Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy! Thanks again for the support! Please keep those reviews coming, I love them! Would love to hear some first time reviewers if it's not too much trouble…especially if you guys are still enjoying it!

~Mags

Chapter 15

Hook pressed Emma's head to his chest as he wrapped his arms protectively around her face as he ducked his head in the curve of her neck. He felt her hands in his hair as she pushed him closer, as if she was protecting him as well from the passing branches and tangled vines.

Just as Emma was preparing her self from the fall, the rope tightened and their bodies flinched…she might have even yelped at one point but she couldn't be sure. They were still suspended upside down and swaying slightly from side to side. He lifted his head from her neck as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

They then slowly craned their heads back and rolled their eyes upward to see that they only a few inches off the ground. "Well…that was a little too close for comfort."

"What the hell is going on?" Emma asked in a huff. "I'm really starting to get pissed…"

She ended her sentence with another yelp and Hook cursed as someone cut the rope. Hook managed to tuck his body under so that his back slammed onto the ground and then grimaced when Emma fell on top of him. "We need to move," he said as he rolled her over on her back and was about to shift down to cut their restraint but a bright gold plated sword pointed straight at his neck froze them both.

"Why the rush?" the owner of that sword asked as he slowly grazed the blade up until it hit his chin.

Hook glared up at the owner of the sword…he was someone he did not recognize but he knew he was the leader of the Lost Boys since he was carrying the gold sword. At one time…long ago…he carried the very same sword. "We mean no harm, lad…let us loose."

The boy glanced over at Emma and moved the tip of the sword to her chin. "Who's your girlfriend?"

"My name is Emma," she snarled back. "And let us loose or I'll sheer that pretty little mohawk of yours first chance I get."

He lifted a brow and shared a look with his fellow Lost Boys, who chuckled as they came out of the trees. "Quite saucy, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," Hook said giving her a warning look before glancing back up at the boy with the sword. "What's your name, my boy? Haven't seen you around here before?"

"Since I'm holding the sword, I'll be asking the questions."

"Oh lay off, will you?" another boy said as he appeared in their sight. "You can be so damn dramatic, Rufio."

"Rufio?" Emma exclaimed as she lifted her head off the ground and looked up at him. "As in, Ru-fi-oooo?"

Rufio and the boy looked at her like she had grown two heads, while Hook stared down at her with a perplexed look on his face. "What the bloody hell are you talking about, Swan?"

"Well, he…I know him from…" She sighed as she shook her head. "Never mind."

"Well, if it isn't Captain Hook," the other boy's voice said as he came into their view. He was a skinny lad with a mop of messy brown hair and freckles that kissed his cheeks and nose. He smiled as he bent down closer to them and then turned his green eyes on Hook. "Long time no see."

He gave the boy a nod and a smile. "Hello, Toodles…you're looking well…haven't aged a day."

Toodles grinned. "I could say the same to you, pirate."

Hook gave a little shrug. "It's a long story."

"I bet." He straightened and turned to the leader. "It's okay…you can cut him loose."

"But he's a pirate," he said as he moved his sword back to Hook's neck. "We fight pirates."

"He's not like the ones you've dealt with…he left us alone while he was here. He even saved my life once."

Emma looked up at him. "As Hook or Killian?" she asked in a low voice only he could here.

"Hook…he doesn't know I'm Killian."

"Cut them loose," he heard Rufio ordered

As soon as he was free, Hook pushed himself off of Emma until he was standing over her and then helped her on her feet. "You okay, lass?"

"I'll live," she muttered wincing slightly at her aches she endured. "We need to keep going."

"We need to head back," Hook said shaking his head. "It'll be dark soon and the plan was to be back by then."

"Screw the plan," she said angrily as she kicked off the last of the vine tangled around her legs. "We've already lost time thanks to this stupid trap you invented and I'm not going to waste more time going all the way back."

Hook's eyes narrowed as he flickered his eyes to the Lost Boys, wondering if they caught her words. "Emma…"

"Don't argue with me on this, Hook!" she snapped as she felt the anger build and build. Getting almost blinded by some evil flower and then dragged across the forest floor, followed by dangling upside down high in the trees were the last damn straw. "We came here to find my son, damn it, and I'm not leaving this island without him!"

"Neither am I, Swan," he countered back as he took a step closer to her. "I'm here to help you…but Henry is no good to us if we're dead and sweetheart, we've already had more than enough close calls."

