Two days have passed since their campfire conversation. Emma made a point to not open herself up to Killian. Killian made up for her lack of silence by talking for the both of them. She answered some questions relating to Storybrooke, but didn't bother to start any conversations. As a result, the days seemed to have dragged out until Killian stopped her and directed her to an incline. Eventually, they stopped on a hill overlooking the sea. It was finally over. They had come to the end of their journey. However, there were a few things left to do.
"As promised, I have upheld my end of the bargain," Killian informed jovially. He was staring at her with a smug grin on his face.
He did keep his promise, despite not knowing her identity. It appeared that he still believed in some manner of good form.
"It appears you have," Emma agreed, her voice low.
Her thoughts were going all over the place. Thoughts of their journey flooded into her mind, and she knew that he did everything in his power to protect her. Her mind took a darker turn to explain his motives. He was only doing this as a sense of obligation because she was his only ticket to Storybrooke.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, looking at her with concern. She didn't know how she sounded to him, or maybe her sullen mood was letting him know that something was wrong. Regardless, the time to act was now.
"I've been doing some thinking, and this is where we must part ways," she informed, crossing her arms with a firm resolve.
She was adamant to not sway from her decision. All her abilities will come into play in a last attempt to shake him off. Predictably, he reacted as expected.
"I'm not going to stand for this." He stepped forward in disbelief. She could see the anger and the utter betrayal in his eyes. "We made a deal. I took you to the castle." He pointed an accusatory finger at her before gesturing to the egg and the distant ocean. "You have everything you need."
Her heart was breaking. She knew she was being unfair to him. He helped her out and she was double crossing him.
"Unfortunately, you were never in the cards to return with me," she admitted.
"You could've left on your own many times at night in camp. Why betray me now?" He asked, his free hand ran through his hair in frustration.
He made a good point. Why didn't she try leaving and keep herself from the awkward situation she was currently in? She wanted to tell him that he deserved the truth. Leaving without an explanation seemed so wrong.
Instead of speaking the truth, bitterness left her mouth.
"Because I'm justified," she said, her voice filled with determination.
Everything she was doing was to protect herself and Henry. She tried to tell herself that she was also protecting the town by preventing him from coming-that this was all for the greater good.
"I'm not going to let you do this," he protested, following after her.
Emma heard him approach and quickly turned around to face him.
"I didn't expect you to. Don't take another step closer," she warned, her hand pulled on her longsword. The sword was halfway out of the sheath. The blade gleamed when the sunrays reflected off it.
Emma what the hell are you doing? You could just disappear in a poof of magic. Why are you doing this? She knew she was stubborn, but this was pushing the boundaries into something else. Except, the damage had been done.
She saw the look of hurt on his face when she had her sword pointed out at him. She felt disgusted at her own actions because she was taking this a little far.
"Are you trying to prove a point?" He asked, hands clenching at his side and his expression grim.
"I'm not sure, but I know that your ticket to Storybrooke is standing between me and this sword here," she said with a shrug. She watched as he stared at the tip of her sword warily.
"It looks like I don't have any choice." He began reaching for the grip of his cutlass. "You sure know how to push a man's hand. If I have to best you to go with you, then so be it." His voice was filled with a calm acceptance, as he pulled his sword out.
Emma looked at his cutlass and was surprised to see that it was the same one that he carried since the Jewel. He took off his leather duster and threw it to the ground. She supposed that it would have been a hindrance in this fight. They circled each other to begin their deadly dance. They hadn't sparred in years, but she knew that she had to overpower him first since she wouldn't be able to overcome his speed.
Emma moved first, his sword met hers easily with a clang. She didn't stop as she continued her strikes, causing him to stagger with the force.
"What is it you want? You're a reasonable sort of woman. What are you really fighting for?" He asked, his brows were furrowed from the strain, but his mouth was upturned slightly as though he was enjoying the battle.
With a cry of anger, Emma pressed on as frustration took over. Killian was holding his ground. She noticed that he was trying to tire her out by letting her make the first move.
