"Again," Emma persisted, beads of perspiration budding on her brow as she scowled in concentration.

"You've done it a dozen times now," Gold complained. He stood a few paces back, leaning on his cane in front of him. "Once is luck, twice is a habit, and twelve times is enough."

"I need to make sure I have it down," Emma persisted, facing the monstrous cow they had been using for practice and bracing herself for another attempt. She was panting slightly from the effort. "I don't want any surprises."

"You have it down," Gold assured her. "But it won't matter if you can't get close enough to Regina to use what you've practiced. You need to let me teach you more, other magic, to be able to face her."

"I don't want to learn other magic," Emma said through gritted teeth.

"You possess the most powerful magic I have ever encountered," Gold told her, stepping forward.

"You say that like it's a positive thing," Emma breathed. "But I grew up in a world without magic, thanks to you and that curse you created, and I have a very different view of it. All the people I know who can use and choose to use magic have been the villains. And you are not excluded from that group. This power – it makes people believe that the easy way is the right way. That they can always have what they want, all of the good and none of the bad. But it never works that way. I'm not going to fall foolishly into the magic trick. I've gotten along for twenty-eight years just fine without magic, and that's how I'm going to continue to live my life."

"That would be all well and good if the playing field were level," Gold persisted. "But your enemy doesn't see it that way. You can't hope to go up against Regina without at least knowing the basics…"

"I've gone up against Regina before…"

"And how did that turn out for you?" Gold sniggered. Emma looked sharply at him and he could tell her had hit a nerve. "Because last time I checked, Henry was with her, not you."

"Regina used magic to tear him away," Emma countered. "I'm not going to do that to him, too."

"Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'fight fire with fire'?"

"I'm not stooping to her level. I'm not playing by her rules. There is a right way to do this, and we are going to do it the right way. Involving any further magic than is absolutely necessary will only hurt Henry more."

"Then why learn this at all? How is this going to help?"

"This is the only way…" Emma mumbled, although she left the thought hanging, as if it were only meant for herself.

"The only way to what? What are you planning?" Gold prodded. Emma seemed in a haze for a moment more, than snapped her attention to her mentor.

"Look, heart-to-hearts were not a part of our arrangement," she admonished in a wary voice. "You said you'd teach me to do this. You don't get to ask questions."

Gold pierced Emma with a stony stare. She returned it and held the eye contact, not backing down.

"Again," she repeated, turning her attention to the cow again. Gold sighed.

"Concentrate," he purred. "Listen for the sound of the rhythm. Take a deep breath, and…"

Emma repeated the steps. She knew them by heart now. Which was kind of an ironic way of putting it. She thrust her hand forward and felt it absorbed by the cow's warm flesh. The beast let out a scared squeal, its eyes bulging. Emma felt her hand close around the pulsing object in the center, and she pulled. The next second, she was holding something large and glowing in her hand as it beat rhythmically. The cow stood perfectly still. Emma stood panting and held the heart in her hand for a moment, first looking at it, then into the cow's dilated eyes.

"Perfect," Gold praised in a low voice.

Emma,

You can have Neal back as soon as you bring the crocodile to me. I'll be on my ship.

Your move.

Hook

Emma merely stared at the note left on the table in the back of Gold's shop, reading it through a second time slightly amused while Gold paced, hobbling angrily around behind her.

"… that damned pirate!" he raged. "No one threatens my son! I'm going to…"

"Let's all just calm down," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"Calm down?!" Gold nearly shouted, advancing on Emma. "The crook abducts my son, and you tell me to calm down?"

"Let's just stop bickering and figure out a way to get him back," Red said loudly, attempting to stem the heated conversation before Emma and Gold started throwing punches or magic instead of just angry words.

"I can get him back," Emma said vaguely, a slightly amused and slightly aggravated hint to her tone.

"No," Charming protested firmly. "Absolutely not. I don't want you anywhere near him."

Snow expressed her concern as well, although in a more mild manner.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Emma was already shrugging her jacket onto her shoulders.

"He'll be civil with me," she said off-handedly, swinging her bag onto her arm.

"Civil is one word for it," Snow retorted, raising her eyebrows.

"We both know I can handle Hook, I've done it before," Emma said, turning to meet her mother's confrontational glare. Snow couldn't argue with that, so she just shrugged reluctantly and let the issue slide. Charming eyes narrowed in concern as they followed his daughter, who had pulled a lipstick tube out of her purse, as she shut the door behind her.

Hook sat twirling his pistol on a barrel on the deck of his ship, facing Neal. Neal sat at the bottom of the cage that had previously housed the giant, ironically named Tiny. He did not look particularly frightened, though every once in a while, he cast Hook a slightly bemused glance.

"What?" Hook prodded, his voice seeping with frustration at the constant glares.

"You really don't recognize me, do you?" Neal asked, leaning forward where he sat and squinting.

"You look vaguely familiar," Hook mused, standing from where he sat and taking a long hard look at Neal. "Have we met before?"

Neal laughed.

"You could say that. It's just, I've grown up a lot since then," he snickered. Hook tilted his head sideways, as if some memory were right on the tip of his consciousness, but when he heard the footsteps on the deck below, he became distracted and looked towards the dock. A smile spread across his face and he saw the blonde head appear on the staircase.

"Ah, here she comes. I knew she would," he flashed a wicked smile at his captive. Neal stood, his face falling as he saw Emma climbing on board. Hook turned back to receive her, and his smile faltered. "Where's the crocodile?"

