I sat there in the wooden table chair across from Mary Margaret. I felt numb and overwhelmed by the information. Rumpel had found his son, Baelfire. As if that alone wasn't enough apparently Baelfire's name here was Neal, the same Neal that had been with Emma all those years ago, she hadn't told me much about it but I got the sense it hadn't ended well, the same Neal who apparently was Emma's son, Henry's, father. Rumpel's a grandfather? More importantly, Rumpel found his son. Rumpel has more of a family now. I'm alone. I shook myself out of the pity party I was having.

"Well… that's… interesting." Was all I managed to reply.

David snorted. "That's an understatement."

I forced a small smile that probably came out more of a grimace.

"So what now?"

Snow shook her head. "That's all we know, Emma was kind of dealing with a lot at that moment so I didn't question what her next plan of action would be."

I nodded my head, and then remembered the incident this morning with Hook. "I think that if she calls again we should suggest they stay in Manhattan a little longer."

"You think they're safer from Cora there?"

Cora, I hadn't even begun to think about the dangers Cora imposed. I nodded my head again.

"That and they'll be safer from Hook." Rumpel would be safer to be more specific.

Snow glanced up and David leaned on a little closer from his side of the table.

"You think Hook is still seeking revenge?" Snow sounded worried.

"Aye, actually I know that he still is."

"What, how?" Snow's face filled with concern.

Maybe I should have told them about his earlier visit before all of this. "Um, he kind of made that clear when he was threatening me."

"Excuse me, he threatened you?!" Snow sprung out of her seat.

"Aye, twice, to be exact, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, but after he came to Rumpel's shop this morning…"

"Unbelievable! Where is he? Wait until I find that-that pirate! What was he doing?"

"Snow, calm down, I said I handled it. He was looking for Rumpel's dagger."

Snow stopped her ranting. "The dagger, the dagger that can control 'The Dark One'?''

I rolled my eyes at Rumpel's title I had always thought it was ridiculous and overdramatic, kind of like him actually. "The dagger that, more importantly, can kill him."

"That's it I'm going to find Hook and I'm taking him in." David resolved.

"Charming, I don't think that's a good idea." Snow protested.

"And why not? He's threatening the town's safety."

"He could be working with Cora again, I can't let you put yourself in that woman's path. Ella said she handled it, she can stay with us if we need to take more safety precautions." Snow nodded her head as if trying to reassure herself as well while looking at me desperately to say something to convince her husband to back down from his stupid idea.

I sighed, exasperatedly. "Look, David, he might not look dangerous but he is."

"And what, you two don't think I can handle him."

Ugh, men and their bloody egos. "He's a pirate, a captain no less, of one of the most feared vessels to roam the seas, so he'd have to be some degree of cleverness already, add a rough three hundred years to that and you have an opponent far more experienced than yourself."

David's eyebrows narrowed.

"I only say this to make sure you're aware of what you're getting yourself into. I want both of you to be prepared." I was not in the mood to deal with a hurt self-image from "His Princely-ness".

"Won't you be helping us?" Snow looked hopeful and I felt guilty at that.

"No, I do not wish to get tangled up in this."

"Even though he's Rumpelstilskin's enemy." David was being cold, obviously offended by my earlier remarks.

I narrowed my own brows back at him. "You two are both his enemies as well, are you suggesting that I oppose all of those that he does?"

"No, of course not." Snow interceded and glanced at David.

I was impatient with this exchange. "Aye?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking of your reaction to him being the one that shot Belle."

"Going after him is not going to solve any problems, simply create more."

David shot out of his chair at that one, slamming his large hands on the table surface. "It would solve quite a few problems! Stop him from terrorizing others, help us get a lead on Cora and hopefully stop her before she carries out whatever treachery she has planned. Do you not realize who we are dealing with?"

I knew firsthand what her little minions, the people she sent to do her dirty work could do, and they were below her so she has to be fairly horrific, not mention Rumpel's unease at the possibility of her coming here.

