A/N: hello my dearest muffins! Sorry this took me so long, I just couldn't find a way to tie everything together smoothly and I came up with a bunch of new ideas I just didn't know how to incorporate! Thank you all so so so much for the reviews and favorites, follows, etc. I absolutely cannot wait until Sunday for the next OUAT episode…WAH!
"Why are you so obsessed with me?!" ~Mean Girls
"Emma…"
"Mar- Mom…"
"Emma, we have to talk about this! What happened with Hook on the beanstalk?"
It was nearly sunrise now. The group of five had travelled to the edge of the forest, getting some rest and waiting for dawn before setting out to finally get to Lake Nostros where Cora (and the wardrobe ashes) were. Emma could already see the first rays of light peeking over the horizon.
"Nothing happened, mom. Really."
Snow White rolled her eyes. "Please- I see the way he's been looking at you. He admires you Emma. What'd you do to him? Actually, no, on second thought, with the way you've both been acting lately… oh gods, please tell me you two didn't- you know what? You're right. I don't want to know."
Emma's cheeks flushed a bright pink, the color matched the shade of the clouds floating above them.
"No! Oh god Snow, no, just- just no, okay? Nothing like that happened. I just… may have almost double crossed him and left him chained to the giant's castle?"
The words left Emma's mouth in one quick, questioning breath. She half prayed her mother didn't hear them.
"You what?!"
Wincing, Emma started to respond with an indignant tone- that was, until she stopped abruptly as Mary Ma- Snow-Mom- whatever- burst into spontaneous peals of laughter.
"Oh my gods! Emma… you… you almost left Captain Hook chained to a giant's wall? Okay, yep, you are so my daughter!"
To say Emma was beyond surprised would be an understatement. Slowly, she cracked a smile, then joined Snow in their incessant laughter. There was a sense of something she had never felt before inside her heart. Her mother was proud of her. She never willingly gave Emma up. She wanted her. She wanted her daughter Emma- just the way she was. She thought of David, who had nearly been killed and was transported to Storybrooke in a coma because he had fought for her. He had fought to get baby Emma into the wardrobe so she could be safe. He willingly gave what could've- and just might've been- his last breath to see that she got to Earth safely.
The laughter slowly died, and Emma's eyes started tearing up.
"Mar- Mom, what if… what if we don't get back? To Storybrooke? I- I just got Henry back! I just started to believe! What about you? You just got David- or Charming- back too! And now the town's left with both Regina and Rumplestiltskin running around free. And- and August! Oh my god, August is probably out there somewhere dying because I didn't believe him! What if he's wood again?! Snow, we-we have to get back. I won't leave Henry alone again. I can't! I-"
"Emma! Emma it's okay, we will make it. Henry needs you. I believe in you Emma. We can do it. Good will always win. No matter what happens to you, just remember this!"
Snow White held her daughter as silent tears streamed down both their faces. They would do it. They had to, and they would. Together. As a family.
When the sun rose, each wiped their faces. Emma's face was a mask of determination, and Snow knew that whatever happened, they would be able to overcome it just like they had overcome everything else.
*BOOP BOP SHOO BEE DOO OPP PAGE BREEAAAAKKK!*
"Hook! Hook, wake up! We're leaving now."
While the others had went to go take down the campsite and prepare they're weapons, Emma was tasked with waking Hook. The job was easier said than done though. The stupid pirate wasn't budging an inch. If it hadn't been for his steady breathing, not to mention the stupid smirk on his face that made it painfully obvious he was just being plain difficult, Emma would've thought he was dead.
Fed up with his act, Emma reached over to smack him- and hard- if it wasn't for the fact that suddenly she was moving and the world spun as she found herself on the ground pinned under Hook's muscular, toned body. Stopping that train of thought immediately, Emma hissed out an indignant "What the hell?"
"I'm sorry love, but I do believe you were just about to smack the living hell out of an innocent sleeping pirate. Call it self-defense, if you will."
"Innocent? I was calling your name! You were awake! What-what- what the fuck?" Emma was at a loss to how she should've answered such a response. Innocent? As if.
"Ooo, such dirty language coming from a lovely lass like yourself. Although I'd like to point out darling, you weren't calling me by my name."
His smirk grew even wider, if possible. Things had been a bit off between them lately after the whole 'hugging in front of Snow' incident. At least, Emma felt strange about it. He had told her he cared about her, and while Emma would allow herself to admit secretly to herself that she did have some sort of emotional draw to Killian- she would never say it out loud to anyone else. If she did, she knew he'd leave her- involuntarily or not.
"Fine. Killian- get your lazy fucking ass up and off me. We're going to the lake now."
"Was that so hard?"
"…"
"Aw, c'mon now love! Don't ignore me!"
"…"
"Swan?"
Still no response.
"Emma?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something to me earlier? I just decided to pretend I couldn't hear you because my real name is Emma and such and I am just an absolute pain in the ass ya know?"
This time, it was Emma's turn to shoot him a cheeky grin
"There's my lass!" He chuckled heartily, before pointing north with his hooked hand and saying "This way to the lake, darling."
Just this once, Emma pretended she didn't notice his use of "my" lass and decided to deal with him another day. One where they were in Storybrooke. Because even if she couldn't admit it out loud- Emma knew that she wanted to bring Killian back with her. As long as he kept to his word and stayed the hell away from her son, of course.
*BOOP BOP SHOO BEE DOO OPP PAGE BREEAAAAKKK!*
Up ahead, Snow and Mulan were discussing plans for once they reached the lake. Aurora was trailing behind them, leaving Emma and Killian together at the back.
"So love, any chance I'll be meeting your son Henry in this world?"
Ugh, he was impossible. Could he not give her a moment of silence? In response, she just glared at him.
"You should know by now that your silence does not discourage me, darling."
"…"
"It's okay, really. I know you're just afraid if you talk you won't be able to stop yourself from admitting you've been thinking of jumping my bones the moment you laid eyes upon me."
He was purposely taunting her, trying to bait her into talking. Sadly, it was working.
"HOOK! Can you please shut the fuck up?!" Seething, she inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. "My head is pounding enough as it is without you adding your fair share of innuendo every five seconds. Just leave. Me. Alone."
Immediately, his eyes softened and he slowly turned her around to make sure her head wound had stopped bleeding. He guiltily murmured his apologies. "I'm sorry love. Can't believe I didn't check this first thing this morning." His eyes widened. "Oh… oh gods, Emma, this morning- when I flipped you on to your back- I didn't hurt you did I?"
Emma was shocked at his apology. There was no trace of a lie in his voice. He was sincere, honest, genuinely concerned- and looking at her with eyes that would make any woman melt. Slowly, Emma leaned against him as his strong arms wrapped around her waist, the tip of his hook gently prodding at the small of her back. She shivered and both of them leaned in, their foreheads were touching, noses bumping, lips just a hairsbreadth away—
"Well, well, dear captain. So this is who you double crossed me for."
A/N: WAHAHA! I hate to end it here, but I have to submit a paper by 8 so I'm going to go do that after I upload this. I had a lot more originally planned but I decided I would let the big fight with Cora happen next chapter. I will definitely have the next chapter up sometime tomorrow if not later tonight (although it would be pretty late at night) but I do already have the set up for the next chapter so we will see!
Summary of next chapter: Showdown against Cora, badass Snow White, Emma having some magical discoveries, Aurora and Mulan go to find Philip's soul(but I guess you already knew that) an unexpected turn out of the first Rumple/Hook confrontation, and Killian makes his feelings known(;
Hopefully this will be up before tomorrow but I swear at the very, very, very latest I will post chapter 4 on Thursday!