Emma shifted on the floor of the rental van. A small crack near the bottom of the rolling door let in enough light to identify the body-shaped lump beside her.

Hook.

She tried to sit him upright, but her wrists were tied in front of her.

The van hit a bump and she went flying. Hook knocked into her as they came down. His head landed in her lap.

"Take it easy!" Her fingers felt around his head. "You've got a concussion or two. You need to sit upright."

In response, Hook only snuggled closer. His head rested against her stomach and he pulled her bound arms around him with his own bound hands. She eased her legs around him, resting her feet on the back of his calves. He rested his cheek against her forearm and hummed.

"Actually, love, I'm right where I want to be. At last."

Emma leaned forward, folding herself over him as her forehead rested against his shoulder. "How long?"

"Five days? I'm not certain."

She was so close, she heard his stomach gurgle. His fingers squeezed hers.

"I had a granola bar in my car," she muttered. She breathed in his smell of sea and leather and spice. "Injuries?"

"Wounded pride, mostly."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You've got a concussion, minimum." She poked him in the ribs, and when he howled, she humped. "And some broken rips. What did she do to you, anyways? Hit you with a golf club?"

"How am I supposed to know what you call it? It was a club. It could have been of 'golf,' I suppose."

Emma stared at him.

Hook sighed and squeezed her hand again. "I'll be all right."

"What else did she do?" she whispered.

"We don't need to go into all that. We ought to discuss our escape plan." A smile lit his face. "Reach your hand up my sleeve, love."

He'd never seen someone frown and roll their eyes simultaneously, but she managed it. "Now is not the time, you stupid pirate—"

"To fetch my knife, nothing more. Lands, you have a suspicion mind, Emma."

The smirk on his face was incorrigible, but she did it. She reached her hand up his good arm and felt along the interior of the sleeve.

"Having fun yet, darling?" he murmured.

Emma felt the handle of a small knife fastened to the fabric at his bicep. She started to free his hands, but he stopped her.

"Save it. We can't get far like this."

A good point, actually. It would hide in her back pocket for the time being.

Emma settled against the box she was propped against and let Hook sink deeper against her. She brushed his face again, fingering the contusions. When she looked down, Hook had his eyes shut.

"Tell me one thing," she said, s.o quietly the noise of the van tires almost drowned her out.

Hook's head shifted to the side in response. She could see a little sea green from his eyes in the dark.

"It must have hurt," she said. Hook pressed his eyes shut. "Five days is a long time. Why did you still refuse?"

"I don't hurt children, Swan," his voice was just as quiet. "Particularly when it's your son."

Emma kissed his forehead. "I'll get you out of this."

"Counting on it." Hook leaned his head to the side and shut his eyes, preparing for sleep. He hugged her arms to himself. "I grow wearying of saving you all the time."

Emma smacked him on the shoulder. He whimpered, and she rolled her eyes. "Not. Falling for it."

"Whatever you say, love," was the last thing on his lips as he drifted to sleep.

Greg and Tamara took them to the docks. They boarded the Roger. Hook was persuaded to steer the ship out of the harbor, although his wrists were not freed. The persuasion involved Emma and a knife to her throat.

It took a short while for the shoreline to fall away. When there was nothing around them save open water, Tamara ordered Hook to stop. Greg dropped the anchor.

"What are we doing out here?" Hook said, although he feared he already knew.

Tamara smiled like a shark. "Let's enjoy the view."

Emma's hands were freed. Tamara twisted one arm behind her back and kept the blade against Emma's throat. "After you, Captain."

Hook's scowl pressed into his face. He'd never felt so helpless on his own ship.

Greg met him at the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed his good arm and hauled him to the rail. Hook saw the pile of chain. He closed his eyes.

Sailors should make peace with drowning. It was an occupational hazard. At an earlier time, Hook would have been ready. Grateful, even. Not anymore.

Emma didn't understand. Tamara dragged her to the mast and handcuffed her to the stout rigging wrapped about it. Then their captors stood there, smiling, waiting for her to figure it out. Hook eyed the water.

