Several days later, it seemed like the whole 'crazy Irish pirate' situation had blown over. Emma hadn't seen him since she left him in that holding cell. She had heard he'd been released later that day, so she was just gonna assume he'd made it back to whatever crazy town hole he had crawled out of. She told herself to forget about him, NYC was full of crazies. But something about him haunted her and she found him flitted about through her thoughts, much to her chagrin.
Emma was stuck in traffic, as usual. Her beat up old yellow bug trying to make it to the park for Henry's soccer match. He'd joined the soccer team at school about a year ago and had really taken off as a star player. He was very quick on his feet, probably from years of playing hide and go seek and tag when he was younger, thought Emma. She smiled at the memories, but then sighed when she finally pulled up to the playing field to see that the game had already started.
Emma had just settle down on the bleachers smiling awkwardly at the other parents, when she spotted him. "No freaking way.." She cursed under her breathe. Loitering around at the edge of the field was a dark hair, leather clad... Irish pirate. Oh god.
Emma stood up, double checked her gun and badge, then stalked over to where he was loitering.
"I thought I told you to keep your distance."
"Ah, hello to you too!" The pirate attempted a smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"Can't a chap check out a ... What do you call this sport? Soccer?" He grinned at her, damn he was charming, especially without the alcohol on his breathe. "Henry has really grown in the last year.." He trailed off gazing over at the agile boy running across the soccer field.
Emma stepped forward and gripped his good arm back behind him. "What are you? Some kind of stalker? Please don't tell me you are some kind of gross pedophile. Listen, you have two choices, either disappear and never come anywhere near me or my son again or allow me to escort you to the precinct where I can get you locked away quicker than you can say 'restraining order.'"
"As appealing as both of those offers sound, love, may I propose a third? You and Henry have a family you don't remember, from a world you have forgotten, but they haven't forgotten you, none of us have..." He paused and stared intensely into her eyes causing Emma to swallow hard and let go of her grip on his arm although she kept her eyes hard and her teeth gritted. There was just something about his eyes... "All I am proposing is you give this story a chance." He slowly reached into his coat and Emma started to reach for her gun, but he just pulled out a rectangular beat up story book, "Just give it a read love, if it does nothing for you I'll gladly keep my distance no restraining order needed." He sighed and tried to pass over the book to her. Emma just stared back at him like he had just emerged from a space ship.
"You want me to... read a book?"
"Mom?" A bewildered Henry had just stepped up, a little out of breathe from his game, which had apparently ended. "Mom who is this?"
"Hello Henry, good game," the pirate nodded his way.
"Do we know him?" Henry scrunched his face at his mother in confusion.
"No, we don't." Emma eyed the stranger sharply. "He was just leaving, right sir?" Her voice thick with underlying threats.
"Right I was just returning this book to your mother, my boy," he gave Henry a wink and placed the book on the grass awkwardly, "maybe you'll find some familiar stories in there.."
"Go." Emma cut him off, "and remember what I told you."
"Of course, every word." He did a small almost comical bow then turned and walked off across the grass of the park.
"Who was that? Why did he have your book?" Henry started to reach for the abandoned storybook on the ground.
"Leave that," Emma stopped him, "It's not mine. He's just another crazy on the streets, probably homeless or something..." She eyed his departing figure suspiciously then turned to Henry, "If you see him again, don't talk to him, I think he's unstable."
Henry shrugged, "Okay, we getting pizza for dinner?"
"Well that depends," Emma finally let a smile creep on to her face, "how'd that science test go today?"
"Aced it." Henry grinned.
"Alright soccer star, let's grab a slice. Run and get your things and meet me by the car."
"Awesome!" Henry ran off to grab his back pack from the bleachers.
Emma started to follow him, but stopped. She looked around quickly then found herself picking up that beat up storybook and putting it in her bag. She paused, shook her head not entirely understanding her behavior then walked off to catch up with Henry.
Later that night, unable to sleep, Emma sat up in her bed slowly turning the pages of the beat up story book. Fairy tales. These were just a bunch of fairy tales. Snow White, Rumplestilskin, the Mad Hatter... Why on earth would this stranger feel so strongly about her reading this? But then she shook her head, he was clearly crazy, why had she even taken the book? Maybe it had something to do with that disturbing feeling that lurked in her stomach when he looked in her eyes...
She turned the page then and felt that feeling yet again. Was that... No. 'Don't be crazy Emma.' She chastised herself. But, she couldn't help but notice that the illustration looking back at her looked eerily familiar. That was his face, his hair, his leather coat. She looked at the caption, 'Captain Hook.' The memory of their conversation in the holding cell flashed through her mind. 'You know me as Hook.' Emma sighed and rubbed her eyes and forehead. This guy thought he was Captain Hook? A character from a story book? She frowned and closed the book tossing it aside. Whatever, this was nuts. She turned to shut off the light and grunted as she tugged the blanket over her.
That night Emma had strange dreams about climbing a beanstalk, running through forests and jungles and most disturbingly, passionately kissing a leather clad pirate. The words 'as you wish,' echoing through her mind as she woke up. Blah, at least it was Saturday.
She shuffled out to the kitchen to make coffee and was surprise to see Henry already awake and sitting at the kitchen table.
"Hey kiddo, awake with the birds, huh?"
"No you're the one that slept in, it's nearly 10," Henry smirked up at her. Emma frowned at the clock then looked over at Henry and realized he was bent over a book. Oh hey.
