Hey, everyone! I've had some really lovely comments over the past couple of days - thank you! This is the longest chapter so far - lots of Old!Killian, so enjoy :)
Emma was as surprised as anyone to be making her way to the Dark One's castle with such an unlikely group in the early dawn; Robin was walking close to the front, his bow in his hand and his eyes scanning the forest; Milah had changed into a burgundy leather corset and trousers, claiming they were the most practical, though Emma questioned that; Captain Jones was following just behind her, carrying a black satchel and staring quite openly at his wife's accentuated figure; Regina was bringing up the rear, furtively glancing at Robin as she did.
Their conversation on The Jolly Roger had taken quite a turn.
"I need to find a way to get back to my son," Emma had said, imploring to Milah. "Please, I need your help to return to our realm. Right now, I don't know how we're going to manage it."
Milah had watched Emma, first frantically because the revelation of her connection with Baelfire, and then soberly. She walked to Emma and stood in front of her, no longer appraising her, but with a look of understanding.
"I know what it is to be separated from a child," she said. "No mother should be away from her son."
"Love, I-" Killian began.
"We will help you," Milah said. The next words had been spoken to the crew. "Untie them!"
As they walked through the forest now, Killian came up behind Emma and snaked his arm over her shoulders.
"So, lass," he said, "you mentioned we were knocking boots in your realm."
"Your wife is right next to you," Emma said, peeling his hand from her.
"She doesn't mind," Killian said, laughing. "You know I have a woman in every port?"
"So he says," said Milah, "but I know I've ruined him for all other women."
Killian threw back his head in laughter.
"True, my love," he said. He turned to Emma again. "So, Miss Swan, did I ruin you for all other men?"
"Oh please," Emma said, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, oh please," Regina said from the back, "please stop."
"I apologise," Killian said, "I didn't realise that I'm so non-essential to your quest that I can leave and be on my way. I'll take my squid ink with me."
His hand clasped over the black satchel that he'd brought with him, in which the bottle of inky magic was being kept. Once they had established that there was no magic powerful enough on The Jolly Roger to open a portal, they'd had to think of something else.
It had been Robin who had suggested a magic wand. Surprisingly, it had also been him to suggest they look for one at the Dark One's castle.
"I've been there before," he said. "I needed the wand for… well, regardless, I didn't succeed. The wand would still be there and the last I'd heard, the Dark One was imprisoned by the King and Queen."
"About that," Regina said, sheepishly. "He's no longer in prison. I released him when I went looking for a way to open a portal. It wouldn't have mattered, Emma and I were supposed to be gone by now, but…"
Killian shook his head.
"The Dark One has a reputation that's known across all lands, no matter where we've sailed to," he said. "There's no way you'll be able to retrieve something from his castle without his knowing."
"Then we need to distract him," Emma said.
"Even that's too risky," Regina said, "we'd practically be handing ourselves over on a plate. We need to face him and make a deal."
"No," Emma said. "I refuse to do that."
"What about squid ink?" Milah had suggested.
Emma looked over at Milah now, whose hand was grasping her husband's as they navigated the woodland path. Emma's heart felt like a thumping knot in her chest. Milah and Killian had produced the squid ink, knowing of its immobilising properties, and had offered it to Emma on the condition that they accompany it.
"It's been a while since we've been on a proper adventure," Milah had said.
"Besides that, you might be thieves," Killian had said. "Wouldn't want you running off with my goods and leaving without payback. The Dark One's castle will be loaded with treasure, I'm sure. That will be payment enough."
"You've got to be kidding me," Regina said. "Please tell me you see the irony in that."
Hook laughed.
"Do as I say, not as I do."
He looked so carefree, Emma thought as she watched them together. Killian stumbled a little over a tree branch and Milah laughed at his expense, earning herself a playful squeeze. Emma had realised, during the course of their planning, that they did not know the true identity of the Dark One. Her Hook had told her of the reunion long ago aboard his ship, of Milah and her ex-husband. Knowing how it had ended, she couldn't bring herself to tell them now. Without their help, she wouldn't get back to Henry.
If Regina knew, she kept quiet as well. Emma reasoned that Hook's past was not common Storybrooke knowledge; the town knew about his stolen hand, but they might not know about his wife's stolen heart. That was something that Killian had once told her in low tones in a private moment. How she longed for her Killian now.
Captain Jones was all pirate brashness.
Though the way he looked at Milah was different…
"We're not far," Robin called from the front of the group.
"Then that's my opening to take a leak," Killian announced, splitting from the group and wandering off into the trees. Milah watched him amusedly, then joined Robin as he walked in front.
