Belle stood outside the library, digging through her bag to try and locate her key. As she finally manage to unearth the key from beneath the tiny ziplock bag where she stored small objects like her nail file, clippers and a few band-aids, the memory of what happened last night once again came rushing back, forcing her to fumble and ultimately drop the key. Instead of picking it up again, Belle let out a tiny groan, closing her eyes and placing her hand over her mouth.
She'd kissed him. She'd kissed him! What was she thinking? And then, she'd gone and hid in the bathrooms. What must he think of her, now? To make it worse, there had been nothing about the moment that had called for a kiss. They'd been talking about their dead loved ones! But when she'd heard Jefferson praising her, calling her brave, and remarkable, and selfless, it was as if she couldn't help herself.
Giving herself a quick mental shake to pull herself together, she made an internal promise to apologize for her behavior the next time she saw Jefferson. But when she started to bend down to pick the key up off the pavement, she noticed it was gone. Instead, she found herself looking at a pair of pointed black boots. Glancing up, she saw Hook standing there, looking right back at her. The missing key was sitting safely in his hand. When he saw she noticed him, he wordlessly handed the key back to her.
"Thank you," Belle said, accepting the key. "It looks like we're the first ones here."
"Aye, that we are," Hook agreed, scratching at his ear. "I suppose everyone else was tired and needed a lie in, since we were all up late last night."
"You were out late, too," Belle pointed out.
"Rising with the sun was a requirement in the Royal Navy," Hook explained. "Once you become used to that pattern, it's rather hard to break the habit."
"Wait, the Royal Navy?" Belle repeated, eyeing him in confusion.
"I wasn't always a pirate," Hook stated with a casual shrug. Belle, finding she couldn't come up with a response to that, simply opened the door so the two could enter the library and wait for everyone else to arrive. After yesterday's events, which had cumulated in Neal almost falling into Zelena's trap, it had been unanimously decided that everyone was going to crack down and work on figuring out what her plan was.
As Belle watched Killian get a head start on collecting some books to add to the research pile, it suddenly dawned on her that Jefferson wasn't the only one she had to talk to.
"Hook?" she began. "I…I'm sorry." Immediately, Hook turned and looked at her, visibly confused.
"Sorry for what?" he asked.
"For what I said to you. That day I came onto your ship. I shouldn't have said that your heart was rotten. You told me why you were after Rumpelstiltskin, and…I suppose I just didn't want to believe you. Even so, it was wrong of me to judge you so quickly. My father told me a long time ago that I shouldn't judge someone until I know their whole story. I should have taken his words to heart. Now that I do know your story, after hearing you explain it to Neal last night, I realize you were acting out of grief. So…I'm sorry for what I said about your heart. I was wrong."
"Thank you," Hook replied, feeling suddenly awkward at the unexpected apology.
If either of them had any intention of continuing the conversation, they never got the chance. It was only a few seconds later that the door opened and Emma stepped in, with David, Mary Margret, Henry and a sheepish-looking Neal following close behind.
"Okay, let's review what we know so far," Emma began, deciding to have a brief refresher so the facts were fresh in everyone's mind. "Zelena has already targeted David and captured a symbol of his courage. She's also after Regina's heart, and Regina has speculated that these are ingredients for a spell of some kind. Last night, Neal was nearly tricked into resurrecting Gold, so Zelena's plan apparently requires him to be back, too. And then, there's the matter of Robin's son, Roland, who is being held hostage."
"Also, there was the fact that she sent a flying monkey after you," David pointed out. "Any word from Regina about what was in that syringe?"
"No, not yet," Emma replied. "I called her this morning, and she said she hasn't been able to identify the contents yet. But there are a few more tests that she still has to perform, so she'll be getting back to us."
"Well, I suppose we should get started," Mary Margret suggested.
"Wait, where's Jefferson?" Henry asked. "He's not here, yet."
"Well, that's strange," Emma commented, pulling out her cellphone. "I wonder if something happened." Without hesitation, she dialed Jefferson's number. To her surprise, the call was picked up on only the first ring. The ensuing conversation was equally as quick, so Emma was left even more stumped when Jefferson ended the call.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm not sure," Emma admitted. "He said that something came up and that he wasn't going to make it today."
"Did it sound like he was in trouble?" Hook inquired. "What if Zelena or one of her monkeys were hovering over him when you made that call?"
