I bolt upright.

Well that's new~

It feels like yesterday never happened. Like I'm.. My skin doesn't shine, my nails do, I walk to my mirror.

My eyes are the way they were..This is some in between, like a stain the curse refuses to let come out. What would be the fun in that? Let you be all clean and human? While still having my magic?

Golden claws, golden eyes, elf like ears, the teeth are new. Couldn't leave you with boring teeth~

They're reminiscent of a cat's teeth, if they were golden..

Sue me for having taste. One of us has to. Didn't think it would be you.

That's all, right? ...yes.

There's more? I couldn't leave you tailless!My pants are ruined, on the plus side, my balance is improved. It's like a lion's tail if there was only hair at the tip. ..I have paw pads. You won't be called an imp!

Only a cat. That's much better. Couldn't be called Crocodile~

"'Stiltskin! You aren't dead are you?!" Charming, it just had to Charming. His patients is rivaled by his stupidity.

As evidenced by my door colliding with my wall. Have my front doors been cursed to be constantly bombarded. "Emma sent me to check on you!"

I'm in my sleep attire, heavy footsteps near my bedroom, none other than King Charming himself peeks into view. We stare at each other, it takes thirty minutes for him to process what he's seeing. He then widens his mouth to scream and trips over his own foot.The mightiest of them all tend to fall.

I haven't moved an inch from my position on the end of the bed.

"I-Wh-You-s..What happened?!" Outstanding question!

"I was..given a reward." Charming sits up, looking at me as if I'm a new animal at the zoo. Charming.

"You..look like a cat.." See! He gets it! They're going to love it~

"Do I? I thought I looked like a lizard. As you can clearly see I'm not dead" Debatable. The curse is only technically removed by your death, not from you, your soul is bound until the end of time. Bound to the curse.

...

He lumbers off the floor into a stand, he scratches the back of his head, still unable to stop staring.

"..I'll go then. Since you aren't dead." He turns around and walks back out the door. It's broken. I have magic, I can fix it. I'm going to leave it that way, I'll fix it tomorrow.

My pants have to be altered today, magic makes that task nearly leisurely.

I get dressed in black pants and coat, my shit is a light lavender, the tie is a deep purple with stripes of gold. Being well styled won't shield me from the horrors of having to deal with the people.

As expected, interacting with the people is a horror show. Brightest mention, the blue fairy herself.

Dastardly monster.

She begins to scream as her eyes meet me, no sooner I have her and the rest of the town's people in a state of pause. All but Swan and her lot. "It's nice to see you aren't dead, uh..about the new look-"

I shut her mouth. Now's not the time. My second least favorite student has to be dealt with.

I find her still locked in the cell.

She's a mess, mascara streaking down her cheeks, clothes wrinkled. "..Here to finish the job?"

"You want to see your son, right?"

Her eyes widen, she nods. That's confirmation enough. The deal is made.

She's teleported out of her cell. She appears near Swan's lot. They scorn her. I walk out to them. "Why is she out if her cell?" Charming roars.

"What are you doing?" Swan asks, calm as a lioness. A good mix of snow and charm~

"Fulfilling a deal, Regina is limited to only be able to use purely harmful spells if someone approves." She gawks, it was too fast a deal to remember I suppose.

"Why would you-" I free the town's people.

Screaming and shouting ensue. The blue fairy's loudest, she shrieks how Regina should be stripped of her magic, how I should be treated the same. What a whiny insect.

Then a portal opens. Why does that portal seem familiar...

While I was caught up in analyzing the familiarity of the portal the portal caught me, Swan and her mother. This aught to be fun. Wonder where we could end up~?

Very familiar, nostalgic even..

We're in the enchanted forest. At the end of a blade, an easy fix.

Or it would be if that didn't mean abandoning Swan and her mother.What sort of sick cretan makes a portal that ruins its users perception.

I realize now I'm not standing.

We're taken prisoner. Thrown in a cell, we are brought in by the cretan, pretending to be a knight. It bothers me that I can't place who it is. Someone I should recognize.

"Lancelot?" Snow asks unsure and hopeful. Isn't that knight dead? I might've killed him, me or Regina.

I scrutinize the knight unblinking.

"Snow, I thought you were dead. It would be pleasant to see you again, under better circumstances." On the tip of my tongue.

The knight leaves, dare I say anxiously? I am the dark one~ That doesn't account for the other things.

"Got any plans?" Swan asks.

"Go home?" Snow answers.

"Gold?" She asks after I don't respond on my own.

"..Get back to my castle." I make myself comfortable.

"What's in your castle?" What isn't?

"A great many things, not without things that could help us get back." Snow is buying none of it.

