointment before having the baby." She rambled on, her cheeks lighting up with a blush. "I was wondering if you wanted to come?"
"What is the appointment for?" I asked, my mind racing through a hundred fearful possibilities. "Is something wrong?"
"No, silly, everything is fine." She laughed. "In this land, it's normal to go see a doctor frequently while pregnant. They can check on the baby and make sure everything is progressing normally. And the father of the child usually goes with. Only if you wanted to, I mean."
"I would love to, lass," I said with a huge grin, honored that she wanted me with her at such an important moment.
Emma and I arrived at the hospital bright and early the next morning. I had no idea what to expect. What did Emma mean when she said they would check on the baby?
Dr. Frankenstein, or Dr. Whale as he was known in this land, was waiting for Emma in a white room with a reclining chair and a huge machine. Emma immediately took a seat at the large chair and I sat on a rickety plastic chair near her.
"So, Emma, you're due in about a week," Dr. Whale was reading off a thick stack of papers. "Everything's been normal so far, right?"
I tuned out of the conversation, and as a result, didn't notice that Emma was calling my name until she shook my shoulder gently. I came back to with a little jump. "What's wrong, lass?" I asked groggily.
"Someone isn't awake yet," Dr. Whale said lightly. "Mr. Jones, we were going to open the ultrasound machine. It will allow you to see an image of your unborn child."
"What?" I asked, fully awake now and feeling more than a bit stupid. "How?"
"You'll see," Emma said with a smile. The doctor pressed some blue jelly on Emma's stomach that made her gasp. And then he waved some sort of strange stick connected to the huge machine over Emma's belly.
A grainy, black and white image appeared on the machine. Emma and Whale seemed totally enamored by this image, cooing at it and laughing softly. I squinted, desperately trying to make sense of the bloody image, but I saw nothing. After putting up with the ridiculousness of this situation for a couple more minutes, I finally snapped. "Emma, love, what the bloody hell is so important about the image?" I asked. "I don't understand what the fuss is about!"
Emma and Whale both laughed. "That is our child," Emma explained with a wide smile. "See, there's her head, and one of her arms kicking me!"
I slowly got off the plastic chair and inched closer to the machine. Finally, I could see the dark shape of a child- my child! - in the image. A thousand different emotions rushed through me in that moment. What had I done in my miserable three hundred years of pirating, murdering, pillaging and causing misery to deserve this? Against my will, I felt myself getting teary.
"Hook, are you OK?" Emma asked worriedly.
"Aye, love, never been better," I whispered as I returned to my seat.
"You're a big softie," Emma said with a little laugh. "Who would have known that the ferocious Captain Hook would tear up at the image of a baby?"
"Do you want a couple print-outs?" Dr. Whale asked in an awkward voice.
"Yeah, I'll give one to Mary Margaret and then we can keep one." Emma decided. "Thank you, Dr. Whale."
We left the hospital with me clutching the ultrasound printout in my hand. My eyes roamed over the perfect little nose and her tiny little fingers bunched into a fist. "She's perfect." I whispered. "Just like you, love."
We stopped at Granny's for a quick lunch before heading back to David's apartment. Mary Margaret had insisted that Emma move into her apartment so she could help Emma when the baby was born. Even though Mary Margaret hadn't included my name in the invitation, I found that I was spending most of my days in Mary Margaret's apartment with Emma.
"So, one more week, love?" I asked, feeling both excited and nervous.
"It could be sooner," Emma said while munching on a French fry. "The baby could come any day now!"
I swallowed nervously. "I don't know if I'm ready yet, love," I admitted honestly.
"No one is ever completely ready," Emma said reassuringly. "But I already know that you will be a great father."
"If you say so, love," I sighed.
"Hook, what if Zelena takes the baby?" Emma asked a couple minutes later. "Maybe we should just kiss. I would rather have my baby safe than my magic any day."
"No, love," I said sharply. "The whole town will protect this baby. Regina will put up every kind of protective spell around the hospital. And you know that all of Storybrooke would fight Zelena to protect your child."
"Are you sure we can protect her?" Emma whispered. "I just want to give her her best chance."
"She already has her best chance," I murmured reassuringly. "I would give up my life before letting Zelena take her."
"I trust you," Emma whispered, gently kissing my cheek and rubbing my knee below the table. She shifted her hand to her belly, and smiled up at me. "We both trust you."
I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I stumbled into a lot of writer's block with this chapter, which is why it took me so long to write. I'm sorry about the delay. I already have the next chapter outlined, though, so I should be able to update faster. The next chapter is the biggie… we finally get to meet Emma and Hook's baby. I hope you like her name. :)
Hook and Charming need to become "mates" in the show. I need the writers to do that. A Hook/Charming bromance would be awesome, right? :)
Please leave me a review. It took me SO long to write this and I would love to hear some feedback from all of you! There are almost 200 followers to this story now, so I know I can get a lot of reviews.
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