"No," Emma slowly shook her head. "There was nothing in his tone of voice that suggested he was distressed about something. And I heard Grace talking in the background. If Jefferson was being held hostage, I doubt Grace would be allowed to walk around."
"Well, I guess we shouldn't wait, if Jefferson's not going to show up," Neal pointed out, selecting a book from the pile. One by one, everyone else followed Neal's example and began scouring through the books. But Belle, who was the last one to join into the research, found her mind plagued by a nagging thought, wondering if she was the reason for Jefferson's absence.
Emma was making her way through the library shelves, searching for more possible books that could help provide answers. As she began to turn the corner into a new row, she was forced to stop short to keep herself from running right into Hook. For a brief moment, Emma nearly asked what he was doing, but then noticed the few books tucked into the crook of his left arm. Instantly, she realized he must have been doing exactly what she wa
Hook, after a brief pause in which he simply looked at Emma wordlessly, cleared his throat and stepped aside to let her by. With a silent nod of thanks, Emma stepped around him and proceeded to scan the spines of the books on the left side of the row. She was all too aware of Hook standing behind her, searching through the books stacked on the right. It took her a few moments before she realized she was casting quick looks over her shoulder at him. Slowly, it started to dawn on her that this was the first time they'd actually been alone together since that town meeting. Had that really only been five days ago? It didn't seem possible, considering everything that had happened since then. Wondering if she had the timing right, Emma began to think back on the events of the past few days. As a result, she remembered what Jefferson had told her last night, about who bore most of the responsibility for stopping Neal.
Letting out a steadying breath, Emma turned around completely to face him.
"Hook?" Immediately, he turned around to meet her eyes, an expectant look on his face as he waited for her to continue. "Thank you for saving Neal last night. Jefferson said that you were the one who talked him out of it."
"I don't deserve all the credit," Hook stated, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have been able to get to him to begin with if it hadn't been for Belle and Jefferson, and their friendships with Ariel and the White Rabbit."
"But you were the one who convinced Neal to stop," Emma pointed out. "And…I realize I haven't given you enough credit lately. We never would have been able to save Henry from Neverland without you. And you really have gone up and beyond with the current crises. Offering to search the area beyond the town line, helping us with research, having your crew guard the bean field to try and prevent Zelena from getting any more beans, and now this. I just wanted you to know that…we appreciate what you've done. I appreciate it."
Hook gave a small jerk of the head in response to her words, a small smile forming on his face, but he didn't say anything. However, he gave a sudden start when he saw Emma moving closer to him out of the corner of his eye. Turning, he watched her step up to his side, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone.
"Here," Emma began, holding the phone in front of them both. "I think it's time someone showed you how to use one. That way, if something like this happens again, you'd be able to contact us quickly."
"While I can see how such a thing would be beneficial, there's a small problem, Swan," Hook pointed out. "I do not have one of those talking devices."
"And when this is over, we'll have to get you one," Emma commented. "After all, Henry's been begging for one lately, and they sometimes offer a two for one deal."
Without further ado, Emma started to explain how to use the phone, but when she angled the phone towards him so he could see what she was doing, Hook reached out to cup the phone in his hand, inadvertently covering Emma's hand in the process. The unexpected contact made Emma temporarily loose her train of thought, and she looked up at Hook, seeing that his gaze was likewise trained on her. Within seconds, Emma felt something shift in the atmosphere and she could not look away. It was only then that she fully realized they were standing right next to each other, so close that their arms were brushing against each other.
"Emma…." Hook spoke so softly that she wouldn't have realized he'd said anything if she hadn't seen his lips moving.
"Emma, are you there?" Mary Margret suddenly called out. The sound of her mother's voice prompted Emma to quickly step away from Hook, placing some distance between them.
"Yeah, I'm here," she announced as Mary Margret came into view. "What is it?"
"Regina just arrived. She figured out what was in that syringe."
"Okay, thank you," Emma nodded in acknowledgement, moving to follow Mary Margret back to the main room of the library. As she went, however, she spared a momentary glance back at Hook, who was watching her walk away with a wistful smile.
Once Emma and Mary Margret returned to the main room, with Hook rejoining them seconds later, Regina wasted no time and cut right to the chase.
"It was a highly complex potion that consisted mainly of concentrated squid ink," she announced, placing the now-empty syringe on the counter of the circulation desk.
"You mean that stuff that immobilized Rumpelstiltskin when he was locked up back in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked in clarification. "So, I would have been immobilized if Walsh managed to inject me with it?"