"I didn't bring him," Emma said, coming forward in slow, intimidating, individual steps. Hook took a deep, furious breath and cocked his pistol towards Neal.

"My instructions were exceedingly clear," Hook growled, but Emma did not back down at the threat. She continued to pace forward slowly and confidently, each footstep echoing on the wooden hull below her.

"Yes, but see, I'm not really inclined to take instructions from you, Hook," Emma purred, her voice low and hard to read. With a click, Hook released the safety on the gun.

"I will kill him," Hook threatened. "I know you Emma, know how far you would go to make sure innocent people don't end up dead. Bring me the crocodile or I swear I will bury this bullet in his skull."

"No you won't," Emma informed him confidently, taking yet another step forward.

"Ah," Hook said with a smooth, slick voice, striding forward to meet her in the middle of the deck. "Come to trade something else for him?"

Neal squirmed a bit at the suggestion, his face displaying his awkward discomfort with the direction this was taking, but Emma maintained her intimidating and slightly seductive composure.

"Come over here and I'll tell you," Emma said suggestively, blinking her long eyelashes.

He smiled as he drew up right in front of her, then suddenly flicked his hook and held it at her throat. Neal took in a deep breath, but Emma remained steady, her eyes dark and suggestive as she looked into his.

"I might have fallen for that once before," Hook said, beginning to circle her in slow, intimidating steps, keeping his hook at her throat, "but I learned my lesson."

"You won't hurt him, because I now something about him that you don't know," Emma said in a low voice. "Something that you will want to know."

"And what's that?" Hook asked, coming around full circle to face her again.

Emma brought her lips up intimately to his ear, reaching out and placing a warm hand on his chest as she did so. From over his shoulder, she saw a flicker of discomfort and anger in Neal, but she ignored it as she whispered something he could not make out in Hook's ear. Neal didn't know what she might have said, for a moment Hook did not respond. When he did, he turned slowly to regard Neal, a strangely awed and conflicted expression on his face. He looked at Neal as if he were a completely different person, as if he were just seeing him for the first time. Neal had no idea what Emma had just said to him to elicit this reaction, but he decided the best course of action was to remain silent and let whatever Emma was planning pan out the way she wanted it to.

Hook turned back to catch Emma's eye. Neal saw her nod slightly, answering some unspoken plea for confirmation on his face. He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then he marched back to Neal, not meeting his eyes, jingling a set of keys until he found the one he needed. He slid it into the lock on the cage and threw the door open, turning to face away from both of them as he did so.

"Go," he said, again averting his eyes and Neal looked at him, semi-shocked. "Get out of here. Now."

Neal did not need to be told twice. He hurried towards Emma, rubbing his wrists.

"What did you say to him?" he asked her in a hushed voice, but she just waved him on.

"Go back to the pawn shop, I'll meet you there."

"You're not coming?" Neal asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll be right behind you," Emma said, shifting her gaze to Hook.

"But…"

"I'll be right behind you, I said," Emma insisted, peeling her eyes away from the pirate to catch Neal's with a stern gaze. Neal cast an uneasy look back at Hook, then looked back at Emma.

"Be careful," he warned her, and she smiled slightly at the genuine concern in his voice.

"Trust me," she smirked. "I can handle Hook."

Hook had gravitated distractedly over to the railing on the other side of the ship. He leaned out over it with a brooding character to his mood. As he made to descend onto the dock, Neal cast him one final, hesitant look, then stepped off the deck. As the sound of his footsteps hobbled down the wooden pier, Emma, turned back to Hook, coming forward and joining him as he looked out over the Maine sea.

"He's his son?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yes," Emma confirmed simply.

"That means he's her son?"

"Yes," she repeated. Hook took a long thoughtful pause, first gazing out over the water, then looking down at the railing on which he was leaning.

"I don't know whether to hate him or love him," Hook voiced his confusion. Emma turned to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm, her voice smooth and understanding.

"I know you don't," she responded, blinking sympathetically.

Hook looked amused down at where Emma's hand rested on his arm.

"What's this, lass?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Does my brooding over my murdered love get you all hot and bothered? Have a finally found a way into that mistrusting heart of yours."

"I didn't realize it was my heart that you wanted to find a way into," she said, her voice just above a whisper. The wind from the ocean caught her golden hair, casting it about her face and shoulders and she took his eyes with hers. She leaned in closer. He smiled.

"Well, we can start somewhere lower, if you like," he said, turning to face her and weaving his remaining hand behind her to rest on her hip. "And work our way up."

He felt her respond, leaning towards him and exhaling a light and excited breath. He pressed his lips to hers and she did not resist. She met him in full force and they shared a kiss than started slow but then increased passionately. But it was barely a few moments before Hook felt himself become light-headed. He pulled away, but the sensation did not subside. He looked at Emma, who was looking at him with sad, sympathetic eyes. The kind of sympathy that meant she knew something he didn't. He stepped back, but his head was becoming clouded. He held onto the railing.

"What is…?" he mumbled blearily. His lips began to tingle and as he brought his hand up to them, he caught Emma's eyes again, watching him. A hint of understanding etched his way into his expression before he lost consciousness completely and crumpled to the deck.

Emma did not make to catch him. She stood for a moment, looking down at him, genuine sympathy sliding its way into her emotions. But she swept it aside quickly. She only had one mission. Only one person she needed to be thinking about right now, and Hook was not him. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed, bringing it to her ear. The other line answered.

"Piece of cake," she said.