Chapter 21
Enchanted Forest, several months before the first curse
It had taken them several weeks, but they'd finally found her. They'd finally found his beautiful, beloved lady.
"Fear not, sweetheart," Hook murmured softly from his perch behind several barrels on the dock. "Soon enough you'll be back in my loving arms."
Ariel made a disgusted sound beside him. He looked over at her in time to see her theatrically rolling her eyes. "You act like she's a woman," she said contemptuously. "She's just a ship, captain."
The outrage welled up. "She's not just a ship!"
And she wasn't. The Jolly was his home, his family, his last link to those he loved who had been ripped from him. When he was reunited with her all would be well. He'd sail to port near the village Cora had told him about. He would insist Cora include the Jolly in the protection spell she planned to cast to guard against the Evil Queen's curse.
When the time came for the curse to be broken, Hook would be ready. He'd find a way—somehow—to the Land Without Magic, the land where the bloody Crocodile was powerless. Then he'd take great pleasure in driving his dreamshade-laced hook into the demon's perfidious heart!
Aye, it was all coming together. A few more months of waiting, a few years of being frozen in time, and he would get his revenge. Then this emptiness, this hate, this terrible pain would be expunged from his heart. He'd be sated and happy.
"What's the plan, Cap'n?" Mr. Smee asked from beside Hook.
"We take back the Jolly," Hook said simply.
"Well, technically," Mr. Smee said, "she's not the Jolly. She has a new name now. She's the Queen Anne's Revenge."
Hook glared at his first mate in outrage. "I care not with what a thieving murderous scoundrel defaced my ship! The Jolly Roger she's always been, and the Jolly Roger she will remain."
"Well, to be fair," Smee said, "she was the Jewel of the Realm before you commandeered her for your pirate crew."
The glare Hook sent Smee's way was so cold, so furious, that the smaller man took a step back and dropped his eyes. "I…I mean. You're right, Cap'n. Of course you're right. She's always been the Jolly, she just didn't know it when she was trapped within the evil king's navy."
Beside him, Ariel giggled. He shot the glare in her direction. The fool of a woman didn't have the sense to even drop her smile. Hook sighed to himself. How had he gotten himself into this predicament? Surrounded by idiots who seemed to have nothing better to do than infuriate him.
"If you're both quite finished driving me nearly daft," Hook said coldly, "what say we discuss our strategy for retrieving my property?"
"Yes," Ariel said, moving slightly on the balls of her feet, reminding Hook of an eager little puppy. "What's the plan?"
Hook thought for a moment. They were dreadfully outmanned. It was him, his worthless sycophant of a first mate, and a red-headed shrew of a woman who likely couldn't fight to save her bloody life. Them against a brutal, blood-thirsty pirate crew. He didn't like the odds; he didn't like them at all.
But get the Jolly back he would if he had to fight every bloody man jack aboard his ship single-handedly! He smiled grimly to himself, seeing the humor in the fact that no matter who or how many he fought he must do it single-handedly, thanks to the Crocodile.
"Our best strategy is to appeal to Blackbeard's honor as a pirate," Hook said finally.
"You mean you think we should ask him to give the Jolly back to us because she's ours?" Smee asked with a furrowed brow. "You think that will work?"
Imbeciles! He was surrounded by imbeciles. Hook took a deep breath. "Mr. Smee," he said with as much patience as he could muster, "kindly refrain from opening your mouth unless you can improve the silence with something of intelligence. Of course we don't ask for her back! We demand he return her."
"You think he'll let her go just like that?" Ariel scoffed.
"Of course not!" Hook yelled in a frustrated whisper. "When he refuses, I challenge him to a duel, personally. Were he to refuse, he would stand before his crew as a sodding coward. When a captain has lost his credibility with his crew, he's lost everything."
"Hey, that's a pretty good plan, Cap'n!" Mr. Smee said with a grin.
Hook merely rolled his eyes.
"What do you want us to do?" Ariel asked.
"Stay out of my way."
Hook waited, biding his time until the time was right. The crew was busy, loading the ship, preparing to sail. Blackbeard stood alone at the prow looking out over the ocean, a contemplative frown on his face.