"Actually, I'm not entirely certain what it would have done," Regina admitted. "Up until now, I've only heard of squid ink being used externally. There's never been a documented case of squid ink being injected directly into the bloodstream. It's anyone's guess what would have happened if you were injected with it. For all we know, it would have paralyzed you permanently."
"So, you're saying Zelena wants Emma out of the way," David concluded, casting Emma a concerned glance.
"Well, that shouldn't be a surprise, should it?" Hook asked, also looking at Emma. "You are the Savior, love. If there's anyone who can defeat the witch, it would be you."
"It's going to be hard to defeat her, anyway." Emma sighed. "Considering we still don't know what it is she's planning."
"Actually, I think I might have just found the answer," Belle said cautiously, coming around the corner with a particularly large book in her hands. In unison, everyone turned their eyes on the librarian.
"What did you find?" Mary Margret prompted.
"Well, what has Zelena been after? Charming's courage, Regina's heart, and she's also tried to bring back Rumple, who probably knew more about magic than anyone else in this room. Brains, courage and a resilient heart? Those ingredients are in every time-travel spell I've found."
"Time travel?" Regina exclaimed, coming very close to rolling her eyes. "No one's ever been able to cast a spell to go back in time."
"Well, clearly, she thinks she can succeed," Belle pointed out.
"But what could she plan to do with a spell like that?" Neal asked.
"Wait a minute," Robin spoke up. "It's all about you, Regina. It must be. We've established that Zelena is angry because your mother didn't keep her but chose to raise you, instead. Perhaps that's what she's trying to change."
"And Cora gave Zelena up because my mother exposed her secret," Mary Margret added, catching on to what Robin was saying. "Zelena's going to go back and kill my mother, so Cora would be free to marry Prince Leopold."
"Which means you would never have been born," Regina speculated. "And if you were never born…."
"I wouldn't be, either," Emma concluded.
"And neither would Henry."
"And on this different path, Regina, you might not have been born, either," Mary Margret pointed out
"But it's like you said," Neal stated. "No one's ever succeeded in casting a time traveling spell. So Zelena's probably just going to fail, too."
"Unless Zelena knows something we don't," Belle replied.
For a moment, a silence fell in the library as everyone let that thought sink in.
"Wait a minute," David finally spoke up, turning to Regina and Robin. "You said…Zelena claimed she needed Roland for something, but never specified what."
"What are you getting at?" Robin demanded, his face paling, as if fearing the answer.
"I think you know what I'm trying to say," David said, sympathetically.
"You think she plans to use my son as part of this spell?" The instant he said this, Robin turned and started to storm out, but Regina stopped him.
"Robin, wait," she said. "You can't just run off without a plan."
"Much as it pains me, I have to agree with Regina, mate," Hook added. "It won't do your boy any good."
"And sitting here while the witch plans to turn Roland into an ingredient is doing him good?"
"Zelena won't be doing anything to Roland," Regina reasoned. "Remember, she still doesn't have all the ingredients. You still have my heart, and thanks to Captain Guyliner, Jefferson and the bookworm, she's not getting her hands on Rumpelstiltskin's brain. For now, she's stuck. For now, Roland is still safe."
As everyone continued to try and reassure Robin, Emma caught Neal's eye, and gave him a nonverbal cue to follow her. In silence, they broke away from the rest of the group and ducked behind a row of books.
"Are you going to continue yelling at me because of last night?" Neal asked without preamble. "Because I get it. I messed up."
"Yes, you did," Emma agreed. "And for the record, I'm still pissed about that. But that's not what this is about."
"Then what?"
"I've thought about what you said," Emma stated. "And, after taking everything into consideration, with the flying monkeys, Zelena, time travel spells and syringes filled with squid ink…. I've decided to take you up on your offer about taking Henry to New York. Just until this all blows over."
"Do you mean it?"
"Yes. It might take a while to convince Regina, but…maybe getting Henry out of Storybrooke for a little bit to keep him out of danger is the best thing for him right now."
"Yeah, that's what I think, too," Neal agreed.
Unbeknownst to Emma and Neal, Henry had secretly followed after them and had been hiding in the next row over. As a result, he had heard the whole conversation.
