Pirates ahoy!

Storybrooke's slightly bigger than we all thought. A whole other gang of pirates (other than the Jolly Roger's crew and Cap) have always dwelled there and who knew! LOL. This one is a little bit OUCH…. Things are starting to unravel fast! Hope you enjoy! Plz review! Thanks!

Band rivalry; Always a crucial part of the struggling rock n' roll band scenario, it seems.

Captain Hook and The Jolly Rockers were not the only combo to be trying hard to make it as Storybrooke's number one rock n roll act; on the south side, closer to the town limit, another band rocked the local radio waves, a five-member suite of tough as nails rockers called "Billy Bones". These guys were as badass as any guy could want them; while Devlin Kragen relied on overwhelming talent, looks and raw charisma, the band's lead singer, Jonathan Legwood, was as much of a gutter rat as one could get. While Devlin had at least a modicum of charm and was deep down quite a good person, Legwood was as bad as they could come: He had more often than not been busted for drug dealing as a means to survive, been taken in for battery (mostly girlfriends) and word had it he'd killed a cat to wear its skin on stage. There was a long record of theft, sexual abuse and vandalism that overshadowed Devlin's like a zeppelin.

As cool as heavy metal could be, this guy and his band took it to the extreme, Marilyn Manson be damned… and they were all but set to crush their only musical rivals out of the scene.

They crept into the northern side, a gang of bikers unlike anything Storybrooke had ever seen; before the eyes of terrified bypassers, the loud sound of their bikes flooding the streets. They shocked the town by turning left into the posh, well off side of the suburban neighborhood, parking in front of Mayor Mills's home.

Henry was sitting out in the garden, reading from his book, which Emma had returned shortly after he had lent it to her; He was focused on the image of Captain Hook and Long John Silver enthralled in a swashbuckling fight. Suddenly the light of the sun was blocked by a towering figure.

Henry looked up and swallowed hard. "Good book there, laddie?" came the growling cackle. "I love me a good pirate's tale as well…"

The eleven-year-old almost lost all his freckles. "The pirates…" He mumbled under his breath.

Jonathan Legwood crouched at the boy's side. "Aye lad. Always fun types, are they not? A pirate's life, full of adventure, gold and more gorgeous wenches than they can eat…" he cackled a gargling laugh that was as pirately as one could think. "Why, no young lad I've ever known of hasn't wanted to be one, eh?"

"Henry! Get inside!"

The boy did not need to be told twice; he grabbed his book and ran like a torpedo inside, up to his room and to his window. "They're here..." He huffed. He ran to his bed and grabbed his walkee-talkee as he overlooked on his mother, talking to the rugged gang of bikers, on her front lawn. "Operation Cobra Emergency! Emma, Emma, you read me? Over!"

"Loud and clear, kid, come in! Over."

"Emma, the pirates! They're here, they've arrived! Over…"

"Well, we'll be on the lookout. Over."

"Have you recruited Captain Hook and his crew yet? Over…"

Emma grinned. "One could say that… over."

"Well, tell them to be sharp. These guys look as bad as they come, like some biker gang, over…"

The blonde Sheriff sat up straight. "Wait, wait, kid… what you mean?" She frowned. "Is there anyone there right now? Over…"

"Yeah! They're talking to the Evil Queen. You'll know him when you see him: he has a tattoo clear across his face! Like a scar! He's blinded in one eye, he's definitely a scary looking guy! Just like the one in the book, over."

Something made Emma feel a little bit alarmed. "Henry, whatever you do, stay inside! I'll be over in a second, over…"

"No, don't!" Henry hollered back. "Remember, you are the one he wants! Just get Hook to take care of it, he will know what to do! Over…"

Emma cleared her throat. She tried to connect back to Henry, but the battery on her end had suddenly run out. "Shit!" She slammed her open palm on the desk. She turned around, grabbed her scarf and went out to her patrol car.