This was it; it was now or never. Hook swiftly rose to his feet, unsheathed his sword and leapt onto the Jolly's deck with a shout.
Blackbeard looked startled for a second, and then smiled ferally. "Captain Hook," he said contemptuously, "so we meet at last."
"Aye," Hook said with a nod. "You've taken something of mine, and I demand you return her."
"Oh you do, do you?" Blackbeard spat, drawing his sword. The two men began circling each other, and Hook noticed the crew members who had begun lining the deck watching the interplay. "'Tis nothing but justice, Captain. You've taken something of mine, something that can never be replace."
Hook lunged, and Blackbeard easily parried his blow. "What the bloody hell are you on about, Blackbeard?"
"Anne!" Blackbeard thundered. "You took Anne."
Um, what?
Hook grinned, taunting him. "I've taken many a lass. Can't say I recall an 'Anne.' Must not have been memorable, that one."
Blackbeard growled, and struck out. Hook caught his blow with his hook. The hit was so hard, shock waves traveled from his hook clear to his left shoulder. Whatever his opponent believed Hook had done, he was bloody furious.
"Excuse me!" the red-headed shrew piped up. "You have Erik; please give him back!"
Was she serious? Had she even a scrap of a brain in that empty head of hers? She was stepping into the middle of a pirate dual and politely asking for her lover to be returned?
It appeared Ariel had succeeded in flummoxing Blackbeard as well. He stopped mid swing to peer at her in astonishment.
"What are you on about wench?"
"Erik, Prince Erik of a nearby maritime kingdom," she said calmly. "You've kidnapped him, and I demand his release."
"I'm not in the habit of releasing hostages simply because a lovely lass asks it of me," Blackbeard said with a frown.
"I can pay you," Ariel said, stepping forward earnestly. "Name your price; I'll pay it. Nothing is more important than the life of the man I love."
Hook rolled his eyes.
Blackbeard gave her a speculative look, and then bowed. "Allow me to sweep my deck free of the vermin that is currently fouling her, and then we may be able to come to an agreement."
"By all means," Ariel said, stepping back and folding her arms across her chest. Hook gave her an incredulous glare. The deceitful shrew was changing allegiances just like that? Then again, what did he expect? They harpy had admitted she was a mermaid; none of her kind could be trusted!
With that the dual recommenced. The two men were quite well matched, fighting, circling, leaping. Hook's muscles began to scream. When had he ever met such a formidable foe? It soon became obvious that the victor would not win on skill, technique and endurance alone. Wit and strategy were no doubt to play a vital role. And here, Hook had a distinct advantage. He knew his Jolly like the back of his hand.
Hook pressed his advantage, going on the offensive. He slowly moved Blackbeard back, back, until he was positioned where he wanted him. With one last violent jab, Hook forced Blackbeard to step onto the loose, rotting board that Hook had been meaning to replace. With a shout, Blackbeard crashed through the floorboard, and his foot became irretrievably lodged.
Victory surged through Hook. He had him! Within moments, he succeeded in disarming his opponent, and placing the tip of his sword flush against Blackbeard's Adam's apple.
Blackbeard grinned grimly. "Get on with it you great lecherous codfish! Run me through; kill me just as you did Anne!
What was the daft man talking about? Hook had never killed a woman in his life!
Ariel took advantage of Hooks confusion and stepped forward. "Wait! What about Erik! Where is he? How can I get him back?"
Blackbeard turned back toward Hook and definitively grinned. "My dear, you've made a definitive error entrusting your lover's well-being to Captain Hook. If I die, so does Erik, lost and alone on a deserted island that no one will ever find. So what will it be, Captain? Will you give me my life and your ship, or will you utterly destroy another young woman's life?"
Hook glared at him and for a moment remained silent in indecision. Ariel once again stepped in.
"Please, Hook!" she begged. "He's my true love!"
Keeping his sword against Blackbeard's neck, Hook deliberately turned his head and sneered at Ariel. "I came to take back my ship; and take her back I shall!"
"Please!" she begged. "Isn't true love worth more than a few planks of wood and a sail?"
True love. It was fleeting, torturous. If the lass had wished to gain his sympathies, she'd chosen precisely the wrong tack. "I'm doing you a favor," he growled. "Love brings nothing but pain and endless torment."