"What are we doing out here?" Emma said. "What do you want?"

Tamara explained, "We want information from Regina concerning Greg's father."

"I don't know anything about that."

"It was before your time. He went missing in Storybrooke when Greg was a child. Regina was involved."

Emma glanced at Greg. "I'm sorry."

"We hoped Henry could encourage Regina to tell us the truth." Tamara rested a hand on Hook's shoulder. He flinched before he could stop himself. She smiled. "There was some resistance to that plan, wasn't there, Captain?"

The muscles along Hook's jaw shifted and bulged.

"But I'm flexible," Tamara tossed her hair. "You can help us, Emma. There's no need to drag Henry into unpleasant business. He is Neal's son, after all. That practically makes him my step-son."

"Every boy's dream," Hook muttered. "Three obsessive mothers."

Tamara punched him in the broken ribs. He groaned.

"This is important to Greg, so please, do cooperate."

"I can't help you. I wasn't even in Storybrooke when his father disappeared."

Greg spoke for the first time. "We just need leverage against Regina. And if there's one person in Storybrooke that has information like that, it's you."

From the look in her eyes, Emma was starting to piece it together, but she hadn't reached the bottom line yet. Hook hurt for her. If he could spare her the pain of what was coming, he would.

Wouldn't mind sparing himself the coming pain, either.

"I'm not her biggest fan," Emma said, "but she is important to Henry. I won't help you hurt her. Besides, you'd need more than my word. You'd need proof."

Greg approached her. He slipped his hand into her back jeans pocket, despite her protests, and he smiled. Hook moved after him, but Tamara's knife stopped him.

Emma's smart phone found Greg's hand. He pushed it into her face. "Our sources say you keep extensive notes on your investigations in here. Why don't you unlock it for us? We just need a little information."

"I'm not helping you hurt Regina."

"All right. How do you feel about hurting the good captain?"

On Greg's cue, Tamara locked the chain manacle around Hook's ankle. He didn't want to panic, but he couldn't stop it. His heart hammered and his pulse spiked. He looked at the shifting water. Depths of blue. Depths of blue that could swallow a sailor whole.

No.

"What are you doing?" Emma demanded.

Iron balls clinked together at the end as Tamara tugged on the chain, checking its hold. Satisfied, she dropped a rope lasso around his chest and jerked it closed. It pinched his ribs and he hissed.

"Last chance." Greg still held the phone in her face.

Emma was staring at Hook. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

Tamara shoved Hook in the chest. He fell over the rail. The ocean slurped the weighted chain off the deck like a piece of spaghetti. Greg hauled Emma to the side and pressed her against the rail just in time to see the waters close over Hook's head.

"No!" she shouted.

"Tell us the password."

"You can't do this!"

Tamara squeezed her arms until it hurt. "How much are you willing to loose for Regina?"

"Don't do this. I'll help you find his father."

Tamara nodded. Greg raised Hook with the rope. He broke the water, coughing. Greg hauled him over the rail and threw him to the ground.

Emma moved towards him, but Tamara held her in place. "We don't have time to worry about trusting you," she hissed. "Just tell us the password."

"I can't."

Greg grabbed Hook by the collar. The pirate groaned.

"Please—" Emma reached for them.

Greg threw Hook over the side. The chain plunged again, taking Hook back under with it.

With a snarl, Emma swung at Tamara. The woman stepped back in time to dodge the first one, but she didn't expect a second so soon. Tamara was on her back and Emma leapt at Greg. She'd gotten a shot and a half in before the bark of a handgun preceded a flare of pain across Emma's calf. She dropped to the deck.

"Do you think we are fooling around?" Tamara shouted.

Greg hauled Hook back up. He hit the deck in a sputtering, leather soaked heap. He looked up as Tamara approached with a thick staff that had lain against the rail.

A bitter smile poisoned his face. "Come back to play again, have we?"

Emma pushed herself to a sitting position. "Don't—"

Tamara raised the club above her head and slammed it against Hook's chest. He cried out, trembling from the impact. She lifted it again and swung harder. Emma heard the crack of snapping bones.