"You want to go back?" I haven't found my son yet, I can't stay here.

"I have unfinished business."

Someone is summoning me.

..this is no coincidence. Whoever is calling me saw me arrive, or they heard from those who saw. I'll stay at the edge of camp.

I won't leave them, leaving them means losing what little favor I have in StoryBrooke.

Tedious.

The knight notices my absence, he doesn't say it, his actions tell me. Snow fallows my lead, she's grabbed by a princess, a blade to her throat which she uses when she flips her assailant onto her back. A guard stops the their fight. Swan fires her gun, rookie mistake. I haven't seen a troll in a long while. For convenience, I cast a disguise on myself, my new form is nice but it'll get me recognized.

They make a run for it, Swan's targeted, she loses her footing.

Snow aims and fires, her arrow hits true. The troll falls. Has that one ever not aimed for the vitals?I doubt it.

They begin a journey with the guard, they are taken to the ruins of a castle. Must belong to the princess.

Snow reminisces, it was meant to be Swan's nursery. She keeps focus on their task, she gestures towards the wardrobe.

"How do we get this to work?" What better place could I find to reveal myself?~

Lancelot steals my opportunity, he reveals himself to be Cora. Oh. That's not good.

She restricts both Swan and Snow.

Swan lights the wardrobe ablaze. Nhehehe~Well that's one way to do it.

"Well done!" The princess's guard stabs me.

A bit rude. So much for the disguise..

"Gold?!" The two exclaim.

"Not the least friendly welcome I've had."The guard is backing away.

"We thought you left us for your castle!" No faith! No faith I say!

"And sour my blooming reputation in SotryBrooke, you wound me." I heal my wound, it's funny.

"You two work with the dark one?!" Her fear is evident in her voice.

"Aurora, it's okay. He's...got similar goals to us." He name's Aurora~? That was..the sleeping one?

"Mulan stand down!" The guards name is Mulan~ Lovely, lovely, now we all know each other's names~

"I will not! This monster is the reason for countless deaths!" ...monster? I counted, not that I wrote it down anywhere.

"Yeah well who else has the power and know how to get us home?" Princess and guard don't reply.

There are others, they are a lot less understanding than I...

Nhehehe~ More so, I just so happen to have a vested interest or two.

"Why does he look so pleased?!" Oh! My sneer escaped.

"He does that." You aren't wrong dearie.

"I'll swear to not harm either of you unjustly." I bow to emphasize my honesty.

My bow covers the magical removal of the remains of the wardrobe, can't have anyone taking that. What monster would do that??..

That placates them for the moment. Grand.

When we arrive back to camp everyone is heartless, dead.

Or, most everyone, another oddly familiar person is found. Twice in a row? Now that's peculiar. He looks at me like we know each other, there's a grudge~

He breathlessly thanks Swan and the lot. His eyes say something very different.

They give him a drink and some food, swan interrogates him, she knows he's lying. Because he refuses to answer truthfully he has a knife to his throat.

They tie him to a tree, threaten him with death by ogre. The accent, I know that accent..

He reverts to his original appearance. "C'mon love~ You remember me don't you~?" Ah~ Killian. Still alive! Wonderful.

"You've found yourself on a new leash? Cora, I would think you had better taste.." The lot are beginning to feel skittish, is not knowing scary~?

"What were you called again..?" His glare has more raw emotion than most.

" Hook." Not very creative.

"As in.. Captain Hook?" His focus shifts to Swan.

"Ah~ You've heard of me!"

"Yeah... and unless you start talking your gonna be dinner."

He licks his lips, smiling. "Cora is seeking out a way to make the same portal you are. She wants an enchanted compass. I can lead you to it."

"Fine, but you tell me this, why does Captain Hook want to help us?" His gaze returns to me.

Naughty pirate~ How are you going to tell her the truth? "There's someone I need to find there."

The swan raises a brow but cuts him free anyway. He keeps his distance from me. To keep up with his target not being me?

He leads us to a beanstalk-The beanstalk, he even warns of the giant!I'm shivering with anticipation~

"It's a little freakier than I remember the stories saying.." Swan comments.

"It's far less fantastical then the any stories'll tell ya." Who's are right?~

"Oh but you've heard about the giants~ Have you heard from them?" Swan and the guard understood. Killian maintains a blank face.

"Well then let's climb the beanstalk."

"Ahah, about that" Beanstalk won't let in just any intruder~

"-You'll need a powerful counter spell."He's glaring again.

I grin."I can teleport-"

"NO!" All but Killian shout. I know when my services aren't wanted.