"None of what you just said is affecting us at the present moment, what are you prepared to lose if and when you do take action against her?" I was heated and my anger was threatening to slip into the surface of my cool expression like it already had laced my voice.

Snow noticed and more concern writ itself upon her face. She looked back over at David as she placed a comforting hand over his, pleading eyes catching his. He excused himself and left the room, clearly still pissed. She faced me again.

"Ella, you're my friend, what's wrong? I trust you but…" She sighed. "I feel like you're hiding something from me."

"About what?"

"I don't know, I think Hook's appearance here has something to do with it."

"Are insinuating that I'm in league with- "

"No! No not that I feel… I feel like you're holding something in and it's hurting you, I can see it, please, don't let it eat at you any longer. I can sense that you hate to keep it in. I've been sensing it since the curse broke." She was begging me.

How can she tell? Probably those damn maternal instincts. I wanted to tell her, wanted to believe she wouldn't be ashamed, that she wouldn't cast me out, wouldn't take back every comforting act and pledge of friendship. But, she would, Snow was accepting but wanting her to accept me knowing all that I was asked too much of her. I had to tell her something, and I was sick of lying, I could tell her some of my past; explain some things to her without revealing all that I was, all that I am. I swallowed forming my edited story in my head before finally speaking.

"I knew Hook back in our realm." I stated, pausing to let it sink in before I continued.

"Back then I was many things, one of them being 'Quartermaster Shade', his quartermaster."

I glanced up at Snow catching her look of astonishment etched with confusion. My eyes drifted back down again.

"I remained as such until the day that the pirate, Blackbeard, attacked our ship. We fought and, in the end, won but, I was severely wounded. Injured in a way that caused me to lose consciousness and fall overboard into what had looked to be a whirlpool but in reality was a portal to this world. That same portal closed in on itself after I entered, stranding me here and leaving the crew back there. That's when Rumpel found me and nursed me back to health and well, you sort of know the rest." I focused back on Snow again, her mouth hung slightly ajar and she had to blink a few times before regaining composure.

"Wow." She replied stupefied for half a minute before finding the words to continue on. "So that explains… a lot. I mean your ability to be extremely reckless on certain occasions, no offense, along with your mannerisms and your speech, your obsession with black and leather and other pirate-y clothing, not to mention that earring thing, which I always thought was just some alternative trend, and then there's your capacity to hold large amounts of very strong liquor."

I thoughtfully touched the two small crystal studs set in my left ear and smirked. Right, most women prefer earrings to be in both of their ears.

"Aye, you're about right." Was all I could really respond to her flurry of realizations.

She hasn't flipped out on me yet, there's still hope she'll be alright with this.

"Wait, why did Rumpel help you? He doesn't help anyone unless there's something in it for him. Why would he help his foe's crew member?"

"I didn't join Hook's crew until after the… incident. I didn't really know all the details of what transpired, hell I still don't, so I didn't know the two were connected. Neither of them was aware of my relation with the other and I never thought to bring up such relations. As for your question as to why Rumpel helped me, well, he knew me before Hook, and he treated me like a daughter then so we kind of just picked up where we left off." The last part wasn't a complete lie. I was just omitting some details.

Snow nodded once as she processed the information I had given her. "That's why you reacted that way in the hospital. Oh, Ella, that's awful, you must have been so confused, you must have felt betrayed!" She pulled me into a tight hug.

I stiffened at the sudden contact before squeezing back lightly. She pulled back and held me in front of her.

"Oh dear, Ella, how did you get into piracy?" It was a simple enough question.

I could answer it easily without having to lie. "Well before I was a thief of sorts, so, needing a change of scenery, I became a pirate which is really rather similar if you think about, minus the water and sailing."

"You were a thief?" She seemed surprised by that.

I almost snorted but opted for a shrug instead, a small, devious, smirk playing on my lips. "Aye, weren't you as well?" I recalled her mentioning how she met Charming.

Snow laughed. "Right, I was, however, I'd like to say I reformed myself. What about you?" She inquired, still smiling as she raised a brow.

