Author's note: That scene between Emma/MM made me cry sooo hard! On a lighter note, thx sooo much for all the reviews and follows!

Chapter 6: Sore Subject

"How's everything going?" A voice said from behind.

Hook immediately stiffened, but he plastered a smile on his face as he turned around. "Cora. How lovely to see you. Quite well. And you?"

"Not as well as I'd hoped." A shadow crossed Cora's face. "My daughter does not seem to need me."

"Oh, well, all children need their parents. I'm sure it'll just be a matter of time before you convince her of so."

"I do hope so." She replied. "The thing is, my daughter is not as broken as I imagined she'd be. She seems happy."

"Well, I'm not expert, but isn't that a good thing?"

"No." Cora answered. "Not for my purposes it's not. You see, the only way my daughter will accept me in her life again is if she has nothing. And right now, she doesn't have nothing. I've seen her with a young boy that she calls Henry."

Swan's son. Hook realized. But for some odd reason, he thought it'd be a better idea not to mention this to Cora, lest she use the boy for her own malicious purposes. And he knew that would hurt Emma beyond repair.

Not that he cared, of course.

Cora continued. "There is something special about him, something that I need to figure out. This is not going exactly as I've planned, but in time I'll accomplish what I came here for. And that is exactly why I need you, Captain."

"Well I figured as much."

"How is everything going with Emma? Has she fallen for you yet?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. "No."

Cora grew serious. "Was I not clear in any way?"

"Oh no, you were quite clear." Hook said lightly. "It's just that…you know, these things take time. As charming and irresistible as I am, Swan is a tough nut to crack."

"Figure it out." Cora snapped. "I don't care what you do, but you must make Emma fall in love with you. Find out anything and everything you can about her."

"What about what I came here for? Killing Rumplestilskin?" Hook asked. "I didn't come here to help you with your daughter."

"I know." She responded. "You and I, we've been in this together for many years. When the time comes, I will help you with that. I will see to it that Rumplestilskin dies. You're not the only one who shares a history with him. But for now, if you would like to live to see the day your enemy dies, you will make Emma Swan love you."

And with that, she disappeared in a cloud of purple.

Hook lay on his bed, staring up at the wooden ceiling. The last few days had been nothing but a distraction. A fun distraction, but a distraction nonetheless. He had survived for so long, gone through so much, all with the single purpose to kill the monster who'd taken his beloved Milah away from him. And now? He was so close to achieving that, but instead was just wasting time, spending time with a woman who had nothing to do with his goal.

He supposed that he could try to escape. Go and find a way to kill Rumplestilskin and then run away. But go where? Cora would probably find him long before he could get anywhere far. And how would he kill him? From what he remembered, the crocodile was exceptionally skilled at magic, much like Cora. There was a huge change that Rumplestilskin would kill him before Hook had a change to get revenge.

No, he needed Cora's help. And that meant staying here, spending more time with Swan, trying to find a way to convince the world's most stubborn woman to love him. That was the last thing in the world he wanted to do.

But maybe, just maybe, there was a small part of him that wanted to stay.

Just as they'd agreed, the next morning at 9, Emma met Hook at the docks. He stood at the end of the road, face in a pensive expression.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you would just tell me where you're staying." Emma quipped as Hook approached her car.

"Not a chance." Hook said, slipping into the passenger's seat. "Ugh, not this bloody vehicle again."

"It's either this or walk thirty miles." Emma replied as she started off towards the freeway. "In the rain."

"Well, I'd prefer that over an early death." Hook commented.

"Sure you would." Emma responded.

"Where are we going anyway?" Hook asked.

"I told you yesterday. Shopping."

"And where are we going to do this shopping?"

"This place I know not far from here. It'd be easier to just stay in town, but we can't risk anyone seeing you in that again." Emma's eyes flicked over his all leather outfit.

"Oh, you know you like it." Hook said, running his hand over the seat. "My, this certainly feels nice."

"Mmhmm. Bet your ship doesn't have those." She muttered. "Watch where you put that thing." She admonished. "The last thing I need is your hook ruining the seats."

"Oh, you needn't worry about that, princess." He smirked. "I'm very skilled with my hook." He raised his eyebrows suggestively, waving the hook in her face. "Wanna see?"

Emma rolled her eyes and swatted his hook away. "No thanks. And don't call me princess."

"Why not?" He asked. "Isn't that what you are?"

"No." Emma said tightly, her eyes focused steadily on the road. "And I'd appreciate it if you don't call me that."

"Well, you're certainly pretty enough." With his hook, he sifted through her tangled blonde hair, lifting it off her neck.

"Hook!" She hissed. "You have no sense of personal space."

"Just trying to have some fun." Hook replied as he settled back into this seat.

"Look." Emma turned to look at him. "This is just a shopping trip, nothing more. We're just going to get you some new clothes. I can still have your ass thrown in jail in a matter of minutes."

Hook opened his mouth to argue, but Emma rambled on. "And yes, I do know the risks. But I'm willing to take them. I can dump you on the side of the road outside Storybrooke and leave you to fend for yourself." And they were, in fact, nearing the town line. "You think I'm tough? Let's see how you feel when you come across cops who are ten times worse and not nearly as understanding as I am."

"So I think, at the very least, that you should keep your hands to yourself and not bother the one person who is saving you from rotting outside." She finished tersely. "Because in the end, don't forget that I'm doing you a favor. The world is a cold, hard place and you should be glad you're not left alone in it."

Hook stared at her for a long beat.

"You were left alone, weren't you?" He asked softly.

Emma visibly stiffened. "You don't know anything about me."

"Maybe not." Hook agreed. "But like I said before, you're somewhat of an open book. You have that look in your eyes. The look of someone abandoned."

"Well, I wasn't." She snapped.

"But…" He started.

"God, would you just give it a rest?!" She screeched, totally out of character.

Hook felt conflicted. On one hand, he knew he should continue pressing her on, to get her to open up, for that would only serve to advance his mission.

But there was a part of him that was holding him back from doing so. Something to do with the look in Emma's eyes and the tightness in which she gripped the steering wheel as she glared at the road.

He felt almost…sorry. Sorry that he'd brought up what was obviously a sore subject.

What was happening to him?

Author's note: Yeah ok, mostly a filler ch. Shopping ch up next!