Author's note: A midterm and a paper due. Both tmrw. Sigh. Looks like it's gonna be a long night. On a lighter note, here's a new ch!

Chapter 23: Selfish Monster

Hook watched with trepidation as a slow but steadily growing stream of kids began to exit the big yellow vehicle that Emma called a school bus. He stood, in the shadows of course, by the bus stop that he knew Henry got off at.

Any moment now, Henry was going to come out, expecting that in a few short minutes he'd be home. What he didn't know was that he wasn't going to be home that night. Probably never again. And that thought made Hook sick to his stomach.

Out of all of his escapades and less than honorable actions, he'd never ever deliberately hurt a child. Even pirates had morals, and hurting children was just downright cruel. But he was out of options, and the best he could hope for was that kidnapping Henry would just buy him time to secure the help he needed.

There he was. Hook's pulse quickened as he spotted the boy, a backpack sitting on his shoulders, black coat tightly buttoned to protect against the biting wind. Hook watched as the boy walked cheerfully down the steps.

"Henry!" Hook called out, his voice not too loud to draw attention but loud enough so Henry would hear. As expected, the lad turned to see who had called his name.

"D-do I know you?" He asked, walking over towards Hook, a confused expression on his face. Just then, he noticed the hook on his arm.

"No time for questions." Hook made his voice sound as urgent as possible. "Your mother's in danger."

"My mom? Which one?"

"Emma."

"What happened?" Henry asked. "I-is she ok?"

"Yes, yes. For now, at least." He said distractedly. Ironically, his words could not be more true. "But come, let me take you to her. She's waiting for you on my ship." He began to lead Henry away from the bus stop.

"Are you Captain Hook?" Henry asked.

"Aye." Hook replied.

"How do you know Emma? I've never seen you in the Enchanted Forest before."

"We…met in the Enchanted Forest." Hook responded, unsure of how to describe their relationship to the boy.

Henry's eyes widened as he put two and two together. "Wait. Captain Hook from the Enchanted Forest? You're the one Emma's been complaining about?"

Hook did a double take. "She complains about me?"

"Yeah, she called you irritating and some other things I'm not supposed to repeat. But I know it's cuz she likes you. That's what the girls in my class do for boys they like, you know. They complain about them. And I know you like her too." Henry continued. "I can tell by the way your face is all red."

Hook chuckled quietly to himself; Henry had no idea.

"Wow, I can't believe I met Captain Hook! Do you know Peter Pan? And Wendy?" Henry asked eagerly, voice rising in pitch with excitement.

Hook looked nervously around, hoping no one overheard. "Aye, but that's a tale for another day. And keep your voice down, lad. No one knows I'm here, and I'd like to keep it that way. I doubt your Storybrooke takes kindly to outsiders."

"Oh. Alright." Henry agreed, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

Soon enough, they reached the docks where Hook knew Cora was waiting. "Your mother's in there." He gestured at the ship.

Henry stepped onto the wooden dock and peered at the ship. "Where?"

"Keep going." Hook instructed.

Henry reached the deck. "I don't see anyone…" Suddenly, something dawned on him as he turned around to face Hook. "Wait. If no one knows you're here, how did you know that my mom is waiting for me here?"

The look on Hook's face was confirmation enough. "That's because she isn't."

"I-is this a trap?"

"No." Said a soft voice. Cora. "Not a trap. Think of it as a ruse."

"What? What's going on?" Henry stammered.

"Nice job, Captain." Cora smiled softly. "You've gained my trust again."

"You tricked me!" Henry accused. "My mom's not here." He tried to make a run for it, but with a flick of her wrist, ropes bound themselves around Henry's arms and legs.

"I don't think so. We're going to have a little chat."

"I'm sorry, Henry." Hook sighed.

"You liar!" Henry called as Cora dragged him below the deck. "You don't like my mom at all! Y-you're a selfish monster!"

All Hook could do was watch as the boy was taken out of view, with the world's most evil witch, completely helpless, unable to stop what was happening. A horrible feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as he realized that Henry had been right.

He was a selfish monster.

Author's note: So Hook gave Henry to Cora. Hmm. What's gonna happen next? Hope you enjoyed!