Emma walked alone for a few minutes, thinking of Henry and going over their plan to get back to him and the others in Storybrooke. Her Killian would take care of Henry, as would David, but she still worried to be away from him. Storybrooke had such a knack for attracting trouble that it was hard not to anticipate danger happening there.
When Captain Jones re-joined the group, he walked alongside Emma. The morning sun was rising in earnest now, casting a warm glow over them as they reached a hilltop and broke free from the trees. A castle loomed in the near distance, down a few miles of country road.
"The Dark One's castle, I presume," Killian said as he and Emma followed a little behind the group.
"Have you ever met the Dark One?" Emma asked. She considered that she was in dangerous territory, but she had to know for certain.
"No, I've never had the displeasure" he replied. "As I said, we've heard of his misdeeds many a time during our travels, but It's been years since we've docked in this kingdom."
"You've travelled far?"
"We've travelled everywhere. There's a map on the wall of my cabin on The Jolly that Milah likes to throw her knife into. Wherever it lands, that's where we sail to next."
Emma thought wistfully of Neal and their map to Tallahassee.
"And your son has always travelled with you?"
"Yes, he was born on the ship." Killian smiled. "As soon as he was old enough to learn the ropes, he was navigating with the rest of us. He's a skilled navigator, knows the stars better than I do, I reckon. He's got sea legs though – he gets land-sick sometimes."
Emma laughed.
"How is he expected to conquer the women at every port if he can't go on land to seduce them?"
"He's my son!" Killian protested in jest. "I would never teach him to debase women in such a way… Of course, he's my son, so he does it anyway."
They walked a few moments in silence, Emma listening to the birds and trying not to think about all the ways that her Killian and this Captain Jones were the same and different. Captain Jones was surveying the skies.
"The weather looks favourable," he said.
"We're talking about the weather?" Emma said.
"I'm a sea-faring man," he said. "The weather is vitally important."
"I suppose. I just worried for a second that we were running out of things to say. That's never happened to us before. Well, with my Killian," she corrected.
"Your Killian? This imposter bloke from that realm you insist is real?"
"It is real and so is he."
"So you keep saying," Killian said, "but I know that the universe can only possibly hold so much charisma, and the true source is standing right in front of you."
"Yes, my Killian was quite arrogant when I first met him too, although I trained most of that out of him," Emma said, grinning. Captain Jones smirked and looked ahead towards Milah; no doubt she'd done something similar with him.
"So this Killian then," Captain Jones said, carefully stepping down the hill and offering her a hand as she climbed down a particularly tricky rock. "Is he as devilishly handsome as I am?"
"More so," Emma joked, "because he's not old and grey yet. Though it pains me to say it to your face, but I will admit I'll be very happy if he looks like you by the time we get to your age."
"You plan to be together then?"
"Always," Emma said, filled with the reassuring certainty that permeated her thoughts of Hook now.
"So your Killian," he said, "has no Milah tattoo?"
Emma almost stopped short, suddenly worried that she would say too much and ruin their chances of completing their plan. He is not real, she said to herself, echoing her words to Regina only yesterday. This realm is not real.
"He does have the tattoo," she said, "but Milah had died long before I met him."
"How long?"
"Hundreds of years," Emma replied.
"A hundred years and he still looks more handsome than me?" Captain Jones said. "That's codswallop if I ever did hear it."
"It's the truth! It's complicated – he's travelled across many different realms, some of which were frozen in time or had no concept of it. The people there never age."
"Interesting," Captain Jones mused. "Did Milah not go with him?"
"No," she replied, "she had already passed away by then."
"How?"
Emma reminded herself again that this realm wasn't real – practically fictitious – and that little white lies wouldn't last much longer here.
"She left Baelfire," Emma said, "and it ended up killing her."
Captain Jones did not ask any more questions, for which Emma was glad. He was absorbed in his thoughts on the rest of the way down the hill; their companions had assembled together at the bottom, waiting for them to catch up. As they came closer, Killian spoke up again.
"My Milah has never been able to let go of Baelfire," he said. "She's right, no mother should ever be apart from her children and she's regretted it ever since. We heard that he'd died a while ago when we were travelling through Arendelle. Her heart broke that they had never reconciled and that's why we came back here. She wants to see his grave. I would never wish that sadness on anyone, Miss Swan. We will help you return to your boy."
Emma blinked away some of the faint tears that were beginning to mist over her eyes.
"Thank you," she said, simply.
As they walked on, she realised what a weight it had been to have Captain Jones under the impression that this was all a ruse, and now he had changed his mind.
It wasn't much, but it felt one step closer to Henry.
Hope you enjoyed :) You'll be seeing Prince Henry next chapter!
Emily x
