The treasure room was enormous and Emma found herself doubting their chances of finding this legendary compass. Hook was pocketing coins as he looked, wondering aloud how much treasure they'd be able to carry with them. She rolled her eyes, he really was a pirate and for some reason she was endlessly amused by how evident that was here.
When he asked her for a boost to look at the top of a large cage, Emma immediately denied him, still not sure she believed his allegiances had changed. The last thing she wanted was for him to grab the compass and return it to Cora, leaving her at the top of the beanstalk with the damn giant. Standing next to him in front of the cage he looked at her with frustration.
"Try something new darling, it's called trust." he told her, and she reminded herself that she had trusted him, for years. This was the same man, whether he remembered her or not, and she truly felt that she could trust him, but something was holding her back. There wasn't time to dwell on the true identity of Killian Jones or Captain Hook or whoever he was, however, because the giant chose that moment to barge in. Apparently magic knockout powder lasted roughly fifteen minutes. She watched as Killian instinctively reached out toward her, whether or not his intention was to protect her she wasn't quite sure, but they began running side by side trying to avoid the monster of a man that was heading their way.
"Quickly, get under something." he called to her as they ran, but as the giant lumbered toward them, the earth shook under their feet causing the foundation of the building to crumble, and heavy stones fell from the ceiling... right on top of her pirate accomplice.
"Hook!" she screamed, and momentarily realized this was the first time she'd used his moniker since he introduced himself to her and the other women. Her stomach dropped when he didn't reply but she didn't have time to consider his fate before the giant was on her heels, grabbing her and squeezing the life out of her. She felt the pressure first as it gradually increased and turned to pain, then she felt the burning in her lungs as her body tried and failed to pull more oxygen in. Her vision began to blur and she knew it would only be moments before she lost consciousness. She bit down on the giant's hand as hard as she could and he let go of her in shock, allowing her to tumble from his grasp and land on his shoe.
After trapping him in his own cage and threatening him until she got the compass, she turned to get Killian and go. The giant broke free, but instead of attacking her as she expected, he showed her a way out, and she asked for a second favor.
"What do you want?" Anton asked her, and she knew she was pressing her luck, but she needed to make sure she wasn't going to be betrayed to Cora.
"I need you to keep my friend distracted." she said quietly, feeling guilty already.
"What? You're not taking him with you?" the giant questioned and she wasn't even sure she knew how to explain her plan to him, but she needed his help.
"There's something... different about him," she began "I'm not sure I can trust him. I just need you to keep him here for ten hours, just long enough for me to get a head start."
Anton didn't look any less puzzled, but at the end he agreed to keep Hook in the treasure room for ten hours, and Emma thanked him. She felt mixed emotions wash over her, part relief, part guilt, part apprehension. But she needed to give herself and Mary Margaret their best chance of escaping the Enchanted Forest, and she wasn't sure there was a better way than this.
"You are bloody brilliant, amazing!" Killian exclaimed as she helped him out of the rubble. Emma showed him the compass and after she had placed it safely back into the pocket of her red leather jacket, he held his hand out to her so they could leave. She looked at it for a moment before placing her own hand in his and she felt the unmistakeable surge of energy that passed between them, causing her to release an involuntary gasp. When she looked at his face there was a hint of a smile, and a bit of wonder there. He had felt it too. She almost abandoned her plan right there, but she couldn't risk it, not with Henry at home waiting for her, not with Mary Margaret, Mulan, and Aurora expecting her to return with the compass. With her resolve hardened, she clasped the chains around his good wrist, the one her fingertips had been resting against seconds before.
He looked down in confusion before standing up to face her and Emma thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest.
"What are you doing?" he asked her, and his face displayed a range of emotions from bewilderment to agitation to hurt and the brokenness of it startled her. She knew why she was doing it, but then why did it feel so wrong?
"Hook, I - I can't -" she started, failing to find the words, unsure of why it was so damn hard for her to do what she thought was right when it coincided with leaving him here. She knew he wasn't in danger, knew Anton would keep his promise. You're trusting a giant you just met over someone you've known since you were 5, said a voice in the back of her head, and she pushed it out of her mind.
"Emma, look at me." he whispered and she obliged, regretting it immediately when she saw the look on his face. "Have I told you a lie?"
The truth was, he had told her a lie. He had told it to her years ago, had repeated it earlier that day. Not lies, but half-truths, and really wasn't it the same thing? He was right, the compass was in her care now, if there had been a time to betray him, it should have been as soon as the cuff was on her wrist. Now it was - what - a last ditch effort to ignore the man she'd grown up loving? Out of sight, out of mind?
"I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you." she breathed before she could stop the words from escaping her lips. The statement said so much, and if he was the same man from her dreams, he would know that. She couldn't be wrong about who he was, about knowing him.
'I just don't want to take a chance on happiness again and be disappointed.' Emma told Killian as they walked along their usual path, holding hands. She was 13 and she had heard a rumor that her current foster family was considering adopting her. It was just a rumor, and while Andrew - another foster child in the same home - had not been lying about the information, that didn't mean whoever told him was telling the truth.
Killian looked at her thoughtfully before speaking. He did that a lot and she'd come to know the look as one that meant he was deciding on the best way to say something.
'Well, lass, if there's one thing I've gleaned over the years, it's that there's always hope. Even when hope seems lost.' he said finally, in an almost sad voice.
Emma was struck by the feeling that she was being selfish, always talking about her own problems while Killian listened. They rarely talked about him, and he was clearly hurting right now.
'What's bothering you?' she demanded before she could stop herself or think of a gentler way of asking. He stopped walking, forcing her to stop as well since they were holding hands, and just stared at her.
'Whatever do you mean, love?' he asked quizzically, and his eyes were wary on hers, as if he was afraid to give too much away.
'I just - you seem upset, and I just thought if you want to talk about it...' she trailed off, watching his face but he gave nothing away.
After a few moments he let out a quiet sigh.
'I have a plan in the works, something I've been working on for a long time. It's just that sometimes it feels like I've come so far, and yet - I don't feel much closer to the end.' it was the most honest thing she'd ever heard from him that was not a joke. He released her hand and reached up to rub a finger behind his ear, something he often did when he was considering something. 'Ah, well, don't you worry about me, Swan. I've been in much tighter binds before.' he told her with a wink as they continued on their way.
He was angry that she was leaving him there, assuming she was leaving him to his death, not knowing about the deal she made with the giant.
"He's not a beast," she said in reply to his accusations, "and you're not going to die." He looked so lost in that moment, and she made a snap decision to test him, needing to know the truth.
"I have a plan in the works," she said, watching his face carefully for any change. "It's just that sometimes it feels like I've come so far, and yet -" she saw the anger give way to something else, and she paused as he opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry." she muttered before turning to leave.
"and yet..." he breathed quietly and her heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat. Her back was still to him and she was certain he could see the tensing of her shoulders at the two words. Two words that could be nothing more than repetition of what she had just said, or two words that meant recognition of something said long ago. She counted the seconds in her head, hearing nothing but his breathing behind her. When she got to number seven he spoke again.
"I don't feel much closer to the end."