Grace was sitting in her room at her cursed parents' house, working on finishing her science homework, when she heard a faint tapping sound. Looking up in curiosity, she scanned her room but saw nothing amiss. Just when she was about to shrug it off and return to her homework, she briefly saw something hitting her window, accompanied by the same tapping sound. Immediately, Grace moved over to the window to look outside. Right away, she saw Henry standing in the yard, tossing pebbles up at her window. When he realized he caught Grace's attention, Henry gestured for her to come outside. After nodding in understanding, Grace carefully made her way downstairs, managing to sneak past Mr. and Mrs. Grace before slipping out though the backdoor.
"Henry, what are you doing here?" Grace asked.
"We figured out what Zelena is doing," Henry explained. "She's planning to go back in time and change the past."
"Is that possible?"
"I don't know, but she's going to try. That's why she tried to take my other mom's heart, and why she took a symbol of Grandpa's courage. And it's why she tried to trick Dad into resurrecting Mr. Gold. She needs them as ingredients. Without them, she can't cast her spell."
"Then…she already can't cast it, right?" Grace mused. "Papa, Belle and Captain Hook stopped your dad, so she can't get Rumpelstiltskin, and Regina's heart is still safe."
"But she still has Robin's son, Roland. We think that Zelena needs him for her spell, too. So, as long as she has Roland, he's still in danger. Which is why we have to rescue him."
"Wait, you mean...us? As in, you and me?"
"Yeah! We can call it… Operation: Tin Man."
"Henry, I don't know about this," Grace said, visibly nervous. "I'm sure the adults are already trying to figure out how to save Roland."
"But that doesn't mean we can't help out," Henry urged. "I realize I went about it the wrong way in Neverland, when I listened to Pan over my family. But I still want to be the hero. And heroes don't sit around when someone is in trouble. What about you, Grace? Will you help me?"
"I…yes, I want to help," Grace agreed. "But…how are we supposed to save Roland?"
"I have a plan."
Jefferson sat alone on the pier bench, deep in thought. Despite his best efforts, his mind kept going back to last night, and that one moment with Belle. He could even still feel her lips brushing against his with perfect clarity. Once again, he tried to give himself a mental shake, but to no avail. So it wasn't until he noticed the shadow out of the corner of his eye that he realized he was no longer alone. Looking up, he found that he'd been joined by Hook and Robin.
"So, this is where you went," Hook noted. "We missed you at the library."
"Yeah, sorry for ditching," Jefferson replied with a shrug. "I just needed some air." Hook, instead of accepting this answer, started to eye Jefferson in a calculating manner. But before he could press the issue, Jefferson changed the subject. "What brings the two of you out here?"
"Simply put, the others charged Hook with keeping an eye on me," Robin spoke up. "Trying to make sure I don't run off and try to save my son without a plan."
"Wouldn't have quite worded it like that, mate," Hook commented. "While it is true the lad is safe for the time being, we are working on freeing him as we speak. We were tasked at keeping watch over the farmhouse, so we could notify them of the moment when Zelena leaves and the coast is clear. But the real question is, what exactly is bothering you, Jefferson?"
"What do you mean?"
"Believe it or not, I can be quite perceptive. And I can tell you're being evasive right now. Combine that with the fact that I saw the expression on Belle's face when she heard you weren't showing up today. So I know something must have happened."
"What sort of expression?" Jefferson asked, the question slipping out before he could stop himself. Upon hearing these words, Hook's expression shifted into clear understanding.
"Oh, so that's what the problem is," he surmised. "You two had a shared moment, didn't you?"
"Doesn't matter," Jefferson insisted, looking away. "It can't happen again."
"And why is that?" Hook challenged.
"Because I've come to value her friendship too much. I can't let it be jeopardized by overstepping the boundaries of that friendship."
"I think you've forgotten, Jefferson," Hook said. "I was still in earshot that day you had that conversation in the library, when you discussed how the curse had affected you both. I'd say you could relate to her far better than most people in this town. And she with you. I doubt a connection like that could be affected easily."
"If you remember that conversation, then you should also remember a large chunk of that conversation was about my dead wife and her dead lover," Jefferson pointed out. "Hardly a romantic topic, there."
"You've got a point there," Robin allowed, taking a seat on the bench next to Jefferson. "But it's probably a good thing that you've both experienced personal loss. It means there's one more way you can relate to each other."
"And what if it means at least one of us isn't ready to move on?" Jefferson countered.
"Well, you're certainly talking to the right man for that," Hook stated. "It's been centuries since I lost Milah, and I'm sure there's a part of me that will always love her. But, when you meet the right person, you can find the strength to move on."
