Author's note: Only 43 days left till new Once episodes! Not that I'm counting or anything...

Chapter 4

"Don't be ridiculous, Hook. This is Storybrooke we're talking about. There's no one dangerous."

"Wait." Hook said. He couldn't explain it, but there a foreboding feeling of dread building up inside. The only other time he'd had this feeling was right before Rumplestilskin had showed up in his life for the second time. Milah had laughed it away, but look at what had happened.

"What?" Annoyance flashed across her face as she was stopped for the second time. "What is it?"

"I don't think it's such a good idea for you to go out there alone." Hook said apprehensively. "At least let me come with you."

Emma rolled her eyes, visibly bristling. "I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I mean. I just...I don't have a good feeling about this."

Her face hardened. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm the sheriff. I don't need anyone protecting me." And then she was gone, slipping out the door, silent as a ghost.

Hook sat back on the bed. If only she wasn't so maddeningly independant. He knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but there was that feeling.

Still. Maybe Emma was right. She was the one with more experience in this world, and if she said it was fine, then it probably was fine.

Right?

He waited, straining to listen for anything. Fortunately, Ava was spending the night at her grandparent's and Henry was at Regina's. Who knew what the intruder wanted?

Hook could feel his heart pounding with anticipation. He could hear nothing except for the loud, steady beats of his heart. Nothing. There were no sounds coming from the rest of the house. Absolutely nothing. Was that normal?

And then...a soft, girlish gasp. And the unmistakable click of a gun.

Without thinking, Hook immediately dashed out of the room. The gasp had been Emma's, he was certain of it. She was in trouble. His loud, heavy footsteps thumped down the hallway.

"Drop the gun." Hook heard Emma say firmly.

"Come and make me, sheriff." A harsh male voice hissed.

Hook could see a light emanating from somewhere in the house, illuminating two figures. A pajama clad blonde and a tall, heavyset man.

Both held guns, aimed straight at each other.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Hook stepped into the living room.

A slow, sickly smile spread across the man's face. "Ah, Killian Jones." He spat. "Come, join the party."

Hook blinked. "Who the hell are you?"

"What?" The man snarled. "Don't recognize me?"

Hook shrugged casually, hoping to hide his quaking nerves. He eyed the gun; having used it before he knew of it's devastating effects. "Can't say that I do."

"Many years ago, back in our land. The Brookside Tavern. You stole my wife."

"I've stolen many a woman, mate. Just the life of a pirate. I'm afraid you're going to have to be a bit more specific." He drawled, silently hoping to distract the man enough to tackle him. He widened his eyes at Emma, trying to tell her to leave the room, but she shook her head wildly.

"No. I'm not leaving you." She hissed stubbornly.

The man was still talking. "Tall. Blonde. Looks a hell of a lot like her." The man gestured roughly at Emma, who still held her gun steady, aimed at the man's head.

"Oh!" Hook snapped his fingers, trying to hide his frustration. "I remember her."

"You do now, don't you? You stole my wife from me, drove my family into ruin, and yet you show no remorse."

"I think you drove yourself into ruin." Hook commented; the air smelled of booze and it was clear that this man was wasted.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" The man said, circling around the living room. The gun now dangled loosely by his side, and Hook began silently calculating how long it would take for him to tackle the man and take his gun. He turned back swiftly, sending a fleeting look into Emma's eyes, silently communicating to be ready to overpower the intruder. She gave a tiny nod.

"I do, actually." Hook responded.

"You sick bastard." In a fluid motion, the man stepped forward and seized Hook by his collar.

"If you're hoping to offend me, you're going to have to do better than that."

"Oh, I will." The man responded. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did. I'm going to take away everything that you hold dear." He released Hook and turned towards Emma, aiming the gun at her.

"Over my dead body." Hook stepped automatically in front of her.

The man shrugged. "Well, if that's what it takes."

Three things happened simultaneously.

The man pulled his trigger, sending a bullet flying towards Hook's head.

Emma ducked around Hook, sending a bullet at the man.

And she shoved Hook aside, bearing the full brunt of the man's actions.

"So let me get this straight." David said. "You slept with his wife and he came back for revenge."

"Aye." Hook responded wearily.

"I can't believe this." David shook his head. "My daughter is lying in there and she might not wake all because you decided to steal someone's wife!"

"Aye."

"This is all your fault." David lunged at Hook, grabbing him by the collar much like the man had done. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted you. Pirate."

"David, enough." Mary Margaret gripped her husband's sleeve firmly. "This is not Hook's fault. He can't be held responsible for something that happened so long ago. He couldn't have known what would happen."

"But it is my fault." Hook slumped. "The bullet had been meant for me. She pushed me aside. I should be the one lying in there right now!" He said roughly.

