By the way, if any of this or anything close to this actually happens, I'm going to freak out.
Killian's good hand shot out, grabbing the ledge before he could fall into the chasm below. His fingers scraped down the rock a few inches before he got a firm grip on one of the rocks jutting out from the cliff. He let out a groan as he slammed up against the side of it, the pain in his ribs flaring up at the contact. He tried to use the arm that normally had the hook to brace against any other rocks sticking out, but he could only get so much leverage to hold himself up. He yelled in frustration as he focused on keeping his grip with his good hand firm.
He heard the ground crunch above him, and Regina appeared at the top of the ledge. She sent him a smirk. "I'm sorry, Hook, but we knew it was going to be either you betray me again or vice versa. I'm just beating you to the punch."
Killian groaned as the muscles in his side continued to pull. "Again? You and your mother are the ones who took the map to the dagger, Your Highness," he spit out.
"And you're the reason she was able to come to Storybrooke." Regina knelt down and gave his and a small tap. "And we both know that you sabotaged that map." There was a roar from down below them, and Regina's face lit up a bit. "Happy hanging, Captain."
She disappeared behind the ledge, and he let out another frustrated yell as he looked down. He could see a faint glow in the darkness of the deep black below him and new if he didn't get out of there soon, he was either going to fall to his death or whatever was down there was going to come after him. He cursed that the queen had forced him to leave his hook on his ship when they went to retrieve his sword for this mission below the library. And now here he was, barely hanging on.
He found his mind drifting to Emma, and what Regina's plan entailed. She wanted to take Henry, take the beans, and wipe Storybrooke off the map. She wanted everyone to be in it when she did, getting rid of them once and for all. He was already regretting getting her out of the clutches of Tamara and Greg, especially with Emma's safety now in jeopardy. He didn't understand what it was about her, but there was an unexplainable connection between the two of them, and he cared for her. He cared about her more than he cared to admit. He cared about her more than he cared about himself. And he started to find that he thought about her more than he thought about his revenge on Rumplestiltskin. As he hung from the ledge, he found that his biggest regret involved a certain blonde and never getting to tell her that.
He felt is grip on the small rock start to slip, and he did his best to readjust his grip without falling. He knew he wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer. The roar below him sounded again, and he scrambled to use his bad arm to find some bit of wall to hang on to, but all he did was manage to jostle himself more. His fingers started to slip, and he knew if readjusted again, he would fall for sure. He also knew that if he didn't do anything, he would plummet to his death. His gaze fell again to the pit below. He knew he couldn't just let himself fall. He swung his bad arm as hard as he could in hopes that he could at least reach the edge of the cliff, and his grip on the wall faltered, and he started to fall.
Emma sat at the dock, across from the Jolly Roger, reading the storybook for the second time that week. She knew in the back of her mind why she found this spot so relaxing. It cleared her mind of almost everything. The soft lapping of the water against the hull of the ship and the smell of the breeze coming off of the bay made a calm wash over her that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a false calm that she was going to allow herself to feel for the hour she let herself have to escape.
She stared down at the text, reading about her parents discussing the curse—the curse and how to keep their child safe. Her. She smiled down at the words her mother had said to her father, before moving her gaze to the illustration. Her father and mother in the doorway of the balcony, her hands in his as he tried to comfort her as the threat of the curse loomed over them. She could see the love they had for each other and for her through the drawing alone. It was still overwhelming to have the amount of love and care in her life that she did now—that she'd always had. It had just been waiting on her to arrive.
As her gaze continued to scan to drawing in the book, her eyes caught something she hadn't paid much attention to the first few times she'd looked at it. Her eyes had always been drawn to the statue of the knight on the right side of the crib—her crib—but this time, she found herself staring at another figure on the other side. Her eyes widened at the realization that the figure was a pirate. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times, like a fish on land needing the relief of water. There was a fucking pirate doll in her nursery!
Her head immediately shot up, and she was staring at the Jolly Roger. Her mind wandered to the pirate she'd left in New York. She'd left Storybrooke to save him, but he couldn't leave well enough alone, causing her to have to think on her feet. It wasn't the ideal plan to leave him in a strange city, but she had no choice. She couldn't sneak him onto the ship, she knew that much, but she wasn't going to leave him to rot in the cellar. So, she told right before they left, she made her way back down to the room, told him he was an idiot, and left the hook within his reach.
Something at the helm of the ship glinted in the sunlight, catching her in the eye. She raised her hand to block it before slowly standing and making her way to the gangplank. She hadn't been on the ship since they'd returned from Manhattan and she knew why. She felt guilty for leaving him behind. Again. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he'd make his way back to her. Because somehow, he always did.
Her boots fell heavy on the deck of the ship as she slowly walked over to the wheel, where the source of the glint had hit her eye. She took the stairs one small step at a time until she was staring at the wheel, her mouth slightly open. On the wheel of the ship, sat the hook normally attached to the pirate.
Her eyes darted around the deck of the ship, trying to see if she'd mistakenly looked over him. "Hook?" she called out, slightly quiet. There were people at the docks that she didn't want to alert. She descended the stairs, looking around more frantically than she should for him. When she realized he wasn't on the deck, she moved to the door that led below, calling out for him a little louder. She checked every place she thought he could be. She checked the brig. She checked the stores. She even checked the crew's quarters, before making her way to the only place she hadn't been on the ship: the Captain's quarters.
