Hello, friends! Back again with another chapter! Guess it's been less than a week this time! This chapter wasn't nearly as hard to write as the last one, even though it's still a bit long. I had fun with it. There's no Storybrooke in this chapter - just Willow, Emma, Killian, and the giant of course. And in some ways it turns out the way it did in show... in some ways not quite as much. But I hope you enjoy it. I tried to spend a little time on the development of the relationships between all of them, and to me that's always the most exciting part of writing any chapter.

Also, thanks as usual for all your support and for your reviews! They make me enjoy this journey so much more :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time, or the Willow Maid's concept.

Chapter 8: Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum

Night had fallen by the time Willow and her cohorts reached the top of the beanstalk. Her arms and legs burned from the long climb, and she let out a sigh of relief when she was finally able to set her feet on something solid.

She noticed almost immediately that the castle before her was large enough to fill a version of her that was thirty times her size, but it was also in ruin, as if a great calamity had befallen it and no one had touched it since. But she knew better than to believe they were alone.

"All right," she murmured as she pulled her leg back to take a look at her foot, which was covered with cuts. Frowning in dissatisfaction, she took the lone tiny salve she'd kept with her out of her jacket and rubbed some on the cuts. They began healing immediately—or at least, the blood began to recede. "I think we can all agree that the sooner we get in and out of this place, the better."

"What happened here?" Emma asked, marveling at the majesty ahead.

"It's where the final battle was," Killian said. Then, as she began walking, he added, "Give me your hand."

"What?"

"Your hand," he said more insistently. "It's cut."

"I'll take care of it," Willow grumbled, slightly irritated at the idea of having to waste more of her salve. She'd brought it specifically for the purpose of treating her feet, which she suspected would take a beating on the way up the beanstalk.

"It's fine," Emma said, curling her hand into a fist and pulling away as Willow stepped forward with her salve.

But Killian caught her before she could get far. "No, it's not."

She glared at him. "Oh, so now you're going to be a gentleman."

"You'd both best lower your voices or this mission will be over before we've started," Willow said, grabbing Emma's arm out of Killian's grasp and rubbing some of the salve on the flesh wound. In response, the woman flinched and let out a sound of discomfort. "Sorry, it stings."

"Yeah, thanks for telling me," Emma said, not sounding particularly grateful at all despite her verbal thank you.

So Willow tossed in, "I don't suppose your world's recounting of this story ever mentioned that giants have keen noses and would pick up the scent of your blood within miles."

Emma averted her gaze. "Actually, that may have been in there somewhere…"

When Willow finished treating the wound, Killian used a rag to bind her hand so that she wouldn't cause it further damage while it healed. "So," he began. "Here's the plan. We wait for the giant to fall asleep. And when he does, we'll sneak past him into his cave. It's where the treasures are. Where the compass lies."

"And then?"

A smile tugged at his lips as if it were obvious. "We run like hell."

"There's no need to wait," Willow said. "You still have the powder from Mulan, don't you?"

"Well, that's quite a bit riskier," Killian said.

"Riskier than waiting for the giant to fall asleep when we need him to?" Emma challenged.

Killian glanced back and forth between the two women for a few seconds, and then smirked. "Point taken." Then, taking out the small bag of powder, he told Emma, "You're a tough lass. You'd make a hell of a pirate."

Willow resisted the urge to roll her eyes. I'm already sick to my stomach from having to watch your pathetic attempts to flirt with her.

But Emma changed the subject, having become more intrigued by different matters. "Who's Milah on the tattoo?"

Oh, here we go.

As expected, Killian's face fell at the reminder of his former lover. The one who abandoned Rumple and their child to be with him. The one whose heart Rumple eventually crushed. It was a sad circumstance, but Willow wasn't exactly in the position to judge.

After a moment, Killian admitted, "Someone from long ago."

"Where is she?" Emma asked.

"She's gone." He started walking away, seeming eager to avoid the subject.

But Emma's guesses were on point. "Gold… Rumpelstiltskin. He took more than your hand from you, didn't he? That's why you wanna kill him."

Killian gave her a pointed look. "For someone who's never been in love, you're quite perceptive."

Much to Willow's surprise, Emma stole a glance at her before her reply. "Maybe—I was, once."