"Agreed." David shot back.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes, placing a gentle hand on Hook's shoulder. "This is not your fault." She said firmly.

But Hook knew that regardless of what she said, it was his fault.

It was amazing how much paperwork there was to catch up on from their time in Neverland. It was as if people thought that once the sheriff, deputy, and mayor were gone they were free to wreak havoc on the town. In the little over a week they were in that cursed land. Freaking unbelievable.

So Emma and David spent most of their day catching up on paperwork, something neither of them particularly enjoyed doing. Due to the little concentration it required, it gave Emma's mind plenty of time to wander.

True to his word, Neal was leaving her alone after she'd blown off their lunch date yesterday. It saddened her to think of him alone, gazing out the window in hopes that she'd show up. It was rather cruel, yes; she'd had every intention of showing up to at least give him a chance. He'd been so earnest in Neverland and she truly wanted to give Henry a complete family. But as the clock ticked closer to noon, she just...couldn't. The very idea made her hyperventilate.

Maybe it was for the best that she hadn't shown up. This had probably been her mind's way of telling her that things with Neal were over. That it would be for the best to just let it go. Hook had a point when he said that Henry wouldn't want her to be unhappy, and if she forced herself to be Neal she'd probably just be miserable.

That led her to the next thing. Hook. He'd been a surprisingly good listener on the beach. However, she couldn't help but think that maybe he had an ulterior motive. He'd made his feelings for her clear in Neverland. Maybe he was just acting on them now.

Ugh. This is why she steered clear from men. They were good for nothing except for a way to take her mind off of things. Emma Swan did not do relationships.

Then why did her mind keep wandering to Hook?

Around five, Emma and David decided to call it a day and head back to the apartment. They'd gotten most of the paperwork done and both were showing signs of edginess and irritation. It seemed as though father and daughter were more similar than they'd realized.

"God. I'm starving." Emma commented as she dug around in her ridiculously disorganized bag for her keys.

"To no one's surprise." David chuckled. "You're always hungry." He sidestepped her and shoved his own key in the lock. "By the time you find yours it'll be time for bed."

"Funny." Emma quipped. They pushed open the door, sniffing at the delicious aroma. "Mmm. Spaghetti night." She threw her coat over the back of the couch. And then stopped, causing David to walk right into her.

"Hook?"

Sure enough the pirate was standing at the counter next to Mary Margaret, mixing salad in a round bowl as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Henry was seated at the kitchen table, playing a handheld video game.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"What does it look like?" He responded, holding up a wooden spoon. "Helping prepare a delicious meal."

"Yes, I know." Emma snapped. "But what are you doing here?"

"I invited him." Mary Margaret responded from the stove, where she was mixing a large pot of what Emma took to be spaghetti sauce.

"What?" Emma and David said at the same time.

"I'm offended." Hook commented. "I thought I was growing on you."

They ignored him.

"He looked so lonely and we have so much food." Mary Margaret responded. "Poor thing hasn't had a home cooked meal in years."

Emma squinted suspiciously at her mother. She could swear there was a playful glint in the woman's eyes. "So?"

"He helped us so much in Neverland the least we could do is feed him dinner." Mary Margaret said.

"Plus he tells good stories." Henry piped up cheerily. He wore the same amused expression as Mary Margaret.

"It's just dinner, Emma." David added.

"What?" She wheeled around and gaped at her father. "You're ok with this?"

David shrugged innocently. "Sure."

"Don't worry. You'll find that I make quite the lovely company." Hook quipped.

Outnumbered. She was hopelessly outnumbered. "Whatever." Emma said, uncharacteristically flustered. She grabbed a pile of silverware out of the drawer. Dinner with Captain Innuendo was not going to be pleasant.

But despite her earlier reservations, dinner was admittedly not so bad. As Henry had said, Hook did have plenty of pretty entertaining stories, stories that they were all soon laughing at. Maybe it was the wine talking, but overall it was actually...kind of fun.

Henry had brought up the topic of the original Captain Hook, so naturally after dinner they had to watch Peter Pan.

"I bet this Captain Hook doesn't do me justice." Hook said as he settled on the couch.

"Oh, it doesn't." Emma said dryly as she brought over a large bowl of popcorn. Uh oh. The only free seat was the one right next to Hook. He must've known this, for he looked up and smirked at her.

"I don't bite." He said.

"Sure." Emma replied, squeezing herself onto the square of cushion. She pressed herself as far against the armrest as possible, trying to ignore the fact that they were about a millimeter apart. She tried to focus on the movie and the fact that soon Hook's little smirk would be gone.