Regina Mills walked to face the towering biker with a thunder tattoo across his face. Arms crossed and swaying her hips in the way only she knew how to do, the suited mayor of Storybrooke took her grinning face to within an inch of his. "You are bold, Legwood. I thought I had made myself perfectly clear that you…"

"Would not come to this side of town? Huh…" He nodded. "You were clear, Mayor; Cristal clear."

"Well in that case, I fail to understand what the hell you're doing here, aside from littering my front lawn."

The rocker turned to his posse and tilted his head outwards, signaling them to leave. He then turned his somber face to her. "We had an agreement… you have not kept your end of the bargain."

"Yes!" Regina nodded. "And that's because the Jolly Rogers and their dear old Captain are still circling around town! Now you get your wages when I get mine, no sooner and no later. That's the deal."

The man growled with a smirk. "Ah… really?" he stomped around the garden, looking at the hedges that patulated up the walls of her property. "You have made such a grand life here, Mayor Mills… we wouldn't want to see that come apart now, would we?"

Regina smiled and gazed at the man sideways. "And… just how might that happen?"

"Well I don't know…" He sniffed as he pulled an apple from her tree. "You do seem like you've made a rather nice living for that wee lad that just ran indoors…"

Regina nodded and once again approached Legwood. "You think that because you're a big badass punk I'm intimidated? You are WAY out of your league here, Legwood. You have no idea who you are messing with. Now…" She smiled. "You find a way to get Devlin Kragen and the Jolly Rogers out of the picture, in any way you can, and you will be top of the bill, as promised. And…" She bit her lip. "…you must pay special attention on Kragen himself. You see… his new girlfriend is somewhat of a nuisance… in more ways that you can imagine."

The man side grinned. "Is she pretty?"

Regina scowled. "In a slutty, California girl kind of way, I guess she is."

"Sounds like my kind of woman."

"Do what you gotta do." She sneered. "And then, you get your way. But threaten me again… and deal with the consequences."

The one eyed, black-haired musician licked his lips. "I do like a woman with gumption…"

"You have no idea." She grinned back, before turning around and going back indoors.

Henry looked on as the massive man and his combo of Goth rockers left the property oin their bikes, leaving the apple on the floor. "Oh this is not good…" He shook his head.

….

Devlin whistled as he hosed down the deck of his tiny little boat. He may have had little more than that and his guitar collection and bike, but at that moment, he felt on top of the world. It was an eerie matching, the local bum rocker and the Sheriff, but he was as excited as he hadn0t been since he had met Milah. He had never expected to feel this way about anyone again, so it was a welcome surprise. It was also quite a shock to both to feel so close after only having seen each other a couple of times, but somehow… it all just fit, as if it had been meant to be; maybe he knew her from a past life, one he didn't remember.

He stopped and leaned against the edge of his boat, getting slightly wet at the hip as he lit up a cigarette. He exhaled smoke and looked at the coastline before him. The morning was glorious: the sun was shining, there was a vool breeze coming in from the sea and… all seemed well. Maybe now that the Sheriff knew about Mr. Gold's manipulative schemes, she might be able to help him out of this conundrum and this fortuitous serendipity that had been their meeting would finally make some sense.

"Ah, enjoying the view, are we?"

Devlin closed his eyes and turned with a grin. "I was…"

Gold approached him, cane in hand, and stood by the pier as the boat softly wobbled on the water. "You are a very unprofessional character, Kragen." He spoke coldly. "The Rabbit Hole has refused to let any of you ever set foot there again."

"The Rabbit Hole…" Devlin laughed. "The day you tell me that about Madison Square Garden, THEN I'll go down on my knees and weep." He pulled a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke in Gold's direction. "Sorry mate. Felt Ill."

"Ill…" Gold grinned. "Lovesickness? Yes, I hear you have somewhat of an infatuation for our young sheriff…" He leaned both hands on his cane. "And, does the lady correspond?"

Devlin huffed smoke through his lips. "She does."

"Ah, well, isn't it a merry little thing? Our Jolly Rocker's found his happily ever after now, eh?" He nodded. "I'll give you one final chance, Devlin: Did you find anything out about her?"