Hook nodded to Smee to bind Blackbeard's hands, then, ignoring the mermaid's cries and pleading, he led his adversary to the plank, slashed his arm, and pushed him forward into the waiting depths. Blackbeard would spend his last, gasping breaths discovering the mysterious fathoms below.
Enchanted Forest, present day
It was a grim assembly that met for breakfast two days after Killian and Emma were rescued. Defeat had settled upon the group like a cloak. Had they finally come against an enemy that they couldn't take, an enemy who wouldn't stop until he utterly broke all of them?
Snow White looked around the group through burning, gritty eyes. She'd barely slept last night, worried beyond reason about Emma, about Killian. Sad beyond words about the loss of her grandchild.
She put a hand on her belly and felt her tiny son, kick in greeting. The tears threatened again. How was Emma to recover from this blow? Snow couldn't even imagine how much loss, emptiness and torment she would have felt if this baby had been ripped from her months ago, before she'd even felt him move within her.
Charming reached down and clasped her hand. He knew; he understood. He was still reeling from the blow just as she was. She squeezed gently.
"How's Emma this morning?" Belle asked, breaking the stilted silence.
Snow shrugged. "About the same. Friar Tuck is still giving her the sleeping potion. He says peaceful rest is her best hope of recovery."
"She will recover, Snow," Belle said firmly. "She's young and strong. She will get over this."
"Not to mention the fact that Mrs. Jones is far too stubborn to let a villain attack her and her family without making him pay for it," Regina said.
Robin Hood smiled briefly, and met Regina's eyes. The queen dropped her gaze and blushed slightly. Snow supposed she would probably find the little interplay quite interesting if she wasn't so utterly devastated with her own misery. If she didn't miss her guess, the outlaw and the queen would be back on their true-love footing sooner rather than later.
"Oh he'll pay," Charming said, setting his jaw firmly. "He will face justice for the pain he's caused; the lives he's ruined; the baby he's killed."
Charming's voice faltered slightly on the last word, and Snow squeezed his hand once more in sympathy.
"How precisely do you propose to make him pay, dearie?" Rumple asked sarcastically. "It seems to me he has us over a barrel. We cannot fight him with weapons. We could destroy him with magic, but if we do so, we've no way to find Roland. We don't even know where he is and have no way to find him until he contacts us."
"Are you suggesting we give up?" Regina asked in outrage. "Roland is still out there, suffering God only knows what! This monster must be stopped, and that little boy must be rescued. You can run away with your tail between his legs if you want, but I'll fight to the death before I'll stop looking for Roland!"
Robin's eyes softened even further. "You will not be alone, my lady," he said gently. "My wounds heal more every day, and soon I will be as fit as anyone to go to my son's rescue."
"We'll rescue him together," Regina agreed.
A troubled look came into Robin's eyes and he visibly withdrew. Regina sighed and turned sad eyes back to her breakfast. Well, they'd come a long way, but it seemed the outlaw was not yet ready to cavort too closely with Regina.
"Well, as touching as that is," Rumple drawled, "I believe you've missed my entire point."
"What's that?" Charming asked.
"I wasn't suggesting we give up," Rumple said. "I'm the Dark One. 'Give up' is not in my lexicon. I was merely bringing a little reality into our discussion."
Snow's eyes hardened. "I think we've all had about as much 'reality' as we can stomach over the last few days," she snapped. "You don't need to tell me just how dangerous and elusive this enemy is. I have a daughter barely clinging to life and a son-in-law nearly prostrate with grief and fear that tell me that quite eloquently!"
"If you would let me finish, dearie," Rumple said, "It's not my intention to rub your pain in any further. I wanted to recap where we are so we can move forward with a new plan."
"What's that?" Belle asked, taking her husband's arm.
"We cease sitting around and waiting, and we start taking the offensive."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Regina asked. "We don't even know where he is."
"We know he's under the sea," Rumple said. "We know he's being held by Ursula. Perhaps when our little mermaid returns from her vacation with her father, we can send her on a little covert mission of our own. Perhaps she can keep her ears out for any information regarding Ursula and her pirates. Knowledge is power, Dearies, and once we have a useful source of intelligence under the sea, we'll have all the knowledge we need to utterly decimate our enemies."
