A/N: Hi, my lovely readers! I never thought that I'd have enough plot for a decent-length fic, but alas, I think that I do! The more I wrote, the more scenarios and ideas came into my head, and the story just became longer and longer. Who's happy about that? =D So much for a three-shot. =P

I've been slaving away to get all of my notes down as soon as possible, well before the January start-up, because I don't want the story to be influenced by what's going to happen on the show. I really want its originality to remain, no matter what transpires throughout Season 2.

Also, for those who are interested in my writing style (thank you to those who are enjoying it, by the way), I read a lot of historical fiction (particularly medieval, Arthurian lore, etc.), historical romance, and thrillers (Raymond Khoury's works have certainly influenced me a lot). It's been really fun mixing the writing styles of those genres and applying it to the OUAT universe.

Thank you so much for all of your reviews and overwhelming support; your enthusiasm and encouragement certainly help me continue and are so important to the success of this story. The reviews are so hilarious! I love you guys! haha! And yes, I am an evil author. Sorry I'm not sorry. =P Let me know what you think of this next installment, wherein "Captain Cockblock" (à la thescribediaries) will be revealed. I'd love to hear from you! xx IFHD

P.S. Captain Swan till I die. *salutes*

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Chapter 2: Disclosed Desires

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Inspired by:

"Undisclosed Desires"

By: Muse

I know you've suffered

But I don't want you to hide

It's cold and loveless

I won't let you be denied

Soothing

I'll make you feel pure

Trust me

You can be sure

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart

I want to recognise your beauty's not just a mask

I want to exorcise the demons from your past

I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

You trick your lovers

That you're wicked and divine

You may be a sinner

But your innocence is mine

Please me

Show me how it's done

Tease me

You are the one

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Emma and Hook both froze at the sound of the high-pitched exclamation.

"Oh, God!" Emma repeated the expletive as her eyes opened; this time, her expression transformed into that of horror as she heard Mary Margaret's incredulous voice. In the ensuing silence, Emma rightly jumped from the man before her. For good measure, she gave the smirking Hook - who still eyed her with much arousal - a shove to widen the distance between them. With a visible gulp, Emma turned her head towards her mother's form which, to her mortification, was surrounded by David's, Henry's, Red's, and Granny's. Oh, for fuck's sake...Henry! Emma cursed to herself, clenching her teeth. As her eyes darted to her son, she saw that, thankfully, David had enacted some form of decency in the room and had covered the young boy's eyes with the length of his palm.

"Emma," Mary Margaret began in a slow, deceptively calm manner. She took another deep breath to calm her rising emotions. The relaxation technique failed to take effect entirely, for she kept her fists tightly clenched at her sides, "I think we need to talk."

"Ooh," Hook grimaced animatedly, clucking his tongue repeatedly at Emma. He finished in a sing-song voice, "I think someone's in trouble!"

Emma seethed with utter contempt and snapped, "Hook, shut up!"

Despite the thickened tension in the room and seemingly unaffected by the bewildered stares that he was receiving at the moment, the pirate sauntered forward. Evidenced by the wide grin that he wore, he didn't appear even a tad bit bothered by the fact that Granny was aiming a loaded crossbow right at him. "Ah, friends of my former captors." He nodded towards Red, Granny, and Henry (who had now regained his eyesight), specifically. His twinkling orbs fell upon them in turn. "Where are my manners? We haven't been formally introduced." He gave them a low, gracious bow. "The name's Killian Jones."

"Captain Hook." Henry said knowingly with a tinge of awe and wonder, eyeing the glinting metal that stemmed from the pirate's hand.

Hook's gaze fell upon the young boy. The pirate quirked a brow and threw him a side grin, visibly pleased by Henry's reaction. "Ah, so you've heard of me, then? I rejoice to the fact that my reputation precedes me, even in this land."

Finding his theatrics highly unacceptable throughout the awkward moment, Emma shoved him aside in distaste. The pirate took a few steps back, willingly obliging her to stand before him, with an amused smirk. When all eyes turned to Emma, she swallowed, lacking much conviction in her tone: "It's not what it looks like."

