So this chapter is ridiculously long and slightly rushed, but I needed to get it all in there. I now have a good idea of what is going to happen and should be able to post once a week. As long as you guys are interested I will keep going.

ABC owns it all.

"What could be an anchor here,
With a storm on the rise,
When you never meant to see so clear,
When smoke gets in your eyes
And the man in the moon
Never makes his replies understood"

The Day I Lost My Voice by Copeland

"Hi, Ruby."

"Emma."

Ruby didn't open the door any further than she need to stick her head out. She waited. It was more than a little obvious that her behavior was making Emma quite uncomfortable.

"How are you?" Her face and voice were sincere. Ruby realized how far she had removed herself, when instead of being compelled to share she felt herself become obstinate.

"Emma, why are you really here?" Emma's face dropped and for a moment she felt a shadow of regret. That vanished completely with Emma's next words.

"Hook has disappeared. We really need your help. I know you don't want to help us right now, and I don't blame you, but we can't find him without you." Emma was pleading with her. She knew that this was the last place she wanted to be.

"Emma I have no interest in chasing after a pirate. You are going to have to find a new blood hound." It was delivered in such and icy and caustic tone, part of her thought Regina would have been proud. She was changing. It was a terrifying thought. She started to shut the door, she was just super over today. Emma stuck her hand out to stop the door. From the look of shock on Emma's face she guessed her glare could level a small town.

"Ruby, please don't do this. She's your best friend. They were your family."

"My family is dead. Put yourself in my place and ask me that again." Emma thought about it and didn't utter another word. "While you're at it, ask you mom how my mother died." Ruby really didn't harbor ill will over that incident, but she was trying to send a message. When you become someone's best friend you learn which buttons to push and right now she wanted Mary Margret to feel her pain.

"I'm sorry Ruby." Ruby could hear the sincerity.

"I know, but some things can't be fixed. Have a good day Emma." The bite was leaving her voice and she was starting to just sound tired. This time Emma let her shut the door. She leaned her back against it and closed her eyes.

"You have quiet the bark, lass. My question is, are there any teeth to it?" Ruby let out a sardonic chuckle.

"Pirate, you have no idea." She opened her eyes and saw him leaning against the check-in counter. He really was ruggedly handsome. She blamed the cursed Ruby for not failing to point that out. Before he had the chance to speak again, there was the sound of a key in the look. She let out a small groan. It was only 1 o'clock in the afternoon. This was clearly the day that would never end. She made a quick jabbing motion indicating that Hook should get lost. He smirked and quickly obeyed. She turned back around and took a deep breath before opening the door. Her sour mood lightened just a little when she saw a bright and happy Ashley.

"Hey Ruby. Were you heading out? I just wanted to bring over the books like you asked, and give you an update." Ruby was pretty sure the only person she actually liked right now was Ashley. She opened the door and let her in. She was positive her interloping pirate hadn't gone far so she was careful as she led her friend into the kitchen.

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Killian listened quietly at the top of the stair case. He wouldn't make the same mistake again. This time he would know the woman he was working with. He listened to the women drone on about the diner. He assumed they were talking about the place in town where people usually ate. He had pieced together information about Ruby over the past week. Her grandmother had died. The details were still fuzzy, but from what he had found out the blame rested in two places: with Rumplestiltskin and the princess that went by Mary Margret here. The town was worried for the girl. She hadn't been seen around town and the inn was no longer receiving guests. Granny's, this 'diner', was still going though. He still needed to know more about this girl's story and finally after what seemed like a small eternity the blonde said something interesting.

"Ruby, I know wolf's time is just a few days away. Would you like me to come stay with you?" The girl was very sincere. He was more interested in what wolf's time was. He felt like he had heard of it before but that had been centuries ago.

"Thank you. I think I just want to leave the cloak at home this time. Maybe go for a run and forget for a little while."

Now he was just confused. Go for a run? Leave the cloak at home? He furiously tried to piece it together, but his brain wasn't connecting the dots fast enough.

"Well if you need me, we just finished moving into the house down the street. You know the little blue one with the white shutters." He tucked that away for future use. He had no idea if he would need to know where this girl lived, but in his experience every piece of information was useful.

