Author's note: No midterms or papers due this wk thank God. So here's a new ch just because I have more free time than usual and cuz I'm feeling nice.

10 days until the Once premiere! Soooo excited!

Chapter 26: Unfair

The only thing that didn't go wrong that night was the fact that due to his experience navigating the sea, Hook was able to find the way back towards Storybrooke.

Right after Emma left, he'd stood there, rooted to the spot for a good ten to twenty minutes. Until the shock wore off, and he realized that he couldn't just stay there. Just as he'd expected, the parking lot was empty, Emma's yellow bug nowhere to be seen.

Hook walked slowly along the pitch black road. He felt a numbness that had nothing to do with the bitter cold of the night.

WHY had Cora done this? Why had she so unexpectedly shown up? She had to have known the repercussions of doing so; Hook was dead certain that she had some sort of nefarious method of keeping an eye on them. Everything had been going so well! He'd finally gotten over Milah and for the first time in ages she was happy.

Had everything really been going so well? A small, niggling voice in the back of his head asked him. You kidnapped her son and screwed up her life.

Maybe this was Cora's true form of punishment for defying her. By ruining everything beyond repair. But what good had this done? They no longer had an inside source of information on everything the Charmings were doing.

Perhaps this was Cora's way of telling him that she no longer needed information, that she was ready to enact their plan and get things done.

Would it just be easier to go along with what Cora wanted? Now that things with Emma were clearly over, he had nothing else to live for except his revenge. He could live out the rest of his days peacefully on his ship. Hell, maybe Cora would have some way to send him back to the Enchanted Forest and he could find a new crew of men.

He could just imagine it now, sailing across the sea with his men. Not a care in the world, wooing and bedding a different woman each night. And all the rum he could drink. He could just hear the laughter now, feel the pleasant buzz as his homemade rum went through his system. It would be an easy, pain free life.

But the thought of living without Emma caused a deep ache to go through him. He'd grown to love Storybrooke and all of its quirky charms. From the odd food that she enjoyed to the confusing appliances, there was no way he could bear to leave. That life might've been enough for him before, but it sure as hell wasn't now. His time with his Swan had changed him.

Except, what was he to do? It wasn't like he could just go back to the way things were before, and he had no way to make it all up to her. She clearly wasn't going to listen to him.

Then why bother trying? He realized. Nothing he could do or say would change things. It would just be easier to do Cora's bidding and return to the Jolly Roger. He'd lived with the pain of losing Milah for all those years, so certainly he could do it again.

Mind made up, he doubled his stride back to Storybrooke. First thing in the morning, he was going to kill the boy.

But then Emma's angry, stunned face flashed through his mind, the impact nearly knocking him off his feet. He'd hurt her beyond belief. He couldn't just leave; what kind of man would he be if he did? Not one that his brother would be proud of, that's for sure. And even though he'd become a pirate, he'd vowed on the inside to respect his brother's life by doing things that would make him proud.

The solution was clear now. He'd taken the easy way out all his life, and now it was time to do the right thing.

Emma drove as fast as she could back to Storybrooke, not caring that she was at least twenty miles above the speed limit. The roads were fairly empty, due to it being the middle of the night, and she pitied the poor cop who would be stupid enough to stop her right now.

Rage and adrenaline coursed through her as the trees rushed by. Hook's face flashed through his mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it out. But all she could hear was the sound of her own voice, her laughter as they'd watched Peter Pan. How he'd pressed his lips against hers. How he'd promised that he'd always be there for her.

And how she'd believed him.

Goddamnit. It was just so frickin unfair! Why did her life always have to be so difficult? For once, wasn't she entitled some sort of break?

Above all, she was mad at herself for trusting him so blindly. Hadn't everything she'd been through taught her to never trust anyone, that they always had a hidden agenda?

"SO. FREAKING. NAÏVE!" Emma screamed at the top of her lungs, punctuating each word with a loud honk. She only felt marginally better as she continued to race her way back to Storybrooke.

How could she have believed him? Hell, from the start she'd suspected him. Her whole life, she'd prided herself on being able to read people. To tell when they were lying. Because there had been enough liars in her life.

And she'd fucking fallen for him like a pathetic teenager with a crush. Believed every word he'd said, every raise of that eyebrow. She supposed that it hadn't entirely been her fault, since he was particularly skilled at charming women.

Still! She was better than that.

It was because he'd seized onto that last shred of hope she still possessed, the hope that someday she'd be able to find someone who loved her as much as her parents loved each other. He'd freaking seized it and shredded it to pieces.

If this experience had taught her anything, it was that she could no longer trust anyone. As soon as she got her son back, she was getting the hell out of Storybrooke.

But of course, she had to save him first.

The only place she could think of that Cora could possibly be keeping Henry was Hook's ship. But when she approached the docks, there was no sign of a pirate ship. From what Ho-the bastard had told her, his ship was pretty big, easily dwarfing the other boats. It had a black sail and a long wooden deck.

Maybe Cora enchanted it or something so no one can see it. She began walking up and down the dock, extending her arms out, feeling into the open air to see if she could feel something invisible. She supposed that she looked quite ridiculous doing so, but it was the middle of the night and no one was around.