"Who says I'm fighting for something? I can't take this chance that I am wrong about you." Emma grunted, moving her arm back to prepare another swing. Emma added again in her mind.
Their swords were crossed and they were leaning forward trying to overcome one another. Their faces were so close to each other that she could feel his breath touching her face. Her arms were straining from being out of practice for ten years. His eyes were a stormy blue, but they grew soft when he stared into her green.
"You realized something these last few days with me. I think what you truly want frightens you to death. Now, you're running, instead of facing your fears," he said knowingly.
His words brought on a memory from before. Now, that you are experiencing change, you do the only thing you know how to do-run. Leave it to Killian, no matter the circumstance, he was able to read her.
"Screw you." Emma pushed him away from her sword, causing him to stagger backwards. Emma raised her sword and pointed at him with the edge again "Don't lecture me about what I want. We both know what you are fighting for, and why I must stop you," she warned, panting from the strain.
He flicked the cutlass in his wrist and readied his sword to strike. "Right now. I'm fighting for something other than revenge," he corrected. He didn't falter under her gaze.
The sincerity of his gaze almost made her falter in her swing. He was trying to distract her with his poetic words. His words just fueled her anger and resolve.
"Like what? Your pride?" She scoffed, her tone was almost mocking. He met her swing lazily when she swung down vertically.
"A promise," he said.
"Well, too bad you're going to break this promise," she taunted, but her actions were betraying her. She couldn't keep this fight up. Who was she kidding? He had over three hundred years of experience while she had ten. She would be deluded if she thought otherwise.
"I won't because I promised that I wouldn't stop fighting," he promised, and his words echoed in her mind.
At his promise, her eyes widened in recognition.
I will never stop fighting for us. He once told her on their wedding day. No, this fight was messing with her head. She was reading too much into his words. She swung at him hard at the thought.
"Good Form." He blocked her with both his sword and hook. She had to admit that that hook came in handy. It was like a weapon. "You must have had a decent teacher." He waggled his eyebrows at her. Emma went to elbow him on the ribs but he moved to dodge her blow.
"Oh, you have no idea." Emma snorted before lunging at him.
He caught her lunge and twirled her sword in his in a parry. She could feel the sword leave her hand because her sweaty hands couldn't hold it. She could feel herself falling from the change of momentum.
"But not good enough." He tutted, and with a flick of his wrist the sword left her hands and spun in the air , landing on the ground some distance behind her.
"Shit," she muttered when she fell unceremoniously on the ground.
He slowly stalked his way towards her lazily with a triumphant grin on his face. Emma's heart started to pace when she realized that she had no choice but to acknowledge defeat. Her first attempt at shaking him off had failed. He was standing in front of her, seeing that she wasn't a threat he sheathed his cutlass. "You lose." He looked down at her with a smirk.
Emma felt the ground tremble when her palms were placed on the ground, responding to her magic.
Her mouth uplifted slightly when a new plan formed in her mind. "Not quite," she corrected.
Suddenly, the ground started to shake and vines shot out of the ground wrapping around his limbs, preventing his movements. He struggled against his binds. The only thing accessible was his hook, but Emma doubted that it would be able to cut through vines formed by magic.
His eyes were filled with shock. "It's poor form to introduce magic into a duel with swords," he chided unamused.
Emma slowly picked herself from the ground to properly stare into his eyes. "Let me tell you something about poor form. If you didn't run off with a married woman, then you wouldn't focus on revenge." She turned around to walk away but stopped, her back still facing him. "Thank you for your help, but I really need to get going," she said sincerely and began to walk away.
"Have I told you a lie?" The sorrow in his voice caused her to turn around.
He was pleading with his eyes to have her reconsider her actions. She swallowed hard to bury her emotions. The longer she stayed in his presence, the guiltier she felt. Out of sick curiosity, she wanted to see if she was able to get truthful answers from him.
"You haven't been truthful to why you wanted to go to Storybrooke, " she admitted before leaning towards him conspiratorially. "Let me let you in on a little secret. I know when someone is lying. Tell me. Why does Captain Hook want to go to Storybrooke?" She asked, her gaze never leaving his.