"Thank you Ashley. Really. If it weren't for you I would have lost the diner too. You are a lifesaver and a good friend." The words were very sincere. This Ashley girl was the first person he had heard her be kind to. He realized there were many layers to this Ruby girl. They stood and walked to the front door. He was careful to stay out of sight.

"You have helped me out a time or two before. If you do go for a run, don't go far and stay away from the docks. They have that place guarded and I don't know that some of the people would be okay with a wolf running around."

"Thanks for the warning. I'll see you soon Ashley."

"Bye Ruby." As the door clicked shut, the pieces fell into place. She was one of those damn Children of the Moon. He had never encountered one before, but the stories that were told were enough for him to never want to. Human by day, but as the full moon rose in the sky they turned into blood thirsty wolves. A single wolf could kill a small armed legion of men. A pack would be devastating to an army of almost any size. What on earth had he gotten into? And this Ashley girl acted as if it was no big deal. Did she have such little regard for her own life? Or were the stories just that?

"You can stop eavesdropping and come out now." He slowly descended the stairs and came face to face with the she-wolf. She immediately picked up on his trepidation.

"When were you going to tell me you were a Child of the Moon?" He saw her tense. It had come out a bit harsher than he had liked, but this wasn't a small secret.

"When you needed to know. Why? Are you scared of me now?" She sounded sarcastic, but there was a very real anger and fear in her eyes.

"I have heard stories. None of them too kind. Children of the Moon aren't to be trifled with, and if the rumors are true, they have no loyalty except to each other." She smiled a kind of sad smile.

"How about you sit in here and let me tell you my story. You can decide for yourself if I should be trusted." Killian thought that was fair. She hadn't tried to kill him yet, and he was a pirate and stories of his cruelty were often exaggerated to the point they were more fiction than fact.

He sat down across from her and let her begin her tale.

"I guess I should start at the beginning. I don't know much about my grandfather or how he became a wolf, but I assume he was born into it like me. He marked my Granny as his mate when she was still pretty young. She hated him for it at first, but as she grew to understand he wasn't in control they started to fall in love. They eventually got married and had my mother. By the time she turned 17 she had met my father, convinced him to turn, and they ran away together. It was long until I was born. Granny told me that she went to find my mother, but when she found her it was too late. My father had been killed and she was too grief stricken to take care of me. She was leading a pack of wolves and claimed it made her stronger. Granny took me away and raised me herself. She didn't tell me anything about my condition. I grew up like a normal little girl. When I turned 13 the change started happening, but when you don't have any control over it you don't remember it. I had no idea that I was the reason the livestock was disappearing. Granny brought home a cloak one day. It was a brilliant shade of red. It was so vibrant that everyone started calling me Red. She said red repelled the wolf. The truth was it kept me from turning during the full moon. It suppressed my special brand of magic. I met Snow and everything changed. I was in love with a boy from my village. His name was Peter. He wanted us to run away together. But the wolf had killed a hunting party and there was no way Granny would let me go. I decided that we should try and kill the wolf. Snow went with me against her better judgment. The wolf turned back into a man and the footsteps led to my window. We were certain Peter was the wolf and he just didn't know. We switched cloaks and I went to warn him. As you are well aware Peter wasn't the wolf. I ended up killing him that night. I can't remember it, but I remember coming too and Granny tell me to run. Since then I have learned to control it. On our run we ran into my mother and she was able to show me how. So now when I change I remember everything. Most of the time it not a bad thing. It's running through the woods or keeping a friend warm when we were travelling and the night was too cold. But there were times when I engaged in combat. We were being chased by Regina's army. I have killed more men than I can count. I am not proud of that, but I did what was necessary. It was kill or be killed. I also learned to change outside of the full moon. Since the curse I haven't done much except enjoy a run and find a few people. I also saved Dr. Whale's life. So now you know my story, Captain?"

He did indeed. It was a fantastic and sad tale. He doubted she knew that there were tears falling from her eyes. She just charged through it. He imagined that she had spent a great deal of her life just charging through. Surviving the queen, dealing with her 'condition', being lied to by the woman who lied to her. In fact he thought it a small miracle that she was still standing; that it had taken this long for her to fall apart.