They argue who will go up, with one enchanted cuff, two can go up. The choice is Swan. Snow doesn't approve, beautiful beast she is. I'm not leaving the two alone, Snow knows that.

Killian surely took advantage of the time alone with Swan, nothing salacious, not enough time. He knows I'll be at the top, yet he still looks bitterly disappointed.

"Here let me get your hand." He offers-insists.

"What so now you're a gentleman?-HAAh!" He pours rum on her hand.

"Ooh you're a tough lass, you'd make one helleva pirate.." Choosing to ignore me? Interesting method.

"Who's Milah?" Me and Killian freeze, Swan notices.

"Shall we change the subject dearie?" She lets it go, she doesn't need an answer, our reaction was enough. Always so clever.

Inside they set a trap for the giant. Swan makes a sound to get his attention, Hook leads him into the trap. Simple, easy, unconscious.

I could kill him. It would be easy, no worry of him waking up. Swan'd refuse..

Killian takes a break. "Should be careful with our time here pirate, won't last long at his size~"

He decidedly doesn't meet my eyes.

"Gold is right, we should be wary." He raises a brow to the name she uses but says nothing.

We find ourselves in the treasure room, they both give me a look. Oh I see, I can't make things easier by teleporting but I can look through the treasure?As a price for this I'm taking what I want.

I search for a good thirty minutes, giant footsteps start, they get nearer. Swan and Killian hide.

The giant spots me. "Hey over here!"

Soft hearted swan, won't let me kill him.

She leads him into his own security, he speaks of humans all being terrible, Swan argues the same of giants. She threatens to get the compass. Oh a bean!

She spares him, and uses her knowledge of favors to get handcuffs. I wander the treasure, grabbing what's useful.

Swan free falls off the beanstalk. Why?

She says she used the cuffs on hook, he'll wiggle his way out later. Slimy pirate. Why don't I pay him a visit~

He's vigorously trying to get free of his restraints. I make my steps audible, he glances darkly.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?~" He spits at me. Testy testy~

"You'd dare call us friends?!" Such passion!

"I would make better allies than you, Cora, really?" This only makes him smile.

"According to her you two got along real well at one point. Unless she was lying."

I can't hold back a shiver, she claims we got along.. We got along as well as she does with her daughter. Whatever we had before was a lie.

Killian notices the distaste in my reaction. "Ah, you never were too good with women."

I have the urge to break his leg. It would be better to know where he is..if I break his leg someone'll have to carry him. Maybe just a rib?

"You're staring croc, like what you see?" If it were in pieces, absolutely.

"It would be more accurate to say she has relationship issues, I'm sure you're aware." There's no response, that is answer enough. Really Hook, was trying to kill the un-killable not enough of a punishment? You had to become Cora's dog as well?

"If you aren't here to kill me then go back to playing nice with Snow and her kin." I'm going to break a rib. It won't kill him.

I precisely aim my cane to break a single rib, he catches the hit.

"How contrary of you~ Offering your life then refusing to be killed? What are you thinking?~" His arms shake straining to stop the hit. A twinge of desperation flashes across his face.

This is sufficient. I disparate my cane. The look on Killian's face is delightful~

"See you soon~" A dark cloud envelopes me.

Aurora is suffering from the side effects of a sleep spell. Something she has in common with Swan's son...They use this information to commune with him.

After some hours Hook arrives.

"What are you doing here? Thought you'd be with Cora." He doesn't answer, gaze locking onto me once again.

Our relationship has always been special~

"Okay, you have to tell me what's going on between you two!" Snow shouted, Swan remains quiet, Killian acknowledges the group.

I turn to the princess and her guard, they don't answer. The last vote is mine.

"We've both loved the same women. I took his hand." Killian blinks, Emma and her mother are shaking their heads.

"You want to kill Rumplestiltskin." Not a question, a statement. The pirates nods.

"And that means you're taking him with you?" Aurora asks incredulously.

"Sure." Snow shrugs.

We're all in agreement then~

"Croc-'Stiltskin, what do you intend to do when you meet with Cora?" Hook perfectly meets my gaze.

"Kill her." The group argues she has potential, she can be reformed.

Killian raises his hand. "I agree with the Golden one."

Oh, I forgot, I could have gone back to my castle long ago. Fetch a wand. Use it with he remnants of the wardrobe. Bastard knows.

"Are you going to make it easy?" Damn pirate.

Consent aside I take them all to my castle, arguments are attempted. I'm already off. Killian is locked to the floor 'till I say otherwise. I hear a thud and familiar shouting before I'm out of earshot.

In my search for the right ingredients to get home my eyes meet with an uncovered mirror. That's not right.