"Never thought I'd hear myself say this," Charming said with a wry smile, "but Rumple, I like the way you think!"
….
Emma slowly climbed her way out of her drug induced sleep. The first thing she noticed was the pain. Her abdomen was screaming at her. Gradually she became aware of other, smaller pains. Her head dully throbbed; various bumps and bruises nagged.
But there was something more than the pain. There was a strange feeling of…emptiness. It was as though she'd lost something infinitely precious. What was it?
She opened her eyes and found herself lying in her bed at the castle. What was she doing here? She struggled to remember what had happened to cause her the pain she was feeling, and suddenly it all came rushing back. Blackbeard's note. Going to save Killian. Seeing her husband about to drown in a booth of water. Fighting with the pirate.
Killian! She turned her head swiftly, praying she would find him lying next to her on the other side of the bed, but when the dizziness of moving her injured head too quickly faded, her heart dropped to her toes. But for her, the bed was empty.
No!
Emma heard a rustling near the door, and a moment later her mother walked in carrying a tray laden with soup and a glass of water. Snow White smiled and rushed to the bedside.
"Emma! You finally woke up. Thank God!"
Emma accepted the hug her mother gave her, patting her awkwardly on the back. "K…Killian?" she asked weakly. It was hard to talk through her parched throat.
"Here," Snow said, gently helping her sit and handing her the glass of water. Emma took small sips, grateful for the soothing coolness of the liquid. When she'd drunk her fill, she turned to her mother again.
"Please, mom, you have to tell me," she begged. "What happened to Killian? Did I get there in time?"
"Shh," Snow said, smoothing Emma's hair from her forehead, "he's fine, honey. He's just fine. Your father found the note not long after you must have left, and he gathered up a group to come after you. They made it just in time."
"So it's okay?" Emma asked anxiously. "Everything turned out alright?"
A shadow passed across Snow's face, and then she pasted on a hearty smile—a hearty smile that did nothing to reflect her true state of mind, if Emma was any judge. "It's better now," Snow said lightly.
That was…not a lie. She could see the truth in her mother's eyes, but also evasiveness. There was something Snow wasn't telling her. Unease began to creep into Emma's mind.
"Where is he?" Emma asked slowly. "Where is Killian? You're sure he's okay?"
"I promise, Emma, he's fine," Snow said firmly. "He's worried about you, but he suffered no lasting effects from his confrontation with Blackbeard. I sent him away to get some sleep. He's barely left your side since we brought you back. He probably wouldn't have even eaten if I hadn't practically forced him to."
"How long have I been out?" Emma asked curiously.
"Three days," Snow said. Three days? She'd lost three days of her life? "Friar Tuck has been keeping you heavily sedated. You needed the time to heal and get your strength back."
"What exactly is wrong with me that I needed three days of drug-induced sleep to recover from?" Emma asked anxiously.
A look of deep pain crossed Snow's face again before she determinedly pasted on another smile. "You know what? I better go get Killian. He'll never let me hear the end of it if you woke and I didn't come to get him right away."
Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. "Mom, what aren't you telling me?"
The smile faltered and tears came into Snow's eyes. "Talk to Killian, Honey."
And then she was gone, and Emma was left with the gnawing fear that had begun to suffuse her system. What could have happened that was so terrible that her mother couldn't even bring herself to tell of it?
A moment later Killian was there, sprinting through the room, sitting on the bed, taking her gently into his arms, and holding her close. "Emma!" he whispered brokenly over and over again. "Emma, love, at last."
Emma brought her arms around to clasp him to her. The movement, the way his body pressed against her stomach, hurt, but Emma couldn't find it in herself to care. He was okay; her mom was right. Relief coursed through her. If she'd lost him…the thought didn't even bear mentioning.
After long moments, Killian gently let her go and settled her back against the pillows.
"How are you feeling lass?" he asked anxiously. "Is the pain terrible?"
"Nothing I can't handle," she answered.
