She was only standing a little bit away from him holding the compass like a life-line in her hands and directing him. But he couldn't help but steal glances to look at her, it was all so surreal, having her back on his ship and he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. Emma Swan, Goldilocks, was both a pain and a joy. He'd despised her, was angry that he'd let some thief play him like he was some common old man. But, now, he didn't. He understood her, understood why she did what she did and sure he was still annoyed by it but right now it didn't matter.

"Captain!" shouted down Perkins from the crows nest, "I see a ship!"

Emma at once spun around to look at him. "Hold the wheel for me would you love?"

She nodded and took one hand off the compass and took the wheel, as Hook took his spyglass out of his coat and using his teeth pull it open. He lifted the object to his eye. In the distance he could just make out the shape of a ship, at this distance though he could work out if it was Blackbeard's or not. But he knew it had to be.

"Prepare yourselves men!" he shouted at them. Then he turned to Emma and offered her out the spyglass, "Keep an eye on the horizon will you?"

"Do we have a plan?"

"We fight,"

"I can't risk a fight. Liam's just a child,"

"My men and I will keep Blackbeard distracted, you go and rescue your boy,"

"How am I going to get on his ship?

"What are your acting skills like?" he told her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The Jolly Roger rolled up alongside Blackbeard's ship. Hook could almost feel Emma's heart racing next to him. "He'll be fine, love," he whispered to her.

"Hook!" shouted Blackbeard as their ships got close enough. Both their crews poised with their swords at the ready. "Ah, and Goldilocks. This isn't exactly how I told you to get in contact with me,"

"You send some thief to come and do your dirty work?" Hook laughed darkly, "You're pathetic ."

"I want my map,"

"If you want it, you'll have to get it yourself,"

Emma's hands were tied behind her back though the rope were loose, it would only take her a second to get out of the ropes if she so wished. "Why didn't you just kill her, why come and find me?" Blackbeard asked,

"She's a pretty thing, it would be a waste to kill her. Especially when she had something that would lead me to you, and I'm here to finally rid me of your persistent, pathetic presence. You don't try and cross me and live to tell the tale."

"Yet the thief lives," Blackbeard stated. "Has the infamous Captain Hook gone soft?"

"I'm not soft. I've had my way with her," he smiled and Emma genuinely wanted to punch him in the face for the way he said it, though she knew it was all part of the game. "Again and again. I wanted you to watch as I fed her to the sea. Let you know that your little thief has failed and this is what I'll do to anyone you hire and to you, for trying to cross me."

Hook pushed Emma over to the edge of his ship. His men then placed a plank over the edge that connected to Blackbeard's ship. He pushed her forward so they were both standing on the plank.

"Any last words love?" he smirked.

"Please," she said. "I just want my son," then she turned to look at Blackbeard. "Please, just let me have my son. Hook's here, the map is here,"

"But you were meant to get it and give it to me," Blackbeard spat, "Don't worry you can have your son back. When you're both dead."

Then Hook pushed her overboard.

The water was cold when she fell in. It was a shock to the system making her gasp. But she quickly regained herself, she quickly wiggled her hands out of the rope and swam her way underneath Blackbeard's ship and up the other side.

She gasped for air as her head poked out of the water. She gulped down the oxygen greedily as she tread water. Emma could hear the clash of swords as the two pirates spared and their crews did also. Now was time for the tricky bit, getting on board, finding Liam, and getting off.

She swam up to his ship and grabbed the rope that one of Hook's crew, probably Smee, had managed to let down for her. She took hold of it with both hands and began to carefully climb up, hoping and praying that no one would notice. As her head peeked over to look on deck she saw Hook and Blackbeard sparing. She gasped when she saw the pirate get Hook's side.

But she had to focus. At the sounds of cannons being fired she leapt onto the ship. One of Blackbeard's crew caught sight of her and lifted his sword but another sword was suddenly protruding out his front and he felt to the floor in front of her.

She nodded her thanks, to the member of Hook's crew. "Hide behind me. I'll lead you towards the door," he told her. Emma was surprised by the burly man's offer but she just nodded and took her place behind his back as he fought his way and shielded her to door than lead down.

He stood their guarding it as Emma crouched down and lifted up the latch. "Thank you," she whispered, unsure whether he had heard it or not she walked down the stairs pulling the door shut above her head as she did so.

The fighting was all she could hear as she made her way around below deck. Blackbeard's ship was a lot bigger than she had expected, but it was a mess and dark and damp. She walking further down past the crew's quarters and into the hold of the ship.

She could still hear the fighting but she could also hear another sound, like a whimpering. "Liam?" she called out.