His jaw clenched and he seemed almost annoyed by her question. "To get revenge on the man who killed my brother and took my love from me." His answer was almost mocking her. It was like he was trying to goad her into doing something, but she couldn't tell what he was trying to do.
"That's the same tune you have been singing for days. I'm going to ask you again and I better believe it. Why do you want to go to Storybrooke?" Emma asked, crossing her arms in irritation.
"I've waited so long for this moment," he said, ignoring her question. He seemed almost resigned to something and looked at her knowingly as though he knew what was going to happen within the next few minutes.
Emma pursed her lips unamused. She didn't like the game he was playing. "That wasn't an answer to my question. Well, it looks like you're wasting my time," She said and began to walk away.
"You should know," he said knowingly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, her tone incredulous.
Killian looked down and smirked sadly to himself before looking at her with disappointment.
"Did you really think I would let revenge stand in the way? After everything we shared,I expected you would have a little faith in me, Emma."
Emma's eyes widened in shock and she took a step back in fear. He figured her out. All her walls she built these last few days crumbled down, leaving her exposed. Did he know who she was this whole time? If so, the joke was on her.
"Oh, yes. Despite your attempts to conceal your identity from me and blocking me out, I knew who you were the moment we ran into each other. I would recognize your eyes anywhere. Those were the eyes I dreamed of for the last three hundred years," he acknowledged her, his voice filled with passion.
The worst thing about this situation was that she couldn't detect the lie in his voice. According to him, all these years he spent remembering and pining for her and the moment they run into each other, she tied him up. She felt a little sick at her actions.
"Dammit, Killian. Why didn't you tell me?" Emma scolded, looking at him in disbelief.
"As for not confronting you, I was hoping you would open up to me on your own terms. When I saw how closed off you were, I told myself that I would get you to drop this façade no matter how long it took. I always did love a challenge," he jested with a halfhearted grin.
He was trying to lighten the situation with humor, but he knew as well as she did that this whole situation couldn't possibly turn out the way he hoped.
"You're insane," she admitted, shaking her head at the pirate's actions.
He laughed a little at her statement before his expression sobered. "Love makes people do crazy things. Now that we both know it's you and I am where you wanted me to be, please, grant me one request." She shifted uncomfortably at the hope shining in his eyes.
If he was expecting to go to Storybrooke, his case for going should be better than what he told her in the camp.
"I told you-"
"I know you won't let me go to Storybrooke because you think I'm lying to you. Yes, I know where you stand on your decision." He cut her off, slightly irritated. "No, what I want is to explain what happened on the Jolly Roger without you running off again," he answered her honestly.
He had the patience of a saint. She wondered how much self-control it took for him to not reveal her identity. Every move he made was to respect her wishes. He wanted her to make the choice to reveal herself to him. He never overstepped his bounds. The least she could do was hear him out.
"Start talking. The moment you lie, I'm not going to guarantee you're going to like how I am going to react. I've been burned so many times in the past," she warned, no nonsense laced in her tone. She didn't miss his relieved expression.
"I wouldn't dream of lying. Especially, not about this. For many years I let you- the woman I love -think I abandoned you and broke your trust. All these years you spent apart from me was because of a misunderstanding. I want to correct it so I can be with you again," he admitted with his heart in his eyes.
Emma allowed his words to sink in for a moment as she mused over the events that took place over the last several days. "A misunderstanding? Do you expect me to believe that?" Emma asked.
She didn't know if she was questioning him or herself. Her emotions were all over the place . She didn't detect the lie, but her eyes drifted to his arm with the tattoo, then she saw red. He got a tattoo of the woman who died in his arms, and he wanted to say that was a misunderstanding. If she recalled, getting a tattoo was a coherent decision. She was pretty sure that he wasn't drunk when he got it because he put a lot of thought into the design. She was nothing but a memory to him.