Frustrated by the lack of a hidden ship, Emma retrieved the crowbar from her car and used that, walking up and down, dragging it around the air. Finally, the metal bar hit something. There was a quiet thump.

"Bingo." Emma muttered grimly to herself. Using the crowbar to guide her, she slowly made her way up the invisible gangplank, thinking the whole time about how bizarre this was. When she looked down, it seemed as though she was walking on thin air. If this wasn't such a dire situation, she'd probably be laughing.

Having made her way up, the ship was suddenly in full view, spread out in all its glory before her. For a moment she just stood there, stunned. The bastard may have lied about many things (something she immediately pushed to the back of her mind), but he had been telling the truth about how magnificent the Jolly Roger was; it was something straight out of a storybook.

But then she remembered what she was here for. Gripping the crowbar tightly with both hands, she had a good look around. If I were Cora, where would I hide someone?

Below deck, most likely. In most pirate movies, there was some sort of trapdoor or something that led down. Emma tiptoed around the wooden deck, squinting in the darkness. She was keenly aware of how dark and quiet it was here by the water. She didn't know whether or not she was grateful for that.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something, and she bent down to inspect. Yessss. It was a metal latch on a trapdoor. Curling her fingers around it, she was about to yank it open when there was a soft rustle behind her.

"I must give you credit, Emma." A female voice purred. Cora. Emma immediately tensed.

Cora continued. "I didn't think you'd be able to find my little hiding place quite so fast."

"Well, yay for me." Emma muttered darkly. "Guess that's what happens when you have a kid to save." Using the crowbar, she began to pull at the door but it remained stuck.

"Tsk, tsk." Cora clucked her tongue. "You will look at me when I'm talking to you."

Suddenly, the metal flew out of Emma's hands and landed some twenty feet away, and was launched in the air, immobilized by invisible ropes, turned to face Cora. "Let me go." She grunted, struggling.

"Struggling will only make them tighter, dear." Cora smiled.

Of course. Emma mentally rolled her eyes. That was what happened in most movies and books, so why should this be any different? "Why do you want Henry? What the hell are you even doing here?"

"Why, to see my daughter of course. I miss her. I do believe you know how that works."

"So you had to kidnap Henry just to get to her? That's one hell of a fucked up relationship."

Something dangerous shifted in Cora's eyes. "Don't talk about things you can't understand."

"You know what I don't understand? Is how I factored into any of this. Why do you want me dead?"

"I needed someone to keep an eye on you. To keep you distracted while I went on with my plans. To inform me of everything you did. I knew that the first thing you and your insipid little mother would've done was tell everyone about me. I needed someone to keep you busy. You're too smart for your own good, Emma. I couldn't have you thwarting my plans." Cora smirked. "That's where Hook came in, of course. I can't kill you, but he can."

At the mention of Hook, she clenched her fists tightly. "How could I have ruined your plans? You have magic!"

"So do you."

"Yeah well it's not like I know how to use it or anything. And what about Gold? From what I was told he wasn't so keen on your arrival either. He's a much bigger threat than me."

"I offered him a deal." Cora said smoothly. "I'll keep his precious girlfriend safe if he lets me do as I please. And that's been working out fairly well, I must say."

"Fine then. But you still didn't tell me how Henry matters in all of this."

"The only way my daughter will accept me in her life again is if she is truly alone. And that will never happen unless Henry's taken out of the picture."

"You sick, twisted bitch." Emma seethed. In that moment, she had never hated anyone as much as she hated Cora. Not her parents for abandoning her. Not her various hellish foster families. Not Neal for sending her to jail. Not even Hook. "You are not going to get away with this."

"Oh really? On the contrary, my dear." Cora laughed. "I have and I will."

"No. You won't. And I'll make damn sure of it."

"Sure. Sure you will."

Much to her surprise, Emma was suddenly released, twisting through the air, slamming back down onto the wooden deck, a dull groan escaping her lips as she made contact with the hard ground.

"Oh, how I wish I could kill you." Cora lamented as she stood above Emma. "But there's something about you that repels my magic. Not to worry though, your precious boyfriend will do it for me, and that will be equally satisfying. You will die, knowing that you'll never see your son again."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Emma snarled. "I will get Henry back, and you will pay for everything you've done. You and Hook both."

"We'll see. But remember that in the end, I always win." Cora growled. "Now get off my ship. You don't have much time left before you die, so I suggest you spend it with your pathetic little family."

Emma was picked up into the air again, and thrown back onto the dock. "Always win my ass." She spat angrily. "You don't know me, Cora. I may be the unluckiest person on Earth, but the one thing I'm good at is surviving."

The sky was growing pink by the time Hook reached Storybrooke. He was mentally and physically exhausted from the ordeals of the previous night, but did not stop.

He made his way straight to the shop and deftly picked the lock, something he'd picked up in his pirate days. Threw open the door and made no move to keep quiet, despite the fact that it was still early.

"Did I not make myself clear last time?" Rumplestilskin snarled as he limped from the back. What he was doing here so early in the morning, Hook did not know, but he'd been counting on it. Counting on the fact that the crocodile would be here.

Taking a deep breath, he walked right up to the enemy. And opened his mouth to say the two words he'd never thought he'd say.

"Kill me."

Author's note: What do you think that means? And will Emma be able to save Henry?