Aurora sat at the base of a tree, idly picking at the grass while Mulan stood watch close by her. Snow was pacing back and forth at the base of the beanstalk.
"Your Highness you should rest," Mulan suggested for the third time.
"She's been gone for hours!" Snow White turned at looked at the other two, "I should have never let her go up there! I should have gone myself!"
"You don't know she's in danger," Aurora offered.
"I sent her up a beanstalk with Captain Hook to take an enchanted compass from a giant! What kind of mother does that?"
"Well you trust her don't you?" Aurora asked quietly.
"Of course I trust her! It's Hook I have a problem with! For all we know he tossed her to the giant so he could take the compass and get away!" Snow's finger tapped her bow anxiously, ready to shoot the pirate the moment he came down without her daughter.
"We don't know that," Aurora replied, "We have to give him the benefit of the doubt."
"Do you know who he is!? He's the most-"
"She's right you highness," Mulan interrupted, "It's done. Your daughter was brave enough to go up there. It was her choice. We must hope for the best. Worrying and pacing won't do us any favors."
Snow set her jaw and looked away, but she knew they were right. She sighed and started to walk away from the beanstalk.
"Look!" Aurora suddenly cried, jumping up and pointing at the clouds, "Look, there's someone coming down!"
Snow White whirled around and looked up. Sure enough, a pair of boots emerged from the clouds. It was Hook.
"Where's Emma? I don't see Emma?" Snow White raised her bow up, aiming it at Hook, ready to shoot if her daughter didn't appear.
"Snow, give it a moment," Aurora cautioned. Snow ignored her, still aiming at him. Just then, Emma appeared at the top of the beanstalk, climbing down. Snow heaved a sigh of relief and dropped her bow. The three waited for them to descend.
When Hook was low enough he jumped from the Beanstalk and then straightened himself. He grinned. "We got it."
Mulan moved forward and grabbed his arms, beginning to tie his wrists again. "Ah!" he jerked away, "What are you doing?"
"Just because you've made it back doesn't mean we trust you," Mulan growled. She unsnapped his hook from his left hand.
"Wait!" Emma suddenly called from the beanstalk. The others looked up at her. Snow ran to the base of the stalk to help her down. Finally, Emma made it although she stumbled coming off. "Ow," she clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. Her body still ached.
"Emma?" Snow cried worriedly, "Emma what happened? Are you hurt?" She shot a glare at Hook.
"It was the giant," Emma muttered, "He sort of tried to crush me."
Snow White gasped and looked back to Hook. "This is your fault isn't it? I knew I shouldn't have left her with you!"
"I didn't-" Hook started to argue, but Emma intervened.
"Mary Margaret!" Emma grabbed Snow's arm, "It wasn't his fault. It was mine."
Snow looked at her, brow furrowed.
"Actually," Emma continued, glancing at Hook, "He saved me."
Snow White's eyes widened and she turned to Hook. "You saved her? You said her life wouldn't be in your hands…"
"Alas, it was and I wasn't going to let her die," he gazed sternly at Snow and she glared back. It was obvious she still didn't trust him.
"Now whether you keep me your prisoner or not," Hook continued, "We need to get moving if we want to reach your land before Cora."
Everyone looked at Emma. Her eyes widened and she looked among them, realizing they were looking to her for what to do. "Oh…well," she looked at Mulan, "Let him go…"
Mulan hesitated, but then removed the bindings from his wrists. She hesitated to give him his Hook. He rolled his eyes. "Just keep it. Let's go." The pirate started forward and Mulan kept close behind him. Aurora followed and Emma and snow brought up the rear. Snow took Emma's arm, helping her along. "What happened up there?" she questioned quietly.
Emma glanced at her. "Nothing…he just saved me, like I said."
"Emma," Snow tilted her head with a skeptical expression.
"What?" Emma replied defensively.
"Are you saying you trust him now?"
"Well," Emma looked down, "I don't know. I think he's trying to…help. I don't know what exactly is motivating him, but…I don't think it's Cora."
"Are you sure?" Snow looked worried.
Emma nodded. "He wasn't lying up there…"
Snow sighed. "Well that's good to know but that wasn't what I was asking"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean do you…trust him?"
Emma's brow furrowed. "I just told I don't know."
"And I'm not talking about that…I saw the way you looked at him just now…Emma you've got to be careful. He's Captain Hook!"
Emma's head snapped up to look at her. "What are you saying? You think I like him?"
Snow White just looked at her, concern knit in her brow.
Emma pulled away, looking back down. "I don't know him, Mary Margaret."
Snow White sighed. That wasn't a no. Besides, she knew the look on her daughter's face. Mary Margaret had seen it in the mirror as she tried to tell herself that it wasn't right to love David. Of course, that was when she didn't know they were meant to be together. Snow glanced up at the pirate leading them. He had saved her, apparently. Then she shook her head.
"Just be careful, please" she finally told Emma.
"Yeah," Emma shrugged, "Of course."
Then Snow smiled and wrapped her arm around her giving her a small squeeze as they walked. "I'm just glad you're back safe and that we're one step closer to being with your father and Henry again."
Emma nodded. "Me too." But her words came out a bit absent-mindedly. Her gaze had fallen upon the man leading them. Mary Margaret's suggestion that she might…like him swam around in her head with all the other confusing thoughts about him. She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to think or how she felt. She wasn't certain she totally trusted him, but one thing was for sure. For once, a man hadn't abandoned her; and even if he was a pirate, the most dreadful in this land, she'd certainly dealt with less honorable men.