Willow loved in depth, existential conversations about love as much as the next person, but she wasn't really feeling it today. So she cleared her throat. "Yes—obviously none of us are strangers to the horrible things love does to you. But I think we have more pressing things to worry about. Such as getting that compass." She started walking ahead, gripping the handle of her sword at her belt to prepare mentally for what was to come.

"The poppy powder won't last for long," she explained, "So don't expect to have all day. Emma, Hook, you two should hide by the door and make a little bit of noise. When he comes out, I will distract him so you can get inside, and then I'll follow behind you after I knock him unconscious."

She expected some opposition to her plan from Emma's end, so she couldn't help but smile a little when Emma rushed to catch up with her. "Whoa, whoa," she said, stepping diagonally in front of Willow and hovering her arm near hers, though not directly blocking her path. "Who decided you were gonna distract the giant yourself?"

"I did," Willow replied.

"This is a team effort. You can't take on that thing yourself," Emma protested.

"I have to agree with Swan," Killian said. "It's too dangerous."

Oh, please, Killian…

"Whatever happens, we need to succeed, and the only way to do that is by obtaining the compass," Willow countered calmly. "If we all reveal ourselves to the giant, we will all be in greater danger."

Emma's eyebrows creased. "Maybe. But—"

"Do you still not trust me, Emma?" Willow asked, folding her arms across her chest, causing the other woman to fall silent. "If it makes you feel any better, this plan ensures I won't touch the compass first. You'll both be safely inside, while I finish putting the giant to sleep."

"How exactly do you plan to manage that?" Emma asked, sounding skeptical.

Willow smiled. "I already told you I'm the fastest. Giants don't exactly deal well with fast prey. All I have to do is make my way to higher ground and I'll be in the perfect position. Listen—if you're worried about me getting myself killed, I'm flattered. But it will be safer for all of us if I handle it alone."

She could tell Emma didn't want to go along with the plan. She wasn't sure if it was a lack of trust or simply her frustratingly noble attitude that didn't want anyone else taking on the brunt of any challenges. But as stubborn as Emma was, Willow was just as stubborn and she certainly had no intention of taking no for an answer. She couldn't risk either of these two losing their lives today. Not when so much was at stake.

Emma's gaze was intense as she met Willow's eyes fully. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Willow nodded. "I promised I'd get you through this safely and I will. I have as much desire to get that compass as you do. I won't fail. I know we don't know each other well just yet—but have a little faith. Just this once. I'll be right behind you both."

Willow waited a few seconds as Emma searched her expression, but it was short-lived. Finally, Emma dropped her arm and said, "All right, fine. But you'd better not screw up."

"I should say the same for the two of you," Willow replied as Emma walked past her. And when she was certain Emma couldn't see, she shot Killian a warning glance.

The three of them gathered near the front entrance to the castle, where Emma and Killian made their way over to the right of the door. In that position, they would be just out of sight when the giant came out. Willow would be distraction enough to allow him to slip past.

"Remember, Emma," Willow said as she positioned herself a few dozen feet from the door, "This is why you brought me with you." She grinned, although she received no such encouragement in return. "I need you both to promise that once you run through those doors, you won't turn back. No matter what you hear. Getting the compass is your first priority. Got it?"

"Understood," Killian said before Emma had a chance to speak. "Good luck, Willow," he added before gripping the bone he found lying on the ground, and hit it several times across a metal shield.

Willow's heart fluttered in her chest as she listened to the booming sounds of the giant's footsteps, heading for the door. She talked a big game for Emma's sake, but she'd never come face to face with a giant before and so she considered this encounter an experimental run at best. Now was the time to finally put her fighting lessons with Rumple to a real challenge. Everything he taught her with the sword, all those late nights she spent simply perfecting her footwork. And yet, despite all that she'd never beaten the Dark One in a duel once. With enough grace, however, it might just be enough to take the advantage on the giant.

The behemoth wore a beard and a sour expression on his face when he came through the door. He glanced around at his surroundings first, but then cast his eyes downward, directly at her.

Was it too late to go grab the compass herself and let Emma and Killian be the giant's dinner?

No! Bad Willow. Bad Willow. Get those thoughts out of your head.

The giant glowered at her as if she were the source of all the evil in the world. From what she'd heard about giants, in his mind she probably was.