Devlin smiled and cocked his head back, remembering the night at her side, the warmth, the beauty and the music in his head that was spun by her kisses, her skin and her green eyes. "Just about everything there is to be found out, I suppose; in very colorful detail. But..." He looked at Mr. Gold with a smiling, cheeky sneer. "A true gentleman won't tell details of his dalliance with a lady; it's bad form, mate. No kiss and tell for you." He threw the cigarette butt into the water and turned to shut off the hose, using his right arm to tie it up in circles. "And anyways, why is Emma so bloody relevant to you? Got a thing for her, as well? I'm not in the mood for another round of rivalries…"

Mr. Gold chuckled. "One could say my interest in Miss Swan goes beyond the limits of Storybrooke."

"Ah!" Devlin smiled, fully but cagily. "Aren't you the caring one... Who are you, the man that abandoned her at birth?"

Gold continued to chuckle coldly. Devlin opened the hatchet to the lower level of his boat, holding on to the edge of it with his left hand, and tossed the hose in.

"The fine for not showing at the Rabbit Hole…" Gold grinned. "…is five thousand. I expect it to come out of your wages, Kragen."

Devlin laughed, propping himself back up to the deck, his hand still grasping the edge of the hatchet. "And how do you suppose I'll be able to pay that, mate, with what little I get after the way you drain me dry?"

Mr. Gold's eyes darkened. "Well, Captain Hook, you know what they say… these things can cost an arm and a leg."

Just then, the hatchet fell shut with a loud thud on Devlin's hand. His pained holler was heard for miles as he tried to pull the hatch back up. Mr. Gold stood idly by and after a few seconds, began to walk away with an immane grin as he pulled out his mobile and called 911. "Hello… you want to come over the west docks right now… a man's just lost his hand here…"

…

Emma patrolled the Mayor's neighborhood carefully, looking for anyone that might look like what her son had just described. She stopped by Regina's house and defiantly walked up her porch, ringing the ding-donging bell that sounded like it would have been used for the White House. Regina opened the door and a wicked smirk crossed her lips. "Well, Miss Swan, you do have some nerve…"

"I'm not gonna waste any time with you, Regina." She replied abruptly. "I'm looking for a gang of thugs on motorbikes, they were seen around this neighborhood. You don't know where they are, by chance?"

Regina frowned. "Does this place look like a biker bar to you, Miss Swan?"

"Anyone can hear a biker gang, sister." She huffed. "Now, do you know anything about it, or don't you?"

Regina bit her lower lip. "No." She replied coldly.

Emma looked into her eyes and squinted. "You're lying."

"Am I?"

"Yep. There is something going on and you are not being honest."

Regina stepped onto the porch. "Now that is a very serious accusation to make, Emma… especially against the Mayor of this town. Now I suggest that you turn around, get back in your patrol and, if as you say, there is a chain gang in my town, find them, bust them and get it over with instead of standing here acting tough!"

And she shut the door on Emma's face.

"Bitch…" Emma whispered under her breath as she made the way down the little brick path to her patrol, turning over to the window, where Henry looked at her, smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Emma smiled back and returned to her patrol.

Her radio suddenly blared. "All units, all units, we have a 10-33 with 10-47, VIP at the town hospital, all units…"

Emma huffed and picked it up. "Sheriff Swan, come in…"

"Sheriff there is a VIP 10-47 with massive crowds outside the hospital; we need backup to clear them off. Over."

Emma frowned. "VIP?"

"Roger that."

Trust your gut… and her gut was twisting in its place.

"I copy, I'm on my way!" she retorted and sped like lightning out of the fancy neighborhood, speeding as fast as she could towards the town center.

When she reached the hospital entrance, she was met with three other police cars (probably the only others she'd seen since she arrived in Storybrooke) and she stepped haphazardly out of the car and somehow found her way past the crowds. She reached the main entrance, where another female cop stood by and denied entry. "Sheriff…" she greeted Emma with a head nod.