"Mom, you know there is a character in this book with your name?" Henry said with a mouth full if cereal.
Emma made a face while pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Well Emma is a name that other people have too.. Did you take that from my room?"
"It was on the floor by your bed," Henry nodded, "You said this wasn't your book, but your name is in it. Emma Swan." He read out loud and pointed to the page in front of him, "the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, the prophesy claims her to be the Savior who will break the curse and save them all..."
"Oh yeah?," Emma sank into the chair across from Henry with her coffee, "Pretty neat coincidence." She shrugged.
"Is it?" Henry raised an eyebrow and pointed again to the book, "look at this."
Emma leaned over the table and saw an illustration of a baby wrapped in a blanket, the name Emma clearly crocheted on the side. Emma coughed and took the book from Henry to examine the image closer.
"Don't you have that blanket? It's just like your baby blanket." Henry was polishing off his cereal with wide eyes.
"Huh. Yeah it's very similar."
"Mom! It's like exactly the same! Doesn't that seem like more than a coincidence to you?" Henry was getting a little worked up now and Emma didn't like it. She wasn't crazy about discussing her childhood or past. She took the book and closed it.
"Whatever, maybe my birth parents were fans of fairy tales before they decided to abandon me." She stood up and carried the book over to the kitchen counter, debating on possibly throwing it out the window.
"Or maybe they were Snow White and Prince Charming and they had to send you away to save you so that someday you could be the savior!"
Emma paused for a moment before looking over at Henry and then they both started laughing.
Five minutes later Henry ran off to get ready for soccer practice while Emma stood in the kitchen eyeing the book. 'A family you don't remember, from a world you have forgotten...' Not possible. Not. Possible. Emma grabbed the book with every intent of throwing it away, but some how found herself in her room stuffing it under her bed. What was she doing?
How do you make someone remember things they believe never happened? How do you break a curse on someone who is suppose to be the one to break curses? Hook was laying on a park bench staring up at the sky. It was the only thing that looked familiar in this world, that reminded him of home - besides Emma. It had been several days since he had left the book with her, and as promised he was keeping his distance. Just praying that it worked somehow. That history would repeat itself, Henry and the book had gotten her to believe once, fingers crossed that it could happen again. But without the world of Storybrooke around them, he feared it would all just be nonsense to them. Time was running out, he had to get Emma to return with him. A magic bean burned a hole in his pocket. He feared what he thought he was gonna have to do if worse came to worse. Kidnap her and Henry. Not really the best way to win a lady over. He closed his eyes and made a wish, even though he knew there was no magic in this world.
Emma was having trouble sleeping, and every time she did all she dreamed about was dragons, ogres, giants, magic curses and evil queens. But mostly a pirate with a hook for a hand, who seemed to haunt her even when she was awake. The most disturbing thing was she was starting to have thoughts that these dreams were actually memories. She wondered darkly if mental instability was contagious and if she had caught it from the crazy Irish pirate. And no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get herself to get rid of the book. At least the stranger was keeping his distance, she hadn't seen him since the soccer game last Friday.
"Hey Goose, you've got a visitor. Says he's a friend of your family, a whole flock of geese, now that's something I'd like to see." James chuckled at his own humor. Emma looked up from her desk where she was trying to bury herself in paper work and drown herself in coffee. A friend of the family? Oh no.
"I know I said I'd keep my distance love, but time is ticking..." The Irish drawl came from behind her. Emma turned, eyes wide. He was visiting her at the precinct? He was definitely crazy.
She stood up trying to keep her cool, "Seriously? So restraining order it is?" She kept her voice hushed.
"Well before we make any rash decisions, did you read the book? Anything ring a bell in there?" He raised his eye brows hopefully.
"You're crazy."
"Ah, okay then." Hook swallowed before continuing, "in that case, I just came by to tell you that Henry needs you and you must come with me immediately."
"What?! Henry's in school and I'm going no where with you. And where you are going is .." Emma stopped short when Hook casually motioned over to the far door where Henry was standing out in the hall watching them curiously.
"What is he doing here? How did you get him out of school?" Emma's tone went down and she eyed the pirate.
"I'm a pirate, love. I'm sneaky." He grinned his stupid charming smile again.
"Ugh," Emma threw her arms in the air and hurried over to Henry.
"Mom."
"I don't know what this man said or did but," Emma rushed into the empty hallway where Henry was standing. But before she could finish a hand went over her mouth and an arm grabbed her from behind and before she knew it both herself and Henry were pushed in to a nearby broom closet. Oh, perfect.
"My deepest apologies love, I was hoping your memories would return before we did, but alas time is of the essence and we must be going."
"Going?! We're in a broom closet! Henry come here we are.."
"You are both coming with me," Hook cut her off and wrapped his arm around her and grabbed Henry with his good hand then he spit something on the ground and yelled, "Oz!" Then a bright light enveloped them and a crazy wind rushed around them. Emma lost all sense of up and down and tried to yell out for Henry but found no air in her lungs. And then suddenly the air was very still and she opened her eyes to sunlight, her hands and knees in the grass. They were no longer in a broom closet...
As if he could read her mind the pirate cleared his throat, "Yes, you're not in New York anymore."
"Mom? Where are we?"
Emma stood up trying to blink and adjust her eyes to the strange light. She saw Henry's figure near her, and reached for him instinctively.
"I have no clue kid."
"Well, I do. This is Oz, welcome to it." The pirate walked forward and gestured to the wild and strange landscape in front of them, he didn't seem impressed.