Hook took slight offence to the outright lie. In retaliation, he kept his arms behind his back, peered out from the top of Emma's right shoulder, and countered with a simple, "It is what it looks like."

Mary Margaret, David, Ruby, and Granny were still dumbfounded at this point. Henry, on the other hand, couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

The pirate's bright blue eyes surveyed those around him in turn. Then, he rolled them in boredom when he realized that they were, once more, enshrouded in thick silence, even after another minute or so. Encircling his palm before him as though to physically initiate a change of events, he drawled, "I'm not here to hurt Emma, or any of you." He definitely had their attention now. "Seeing as though your measly holding cell can't contain me, why don't I be of use to you? Let me help you deal with Cora."

"Deal with her?" Mary Margaret's beet-red face showed no signs of acceptance. At all. She took a purposeful step forward to fully face the pirate. "You work with her, Hook! She's in Storybrooke because of you."

"Now, now, don't be pointing fingers, sweetheart." Hook clucked his tongue admonishingly as he gave his head a shake. "I did what I had to do to find my way here. Now that I am here, my deal with the witch is done, as far as I'm concerned." Then, he held up his index finger as-a-matter-of-factly. "And, since we're playing the blame game, let me take this time to point out that, had Miss Swan over here not knocked me unconscious during our little duel," he turned to Emma, "which was not part of my plan, by the way," he then turned back to his audience, "I would've just easily come through with the two of you and left Cora behind."

Emma and Mary Margaret shared a look. David, Red, and Granny continued to eye the pirate warily.

"How do we know we can trust you?" came David's rough reply, giving voice to the question that lurked in all their minds. The veins at his temples were now visible as he wore the same, indignant expression as Mary Margaret.

"I can only count the reasons on one hand," Hook began, earning a simultaneous groan from all in the room, "but here they are. Reason one: Emma's alive and," he gave her body a clear, unabashed once-over, "looking very well, despite my easy escape. Two, my quarrel has never been with any of you, so if you do not get in my way, I will steer clear of yours. And three," his eyes landed on Emma's face this time, scrutinizing it as though he were trying to memorize her every feature, "well, let's just say that the third reason is for me to know and Emma to realize."

Emma kept his intense stare, though remained silent.

No one had a chance to directly reply to the captain's reasonings. At this point, Leroy burst into the main room of the station, panting heavily. He halted before the group and doubled over, resting his hands upon his trembling knees. When he finally managed to catch his breath, he sputtered labouredly, "Cora's reappeared. Regina and Gold have followed her into the forest; I think she's trying to draw them out. Belle's nowhere to be found; we can only guess that she's chased after Gold."

Emma's eyes widened in distress. "We have to find them now!"

It didn't take long for those within the station to settle on an agreement.

However, as Hook began to step forward to join the retreating group, Mary Margaret scowled, held her arm up to place a barrier between them, and hissed in a warning tone, "Hey. Not so fast."

Hook gave her a questioning, sidelong glance. After a few heartbeats, he animatedly complied with her request and slowed his movements.

Ignoring the pirate's idiotic actions, Emma placed a steady hand upon Mary Margaret's shoulder (though the latter woman didn't keep her seething eyes from the smiling, slow-motion swashbuckler), and stated, "We should worry about Cora first. We'll deal with him later."

After taking a few more moments to eye the pirate calculatingly, Mary Margaret finally acquiesced with an exasperated sigh, and they exited the station without further discussion. Time was still of the essence - even moreso now - and they wouldn't waste any more of it on Hook. As Emma passed through the glass doors, she caught the imposing sight of the town's inhabitants - almost all of them, by the looks of it - awaiting their arrival. Armed with torches, various weapons, and steadfast expressions, they all seemed prepared to fight the threat together. It appeared as though an entire army had assembled right in front of the Sheriff Department; as one, they were determined to do whatever they needed to in order to protect their lives, livelihood, and their precious town.