"Oi, I haven't taken a thing without permission in years!" I defended myself, holding back a laugh of my own.

Snow assumed an incredulous look before her expression became serious once again.

She pushed my side bangs away from my left eye, the naturally blue one. "What did Rumpel and Hook have to say about all this?"

My face fell. "Um, they don't… know." It came out a little more than a whisper.

She looked at me bewildered. "You haven't told either one?"

"Aye, Rumpel left the day after Belle was shot and Hook… I'm not telling Hook. He doesn't even recognize me and I intend to keep it that way."

"Ella, you have to them!"

"I'll tell Rumpel once he gets all his problems sorted out with his real child. I am not telling Hook, and I trust you'll respect that."

"Why won't you tell him?"

"I have my reasons, good reasons." I dropped my stoic countenance and sighed. "Just, please, believe me when I say it will only cause more harm than it's worth if he knows who I am." My head bowed, I looked at her from under my long, black lashes.

"Alright… if that's what you need me to do." She gave in, then peered closer at my face.

"What?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that why you're wearing a blue contact?"

"Aye, how many people have two different eye colors, he'd notice."

"You look tired, would you like to rest? Emma's room is free." Snow suggested.

I shook my head, she was still unaware that I had nightmares and I meant to keep it that way. "I think I could use some fresh air though, I'll come back later."

She smiled warmly before releasing my upper arms. I made my way for the door before stopping.

"Snow?"

"Yes, Ella?"

"Please don't tell anyone, just yet."

"Of course." She nodded reassuringly.

I turned back around and left the apartment passing David in the hallway and giving him a pleasant wave before heading down the stairs. I need air, preferably some from the sea.

...

I turned the corner, shit; I thought immediately regretting my chosen route. There in the middle of my path stood Regina and none other than my- the Captain. Pausing no less than a second I continued walking doing no more than edging closer off to the side and staring straight ahead. They had been talking in intriguing discussion tones but quit once I became noticed. I was watching out of my peripheral and almost thought a glimmer of recognition had flashed across Hook's face but he quickly hid it, that's right, she died, I'm not her, my mind whispered silent lies, as if he could read my thoughts. Regina was clearly in a scheming mood.

As I passed them her mocking voice rang out. "Ella, how's Rumpel doing replacing you?"

Wrong. Move. I had been under unprecedented amounts of anger and stress and worry all within the last hour. My nails dug into my palm and I tilted my head as I, oh so slowly, turned my body to face the bitch. "Regina." My own mocking tone creeping into my voice as I strode towards her, my palm edge made contact with her chin enough to snap her head back and cause a nasty headache. I gripped her shirt collar and swung her into the nearby side of a crate.

"I'd say currently no better than you are with a new lover." My voice dripping maliciously as my cold, unrelenting glare bore into her surprised expression.

Her face turned from a sad demeanor into a frown of her own as the un-expectancy of my sudden response faded. I let go of her shirt collar and turned away, hoping to get out of there before I did something really rash. However, I couldn't help stopping short. No, don't you dare turn around, don't you dare look at him. No! I couldn't resist. I turned my head ever so slightly and looked over my shoulder. He appeared rather irked yet amused at my intrusion. I could see that arrogant smirk of his forming once again, probably thought I was staring at him, I wasn't, that's not entirely true… whatever. Regina had pushed away from the side off the shipping crate and was straightening her shirt. Time to go! Hook appeared as if an unwanted comment was on the tip of his tongue. I needed to stop this meeting, keep it from going any further. The Shade in me immediately emerged as I gave him a quick once over. A mischievous smirk twitched on my lips.

"Captain." I acknowledged before turning back around and marching back to my apartment as quickly as I could while trying to retain an air of nonchalance.

It would take a good fifteen minute walk to get there but my bike was still parked in its designated spot outside the complex. Fresh air was obviously not helping, especially when the delicious scent of him, the sea, authentic rum, leather, permeated my senses.