"Hello!" she called, waving her head and slowly stepping backward as the giant simultaneously stepped forward. "I was just stopping by for a visit and uh—" She glanced to the right for a split second and watched Killian and Emma run inside. "And to…"

"If you came here, that only means you want something or that you have a death wish," the giant said through his teeth, reaching down toward her. But before he could wrap his gigantic fingers around her body, she ducked and somersaulted between his legs, swiping her sword against his calf. He let out a cry of pain that brought him down on one knee.

"All right, you caught me," Willow said, running around to his back and latching onto his robe before he stood up. It was hard to keep her grip as the loose fabric swung back and forth with the motion of his body, and as he patted himself down searching for her. "This is actually a burglary," she continued, narrowly dodging his hands. "And I completely understand your position in this… but unfortunately—we must all fend for ourselves here."

The giant growled in frustration and swatted the back of his shoulder, where she was climbing up, only for her to jump at the last second, latching onto the other side. Her hands and feet were still a bit sore from the climb up the beanstalk, but years of climbing trees had made her quite the expert. And finally she climbed her way up onto the giant's shoulder, where she quickly pulled out the sleeping powder. But the giant caught up to her, and she gasped when his fist abruptly snatched her up.

"Got'cha," he snapped, holding her with a triumphant yet loathsome expression on his face. She squirmed against him but couldn't break free of his iron grip, so instead she used her sword and sliced his finger from within, loosening his grip enough that she could free her arms and throw the sleeping powder at his eyes. He sniffled and coughed as the powder scattered across his face, but much to Willow's horror, he didn't let go. And when he stumbled and began to fall forward, all she could do was close her eyes and brace herself for the impact.

Emma was on edge as she headed into the giant's castle with Hook at her side, trying not to marvel too much at the sheer size of everything surrounding her. The plan was to get in and out as soon as possible, lest the giant realize they were here and come back to kill them both. At the moment, she wasn't pleased by how heavily she felt forced to count on Willow.

Hook, on the other hand, seemed to be taking his sweet old time, stopping to enjoy the view of the treasures lying along their path. What was that thing about pirates and being obsessed with treasure?

"Let's get to it," she said hastily. "The compass."

Hook turned and smiled at her with a gold coin in hand. "What's your rush?"

"Did Willow not just tell us that that magic knockout powder doesn't last long?"

"Uh, she may have mentioned it."

"Well, that's my rush."

Hook paused for another agonizing second. "Too right, Lass. Come… everything we need is right in front of us."

He led her into an enormous treasure room, where her spirits fell as her eyes scanned the mess of gold and shiny trinkets. "They kill all the giant housekeepers, too? How are we going to find the compass in this mess?"

"By looking," Hook said like your regular smart-ass, looking at everything like a three-year-old in a toy shop. "Start searching. I wonder how much treasure we could carry down the beanstalk." She shot him a glare. "In addition to the compass, of course."

It was quiet outside now, and even as Emma began her search, she thought about Willow, who still hadn't managed to catch up with them as she promised. But instead of saying anything just yet, she was trying to have a little bit of patience.

While her mind was hereby occupied, she noticed a dried up skeleton in the middle of the floor, sword still in hand. "What the hell?" she murmured, approaching slowly and reading the word, "Jack," etched into the sword.

"That would be Jack," Hook said.

"As in, Jack—"

"The giant killer."

"With that toothpick?" Emma had a hard time believing a little sword like that could actually kill a giant.

"Well, it packs quite a wallop," Hook said. "You'd be surprised." He started to move on, but didn't notice the thing at his feet that would doom them both. Out of an impulse to protect him from stepping through the taut string below him, she sprang forward and grabbed his arms, pulling him away.

"Well, it's about bloody time," he said to her distaste, wrapping his arms around her in return.

Despite their closeness, she kept her cool. "Trip wire. Quite the security system." She glanced up and noted the cage waiting on the ceiling for its next unsuspecting victim. Then, she attempted to pull away with the danger having passed, but Hook held on for a few extra seconds, much to her irritation.

But she broke free of his grip nonetheless, and he smirked at her. "Well… that's a plausible excuse for grabbing me, but next time, don't stand on ceremony." She raised her eyebrows when he twirled a piece of her hair in his fingers. Yes, he was hot. Did she care? Not even a little.