A little while later, the first complaint was heard. Rather loudly too. "BLOODY HELL!" He shouted. "Is that...me?"

"Yep!" Henry said cheerily. "That's you."

"You have got to be kidding me." A look of barely disguised horror crossed his face as he watched his Disney counterpart strut about on the screen. "That's not me. I refuse to believe it. No." He shook his head stubbornly.

"Oh, that's you all right." Emma chuckled. "Waxed mustache, perm, and all."

As the movie went on, Hook grew more and more enraged. "Crocodile? He's an actual bloody crocodile? And me? Afraid of him? Never!"

Emma gradually became aware of the fact that they were sitting closer and closer. She could practically feel the warmth radiating off him and it seemed as though he was scooting closer and closer towards her, something that she decided was due to the small couch.

"That was rather entertaining." David said, standing up to stretch once the movie was over.

Mary Margaret reached over to grab the empty bowl of popcorn, spying the clock as she did so. "Wow it's pretty late. Bedtime, Henry."

"Alright." The kid pouted as he scooted off the couch. "Good night."

"Well, I give you my utmost gratitude for dinner." Hook said, standing up as well. "Movie aside, it was a rather pleasant evening. I should be heading back to the ship now."

"I'll drive you." Emma blurted, surprising even herself as everyone turned to look at her. "What?" She said defensively. She could feel her cheeks growing hot. "It's late."

Mercifully, he remained silent until they reached the docks where his ship was. "Quite the vessel you captain there, Swan." Hook commented as he opened the door and stepped outside.

"Thanks." Emma responded, exiting the car as well.

"I told you love," He crossed over to her side. "I make good company."

"You planned it, didn't you?" She realized. "To be invited over for dinner."

"If by planned you mean just happening to show up where I knew your mother would be buying food, then yes I most certainly did."

"Wow. That desperate for Mary Margaret's spaghetti?"

"Among other things." He licked his lips lasciviously, giving her a quick once over.

Before she knew what was happening, his face was suddenly close to hers. Too close. He was leaning closer and closer, and his lips would've touched down upon hers if she hadn't turned her face away a the last minute.

"Hook…" She sighed. "I can't. I'm sorry." She was startled to find that she actually meant it.

"You did before. And as I recall you were quite into it."

"That's different. That was before...well everything that happened.

"You mean realizing how I felt about you." Hook confirmed. "Emma, love. You've had your heart broken more times than I care to count. You've known nothing except people leaving you. But what you don't know is that I'm in it for the long haul. "

She said nothing, staring up at him with those wide eyes of hers.

"I will fight against your walls until they are reduced to dust. No matter what you do to repel me, I will still be here. I will do whatever it takes to win your heart."

"Why?"

"Because." He stepped closer once more, sensing that her defenses were down, at least momentarily. "I love you."

The air between them was charged, and as Emma stared at him, her eyes lingering on his lips, she remembered the feeling of those lips against hers. And how good it'd felt and how hard she'd had to force herself to push him away.

Hadn't he risked his life to save Henry? Hadn't he proved time and time again that he was more than just a pirate? Hadn't he proved himself worthy?

Maybe it was time to take a chance.

And surprising herself for the third time that night, she stood up on tiptoes and kissed him.

Nighttime came and Hook found himself once again at her bedside, her hand clutched in his as he silently willed her to wake. Please, Emma. Please wake up. If not for me, for Ava and Henry. They need you. I need you.

Soon it would be twenty four hours after she was out of surgery. Twenty four hours that she hadn't awoken. With every passing second, the chance that she would wake grew more and more slim.

Hook rested his head against the cool cotton of her pillow, the top of his head coming into contact with the soft strands of her hair. His body was beyond exhausted but his mind was racing; there would be no sleep until Emma woke up.

Behind him, Mary Margaret and David snoozed lightly in matching armchairs, hands still clutched tightly together. Visiting hours had come and gone, but no one had the heart to kick out the town's most well known family out of the hospital.

Despite his thoughts, Hook finally found himself nodding off, head still resting on her pillow. His back was going to kill him tomorrow, but he was unable to let go of her hand. Suddenly, there was a light movement. Startled, Hook sat up, wincing at the kinks in his back as he did so. He looked down to see Emma's fingers fluttering ever so slightly.

She was waking up.

"Mary Margaret. David." He called out. "I think Emma's waking up."

There was a low moan as her eyelids fluttered.

"Swan." He said. "Can you hear me?" He laughed nervously as she breathed in shakilly.

Her brows furrowed as she fought against unconsciousness. And then she opened her mouth to speak the three most horrible words Hook had ever heard.

"Who are you?"

Author's note: Well, well, well. Looks like something went wrong. Hope you enjoyed the longer ch!