Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and any unrecognizable characters and dialogue.

"Evie, do you know him?"

Had it not been her sister, had it been Mulan or Aurora, or even Emma who asked, Evie was quite sure she would have lied through her teeth. And it wouldn't have been a complete lie, as Evie had never once laid eyes on Harry's father, though she doubted the others would see it that way. As such, it was Mary Margaret who posed the question, and the two of them had always tried to be honest with one another.

"His name is Killian Jones." At the mention of his name, stormy, kohl-rimmed eyes squinted suspiciously at the blue-haired minx. It was then that Evie knew her family saw the resemblance between father and son.

"Jones?" Emma repeated faintly, looking between Evie and the strange man rapidly. "You mean, like…"

Evie forced herself to nod. "Harry. This is - this is Harry's father."

"I find myself at a disadvantage," Killian Jones began in a charming tone, abandoning any and all pretense of being a meek, cowardly blacksmith. His accent curled along the syllables, reminding Evie of the fierce ache that formed from her abrupt separation from Harry. "You know my name, but I haven't the faintest idea about your own. Or how you came to know my wee little bairn of a son?"

Evie bristled at the careless manner with which he discussed his son; Harry hadn't seen his father in almost three decades, and his concern for the man was palpable on the rare occasion he was discussed. "Evie," she announced coldly, hands curled on her hips, back arched proudly, just as her mother had taught her. "Evil Queen's daughter."

It was terribly satisfying to watch the way Hook rapidly paled beneath his tan. "Evil queen's daughter, you say? So, I'd wager you've had a run-in with dear old Cora, eh?"

Uncomfortable with the mention of the grandmother she'd previously thought to have been dead, Evie merely narrowed her eyes at him. Emma jumped in then, demanding the man tell them all about whatever nefarious scheme he and Cora had cooked up. Distantly, Evie recognized the somewhat smitten look on the pirate's face, but was more concerned with keeping herself from falling apart.

Their run-in with the one person her mother was afraid of unsettled Evie more deeply than she cared to admit. The Evil Queen had more than earned her title, but she was a cakewalk compared to her own mother, Cora. The last thing Evie wanted was for her grandmother to reach Storybrooke, as there was no telling what harm she would do to Henry and Regina once she got there.

"Evie?" She jerked at the sound of her name and found Mary Margaret staring at her in worry. "Hey, what is it?"

Trying in vain to cover up her nerves, Evie have her sister a halfhearted smile. "Worried is all," she deflected. When her sister frowned, but didn't push, Evie felt a swell of love for the older woman. Reaching out, she grasped hands with Mary Margaret, who squeezed back with a warm smile. "I didn't expect to see my Grandmother here."

"I had heard she died." Mary Margaret began carefully, voice lowered so as to avoid catching the attention of the others. They were under enough strain as it was without adding the Mills family drama to it. "At least, that was what we heard…"

"That was what my mother told me," Evie admitted softly, insides twisting when she looked at Harry's father. She missed her pirate with an intensity that stole the breath from her lungs. "But if she lied, well, I can't say it would surprise me." Suddenly chilled, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms vainly trying to warm herself.

A deep exhaustion settled into her bones, and all she wanted to do was find a way back home to her family. And, if her grandmother stood in the way of it, Evie would have little problem banishing the older woman back to Wonderland.

It took little to convince Hook to help them, though he insisted upon flirting with each and every one of them. Thankfully, he refrained from doing so with Evie, treating her with a kind of marked courtesy that took even Evie herself aback. While he sassed and teased the others, focusing specifically on baiting Emma, he was careful with Evie, eyeing her with a curious bemusement that set her teeth on edge.

"So," he sidled up to her as her sister and Emma discussed the pros and cons of climbing the beanstalk, brow arched in question. "How is it you know my boy?"

Giving him a cold smile, Evie blatantly ignored the question. She wasn't about to divulge her relationship with Harry; he deserved the right to do that himself. It rankled a bit that Hook didn't seem concerned about the fate of his only child after having been separated for almost three decades. "How is it you know my grandmother?"

"Oh, you're dear old grandmama and I have a long-standing history between us." His mouth twisted into something sharp. "Your mother hired me to put an end to the threat of mother dearest over her head."

Though she showed no outward reaction, Evie's heart skipped a beat at what he was implying. She had few memories of her grandmother, knew the older woman had been banished by her mother to another realm, that her grandfather had once been held hostage in said realm by his estranged wife. Her mother had saved him, though Evie hadn't the faintest idea of where her grandparents had been.

"You're saying my mother hired you to kill my grandmother?" She demanded sharply, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "And why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"

"Oh, you shouldn't," he acknowledged with an easy roll of his shoulders. "But I know I'm telling the truth, just as I know you're the little princess that caught my son's eye." His kohl-lined eyes narrowed slightly at the way her own widened. "And, I know you're the reason the last time I saw him, he didn't have his heart. So, tell me princess, what's become of my son?"

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?