"Stop it!"

Greg seized him by the shoulders. Hook moaned as his body jostled.

"How much more do you think he can take, Miss Swan?" Tamara shouted. "Shall we go for another swim? Do you know what it's like to hold your breath with four broken ribs?"

There were tears slipping from her eyes. Tears of fury. She was seething. "I can't help you."

"Then you just killed the captain."

Emma struggled to her feet. Tamara crossed to her and cracked her once in the ribs for good measure.

"Look at the captain, Emma."

Emma shook her head. Her eyes were pressed closed.

Tamara hit her again. "Look at him!"

"Swan," Hook rasped.

Emma's heart broke as she opened her eyes. He was sagging in Greg's hold, bleeding and broken. Water dripped from his hair down his face and along the cuffs of his clothes.

"It's all right."

Greg threw him over the side as Emma cried. He jerked the rope before she heard a splash. Hook dangled over the side. The weights dropped against his ankles, and he cried out as his ribs stretched.

"Just kill me."

Tamara pulled Emma to her feet. She slammed her against the rail, grabbed a fistful of hair, and pushed her head out. "Take a good look, Miss Swan," she hissed in Emma's ear. "This is the last time you'll see Captain Hook alive. Do you like what you see?"

Emma cried. Hook looked up at her. His face was still tight from the pain in his ribs.

Greg let the rope go. As she reached for him, he closed his eyes and plunged beneath the water. Tamara forced Emma to stay there, watching the water as it congealed back over the hole.

"Do you think we'll see bubbles in water this deep?" she said.

Regina had tried to kill her parents untold times. She terrorized the citizens, hurt people in her way. She lied, she cheated, she stole. She stabbed people in the heart—heck, she ripped their hearts. She tried to keep Henry away.

She killed Graham. And how many others.

Why did Emma have to loose Hook for her, too? She didn't kidnap Greg's father. She hadn't brought this on herself. And when they were done with Hook, what would they do to Henry? Or Mary Margaret and David?

"Okay!" Emma snapped. "I'll do it. Pull him up."

Greg handed her the phone. "Unlock it first."

"No. Pull him up first."

Her tone gave them pause, then Tamara nodded and Greg pulled the rope back, hand over hand.

Slow. Too slow.

Then there was splashing. And gasping. Hook's head broke the water as his arms—still bound in front, they were—climbing for air. Emma gripped her phone until the plastic squeaked. Greg pulled him aboard, held him on his feet.

Hook shook the water from his face. Gulping breaths and soggy coughs. He blinked at her, droplets spraying off his lashes. "Don't."

"You don't need to die for her mistakes."

"Touching," Tamara said, with about as much warmth of a cobra. "Now unlock it."

Emma put in her phone's password. As they busied themselves flipping through her files, she slipped an arm around Hook's waist to help him stand. She turned his face, looking at the cuts.

"At least they're sanitized," she muttered.

"Bloody saltwater burns like rum."

She smiled and tapped his nose. "Should be used to it, pirate."

"This will work." Tamara announced to nobody in particular.

"Fascinating." Hook's accent was thicker with his increased respiration, not to mention his anger. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to return my ship to dock."

"Sorry. We don't like loose ends." Greg pulled Emma away, shoving her to Tamara. The woman had her knife to Emma's throat in a flash.

"No!" Emma thrashed. "I gave you what you wanted."

"We want," Tamara said, "to destroy magic. And everyone it brought with it."

Greg loomed in front of Hook. "That includes you, Captain."

"If you kill him, I will throw your remains in jail and see that you are prosecuted to the—"

Tamara interrupted her. "You won't remember him. We have some little trinkets to see to that."

Emma's eyes grew wide. "You can't do that."

"Actually, we can."

Hook growled. He stalked towards Greg. "Let her go immediately or I'll—"

"Bon voyage, Hook." Greg shoved him overboard. He severed the rope and the weighted chain disappeared with another splash. Emma screamed.

Author's note: Apparently there will be three sections. Whoops. Working on the third.