"Mama?" a little croaky voice shouted. Emma spun around in the dark, unable to see anything but she could hear him.

"I'm here. Everything is going to be okay,"

"I'm scared," he sniffed,

"There's no need to be. I'm here now,"

"Alright, mama," said a deep voice. A torch was lit and she could see her son chained up and a large man, his bare torso covered in scars and tattoos.

"Step away from my son!" she told him. The man just chuckled and stepped forward, his footsteps loud and heavy. Emma pulled her dagger out of her boot and leapt forward. He grabbed her arm holding the dagger and pulled her against the edge of the ship with a thud.

"No!" shouted Liam as Emma yelled out in pain. The man grabbed her arm again and threw her into the other side of the ship, all breath knock out of her. As he came to grab her a third time, Emma threw her dagger at him where it sliced his torso, a thin trickle of blood appeared.

"That's not very nice," he told her. He lifted up his sword that lay on the floor and went to get her, but Emma lunged forward, he missed and she was able to grab her knife, which she deflected his next strike with. He was stronger than her, but she was quicker and more agile. Even though her body was screaming from pain, she was still able to dodge his sword.

Then she didn't.

Emma cried out in pain as the sword went into her shoulder. She fell to her knees in pain, the man made a grunt in victory as he let go of his sword and left it in her shoulder as he picked up a chain off the floor ready to tie her up. Emma gritted her teeth and with all her strength pulled the sword out of her shoulder and into his back and through his heart.

The man spasmed before he slumped to the floor dead. Emma let out a shaky breath and then turned to her son. "You okay, kid?" she asked him as she pulled her body over to him.

Liam nodded sheepishly, his eyes looking at the blood that was dripping out of Emma's shoulder. "I'm going to be fine," she assured him. "We just need to get out of here."

"Okay," he nodded. Emma smiled at him and kissed him on the head.

"Now let me look at those shackles." Emma took out two wires that she had hidden underneath her bodice and got to work on the locks. It was like riding a bicycle, she hadn't forgotten how to do this and within seconds the shackles fell off her son. As soon as they did his arms were wrapped around her, and she didn't care that her shoulder was screaming in agony because she had her son back.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," Liam replied. Emma helped her son up onto his feet and handed him her dagger and she took the guard's sword.

"For protection," she told him. Then she took his free hand into her own and she led him out of the hold of Blackbeard's ship.

"You saved me," he said as they stood on the stairs with Emma listening out for what was happening above them, trying to work out how they could get out safely.

"I had some help," she told him, "And I was also the one who got you into this mess," Emma turned away from the door to look at her son, "I am so sorry Liam,"

"It's okay," he told her. "It wasn't your fault."

Emma smiled at him and squeezed his hand lovingly, even though it made a sharp pain shoot through her shoulder. "Liam, at any moment you and I are going to run out of here. What I need you to do is to run onto the next ship okay? I need you to run onto that ship then hide somewhere below deck. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," he told her.

"Okay, ready?" she said before pushing the door so it fell back with a clang. The sight above deck was not what she had expected. Everything had come to a standstill. But Liam was running just as she had told him. "Ah Miss Goldilocks. You're not dead then," Blackbeard called out. "You're just in time to see the show."

Emma turned her head from her son to see what everyone else was staring at. Hook was on his knees his face all bloodied, his sword nowhere to be seen and Blackbeard held his own against his throat. She took a step forward, "Let him go,"

"Or what?" Blackbeard laughed. She took a few more steps forward so that she was standing directly before them. "Want a front row seat do you?"

Hook looked up at her, "Get out of here Goldie," he spluttered.

"I'll make you a deal," Blackbeard told her. "If you go and fetch me the map from his ship, then I will allow you and your son to live."

"The map?" Emma asked,

"Yes the map. Give me the map and I will ensure that you and your son will be dropped off home, completely unharmed."

Emma didn't say anything.

"Is there a problem with that?" he inquired the sword being pressed that little bit more against Hook's adams apple. "Well I guess Hook will die, then your son and then you."

"No!" shouted a little voice and it was then that Emma noticed Liam come running out from behind one of Hook's men brandishing Emma's dagger like some little crazed warrior. And then the next thing she knew was that her son had stabbed Blackbeard in the leg with the dagger, the surprise causing him to drop his sword.

Emma jumped forward with sword in her hand and pushed Blackbeard to the ground. Her sword at his throat. "You will never threaten my son's life again," she told him before moving the sword from his throat and into his heart, which was where she left it as she stood up and took her son's hand, his other one holding the dagger that was covered in Blackbeard's blood, shaking slightly.