He nodded, and then leaned down to gently kiss her. She reached up to caress the back of his head, and the kiss went on and on. It was slow and gentle, suffused with incredible love and relief. After long moments, Emma felt wetness on her cheeks and didn't know if it came from her tears or his.
Finally he pulled away. There was something in his expression…something that chilled Emma.
"What's wrong, Killian?" she asked in a small voice. "I could tell there was something my mom wasn't telling me. Please. I have to know!"
Killian looked away for a moment and took a deep breath. Finally he turned back toward her and laced his fingers with hers. The look in his eyes was nothing short of devastated. Emma had a sudden childish desire to put her fingers in her ears; whatever her husband was about to say, it was bad. It was really bad.
"Love," he said in a broken voice, "When Blackbeard hit you, he did incredible damage. The baby…I'm so terribly sorry; our baby's gone."
No! What was he saying? Surely he didn't mean… "What do you mean, gone?" she asked in panic.
"Emma," he said, tears filling his eyes, "Friar Tuck did all he could, but the trauma was just too great. The baby didn't survive."
And then she broke. She bowed her head, and harsh sobs wracked her. She felt Killian lean over and take her into his arms, making vague sounds of comfort. She clung to him, but even his love could do nothing to soothe her.
There was no relief because this was her fault. Her fault! Her baby was dead because of her. Only a week ago Killian had asked her to promise not to take any chances for the sake of the baby, but that's just what she'd done. Why hadn't she gotten her parents, Rumple, Regina, anyone before she rushed off to save Killian? Why?
Killian held her, rocking her gently, stroking a soothing hand down her hair. How could he comfort her like this? Her fault, her fault, her fault!
He was in shock, grieving too. That must be it. Soon enough he'd come to realize he had her to blame for the loss of his child. He would turn from her, reject her. This time she knew she deserved it.
….
That night Killian shared the bed with Emma for the first time since the attack, but the two of them might as well have been realms apart. There was a distance between them, a distance that it seemed impossible to broach.
Emma had cried for what felt like hours that afternoon, mourning their child, but then she'd pulled away, dried her tears, and closed her eyes. He'd thought she was tired, exhausted from the pain, the emotion, the violence of her grief. He'd let her sleep, let her withdraw from him.
But from that moment, she'd been politely distant with him. She'd made no objection when he'd climbed into bed with her, but she'd not turned to him, she'd not snuggled against him like she normally did. She'd merely politely wished him a good night, turned her back on him and gone to sleep.
Killian's heart dropped. He knew why she was doing this; knew why she was painstakingly rebuilding that wall she'd had around her heart when they first met. It was because she blamed him. She knew it was his fault they'd lost the baby. He'd failed to protect her; to protect them both.
Killian ached to turn to her to pull her to him, to comfort her, get comfort from her, but he knew she would reject him, and he couldn't bear the thought. And so he turned on his side—away from her—and sighed deeply. He heard a suspicious sniff from the other side of the bed, and his guilt skyrocketed. Everyone he loved met with tragedy; he'd failed them all. Why had he thought his life with Emma would be any different?
Notes:
-Sigh. Well, that was every bit as sad as the last chapter. I just want to reach into my own story and hug both Killian and Emma—and then shake them! Come on guys, communication is a good thing! Try it sometime! It's kind of killing me because both of them are hurting and they should be grieving their loss together, healing together. Instead they've each decided that the other blames them and wants nothing to do with them. Don't worry! The angst won't last long. They'll get through this. I think it's safe to say both CS and OQ have already hit their own personal rock bottom, so there's nowhere to go but up!
-The back-in-time section was obviously inspired by 3x17, although I tried to put my own spin on it. Incidentally, I decided I really couldn't write anymore stories featuring Captain Hook without having at least someone call him a codfish!
-Up next: Several months before the first curse, Ariel realizes Blackbeard is her only hope to get to Erik—he also might be her best shot at fulfilling her end of the bargain with Regina, so she dives in after him. In the present day section, Robin is still plagued with memories and emotions connected to Regina. He's conflicted because she obviously loves him and his son…but she was sort-of responsible for Marian's death. He decides they really need to have a good heart to heart. (Excellent idea…one another certain couple ought to try! Yes, I'm looking at you, CS!)