"Ruby?" Emma called out to her friend, who was a few steps in front of her, as the crowd began to move in unison.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Take Henry for me." She took her son's hand in hers, squeezing lightly, then guided him towards the she-wolf. "Keep him safe until we get back."

Henry's face instantly scrunched in heightened emotion. "No! Emma, I want to come with you!"

The young woman squared her jaw as she squatted down to the boy's height. She met his pleading eyes and cupped his round face in her hands. However, the stern look that she wore made it obvious to Henry that she wouldn't budge from this decision. As they embraced, Emma promised, "Well be back as soon as we can, alright? Just stay with Ruby. I'll find you when this is all over."

Young Henry was close to tears at this point; nevertheless, he silently obeyed his mother with a nod, embraced her one more time, then walked back to join Ruby. Emma's eyes never left her son's form as the she-wolf led them away from the pack. When they finally disappeared into the distance, she joined the makeshift army of Storybrooke once more, walking briskly at the flanks to make her way to the front to join Mary Margaret and David. Just before she reached her parents, however, she felt a warm hand gently clasp her wrist.

"Swan."

She stopped moving. Her eyes landed on the hand that held onto her, trailed up the owner's arm, then finally landed upon his steely-blue eyes. "Yeah?"

Hook held out her gun towards her, grip first. "You dropped this while you were madly kissing me."

Despite the unexpected courtesy that he showed, Emma eyed him in dishumour as a result of his latter quip and pursed her lips into a thin line. Nevertheless, she accepted the weapon humanely and quickly tucked it back into her holster. "Thanks."

"The young one back there," Hook continued as they began to walk once more, motioning his head behind them, "that was Henry, your son, wasn't it?"

Emma eyed the pirate curiously as he fell into step with her. By now, they were at the back of the group, a few meters away from the last cluster of people. Although she didn't audibly reply, her answer was more than transparent to Hook. It dawned on him then just how easily he could read her - or, he reasoned, just how transparent she was when she was with him. He pressed on, slightly puckering his lips through his analysis, "He seems like a good lad."

A curt exhale escaped from Emma's lips. She shook her head to put an end to the current topic at hand. "Just keep walking, Hook."

The pirate held up his hands in surrender and amusedly watched the young woman as she quickened her steps in front of him. Before she took her eyes off him, however, Emma noticed the sword and scabbard tied around his waist. How the hell did he reclaim his belongings and arm himself without us noticing? she inwardly muttered. Quick hands and unyielding determination were certainly good traits for a thief. She would know, after all.

They reached the edges of the wide expanse of the forest a few minutes later. At the lead, David held up a hand, and the group halted obediently behind him and remained silent. Holding up a torch to guide his keen eyesight, the prince squatted downwards and assessed the tracks that he instantly discerned in front of him. "They're headed north." He announced, twisting his head back to face the townsfolk. "But there are more than three tracks here." His face showed signs of worry as he followed the trail further into the forest. He locked eyes with his wife.

Mary Margaret fell into step with David and investigated the tracks herself. The same, puzzled expression appeared on her comely face. "These tracks look as though they were made by dozens - or more - people."

Emma's narrowed eyes instantly travelled to Hook's form, silently accusing him of misdemeanor.

The pirate held up his arms in protest as he garnered the attention of most of the townspeople. He knew precisely what the young woman was accusing him of. "Only Cora and I arrived on my ship. No one else."

Emma scrutinized his face even further. Hook grinned for show. The young woman ignored his bared teeth and called out, "He's telling the truth."

"I don't have a good feeling about this." David admitted, though only loud enough for Mary Margaret, Emma, and Hook to hear. The prince's eyes searched through the crowd. "Where's Ruby? She can help us track them down quicker."

"I asked her to look after Henry," Emma piped up, stepping forward. "And I don't think we'll need to track Cora down for long. Knowing her, she will find us."