"You are a much stronger person than either Regina or Cora. I believe that I shall stick around a while longer. But you have to promise that you won't eat me." His tone shifted from serious to joking. He saw a flicker of humor in her eyes. She knew what he was trying to do.

"You have nothing to worry about. Pirates are disgusting." She gave him a smirk. It was settled. They would be partners. It was a far cry from friends, but it was a start.

"If you will excuse me I'm going to go to my room for a while. Today has been a bit overwhelming."

"I'll just explore around the house." She stood up and started to leave, while he settled back on to the delightful piece of furniture.

"Don't break anything." It was half-hearted, but he knew it would upset her if he did actually break anything.

"No worries, love. What do you call this thing I am sitting on?" She looked confused for a moment then it clicked that he hadn't been in this world for very long.

"It's called a recliner. Pull that lever and enjoy." With that she left the room.

He did as she instructed. His feet were lifted up and he leaned back all the way. A man could get used to this.

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Ruby stayed in her room for the rest of the afternoon. She could hear Hook puttering around the inn. She alternated from lying in bed to sitting in her overstuffed chair by the window. It was strange how nothing had happened in the past week, and then all at once Hook, Emma, and Ashley all show up in one day. She was used to Ashley stopping by every couple of days, but she couldn't have imagined getting Emma and Killian in the same day. Her thoughts also wondered to what type of person he was. She thought back on everything she had heard from the Enchanted Forest and mixed it with what Mary Margret and Emma had said. She also considered the story of Peter Pan, but after meeting the man she couldn't help, but feel that parts of that were greatly exaggerated and made up. At the end of it she still wondered if it was a good idea to not only harbor him, but team up with him.

She would occasionally try to stop the thinking with a book or television. She even tried sleeping, but some part of here wouldn't let her fall asleep. She knew it had to do with the nightmares she would get. They were terrible and all ended the same way. Everyone she knew was dead. Sleeping had been in short supply. She was pulled from her thoughts by cursing in the hallway. She climbed out of bed thankful for the distraction.

In the hallway standing, just inside the bathroom door, was her new roommate. He looked confused and very upset. She approached him with some caution. As she stepped into the doorway she recognized the problem. He had never seen a bathroom before. Running water was not a thing where they came from.

"Sorry. I forgot to show you the bathroom. Let me make it up to you now." They both knew she was trying to save him from the embarrassment.

"So the main difference from our world and this one is the concept of indoor plumbing." He just stared at her with a confused expression. "You don't have to go outside for the water." He gave her a nod of understanding. She stepped up to the sink and demonstrated. Now his expression was that of a man intrigued. "The left knob is for hot water and the right is for cold. We call this a sink. The shower has the same knobs." She walked over to it to show him where they were. "The hot water actually lasts for a while, so it shouldn't be too much trouble for you. Now the last thing is the toilet. It's like a chamber pot, but instead of throwing it out you just push this little lever down." She demonstrated that and the flushing made him raise an eyebrow. "Now the towels are in the closet here and when you finish with them just put them in this bin. Explain laundry to men is complicated enough." She gave him a hint of a smile with that comment.

"Thank you very much Ruby." She was about to respond to his gratitude when she realized something.

"How do you know my name?" She couldn't believe she hadn't told him her name, but somehow he knew.

"I heard it whispered around town. Then Emma and that Ashley girl said it. Did you not want me to know?"

"No. I should have told you my name long before now. I just haven't been all here lately. I shouldn't be too surprised. I know your name after all and you never told me."

"My name isn't Captain Hook." He looked a little disgruntled.

"Of course it isn't. It's Killian Jones. Emma told me. She was astonished that you had a real name."

"I guess she would be. Well thank you again, Ruby."

"You're welcome, Killian.

With that she left him to go back to her room. She realized she hadn't thought about how sad she was in the past five minutes. Maybe having him around wasn't so bad after all.

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The next week passed at a very quiet pace. Ruby still stayed in her room most of the time, but he was able to get her to come out for a few hours in the morning to eat and show him different things about this new world, and a couple hours at night to eat again and spend time in the living room. They talked about different things, but after a few days he realized neither of them let the other very far in. He did share his story with her, as she had with him. The only other things he learned about her were her mannerisms. She didn't like tomatoes. She liked the learning. At least that is what he could tell from her interest in television shows. It was a tenuous relationship, but with two people as damaged as they were it wasn't that big of a surprise that they were practically dancing around one another. He did have to admit that he enjoyed her company. She didn't go out during wolfstime, but instead wore her cloak. He found it very fascinating. Some part of him wanted to see the wolf, but knew she wouldn't like it if he asked.