Hook had set all his able crew to work on getting them to set sail promising them a trip to Tortuga for their valiant efforts. Emma was in his quarters sitting on his bed with Liam, as she checked him over so ensure he wasn't hurt. There wasn't a scratch on him.

"Is the lad alright?" he asked as he appeared in his quarters with a bowl of water.

"Yes," nodded Emma as she stroked her son's hair who had now fallen asleep on her lap. "Thank you," she added,

"Really it should be I thank you and your boy for saving my life,"

"Well, you wouldn't have been in that position if it weren't for me."

Hook placed the bowl of water onto his desk. "Nevertheless, I thank you. Now let me see that shoulder,"

"It's fine,"

"From the amount of blood on your dress I would say it isn't"

"Yeah, well, you are in worse of a state than me. You can't move without grimacing. Take your coat off, and let me see the damage,"

"Trying to get me naked, Swan?"

"You wish,"

"Perhaps I do," he told her with a wink. Emma carefully lifted Liam's head and placed it back gently on the bed and walked over to Hook.

"Sit," she told him.

"It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me, if I didn't help the lady first,"

"Well then don't be a gentleman," she told him as she pulled out the chair. He smiled at her and went to take off his coat but winced in pain. Emma sighed and helped him out of his coat for him, draping it over the back of the chair.

"Looks like you'll have to help me out of my shirt as well," he smirked.

"My son's in the room," Emma reprimanded him, "Try and control yourself." She undid the buttons of his vest and slid it off his shoulders. "Can you lift your arms up,"

"I think I'd rather you tear it off," he told her with a quirk of his eyebrows,

"For a man who was almost dead, you're awfully chipper,"

"Well, I have a very beautiful blonde looking after me."

His shirt was covered in dry blood and was torn in loads of places but it only when she tore it herself and helped him out of it did she see the damage. He was covered in a series of scratches but the worst one was the one she had seen happen herself. In his side was a horrifically deep gash.

Using a flannel and her good arm Emma cleaned away all the dirt. "I'm only doing this as a thank you, by the way," she told him. "If this was any other scenario, I would be telling you to do this yourself."

"Aye, I don't doubt it."

Hook was surprised with gentle and careful Emma was whilst cleaning him up and then patching him up. She was focused on her work not once looking at him in the eyes, just focused on mending him. He was tired but content; they had succeeded in getting her son back and that nuisance Blackbeard was gone for good.

"All done," she told him as she tied off the bandage.

"Your turn" he told her,

"I think it would be easier if I do it myself," she told him,

"Just because I only have the one hand doesn't mean I am an incapable. Sit," he told her as he stood up. Emma sat down where he had been, "Now if you could kindly move your dress so I can see the wound."

Emma undid her bodice as it was one that came down around her shoulders and shrugged it off before she could push down the shoulder of her dress. "That's quite the wound, Goldie," he whistled,

"Yeah, I know." Emma took in a sharp intake of breath when he began to clean her wound. "The compass is yours now," she told him. "As a thank you,"

"You know, I don't need all these acts of kindness for you to say thanks, just a kiss to show your gratitude would suffice," he flirted,

"Yeah, well you aren't getting that buddy,"

"Why, don't you trust yourself? Afraid we might have a repeat of our last dalliance?"

Emma very almost blurted out Yeah, I might end up pregnant again, but she managed to stop herself. "I think you should just take me mending your wounds and the compass, those are things you'll actually get,"

"Oooh, ouch, love. You know how to hurt a man," he walked away from her and picked up a bandage off the desk and then went back her shoulder.

"Are you going to need a hand with that?"

"Low blow, Goldie, low blow," he told her with a chuckle. Emma turned her head to watch as with one hand he gently wrapped up the wound. He quirked an eyebrow as he brought his face forward, never dropping eye-contact as he used both hands and his mouth to tie it.

"There we go," he whispered into her ear, "All better. Perhaps a drink to celebrate?"

"My son is in the room," she reminded him.

"Aye that he is," Hook nodded as he turned to look at the young child sleeping on his bed. "He's just like you Emma,"

"Hmmm. I don't think he looks like me at all,"

"He has your strong heart and bravery," he told her.

"He saw me kill today...watched me take someone's life. Twice."

"He'll understand. You were doing it to protect him."

"No seven year old should have to see that,"

"Perhaps, but life isn't always fair," he told her. "And there could have been worse things for him to see"

Emma nodded as she got up from the chair and sat herself down carefully on the bed next to her son's head.

"I'm going to head back above deck, you get some sleep, lass,"

"Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I think you and your son need some time alone," he told her with a smile. "Goodnight Emma,"

"Night," she told him.