"What's going on?" Emma panted as she frowned. "What's with the crowds?"

The cop shook her head. "Rockers… Devlin Kragen from the Jolly Rogers was just brought into E.R." she sighed. "Looked messy… lots of blood."

Emma felt her stomach sink; god, she hated being right.

"I have to go in… "

"Ok Sheriff…" The girl nodded and stood aside to allow Emma to pass.

The hospital staff was running in circles and it was perfectly obvious that something completely out of the ordinary was going on. She went to the front desk and tapped hard. "Hey!" she called for a nurse, who went to her with a puzzled face. "Kragen?"

"Oh, he's in the Op Room."

"What happened?" Emma moaned, her winced face depicting far more than what she wished to.

"A little accident…" Came that cold, alligator voice from behind.

Emma turned slowly and found Gold, staring coldly at her. "Gold…" she whispered, pressing her lips tight together. "I should have known…"

Mr. Gold shook his head. "I don't quite follow…"

"What did you do to him?"

"Me?" he grinned a startled, head shaking grin. "Why, I did nothing. Let the lad himself tell you. He and I were disputing our differences, as we commonly do, and… well, the hatchet of his boat seemed to have a mind of its own, closed hard on his hand." He leaned forward and squinted his eyes. "I did nothing. I didn't even touch the man. In fact, I was the one to call for an ambulance. Good thing too, or he would have bled out."

Emma paced and stood mere inches from his face. "I don't know what you're up to… but I do know that, whatever it is… you won't get away with it." She approached him more. "I know about you, Gold. I know what you did regarding Milah Gold's hospital bills… how you let some poor woman die out of jealousy and how you coerced Devlin into doing your bidding… well, you wanted to know of me? Here I am. Show some balls. Ask away… what do you want to know and why?"

Mr. Gold laughed aloud. "Do you truly believe my plans to be Machiavellian, Miss Swan? I am but a mere pawn in a game that is far bigger than what you can still fathom." He paced around. "We all play a role in this game, and yours, Emma, is, let's say, the most vital. Believe it or not, I have taken care of Mr. Kragen, far more than he can imagine." He walked to her again. "It is not I or he that you should be worried about, dearie… other things are at play. While Devlin remains in hospital, he is safe. You, however, have a chance now to show what you're truly made of."

"Really? And what's that?"

He sighed. "We will see… Emma. We will see."

He returned to the seating area and sat, simply staring at some blank point in a not so far distance.

Flustered, Emma turned to the front desk. "Excuse me…" The nurse returned to her. "What exactly are they doing to him?"

"I'm sorry… are you family?"

She knew Devlin had no family. His only brother had died a few years back, his mom had died giving birth to him and his father was pretty much MIA, so she resorted to the one string she had that could pull just about anything she needed. She reached to her hip for her badge. "Police business…"

The nurse gasped, wide-eyed. "Oh, you're Sheriff Swan! I'm so sorry!" she turned to the hospital. "Paging Dr. Whale, Dr. Whale to front desk, please…"

Emma nodded. "Thank you…" and she walked away from the front desk.

It was another twenty minutes before Whale finally showed up, removing his operating cover and throwing it into a recycling bin. It made Emma cringe to see that the garments in the bin were spattered in blood.

"Sheriff…" Whale nodded. "Can I help you?"

She nodded and walked to the doctor. "I'm here to see about your VIP. Kragen…" she stood straight, poker faced and pretended to be there strictly for routine. "What the hell happened?"

Whale winced. "He came in with a crushed hand and in extreme pain; Some sort of boating accident. Part of it was already completely detached. We tried to save at least a couple of his fingers, but all the nerve endings were already severed and the bone around his wrist completely pulverized." He shook his head and looked down. "We had to amputate. I understand he is a… well, was a guitar player, so I have already notified the psychology department for when he wakes, it's going to be quite a blow." He raised his eyes up at Emma, who looked positively distraught. "Sheriff… are you ok?"