"I don't…"

"Shut up." Emma dropped her jaw in shocked silence so he kept on rolling. "You don't want to go back to the ship? Fine…we'll keep going, but…we will find a place to hide when it gets dark…that's the deal. It's not safe here at night, Emma, so I'm not having you…"

Toodles…who had been listening to their banter the whole time in fascination…finally had enough and put two fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could.

Everyone slapped their hands over their ears, grimacing in pain. "Bloody hell, Toodles," Hook said as he wiggled his injured ear with his hand. "I had forgotten how loud you do that."

He studied Hook for a moment and then narrowed his eyes in speculation. "Who are you?"

Hook shared an uneasy look with Emma before giving Toodles a little smug laugh. "You know who I am, lad…did you forget already?"

He took a sudden step closer and arm. "Who are you, Hook?" he repeated again with more urgency. "I heard your girlfriend's rant about you designing that trap…I know who that person is…you can't be that person…there's no way you could be that person, so I want to you to answer me truthfully, Hook…or I'll let Rufio have his way and gut you like a cod fish."

"Tell him, Hook," Emma said and softened her eyes when he looked at her with confliction. "They deserve to know."

Hook looked back down at Toodles who was now looking closer at him and knew the instant he recognized him. "Aye…it's me."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Killian?"

Hook covered his hand over the one still gripping his arm and gave it a squeeze. "It's me, Toodles."

"It can't be," another voice said as a younger boy walked up to Hook. Emma thought he couldn't have been any younger than six when he had first come to Neverland. He looked up at Hook with wide, green eyes and then grabbed his hook with tiny hands and pulled him down until Hook was kneeling in front of him.

"Hey there, Curly," Hook said as he placed his hand on top of his black, curly head. "I think you've grown."

Curly grinned as he beamed up at Toodles who was still in shock. "It's him! Killian use to say that to me every day! It's really you!" He then threw his arms around Hook who stumbled back slightly as he circled his hook arm around his small waist. His eyes shifted over to Emma who was looking down at him with an amused smile on her face.

It was a whole new side of him, Emma thought as she watched more Lost Boys coming up to surround him, to see for themselves if it was really their Killian. She could see the boy in him as he looked at his fellow Lost Boys….as if just for a moment, all those years were shed off of him and he was a ten year old boy again.

"I'm still not convinced," Toodles said suddenly with Rufio by his side and two identical twins on the other. "How can we be sure it's you?"

Hook slowly stood back up on his feet as the younger Lost Boys stepped back but still stayed by his side. "Toodles…you don't have to believe me…trust me, I didn't want you guys to know to begin with."

"Why not?" Rufio asked smugly as he stepped closer. "If you really are you say you are, why didn't you tell them when you came back a second time? Why lie?"

He answered his question but looked at Toodles. "It was hard enough for you lads when I left the first time…I didn't want to put you through that again when I knew I wouldn't be in Neverland forever. So I kept my distance."

Toodles looked at him for a moment and then glanced over at Emma who had remained silent since her rampage. "You two will come back to our hideout," he finally said.

"What?" Rufio exclaimed.

"Rufio…"

"I'm not letting some pirate into our hideout," Rufio said as he sneered at Hook. "I'm the leader and I say what goes."

"He's not a pirate, he's Killian!" Curly exclaimed.

"No, he's not…he's lying."

"How do you know?" he fired back. "You didn't even know him, so just be quiet."

"There is one way," Toodles said as he studied Hook. "One thing you could do that would convince me and everyone who knew you…that you're truly Killian."

"And what's that?" he asked dryly as he looked at Toodles with a bored look on his face.

Emma noticed the change in Hook's eyes immediately when he realized what Toodles wanted and then Hook widened his eyes and shook his head. "Absolutely not…no way, Toodles…not going to happen."

"C'mon…Hook," he said with a grin. "The fact that you know what I'm talking about has already half convinced me that you're Killian…I just need to hear it."

"Do you realize how long it's been?" he asked. "I don't even know if I can still do it."

"What exactly does he want you to do?" Emma asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He sighed as he gave her a look. "Crow, lass…he wants me to crow."

Toodles grinned. "No one could do it better than Killian Jones…so let's hear it, then."

"Yeah, Hook," Emma said with a slight smile. "Let's hear it."