She didn't know what to expect behind the door, so she slowly pushed it open. It was brightly lit, the sun streaming in through a window. There was a desk, neatly covered with papers and maps, a bed, and a few trunks throughout the room. She wasn't really surprised. The room honestly screamed him, and she didn't know why she knew that. But one thing was certain—he wasn't there either. She leaned back against the door, scanning the room again. Her eyes fell to her side looking at a small stand next to the door. She recognized it from her own apartment. It was something that David kept his sword in, and this one was empty. If he wasn't on his ship, Emma knew he would be out in the town, and she couldn't have that. Not with Tamara and Greg walking around.
She made her way back out and off the ship. Her legs carried her as fast as they could, her first stop being Gold's shop. She checked the perimeter and peered into the windows, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She couldn't think of another place that he might be in town, so she began just wandering, thinking she may just happen to stumble upon him. She knew her luck wasn't that good though. If anyone was going to be found, he'd be the one to get the jump on her.
She wandered past Granny's, looked around the shops, and even checked her apartment, but there was no sign of him anywhere. She sank onto one of the benches that lined the streets of Storybrooke and let out a heavy sigh. Her search had failed, and he was still out there with the possibility of running into the two normal people in town. She leaned back, closed her eyes and started to take a deep breath when the sound of a door clanking shut got her attention.
She looked up to see Regina leaving the library, looking over her shoulder multiple times. She placed a padlock back around chains that hadn't been on since Belle had taken over before her memories were wiped. Emma sat still, not wanting to draw Regina's attention until she gave a tug on the lock and left quickly. Emma waited until she was completely out of sight to make her way over to the door. Knowing there was no reason to board the library back up again, she took her gun from its holster and shot the lock. She pulled the chain from the handles and made her way into the library, stopping abruptly at the sight of the elevator being left open.
She immediately sensed something was wrong, and it seemed her legs were moving on their own into the elevator, knowing that two people weren't needed to work it like Regina had told her so long ago. She flipped a few switches, and the elevator was descending rapidly. She didn't know what Regina had been up to, but by how she looked when she locked the library, Emma knew it wasn't good.
The elevator came to a halt, and she pointed her gun around she exited. She slowly walked the path she had before, her eyes sweeping over the area, looking for surprises. Then she heard it. The roar that she'd heard so long ago, followed by a groan of strain and pain that was much closer. She made her way to the ledge, hearing the strain of whoever was over it. She heard the roar below again, the sound still far enough away for her not to worry about it. Someone was hanging off the ledge, and she needed to help them.
She rushed over quickly, the yelling of the person sounding completely strained from exhaustion. She was shocked to see Killian swinging his bad arm up in an attempt to gain leverage while his hand slipped. Her hand shot out instinctively before he could fall too far, and she wrapped her hands around his hand and wrist.
Killian's gaze shot up as he felt the grip of her hands wrap around his. He couldn't stop the smile that came, a laugh escaping as well. "Nice catch, Emma."
Emma let out a breathy chuckle. "What can I say? I took some notes from you on what makes a good dramatic entrance."
"Well, it's about bloody time you learned something from me." The roar below them was getting louder. "Now, be a dear and pull me up."
Emma looked down at the glow below them and used her all her strength to pull him up. He did his best help her, but she had a hold of his good hand, and he could only push with his other arm so much. When they finally had him up, they collapsed on the ground, gathering their breath for a few seconds, until the roar sounded again, even closer than before.
Killian pulled himself off the ground, his ribs still ablaze with pain, but still held out his hand for Emma to take, a small smile on his lips. She looked up, shocked by his expression before her eyes moved from his face, down his arm to the hand he had offered her. She could remember a time when their places were switched, when she had offered him her hand and betrayed him. But his face was much different that hers had been. Without hesitation, her hand was in his, and he was pulling her up.
His face was suddenly serious as another loud roar came from beyond the ledge, drawing his sword as it came. "You have to get out of here, Emma. Your town is about to take a very bad turn."
She shook her head. "You're not staying down here on your own. Do you know what's down there?"
"A dragon, I would presume."
The words of his former sentence hit her, and she looked at him, confused. "What do you mean? What's going to happen to the town?"
"If Regina," he stopped, interrupted by another roar. "If Regina succeeds, she's going to take your son and the beans you've been growing, before wiping this town off the map. She's the immediate threat." He stepped in front of her as the dragon flew up from the open chasm, roaring loudly.
"Immediate threat?" she yelled over the roar.
He turned back to her, pulling her in for a quick, passionate kiss. When he pulled back, he shook her from her dazed state. "If I make it out of here, I'll elaborate a bit more, but don't trust the Tamara woman. She isn't what she seems." They backed up quickly as the dragon landed on the ledge. "Now, go Emma." She started to protest, but he cut her off. "Go!"
Emma pulled him into the elevator, him leaning on her heavily. His fight against the dragon in his already injured state had ended in him coming out of it pretty exhausted. She got him leaned up against the wall of the elevator before pushing the levers needed to get the elevator to make its climb up the shaft.
"I told you to leave, love," he said, breathing heavily.
She turned her attention back toward him, eyeing a few of his injuries that were exposed. "I couldn't just leave you down there alone."
"And why is that? You'd done it before."
She let out a sigh, before moving over and taking her long sleeve, wiping the blood from his hairline. She gave him a mumbled sorry as the elevator continued to move. "Things have changed, Hook… A lot has changed since the last time we talked…"
"And we'll deal with that change…" he trailed off, wanting to know where they stood.
"We'll deal with that change when we deal with whatever Regina is doing. And whatever other danger you seem to think there is."
He reached up and took her hand in his, stroking the back softly. "And we'll deal with it together?"
She looked down at her feet for a few second, letting the thought settle in her mind. A long time ago, she would have been terrified of a word like together, but things with Henry and her family had opened up a part of her that had been closed off for a long time. And she felt like there was something in him that belonged in that part. It was just going to take some getting used to. She looked into his eyes and nodded. "Together."