After a few moments of silent deliberation, the prince addressed the awaiting townsfolk, "Spread out, everyone. We need to cover as much ground as we can."

The crowd nodded at the order and hurriedly dispersed.

"Here, Emma." As her daughter approached, Mary Margaret handed her a flashlight from her satchel, and then gestured towards Emma's loaded holster. "Stay close. Be ready. And keep an eye on him."

"I will."

Before Mary Margaret turned to join David, she added, "Oh, and Emma?"

"Yeah?"

"We still need to talk. Don't forget that."

Emma winced.

At a distance, Hook peered up at the mother and daughter, curious as to what their hushed conversation entailed. He had a hunch that he was certainly one of the main subjects. Something else crossed his mind then. The thought of Emma crying out his name over and over again at the height of pleasure was certainly... titillating. Perhaps he could one day make that a reality. No. Not could - would. By all means, she could continue to try and resist him, to deny the feelings that he was clearly arousing within her, but he knew the truth. She could fight him off until the apocalypse of this world occurred, but he wouldn't give up that easily. He loved a challenge - and a challenge, she was proving to be. After the mother and daughter conversation came to an end, he called out in a lighthearted tone, "Swan, am I to stay with you, then?"

The rest of Storybrooke's inhabitants ventured further into the forest. Their forms were difficult to discern at this point; the only evidence of their presence through the lush vegetation and foliage were their torches and flashlights. In response to the pirate's query, Emma pressed her lips into a thin line and shone the flashlight directly at his face. Hook cried out, more in surprise than in pain, as the steady streams of light burnt his eyes. Instinctively, he shielded his face with an arm. Without looking at Emma, he mumbled, "I take that as a yes?"

"Just start walking." Emma commanded unamusedly. She had allowed him to escape, so perhaps it was just fitting that the responsibility of looking after the irritating pirate befell upon her. And yet, disturbingly enough, a part of her didn't protest much about the task. It wasn't just the thought that he wouldn't necessarily hurt her. It was certainly something more than that, but she just couldn't precisely define what it was.

Focused on the task at hand, she followed the general direction of where Mary Margaret, David, and Granny had gone. Though, she found herself lagging behind after a while, seeing as though the pirate seemed to enjoy taking his sweet time, as though this current mission were literally just a stroll in the park. When her patience was dried up by the pirate once more, Emma finally whirled on her heels, stalked to the languid man behind her, tightly clasped his upper arm in her hand, and began to unceremoniously tug him forward.

"Ooh," was the pirate's lascivious reply. "Rough. I like it."

"Just move!"

With his arms up in surrender, Hook finally began to make use of his legs in a manner that Emma was pleased with. However, they only managed to walk a few meters before he began his chatter once more with, "You want to kiss me again, don't you?"

"No."

"Even I know that's a lie, Swan." He paused momentarily, then whispered conspiratorially, "Do you want to know a secret?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Pretty damn sure."

"I'll tell you anyway, Swan." Ignoring her exasperated groan, Hook never lost the mirth in his voice. "I allowed myself to be caught by Snow, Charming, and the others, not long after my ship docked in Storybrooke's harbour." He awaited her response, which manifested as a weary look and a disinterested 'why?'. Content that he was able to claim her attention, he explained, "I thought it was the most efficient way to see you again, love. Perhaps I was right."

Emma was about to retort when a branch snapped in the distance.

Hook's keen ears instantly heard the sound, which had come from somewhere indiscernible. The smile on his face was entirely erased, only to be replaced by a taut jaw and narrowed eyes. Instinctively, he held out a hand to grasp Emma's in order to halt her movements. To answer her questioning glance, he curtly pressed his index finger upon her lips, motioning for her to keep silent. She nodded without protest.

Bushes rustled behind them.

Hook and Emma whirled around.

Their new companion greeted them with:

"Ah. Miss Swan and Hook. It's a pleasure seeing you here."

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A/N: Uh oh. Are they in trouble? =O What was your favourite part of this chapter? =D Until next time, my darlings! xx IFHD