"Let's just find that compass and get home," she said, gesturing for Hook to go first.

But as they continued searching over the next few minutes, Emma grew restless. "Where the hell is Willow?"

While looking through a pile of treasure, Hook said, "She's probably fine, love."

"If she's fine, then why isn't she here?"

"I'm sure the little fairy princess is right behind us," he said, almost dismissively.

"Fairy princess?" She glared at him. "Really?"

"Well, she does have that glow about her, doesn't she?"

With a sigh, Emma turned toward the door. "Maybe one of us should go back and look for her."

"And if you remember, she told us specifically to focus on getting the compass," Hook said.

"But what if something happened to her?" Emma protested, folding her arms across her chest in discomfort. Or worse… she found the compass somehow and ran with it.

Hook sighed and then stood up straight, turning toward her, "Well, if you're really that worried about her, I will go and look if you wish."

Emma stepped in front of him. "No, we'll both go. I'm not gonna have you disappearing on me, too."

With a hint of a smile, Hook replied, "I had no idea you cared so much, Swan."

She was getting tired of his witty comments and was about to whip his ass with a sarcastic remark, when all of the sudden, giant footsteps in the distance silenced her. She cursed under her breath. Really? Already? Where in the hell is Willow?

"Someone's up," Hook murmured. "Quickly. Get under something." The floor shook as the two companions scurried around looking for a hiding place, but it was too late. Emma's heart pounded when the giant came rushing into the treasure room, his face distorted with anger. Debris fell from the ceiling due to the giant's powerful footsteps, and Emma stepped back to get out of the way. But before she had a chance to help him, he was buried in the falling debris.

"Hook!" she cried out with horror, desperate for an answer even though she knew she would receive none. The panic set in as she turned back around, unable to do anything but stand paralyzed as the giant charged toward her, knocking pieces of gold about the room. She had nowhere to run when he reached down and snatched her off the floor. Finally, she was able to overcome the shock and she struggled against his powerful fist, as futile as it was.

But she had to think fast, or she'd be crushed to death. And it didn't seem to her like the best way to go. "I'm not what you think!" she shouted, hoping maybe she could reason with him somehow.

"You're a thief, and your little friend poisoned me," he said. "So yeah, I'm pretty sure you're exactly what I think."

"No!" Emma pleaded. "Look, you have a compass. I need it."

"I don't care what you need," the giant growled, tightening his grip under she could barely breathe.

"No, for my son!" she croaked. "To save my son! Don't you have a family?"

"No," the giant said, tightening his grip further. "Humans killed them all."

The lack of oxygen getting to Emma's brain was starting to make her dizzy, and it was at this point that she realized that she wouldn't get through to the giant this way. So instead, she opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could on the giant's thumb. And with a cry of pain, the giant pulled his hand away and she fell off his lap and onto the floor. As he rushed toward her in a fiery rage, she sprinted back toward the trip wire, where she found the sword she'd seen earlier. She waited until the giant came around the bend, and when just the right moment arrived, she cut the trip wire and the cage went crashing down on top of the giant.

Once she was sure he was trapped and couldn't free himself, she ran up and held the sword toward him. "Nice security system. Efficient."

Then, as she pointed the sword at his face, the giant flinched back in fear and squeezed his eyes shut, shouting out protests. "I can tell by your face that you know what this is," she said, still out of breath. "Let me guess. It's dipped in some sort of poison. You have a compass. I need it."

"You're gonna kill me either way," he said, almost in a solemn voice. "So go ahead. Kill me."

"You don't know me," Emma said, completely aghast that he could just assume she would kill him in cold blood.

"I know your kind!" he argued. "They massacred us and destroyed our beans."

"I heard it the other way."

"That's 'cause the victors get to tell the story."

Growing irritated by the lengthy conversation, Emma stepped forward and pushed the sword closer. He flinched. "Okay, okay, stop! Here." And to her surprise, the giant pulled the compass she was looking for out of his pocket and pushed it toward her. And here, she and Hook had wasted all their time in the treasure room. After she picked the compass off the floor, the giant said, "See? I'm not the bad guy."

She raised the sword again. "If you're not the bad guy, where's Willow? The other person who was with us. What'd you do to her?"

His face was stoic. "I sent her back to where she came from."

"What are you talking about?"