Cora shows up. "Rumple~ it's been so long, too long. I've missed you~"

Missed me? Me...my power.

"You did..." She comes closer pressing against the confines of the mirror.

"I really did~ Remember how it was? We could have that again~"Again...

She halts at my silence. "Rumple~?"

I raise my eyes to meet her's. "It seems you've caught me at a bad time deary. I've better options than you." She gasps swiftly disappearing.

She won't get out now. Later. Back with Swan and the lot I find She's picking up the pirate, he is in shock at seeing I've come back.

Underestimate me~ You won't survive to tell.

We find StoryBrooke is fine, Regina is out of sorts and David finished a battle with a king. Swan deals with Regina. There's something there...

During the welcome home party, Killian corners me. Boxes me in arms on either side. "Enjoy the adventure, Love?"

"More than you know~" He stops.

"I'm going to kill you. You haven't lost your mind have you 'Stiltskin?" No more than before.

"I've had an insightful twenty seven years, I was mortal, you missed your chance~" His face twitches.

"If I had arrived a year earlier?..." Probably not.

"I can't be sure, the dagger is..." The silence is telling. He brings his arms to his sides.

"The dagger is here?" I am. It is.

"You don't want to kill me with the dagger, become the dark one? You won't have a chance to go back." He can't manage a response.

"Don't chance it, wait until you have a foolproof method." His glare hardens.

"You expect me to let you change my mind?" There's a simmering resentment in his voice.

Over Milah..my wife, Bæ's mother...Hook's lover.. Choose?

Choose to let go?

Hook catches my furiously swinging tail-AGH! I let my disguise fall?!

"..Not much of a crocodile now." He stares at my tail in his hand.

"..Nh, Don't start talking like..I realize Milah wasn't good for me. It took losing my son to understand that." He tightens his grip.

"Wasn't good for you?"

"..Have you any idea why I have a lame leg?" His grip loosens.

"A seer told me..he'd be fatherless. I injured myself to come home my son." My tail is free!

"I sense a ,but, coming up." Deplorable phrasing.

"-But, I misinterpreted what she told me. I came home to scorn. From all but my son." The pirate is disturbingly silent.

"...I hate to be shown up by scaly bastards, but ya lost those.." His gaze is caught on my hands.

"You, can just forget about her..?"

"No, use her memory as a reminder." The pirate looks curious.

He snickers. "What does Milah remind you of?"

"..unreciprocated love." There's no reason for me to lie, he was there. He heard what she said.

There's a long pause.

"She was a right bitter lass.." He reaches for my hand. We're at an odd truce.

He studies the changes, the hands of the one you're going to kill? I'd be studying the hand Of the one that kills me.

"You're more a cat these days.." I haven't had the time to study my new hands.

"What will you do here? Let the Swan's win your favor?" His attention remains on my hands.

"..Weren't you in search of your son?" He may be dead.

"What was his name?.."

"Bælfire.." He presses into my palms.

"I met him. In Neverland." ...I-that is the worst news I've heard since Belle's dead.

"..Do you know if he's still there?" He huffs a breathy chuckle.

"He ended up back here." Thank goodness.

"You know of Neverland?"

"Unfortunately" The pirate lets go of my hand.

"Because of a family member?" No matter how I answer he'll get the truth.

"Peter Pan ring any bells?"

"I've heard of him." Vividly, I can imagine.

"Used to be father." Killian mimics the face of a baby trying a lemon.

"You..He was a man at one point??" We both burst into laughter.

The next time I see the pirate he stabs me.

"Nh..is this how pirates greet each other? Really, who raised you?.." He keeps whatever weapon he used inside my abdomen.

"Might as well've been." He twists the blade.

"Ghaaa...people are going to say things." He blinks, looks around, we're in the middle of the road that leads to my shop.

"I see your point.." He hesitates, contemplating how to pull the blade out.

He decides that slow is the choice. "Augh..If I Never feel that again it'll be too soon."

The pirate grins. What has become of our relationship? We used to have a darling hatred for each other-I changed that..

"I've dreamt of stabbing you for years." Salacious.

"Are you doing that on purpose?" Killian puts on an act of innocence.

"How did this happen?" Swan asks.

"Well hello there Swan~ Lovely to see you." The pirate cozy's up to The sheriff.

"So it's not just Gold, I hope that doesn't apply to the stabbing." Killian raises his hand in surrender.

"Wouldn't dream of it love." Would dream of doing it to me though?

I reach my shop's door without Hook, then mystically, he's right next to me. My tail slaps him and stiffens.

Gonna ignore it.

I enter my shop with my new pirate. "You have a ton of old...junk" Not not junk.