Hook… I Will Always Find You

Chapter Twenty

Emma was sitting at the kitchen table within her parents' loft in silence, while David worked in the kitchen to prepare them all something to eat and some hot cocoa with cinnamon just how he knew Emma, Mary Margaret, and Henry all liked it. Father and daughter, as well as Smee decided it was the best place for them to wait for August, Tinker Bell, Leroy, and Liam all to return from trying to gather together a rebellion to rise against Hades in a distraction with the hope it would be enough to lure the God away so they could save Killian at last.

"Smee… tell me about why you're so loyal to Hook," she finally called out to Smee sadly when the first mate, who had known the man she loved longer than anyone, walked past the table to make his way over to the couch, then motioned for him to take a seat at the table across from her. "Please. I'm going crazy waiting here in silence. I know that you care about him and he you, but I've never really thought to ask why. Although, I should have."

"Because he's a great Captain and even when he was a villain, Hook always believed in good form," Mr. Smee answered quietly and then thought for a few moments before he continued. "I've known my fair share of pirates even before I ever met the Captain and believe me, good form is rare among them. Hook was certainly no common pirate, but one of a kind."

Emma nodded in understanding, then she responded, "I don't doubt that. But why is it that you're so loyal to him… that you would risk your life for him by coming with us to the Underworld with only a glimmer of hope that we'll save him? I've read a number of your stories… the Peter Pan stories that is, and have seen all of the movies based on your characters. I know how wrong they are, but you've always been portrayed as a man who would look out for himself first even though you are Captain Hook's first mate. Why are you so different?"

David carried over the cocoas first and set them down in front of Emma and his friend, as well as one for himself in front of the empty space beside his daughter, then returned to the kitchen to grab the grilled cheese sandwiches he made for them, while Smee thought again for another few moments to try to remember when it was he had become so loyal to the man he never really just saw as his Captain, but closest friend as well. Finally, the Prince sat down to join them and they began to eat, while Smee began to speak again.

The big man wearing his red knit hat spoke quietly saying, "The Captain… Hook, he didn't just spare my life the first day we met. On the day he lost both Milah and his hand to Rumplestiltskin, that is. He offered me a place among his crew, as well as a chance to live far longer than any man ever should. I thought then that was all I wanted, but Hook showed me a prolonged life such as what we've had isn't at all what I imagined, especially after we came here… or to Storybrooke that is. When he first told me we would be staying in Storybrooke and that we would be giving up the pirate life, I'll admit I wasn't too happy about it, but I've long since come to realize how grateful I am that it was the decision he made. Hook's never been happier than he was when he was with you, Miss. Swan. And since meeting you, he was always that much more respectful to me and to the few crewmen still there with us since we returned to Storybrooke after your parents' dark curse brought us all back."

"But… there is more to my loyalty to him than that too," Smee quickly added. "Hook showed me his loyalty to me in a way that showed more than just respect. He… he saved my life once. Well, he saved my life several times, but there was one time in particular that comes to mind more than the rest. It wasn't long after we first arrived in Neverland… we didn't know each other well at all. But we were attacked by a particularly foul group of Lost Boys who didn't follow Pan as well as the rest of them did. Hook had already agreed to work for Pan at that point and so the boys were supposed to leave us alone. They didn't agree with his decision to trust a group of pirates to work for them, so they attacked our ship one night after we had just returned from a supply run for Pan. They tried to kill us, but we eventually won the battle. However, the next thing I knew, I found Hook lying against the deck at my feet covered in blood. He had taken a bullet in his chest for me when one of the boys almost killed me. Some of the other crewmen finished taking care of the remaining boys, and I stayed with Hook and helped him recover over the course of the next few days. He almost died back then, but his determination to gain his revenge against the Dark One kept him alive. Which… seeing how his life has turned out until now, it was a good thing I suppose."

"Did you ever ask him why he took that bullet for you?" David finally asked when the first mate paused again.

Smee nodded, then he replied quietly, "He told me it was because he saw a loyalty in me that he knew he would never find from another pirate again and he respected me for it. I suppose it was true, but… the truth was I really just enjoyed the pirate life and working under his command. Honestly, I had no idea that I was all that loyal to him. I was just… having fun. I won't ever forget those words he said to me, or what he did for me that day when he nearly gave his life just to save mine. Once he was recovered enough to take up command behind the wheel of the Jolly Roger again, he officially made me his first mate."

Emma smiled when the big man finished his tale and then she sincerely stated, "Thank you for telling me, Mr. Smee."

"You're welcome, Miss. Swan," he answered gently.

"Please… call me Emma," the Savior quickly responded. "You don't have to be so formal with me. I'm not your typical Princess just because I was born to one and her Prince."

David laughed and the first mate smiled then and replied, "All right… Emma then."

The Prince was about to speak again until all of a sudden, August, Liam, Leroy, and Tinker Bell all returned from their task as the Green Fairy used her magic to transport them all back to where their friends had been waiting for them. Emma dropped her half eaten sandwich back on her plate upon their arrival having forgotten it, then waited for her friends to share what she hoped would be good news.

Grumpy was the first to talk again as he said excitedly, "You're never going to guess who all we ran into, Emma. And you'll never guess who else is working against us either."

"Let me guess… Cora's working against us?" she answered curtly. "Regina told us she came to her to discourage her from staying here to help us save Killian."

"Yeah, but she's the one who's in charge of the rebels we went to see, working both sides in hope of winding up on the side of whoever ends up on top," the dwarf continued crossly. "But at least we also discovered that Graham is a part of their rebellion as well."

August quickly corrected his friend saying, "At least he was, until he disagreed with Cora's rule for them not to help us, then left their camp along with a smaller group of them who sided with his stand to help us fight against Hades, like they've been trying to do for a long time."

Leroy added, "Oh… and Greg and Tamara were among them as well. They weren't too happy to see us or to learn that we've come down here to try to save Hook either."

"Do you think they'll attempt to come up against us to try to keep us from saving Killian?" the Savior questioned worryingly.

"Not right now they won't," Tink responded when she cut in, then transformed herself back into her human size. "Cora vanished from among the others just before I brought us back here, but I doubt it was to warn Hades. I got the sense she was after something else."

Emma nodded as she replied, "Yeah… she's after Regina. She plans to convince Regina to leave the Underworld by threatening her father. We need to move fast. Are Graham and the rebels preparing to create the diversion we need?"

Liam stated, "He is. Do you really have a way of finding Killian?"

"I hope so," the Savior whispered when she walked to the couch where she dropped her red leather jacket after taking it off upon their arrival at the loft, then pulled Killian's hook out again from its inside pocket as the precious metal now in her hands began to glow the moment she touched it. "This is one of the first spells Regina taught me, only I tweaked it a little. Hades said he cast a spell over Killian so I wouldn't be able to use my magic to help him. I didn't want to take any chances that his spell included blocking a locator spell to help us find him too."

"Let's go," she uttered when the hook suddenly rose from her hands, then began to float in the air before the heroes until it finally flew off, and they immediately rushed after it.