"He's right," Robin agreed. "I feel the same way about Marian, and I'll never stop wondering exactly what happened to her. But I know she wouldn't want me to be alone forever."
Before Jefferson could come up with a response, he heard the sound of his phone ringing. He frowned in mild confusion when he saw it was Mr. and Mrs. Grace. Wondering why they were calling, he answered.
"Hello?"
"Please, Mr. Jefferson," the frantic voice of Mrs. Grace replied. "Where's Paige?"
"What do you mean?" Jefferson asked, instantly on the alert. "She's not with you?"
"She was up in her room doing her homework, but when I went up to tell her lunch was ready, she was gone. Scott's trying to call up some of her friends from school, but I was hoping you knew where she was."
"Okay," Jefferson said, getting to his feet while trying not to panic. "Try…try to stay calm. I'm sure she's fine. I'm in town right now. If I find her, I'll let you know right away."
"What's wrong?" Robin asked when Jefferson ended the call.
"That was Grace's cursed mother," Jefferson explained. "Grace is missing."
"That's not a good thing, especially at the moment," Hook said. Without further hesitation, the three men hurried off with the intention of locating the missing girl. But as they started the search, they inadvertently ran into Emma, Neal and Regina, who looked equally concerned about something.
"Hook!" Emma exclaimed when she saw them. "Have you seen Henry?"
"You mean Henry's missing, too?" Hook asked in visible concern.
"What do you mean, 'missing, too'?" Regina inquired.
"Grace is also missing," Jefferson explained.
"You think there's a connection?" Neal speculated.
"It's possible," Emma sighed. "Okay, we should probably split up. We can cover more ground that way. With any luck, if we find one, we'll find the other."
Within the span of a minute, the six people broke off and began the search for the two missing children.
Henry and Grace hid in the bushes near the farmhouse, waiting until they were sure it was safe to make their move. After what seemed like an eternity, they saw Zelena step out of the farmhouse and make her way into the woods. Once she was out of sight, Henry turned to Grace.
"Okay, let's hurry. We don't know how long she'll be gone."
Moving quickly, the two children made their way over to the storm cellar, thankful that padlock wasn't secure.
"You ready?" Henry asked.
"I…yes, I'm ready," Grace announced, still sounding nervous. Steeling himself, Henry took hold of the cellar door.
"On the count of three, then. One….two….THREE!" As quickly as possible, Henry pulled open the door, and Grace began shooting off one of the two fire extinguishers they'd brought with them, with Henry joining her seconds later, filling up the storm cellar with smoke. Their efforts were greeted by the sounds of enraged shrieks from the flying monkeys waiting inside. Many of them managed to stagger outside and flew off, too desperate to escape the smoke to pay any mind to Henry and Grace. Taking advantage of this, Henry tossed his fire extinguisher aside and hurried down into the storm cellar. Once he'd reached the bottom of the stairs, he began feeling around through the residual smoke, being mindful of the few flying monkeys that remained writhing on the ground, until he felt the bars of the cage at the back of the room.
By now, the smoke from the fire extinguisher had dissipated enough for Henry to spot the door of the cage, and the lock that kept it secured. Taking the large rock out his pocket, Henry smashed it against the lock with all the strength he could muster, finally succeeding in breaking it open on the fifth try.
"Roland?" Henry spoke urgently, opening the door and stepping into the cage, making his way over to the little boy who was crouching in the corner of the cage, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Roland, don't be afraid. We're here to rescue you."
"Who are you?" Roland asked, staring up at Henry.
"My name's Henry. It's okay. I know your dad. I'm here to take you to him." At the mention of his father, Roland's eyes lit up and he got to his feet, taking Henry's offered hand.
"Hurry!" Grace beseeched once the two boys had exited the storm cellar together. "I don't know how long it'll take them to come back!" Sure enough, as the three of them reached the woods, they heard the horrifying sounds of flying monkeys shrieking in rage. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, Henry saw a few of them beginning to pursue them.
"Keep running!" he urged, bending down to pick up Roland so he could carry him instead, unwilling to take the chance that the small boy could keep up with them. Henry and Grace continued to run through the woods, the sound of the flying monkeys closing in on them filling their ears. As they started to dodge around a tree trunk in their path, they ran headlong into a figure. Acting on instinct, the two children started to run in the opposite direction, but two arms shot out before they could do so, catching them. Henry started to struggle, until he realized that it wasn't a hand gripping his shoulder, but a familiar-looking metal hook.
