Prompt: Henry finds out Captain Hook's real name and becomes convinced that his father was Davy Jones, and ropes Emma into helping him prove it, code names and all.

"Kid. Kid."

His fingers still wrapped around the corner of the page, Henry finally glances up at Emma. She reaches across the counter, placing the slice of her mother's pie next to his book and clearing his emptied dinner plate. "What?" Henry murmurs, already ducking his head back down into the pages.

Emma raises an eyebrow. "You've had your nose in that book all night. Now it's trumping pie?"

"I'm just trying to figure something out," he mumbles distractedly, and Emma recognizes the determined look in his eye as one of her own.

She digs her elbows into the counter, narrowing her gaze. "Okay, maybe I can help. Spill."

He beams at her, causing Emma's heart to give a little flutter. Since coming back from Neverland, Henry hasn't quite been himself—he is usually distant if anything, but occasionally prone to bouts of skittish anxiety or sudden temper flares. He's started seeing Archie again, who confessed that Henry may be displaying mild symptoms of PTSD.

In the place where nobody ages, Henry was forced to grow up too fast.

But while Emma was at work, Mary Margaret reported that, after his session with Archie, Henry had rushed home, thrown off his shoes and backpack, and dove headfirst into his book of fairytales. He's been distracted ever since, seeming to have the light in his eyes that has been noticeably absent over the past few weeks.

"It has to do with Captain Hook," Henry starts, and Emma's eyes widen as her elbows slip out from under her. He casts her an impatient look before picking up the book and flipping it around, flashing her the text. Sure enough, a drawing of Hook, wearing a tormented expression and holding a magic bean, sits square in the center of the page.

"Um," Emma murmurs, brushing her hair behind her ears as she straightens. "What about him?"

"It was something Archie helped me remember about the day you found me—when Hook pulled me out of the sea."

The memories flash through Emma's mind—brandished swords, the clash of metal, the ocean's swell under the midnight moon, Henry tossed overboard, Hook diving in after him, Emma's heart nearly stopping—and she swallows, but keeps her face neutral, gesturing Henry on.

"I never told you this, but when Hook swam us ashore, I asked him why he was doing this. Last time I saw him, he'd stolen a magic bean, and I thought he was a villain."

"Fair enough," Emma concedes, recalling the time. He's been so different since then; she's almost forgotten he wasn't always so trusted. Hook has actually already told her this story, but she lets Henry go on.

"Actually, I said, 'But you're Captain Hook!'" Henry continues, grinning. "And he only said, 'I wasn't always.'...which got me thinking…"

"Killian," Emma says suddenly, the word spilling from her tongue before she can stop herself. "That's his name." She's rolled the name around in her head for weeks now, baiting herself, wondering what would happen should she let his real name slip. Inexplicably, that felt like swimming too far out to sea, without the ability to touch down should she need to.

Henry pauses, regarding her curiously. "Yeah, Killian Jones, that's what the book says." Henry furrows his brows slightly, looking back down at the book, "It also says that he used to be in love with dad's mom."

This is something Emma tries not to think about, actually. Not for any particular reason though, she assures herself. "Yeah, well, your mom is also your step-great-grandmother, so you're not allowed to judge," Emma replies, smirking.

He holds up his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm not! Besides, I don't care about that—though it is kinda funny—it's his last name." Emma inclines her head towards him, wrinkling her nose. "Jones?" Henry emphasizes pressingly.

"So?"

Henry puts down the book, lacing his fingers over the pages. "So—doesn't that sound familiar?"

Emma wracks her brain. "No. Should it?"

"What about Davey Jones?" Henry's voice drops to a whisper, despite the fact that they're alone.

She starts to laugh, when she realizes he's serious. "Henry. Come on." She squints at him. "I know that everyone in this town has an alternate fairytale identity, and sure, there's some crossovers—but I don't think he's both Captain Hook and Davey Jones."

"That's not what I meant," Henry says, sounding impatient, "but what do we know about…his dad?"

"His father?" Emma echoes, wrapping her arms around herself, feeling an odd chill run across her skin. An orphan's an orphan, Hook's voice suddenly whispers in her thoughts.

An excited smile whips across his face. "Why not? The book only talks about what happened when he met Mr. Gold in the Enchanted Forest, not anything before then. But aren't you curious?"

They all share the same look in their eyes. The look you get when you've been left alone.

She definitely is. But digging into Hook's past is a can of worms, and she doesn't know if she's ready to pick up the shovel. Things are rocky enough as it is with the pirate—having left things on a somewhat…intimate note.

When she'd met up with Hook on the shore, after he'd rescued Henry from the sea, probably littered with hungry mermaids, she'd sort of tackled the two of them into a hug, dragging them down into the sand, her arms tight around Hook's waist, with Henry squeezed in between. She'd stayed like that longer than she feels comfortable admitting. And when they'd gotten back to Storybrooke with the stolen pixie dust, things were even stranger.

Hook keeps finding reasons to show up at the station, often claiming he needs a tutorial in anything ranging from canned fruit to radios to denim. It's a thinly veiled excuse to flirt with her, and they both know it, but she plays along, unwilling to send him away, even enjoying herself. He was even in the station this afternoon, having just learned what a snow globe is (where he got one in the first place remains to be fishy) and feeling the need to marvel at the notion with her.

Things are…different (the only word she'll allow herself to admit at the moment) now between the two of them, but she suspects they never were normal, anyway.

Her thoughts zoom back to Henry, regarding her expectantly. "I don't know, kid…"

"It'll be like old times! We can call it Operation Seagull."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "You've been naming your missions after venomous animals for a year and now you want to christen one after a bird?"

He shrugs, grinning. "It has to be ocean related, doesn't it?"

This is trouble, Emma thinks, biting her lip. But Henry is looking at her with light in his eyes, sparked in a way she hasn't seen in ages. He's been so moody lately, but this is the first time he's shown any of his spirit since returning from Neverland.

She narrows her eyes, feeling a smirk tug at her lips. "Okay. How about Operation Kraken?"

"Operation Kraken. I like it " The look Henry gives her next is positively devious. "It's on."

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First update in a while! I'm in Ireland, for those that don't know, with an internship, so I've been quite busy and haven't had the time to write! I was going to post this all in one, but since I haven't updated in a while and I'm kind of chugging along with this one shot, I decided to make it a two parter and give the first bit to you guys now. Next segment will be longer. :)

Stay tuned! Reviews encourage a faster update!