"I dropped her," he said. "She was unconscious. I doubt there's any way she could have survived."

Emma stared at him in horror. "You—you killed her?"

"Your kind don't belong here!" he retorted. "She poisoned me. It was what she deserved."

In her anger, Emma suddenly jabbed her sword into the cage and stopped just barely before piercing the giant's skin. "She didn't deserve that," Emma murmured, gripping the handle of the sword until her knuckles hurt. But then, realizing she couldn't waste time, she darkened her gaze and demanded, "Are there any more of you?"

"No," he said quietly. "I'm alone."

She looked away in response, but what she saw was something she didn't expect. It was a bean. A bean attached to the giant's necklace. A bean she knew could supposedly transport people between worlds. "What's this?" she asked. "It's this a bean? Can it make a portal?"

"Not anymore," he said. "It was destroyed like the rest of 'em. I wear it as a reminder. A reminder that you're all killers."

Frankly, knowing what he did to Willow, there was a little part of Emma that wanted to kill him. Wanted to make him pay for hurting her. They hadn't known each other long, but Willow put her life on the line for Emma and Hook. She shouldn't have had to sacrifice it.

But now she felt the need to prove the giant wrong. And that's exactly what she planned to do. She walked away. And it was only for a brief moment that she thought she might regret it, when the giant abruptly broke free of his cage and she was forced to duck to avoid the falling pieces. She turned around, pointing the sword toward him and ready for a fight. But instead of engaging her, he gripped a human-sized boulder sitting on the side of the wall and threw it across the room, opening a dome-shaped hole in the wall.

"Go," he said, gesturing to the hole.

"Why?" she asked, confused by his sudden generosity.

"You could have killed me, and you didn't," he told her, his expression only slightly softer than before. "You get one favor. Now go before I change my mind."

With a nod, Emma turned and headed toward the hole. But then, remembering one small detail, she stopped. Hook was still buried under a pile of rocks. She couldn't just leave him there to die. After all, despite having worked for Cora he'd helped her get this far.

"Actually," she said, turning around. "I get two favors."

The giant looked at her incredulously. "What?"

"Well, after what you did to my friend, I think it's the least you can do."

His eyebrows creased. "What do you want?"

She knew what she had to do, and for some reason she wasn't feeling confident about it. As she pulled Hook out from under the fallen rocks and he told her how "bloody brilliant" she was couldn't help but feel guilty for what she was about to do next.

"May I see it?" he asked. "The compass?"

Hesitant, Emma pulled the compass out of her pocket and showed him, who stared at it like a long lost love. She was worried her nervousness would betray her, even though she tried to keep it tempered. When he reached out to touch the object she quickly put it away, not wanting him to have his hands on it.

He smiled at her anyway, however, and held out his hand to her. "Come. Let's go."

She wouldn't have admitted for even an instant that the look in his eyes made her weak, but it also reminded her that it was exactly why she had to do this. After a few seconds of swimming in her own conflicted thoughts, Emma took his hand. But instead of helping him up, she grabbed the shackle beside him and closed his wrist inside it.

Hook's smile fell. "What are you doing?"

Emma stepped away, out of his reach. "Hook… I—I can't…"

"Emma, look at me," he said, almost desperately. "Have I told you a lie? I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?"

Even looking at him now, she could see the sincerity in his eyes. But the one thing she feared most of all was that that sincerity was only what she wanted to see. And she couldn't risk her own family for that. "I can't take a chance that I'm wrong about you," she said. "I'm sorry."

He gritted his teeth and pulled against the chain. "You're sorry? You're sorry! I got you here. I got you the compass!"

"I got the compass," Emma said, holding her ground. "And Willow got herself killed for it."

He paused for an instant, seeming temporarily stifled by the news, but then shot back, "So, you're just going leave me here to die, too? Have that beast eat me, to crush my bones?"

Emma clenched her jaw as she backed away. "He's not a beast. And you're not going to die. I just need a headstart. That's all." And as he called out her name repeatedly while she turned to run away, she fought herself not to feel guilty. But while she wasn't sure she could trust Hook, she didn't doubt the word of the giant who promised her he'd let the pirate go.

Even if he was responsible for Willow's death.