"What's driving you is a three hundred year old grudge over a former torch and a brother who never wanted to be avenged in the first place. That tattoo is a testament of where your motivations lie. This was never about me. One thing I know about you, Hook, is that you are a bloodthirsty pirate." Emma shook her head and her eyes became harder, burning with resolve.
"When the darkness takes over, you let your carnage desires rule and too many people will get caught in the crossfires of your revenge. Not even my voice could snap you out of it. Nice try, but your lying won't work on me. Storybrooke is under my protection. I already have a queen to deal with. I don't need a vengeful pirate to make a bad situation worse. The vines will disappear when I leave. I hope you find other pursuits nobler than revenge." Emma finished and walked away from him.
"Swan...Emma!" He called after her with such fervor that she blocked out his voice as he called after her. She couldn't face him. The time for talking was done. The only thing that mattered was returning to Storybrooke.
It took forever to walk down to the ocean even though she only had to walk down a hill to get to it. She could have easily teleported to it, but she decided against it. She had conversations with herself wondering if she made a mistake. She felt awful and she was sure that she cried at some point during her walk. It's possible that she could have been wrong in her assumptions. She allowed her emotions to rule her actions instead of reason. Eventually, she stopped in front of the ocean. It appeared serene as opposed to the inner turmoil she was feeling. She went down on her knees and washed all the ink from the parchment into the vial. She took one last forlorn look at the direction Killian was trapped in before bringing the whistle to her mouth. The shrill pitch of the whistle filled the air and after it disappeared, fake Calypso was standing before her.
She looked the same after ten years with her red hair and sea green dress. The cursed pendant was hanging on her neck. Her green eyes assessed Emma and her mouth uplifted slightly in a crazed grin.
"Oh, Emma, it's been so long," she drawled, her voice seemed slightly giddy.
"Not long enough," Emma sassed, her hand went to reach into her jacket pocket for the vial. Rumpelstiltskin was right- the witch was planning something.
"What can I help you with?" She asked.
"I want to see you open a portal to Storybrooke." Emma nodded to the direction of the ocean.
The only way for this to work was to trick the witch to do her bidding.
"This is going to require something a little different, since I am not sending you through time," fake Calypso admitted, reaching into her garb to pull out a shiny white bean shaped object.
"Is that a bean?" Emma observed with a frown. Emma watched with fascination as the witch threw the bean into the ocean. As soon as the bean broke through the ocean's surface, a purple vortex was left in its absence.
"A magic bean that allows travel through realms," The witch confirmed before holding her hand out expectantly. "Now, that whistle is unnecessary to you. I require it as payment."
"Sure thing. I have something to thank you by." Emma smirked, as the witch leaned forward. Emma removed the cap from the vial inside her jacket before throwing the squid ink at the fake goddess.
"What!" The woman screeched, unable to move the rest of her body.
"I know you're a human posing as a goddess. That squid ink should hold you, witch. I knew what you were planning on doing with this whistle. Well, guess what?" Emma leaned forward for effect before continuing. "I'm going to destroy it when I get back to Storybrooke." She finished with a taunt.
"This isn't over, Savior. I will have my revenge on you and Regina," the witch promised darkly.
"That's highly unlikely, but thank you for giving me the heads up that you're after Regina as well. I'm sure she will be pleased to know you will fill the hundredth person who wants revenge against her slot," Emma joked, wondering how many people Regina could possibly have pissed off.
Emma walked passed the frozen witch and stared into the swirling vortex. She should have felt relieved to go back, but her victory left a bitter taste in her mouth. As she moved to jump, a pair of arms grabbed onto her. Emma moved to fight off her assailant but froze when she was met with a pair of familiar blue eyes
"Killian," she whispered, not believing her eyes.
Killian nodded at her acknowledgement. She didn't notice that he was inching them towards the portal. She was still shocked that he caught up to her so fast.
"I told you once I would be a fool to let you go," he reminded before pushing them both into the portal.
Despite her attempts at shaking him off, Killian was coming to Storybrooke. She had no choice but to deal with her feelings when they returned. One thing was for certain-breaking the curse was now going to get a lot more complicated.
End of Part One
Next: Part 2: A glimpse into the past