She could still feel the touch of both his hands on her body, caressing her hair, her face, her breasts, touching her intimately, sensually, so warm and gentle… now one hand less on him. It ached in places she didn't know she had to think what he would wake to. "I think… I would like to talk to him as soon as he regains consciousness."

Whale nodded. "Suspect foul play?"

She shook her head. "I no longer know what to think… I'll just have to make heads out of tails on this one. Gotta start somewhere."

"Well, he's being awakened now. He probably will be hearing the news soon enough. Maybe you should be there."

Emma looked to the floor and nodded. "Yeah; maybe I should."

Whale led her to the I.C. unit where Kragen had been taken to. As soon as they reached his quarter, Whale pulled the curtain, showing the handsome rocker, groggy, in bed, shivering slightly as he came to from the operation. The orderly and another doctor joined Emma and Whale, whispering, "We already informed him, doctor."

"Very well; administer two c.c.'s of Fentanyl every twelve hours for the pain and three c.c's of Cefoxitin for prophylaxis, every eight." He raised his eyes to the young man on the bed. "And do not discharge him for the next four days. I want to keep an eye on him."

"Is he insured?" Emma stood in front of Whale.

Whale sighed. "He's a major rock star in Storybrooke. He actually is. It was a shame his old girlfriend wasn't."

"You treated her?"

"I did. She could have lived." He shook his head. "I hate the insurance system…" he began to walk away, turning to Emma before disappearing down the hall. "If there is anything else you need, Sheriff, I will be in my office. Lots of paperwork when we're dealing with celebs…"

Emma turned to look at Devlin as he lay on the bed and paced slowly forward. He opened his eyes and his blue gaze met hers as tears slowly and silently slid down his cheeks. She reached out and tried to grab his hand but failed to feel it. There was no hand there to be taken; only a bandaged stump with a blood stain. He grinned through the tears and spoke groggily. "You… might want to try the other side instead, darling…"

She chuckled, teary eyed, and ignored his comment, coming closer and caressing his forehead. "I'm so sorry…" she whimpered, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his fringe.

He smiled and sneered. "It's only a hand, love… I could have lost my pecker and then I'd be in a pickle…"

She laughed again, but while his mouth spoke of ironic humor, his saddened eyes told a different story. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You can still sing…" She nodded. "You have a great voice, even if you can't play anymore…"

"In a sense, it's just as well, love…" He sighed. "Gold can keep my guitars as payment. They're good guitars… I…" The sobs finally caught up with him as he closed his eyes tight and gritted his teeth. "I won't have much use for them any more…"

There was nothing she could say. It just ached her to imagine how he was feeling and tears began to well in her own eyes as she held his head to her chest, caressing his hair. At times like those, one can do little other than just remaining silent and… being there. Nothing else.

Night fell and Devlin was sleeping when Emma finally left the hospital.

She had been radioed for something else… apparently; a biker gang had vandalized the local radio station after they refused to play their demo. Just like that.

When she reached the place she realized the magnitude of the term "vandalized"; the place was on fire and the fire department was only just controlling it. Henry hadn't been kidding: These people were worse than she had imagined and the town would suffer for it as long as she didn't take a stand. But with her "pirate Hook" ensconced in hospital after losing his hand, she had little to no backup.

The fire department controlled the flames and informed Emma that they would seek the source of the fire to inform her immediately afterwards.

She went home that night and found, as per request, a post it on the door; Mary Margaret and David were… as she had said, "doing the deed". No chance she'd go inside and see things she really didn't need or wish to see.

She shook her head and slid on the wall outside. "Great." She huffed, knowing that chances were that she'd have to sleep right there, outside her door. She instead settled for a nice, warm desk at the precinct.

She found herself comfortably settling for one of the prison cells; it wasn't like she had never spent a night in jail: try eleven months of it! But even though she was exhausted (and terrified), she found little to no solace in her semi-comfortable arrangement. She felt tears sting her eyes, and his name came to her lips, like a whisper… "Dev…."

In his hospital bed, Devlin also felt himself whispering her name…. "Emma…"