"Hook?" Henry gaped, turning to look up at the pirate.
"What are you doing!?" Hook demanded, staring at the pair. "We've been looking everywhere for you! Your parents are all worried sick!" Before Henry and Grace could come up with a response, a particularly loud shriek caught their attention. In unison, they all looked over to see a large group of flying monkeys approaching quickly.
"Henry, Grace," Hook instructed, pulling out a flintlock pistol as he moved to stand between the children and the monkeys. "Go, as quick as you can. Don't stop for anything, no matter what. GO!"
Needing no further instruction, Henry and Grace continued on their way, with Roland gripping onto Henry for dear life, the sounds of Hook's pistol being fired urging them onward.
Just when they started to feel as if they were going to collapse from exhaustion, they broke through the tree line and found themselves on the road, right when the yellow bug came into view.
"Henry!" Emma cried, exiting the vehicle within seconds, Regina and Neal following close behind her. "Where have you been?"
"Moms. Dad." Henry breathed in relief at the sight of them, carefully setting Roland down, just in time for Emma to pull him into a relieved hug. "I had to try and…"
"Henry, what were you thinking?" Regina interrupted, also throwing her arms around him. "Wandering off without telling us?"
"But I had to try and save Roland," Henry explained, gesturing to the boy in question. "Zelena wouldn't be able to cast her time travel spell if she didn't have what she needed. We couldn't just leave him."
"We'll discuss that later. Right now, let's get you all home."
"Wait!" Grace spoke up, looking back at the tree line in concern. "What about Hook?"
"Hook? What about him?" Emma asked.
"We ran into him when we were trying to get away," Grace replied. "He stayed behind to hold the flying monkeys back, to give us the chance to get away. But I don't know how long he can fend them off alone."
"Neal, stay here and keep an eye on them," Emma instructed, drawing her gun and heading off in the direction that Grace was pointing, with Regina following her after a momentary pause to once again make sure Henry was staying put.
Shortly after entering the woods, two woman began to hear the shrieks and snarls of flying monkeys, which helped them figure out which direction to go. But Emma felt the bottom of her stomach drop when she realized that was all she was hearing, and she started to walk faster. Moments later, she caught sight of movement ahead and she charged forward. The sight waiting for her made her freeze momentarily.
Hook was lying motionless on the ground, with a snarling monkey hovering over him. For a brief second, Emma could only stare in shock, fearing the worst. That's when she noticed Hook was maintaining a firm grip on the monkey's neck, keeping the creature's head back to prevent himself from getting bitten. That sight alone was enough to assure Emma that Hook was still alive. Without further hesitation, Emma took aim and fired her gun, aiming for a non-vital area. In spite of everything, she couldn't forget that this monkey could be one of the missing townspeople. Upon being shot, the monkey reared back, shrieking in pain. While Emma kept her sights trained on the monkey, she saw Hook's arm drop heavily to the ground out of the corner of her eye. The monkey, managing to shake off its pain, redirected its attention on Emma. Just as Emma was preparing to shoot again, the monkey suddenly turned to stone before her eyes. Blinking in confusion, Emma turned and looked over her shoulder to see Regina, who was looking right back at her with a smug look on her face.
"You're welcome," Regina commented.
Shaking her head, Emma turned to look back at Hook. Right away, she saw something was wrong. Moving quickly, she hurried forward, kneeling at his side while Regina began to look around for any more flying monkeys that might be lurking nearby. Upon close inspection, Emma felt her stomach churn at the slight of the blood seeping out from a series of slashes across his face. It appeared that, while the monkey hadn't bit him, it had certainly managed to claw at his face, leaving deep-looking wounds. But what had really alarmed her was that Hook wasn't moving, his eyes closed as if in repose.
"Hook?" Emma asked cautiously, starting to shake his shoulders when he didn't respond to her.
"Hook, wake up! Killian! Killian, come back to me!" When Hook showed no signs of life, Emma turned to glance at Regina in desperation. Catching on to the seriousness of the situation, Regina pulled out her phone to call for help.
As Regina busied herself with talking to the paramedics, Emma looked back at Hook, who remained unconscious.
"Hook," she whispered, unable to look away. "Come back to me."
AN: *Peeks out from behind the door* Please don't yell at me.