No. It wasn't even the giant's fault. It was Emma's. She never should have let Willow try to take care of him by herself. She should have trusted her instincts from the beginning, but she knew Willow wasn't going to back down and was so set on getting the compass that she ultimately put it before the protection of someone else's life. Then again, wasn't she now doing the same to Hook?

It haunted her as she made her way slowly but surely down the beanstalk, as she wondered if Willow fell somewhere near Mary Margaret and the others. If so, what in the world was she going to tell them?

By the time she was finally reaching the bottom of the beanstalk, she could already see Mary Margaret and Mulan fighting below. Ten hours. It had been exactly ten hours since she and the others left. Meaning Mulan was about to try to cut down the beanstalk.

"This was your daughter's wish!" Mulan hissed in the midst of their struggle.

"I don't care what you say," Mary Margaret snapped back. "You do not put my daughter in danger!"

Emma let out a tired sigh, and once she was close enough, she let herself drop. "Stop!" she shouted, stumbling and falling on her back.

The fighting immediately stopped. "Emma!" Mary Margaret cried, rushing over to help her up. "Are you okay?"

"Two earthquakes and a jump from a beanstalk. I think my brain's still rattling around a little."

Mulan and Aurora approached as well, and the former said in a stoic voice, "I did what she ordered. Nothing more than that." Then, casting her attention toward Emma, she asked, "Did you get it?"

Breathing heavily, Emma pulled out the compass. "Yep." But meanwhile, her attention was on her surroundings, wondering if Willow had fallen nearby.

They all noticed her unease. "Where are Hook and Willow?" Aurora asked with wide eyes.

"Hook is detained," Emma said, getting the easy part over with first. "Start gathering your stuff. We have ten hours before he follows us."

"What about Willow?" Mulan asked pointedly.

Hesitantly, Emma murmured, "Well… the thing is—" Breaking this kind of news was never pleasant, and for some reason her own body shuddered at the idea of that woman's death. "She was able to knock out the giant for us… but she, uh… didn't make it."

"You mean she's dead?" Aurora asked, her expression horrified.

Emma nodded, casting her eyes to the ground. "He threw her from the beanstalk." Then looking around again, she added, "I thought she might have fallen near here…"

"We were here the whole time," Mulan told her, eyes unchanging despite the vibe Emma got that she and Willow seemed to have been friends. "No one came down in this area. Are you sure that's what happened?"

Faltering slightly, Emma said, "Well—I didn't see what happened. I only know what the giant told me."

"But she isn't here," Mulan said. "I've been keeping watch and there's been no sign of anyone."

Mary Margaret then turned her gaze toward Emma, eyes shining with unsaid doubts. "Then where is she?"

Hook stopped fighting after a while, realizing the effort was futile. Getting stuck up here in this godforsaken place and losing the compass were painful enough, but Swan's betrayal felt like a stab through the heart. He hadn't experienced anything quite so intense in many years. But now, whatever the cost, he would make sure she paid for humiliating him like this. He didn't know how just yet, but next time he'd be the one walking away laughing.

The giant wasn't far off. He kept close tabs on Hook, making sure he didn't try to escape. Somehow the Swan had charmed him into doing her a favor or two, which included keeping him a prisoner for ten hours. Damn her and all her pointless "savior" qualities.

While he took the time to languish in his own self-pity, he caught the sight of some kind of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned casually in the direction of the disturbance, not expecting anything special. But who should appear from behind a pile of treasure but Willow herself, light on her feet as always.

"Well, it's about damn time," Hook said as she approached him, keeping her head low to the ground in case the giant currently biding his time at the other end of the room happened to notice. "I thought you were dead."

"Keep your voice down," Willow hissed. "Do you want to get caught? You know, I could have left you behind."

"Eh, but not unless you wanted her to skin you alive."

Willow shot him a death glare as she grabbed his hand. She was careful not to rattle the chain too much as she took a small needle and used it to unlock the shackle. She set it down gently, and he let out a sigh, rubbing his wrist tenderly. "Swan got away with the compass," Hook said quietly. "Where have you been this whole time?"

"Goliath over there almost killed me is what happened. I struck him with the poppy powder, but when he fell, I was in his fist—and I suppose my head must have hit the ground because I fell unconscious for a while. And when I woke, his hand was too heavy for me to lift it off myself. Then he woke not much later, and so I feigned unconsciousness in hopes he might refrain from crushing me to death. Instead, he brought me over to the beanstalk and dropped me. Luckily, I was able to grasp onto a vine and climb my way back to the top. By then, Emma was already asking her favor of the giant."