She was still grieving though and he was starting to become very concerned that they would never develop a plan to stop the imp. He didn't know how to help her. The nightmares came every night. He would hear her muffled cries through the wall. He debated on whether or not to go to her, but always decided against it.

Tonight however was very different. He was awoken by a scream. He immediately started to get up, but then hesitated. Would she want him to go to her? What exactly did it say about their partnership? He laid back down and stared at the ceiling. He tried to go back to sleep. He wanted to be able to ignore it, but he could still hear the scream bouncing around in his brain. After an hour he got up. To hell with the repercussions. He couldn't just sit here with her in that kind of pain. He told himself for the umpteenth time that it was because he needed her on his side to defeat the crocodile. He cautiously opened her door. He had never been inside and was momentarily taken aback. Even in the moonlight he could tell that it was a very colorful place. There were pictures and paintings and shelves with trinkets on them. The vivacity of the room bespoke that a woman just as full of life lived here. He thought it a sham that Ruby was so different now, but thinking back he could see the hint of it there. It took him a minute to realize the bed was empty. He turned around and started to look for her. He checked the bathroom, the kitchen, the yard, and very last her Granny's room. She was nowhere in the house. Then he started to panic.

He left and immediately turned right. He was looking for he little blue house. He wasn't thinking clearly. He knew that there was only one person in this town that Ruby trusted and that was the blonde girl named Ashley. He found it very quickly and thanked the gods for his good luck and prayed that it held out. He banged on the door. It took a little while, but finally the door opened and the girl was standing in front of him looking sleepy.

"Hook?" She looked taken aback now.

"Yes. Ruby is gone." His voiced sounded strained even to his own ears.

"What do you mean? And how do you know that?" She was starting to look angry.

"She took me in. I offered to help her with a problem she has with Rumplestiltskin, but she is gone."

The girl seemed to accept that answer. She was far too trusting, but tonight he was thankful for that. "Give me just a second." He nodded and waited for her to return. He heard her yell something up the stairs and suddenly she was in front of him again. "Let's go."

"Do you know where she is?" He followed her to what he know knew was a car.

"When you are that sad you just want to forget. There's only one place in this town someone goes to forget." He sat down and tried not to panic. It was after all his first ride in one of these things.

It could have been 5 minutes or forever, but they finally arrived at the town line. There she stood, dangerously close to stepping over. He practically threw himself out of the car and ran to her. He slowed down as he got closer. The last thing he needed was to spook her into those final steps. If he was thinking clearly, he might have found it funny that he was trying to save the girl from stepping over the line instead of pushing her. He stood there close enough to grab her, but far enough away not to scare her. Then he could do nothing, but wait. She didn't disappoint him.

"I have never once thought about crossing this line. I was used to having to manage more than one personality in my head. The wolf has always been there. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to forget who they are.

The past two weeks all I have been able to think about is how much easier it would be to just walk over it. Loose two of those voices.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to have to manage three different kinds of grief? Three different voices crying out for revenge? It was a little easier having you around, but it's not enough. I have always been strong enough. I was strong enough when Peter died, I was strong enough when I found out the truth, I was strong enough after I lost my mother. But this time I have lost so much at once, and I don't think I can handle it anymore."

He didn't say a word. He was hoping she would talk herself out of it. By now she was shaking with the ferocity of her sobs. She started to fall. He reached out and pulled her into his chest. She collapsed completely and it caught him off guard so they both sank to the ground. He couldn't think of anything very comforting to say so he decided to go with the truth.

"Remember this moment. The way you feel right now. What you almost did. This is the lowest point. This is the one moment that will be the strength behind your fight. It will also be the hardest to let go of. You have changed entirely because of it and you will have to decide what that means."

Then he was quiet. The rain started then. It was if the heavens knew what was happening and their heart was breaking for her. He held her. She cried. A friend watched them from afar.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

What do you think? Abandon all Hope or Keep on Going?