Hook… I Will Always Find You

Chapter Eleven

Back in Storybrooke…

After the heroes entered the portal into the Underworld and vanished from their quiet town once again, Belle encouraged her husband to walk with her to the hospital so that he could have his hand stitched up from having to slice it open in order to help their friends. Gold pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and carefully wrapped it around the gash within his palm with the beauty's help, then he nodded in agreement as he followed after his wife despite the lateness of the hour.

When they entered the hospital wing where they knew Dr. Whale would be on duty, the man who once experimented in trying to raise the dead so he could bring back his brother who had died long ago, was sitting at the desk in his office reading over a number of his patients' files until one of the nurses working under him interrupted to inform him that his services were needed.

Gold and Belle were brought into a private room to wait for the doctor, then Whale joined them a few minutes later and immediately began to stitch up the gash while he spoke to the former Dark One quietly saying, "It's good to see you finally up and about. Your wife's been very worried about you. She must have had me come to check on you half a dozen times to make sure you remained healthy while in your coma."

The married couple smiled at one another until Whale pulled the needle he was using through a thick layer of skin, causing Gold to wince and gasp in pain for which the doctor quickly apologized, then the shopkeeper answered, "That's all right. I'm grateful for your ministrations, doctor."

"Think nothing of it," the doctor replied as he continued to treat the older man. "I have to admit, it's kind of strange having to treat you of all people. You being the Dark One… or at least until you weren't. I'm sorry. I'm just trying to distract you while I do this."

"The truth is, I didn't expect I would ever see the day again when I would be free of the power that kept me from needing this kind of ministration," Rumple responded, then began to ignore the doctor in front of him as he turned again to his wife so they could talk.

Belle quietly stated, "I'm really proud of you, Rumple. And I really appreciate you helping Emma so she could try to help Killian. I know you're not used to being the hero, but I always knew you had it in you to be. I almost gave up on you. I promised you once I never would and yet…"

Gold interrupted, "That was my fault. Not yours."

"And yet… things can't just go back to the way they were before, after all you've done to hurt everyone here by aligning yourself with Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella," she continued as she was saying before he cut her off. "Not to mention that you nearly killed Killian yourself and allowed the Snow Queen to almost destroy this town and our friends. I do love you, but we need to take things slow. Start our relationship over even if we are married. I didn't want to tell you any of this yesterday because I was just so relieved that you were all right. But I need this. I hope you can understand."

"Of course," he answered sadly, then stood up to leave before Whale could finish closing up the final stitch and pulled his hand away, as the gash was closed well enough. "Where will you stay?"

Belle also stood up and gently pat the doctor's shoulder to say thanks for his help, then followed her husband out of the room as she replied, "I've spoken to my father."

The shopkeeper stopped and turned around to face her again, then responded, "Stay at my home I kept after the dark curse was broken. It's still empty and you will have the only key, I promise. I'll stay at my shop just as I've been doing."

"Okay," she answered sweetly, then leaned in close to kiss his cheek. "Maybe we can go out on a date tomorrow night. For burgers at Granny's? We can get to know one another over again, as two normal people without power to come between us."

"I would like that very much," Rumple replied, then offered his hand for her to take so he could escort her back to her father's.

Inside the Charmings' apartment…

Mary Margaret finished making a couple cups of cocoa with cinnamon, then walked back to her bed where Neal was lying down playing with Henry, who was reading to him from the Author's book he had received from the Witch of DunBroch. The Princess listened as he read Merlin's story, until the teenager suddenly stopped talking when he turned the page to the next story, surprised to find it was a story which must have somehow magically appeared after the events that had occurred in Camelot, as it told of how Captain Hook had destroyed the darkness once and for all.

The thirteen year old stared down at the pages until he turned to a picture of his mother weeping with Killian's body in his arms, and he suddenly slammed the book closed out of anger and stood up to turn away from his grandmother, who said despondently, "You know… it's okay to talk about it, Henry. I'm hurting too. You shouldn't blame yourself or believe that you failed to help your mother save him."

Henry turned around to face her while he responded, "But I did fail. I asked Merlin to take me to someone I thought could help me help Killian and while it worked to bring the good in him back out, it wasn't powerful enough to save his life. Not even this book could help me find any answers liked I hoped. I may have gained powers of my own, but instead I got scared and broke the quill. If I hadn't, I might have been able to help him more. And now I've lost two fathers."

"Only for a little while," Mary Margaret answered sadly. "Your mother's going to find Killian and save him, Henry. You know she won't give up. He'll be happy to hear that you consider him your father too."

"Why shouldn't I?" he whispered when he finally sat back down with her and his nephew on the bed, then carefully picked Neal up to hold him. "Killian's done a lot for me. For all of us and not just all that happened since the darkness took him over. He found me and Mom in New York and brought us home again, he taught me how to navigate the stars like he once taught my dad, and he taught me how to swordfight… also like he taught a little to Dad. If Mom can save him, I don't doubt she'll marry him someday. I hope she can succeed in saving him, Grandma."

The Princess smiled at her grandson and pulled him, as well as her son into a hug while she strongly replied, "She will, Henry. Have hope."

The teenager nodded and responded, "I have hope."