"So why remain in hiding?" Hook asked. "What was the point?"

She smiled and patted his shoulder affectionately, as if they were old mates, or something. It made him rather uncomfortable. "Because I have a plan. How about I explain when we make it out of here? My head aches and we shouldn't waste more time."

It was then that Hook heard the giant's monstrous footsteps, and knew they were about to be caught. The giant came closer at a slow pace, causing Hook to instinctively take a step back. His own heart pounded out of fear, but Willow merely released a huff of irritation and glared up at the giant.

"I thought a heard some racket over here," the giant said. "Trying to sneak away, are you?" Then, taking a closer look at Willow, his eyes widened in surprise. "You're alive."

"Indeed I am," Willow said. "Thank you for noticing."

The giant spread his feet apart and held his stance. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow the other human to leave just yet. I made a promise to Emma that I'd keep him here for ten hours."

Willow smiled with a false sweetness that made Hook shudder just a little. "Well, we're in a bit of a hurry, so perhaps you'll reconsider."

"Afraid I can't," the giant said simply.

With a short pause, Willow placed her hands on her hips. Hook could always tell when she was growing impatient. She generally put up an effort to be nice at first, but she could strike back with a vengeance, even with no magic on her side. Despite how often they bickered, there were times that she truly impressed him. "Do you really want to have another fight?"

"You have nothing to threaten me with," the giant said.

Willow cocked her head slightly. "Are you sure?" Then, with one swift motion she pulled a sword that was not her own off her belt. It was Jack's sword, the one Swan had used to threaten the giant earlier. She got her hands on it so easily?

Of course, the giant reacted how the both of them expected, by stepping back and holding up his hand in fright. "Now, wait—please—"

"Let us go peacefully and I won't have to use this," Willow said, stepping forward and holding the sword up to her foe without a hint of waver in her step or her voice. The giant said nothing, but simply trembled and cowered in the face of the poison sword, allowing Willow to use her free hand to motion Hook around her. He moved past the giant with a quickened step, eager to finally be rid of this wretched place. But then Willow's voice stopped him. "Wait," she said.

Hook turned his head. "What is it?" But she wasn't looking at him. Instead, she continued to step closer, until she was within the giant's arm's reach of her.

"What is that?" she asked. "Around your neck?"

The giant hesitated, fear still lacing his voice. "Uh—it's a dried up bean I wear. Useless to you, however."

It was then that Willow smiled, and Hook wondered what she could possibly be thinking. "All right, Killian," she said, more loudly to get his attention. "There's been a change of plans. Mr.—um, I don't think I caught your name?"

"Anton?" the giant said.

"Anton," Willow repeated. "Anton, Hook and I might be persuaded to stay here for the next ten hours. On one condition."

What? How hard did you hit your head?

"And what condition is that?" Anton asked sourly.

"I want that bean around your neck."

"What?" Anton gave her a confused look. "But—it has no value to you. It can't create a portal."

"Willow, what are you doing?" Hook demanded, stalking toward her. "We're wasting time."

But she ignored him. "It's the bean, or no deal."

Anton the giant looked as confuzzled as ever, but after a moment's reluctance, he untied the necklace from around his neck and lowered the bean to her, which she took graciously. "Thank you very much," she said in a soft sing-song voice. "Killian, I suggest you get comfortable. Perhaps get in a little nap. We're camping here for the next ten hours."

She turned to walk away, but in his anger, Hook grabbed her arm to stop her. "What's gotten into you? We're going to lose the compass if we stay here."

"We'll get it back," she hissed, her dark green eyes piercing his. "I know what I'm doing."

She shrugged him off casually, wandering away to inspect a pile of treasure like some sort of overseas tourist. She put away the poison sword, and Anton sat watching them both as if he still didn't believe they wouldn't try to run off. As he stared at Willow, the siren he didn't trust but couldn't seem to escape, he realized he had no idea what was going through that insane girl's head. His only hope was that, whatever it was, it didn't end up getting them killed.

Anywho, that happened. Let me know what you think if you have time! In the next chapter we're probably going to find out what happens in the past with Willow and Aiden, so stay tuned!