Episode 4x12

"Release"

Hook had once watched Cora Mills, the Queen of Hearts, control Princess Aurora through possession of her heart. He had heard Cora speak words that Aurora was forced to speak, and give instructions that the princess had no choice but to follow. Hook had not known whether Aurora was aware of what was happening to her at that point, and he had not allowed himself to dwell on the question.

Now he knew what it was like, and with each passing second, he regretted causing that to happen to someone else. If it were possible, he would have liked to apologize to the princess for that particular offense—he had already apologized, in a general way, when they saw each other again—but it seemed he would not have the chance.

As the hours turned into days, Hook's hopes rose and fell like waves on the sea. The defeat of the Snow Queen ensured that Emma, her family, and the rest of Storybrooke would be safe from her. But Gold was still intent on killing Hook, cleaving himself from the Dark One dagger, and leaving the town with his powers intact. He even hinted that he would be willing to work his mischief on the world beyond Storybrooke.

Being forced to interact with Emma, his mouth forming words against his will, might have been the most maddening experience of Killian Jones' life thus far. It was like playing a watered-down caricature of himself, or a combination of himself and Rumplestiltskin into one person.

Emma was bewildered by his odd manner. As he started to walk away, she stopped him, cupped his cheek, and looked at him with those hazel eyes, full of concern for him, not knowing that she would never see him again.

He heard Gold's instruction, distinct from the lines being fed to him. "Give her a casual kiss goodbye."

It was hardly a kiss at all, and Emma noticed. As they parted, Hook had just enough willpower to grasp her arm, his hand shaking. But then he had to let go, tear his eyes from hers, and walk away.

He almost wished that he had died after the Spell of Shattered Sight was cast. At least they had said goodbye and kissed with real feeling then. Emma had no idea what was coming, and though she could tell something was going on with Hook, she could not know that she would never see him again.

There was nothing left to do but wait with Gold in the clock tower for the alignment of the stars.

Despite all the signs of its approach, Hook's imminent demise did not seem real. He had spent so many years cheating and stalling death, like a creditor he was determined to outrun, it was hard to believe that it had finally caught up to him.

Listening to the ticking of the clock felt like counting the remaining seconds of his life. He was not sure if he wanted it to continue in this suspense, or cease altogether.

He was not afraid to die, but it grieved him to leave Emma behind, to become just one more person who seemed to have abandoned her. He also hated that he was being used to increase Rumplestiltskin's already formidable, undeserved power. It was humiliating to think that their centuries-long feud was going to end this way.

He watched helplessly as Gold began the ritual, wondering when his heart would be crushed.

Suddenly there was a clatter below them. The door opened, and Emma's shout rang out: "Gold, stop!"

Emma and Snow were there. Hook felt both his hope and his dread rise. Somehow, they had known to find him here. Could they save him after all? Or would Gold try to finish them off too?

"I'm sorry, I can't," Gold said. "I've waited too long for this, and I'm too close."

Emma moved her hand as though to attack with magic; but Gold also waved his hand, freezing the two women in place. Hook wanted to run to them, but Gold's grip on his heart rendered him equally immobile. He could only look down at them in despair.

It was bad enough that Emma was losing him, just as she had feared; she should not have to watch him die too.

"Well, maybe not everything has gone to plan," Gold said to Hook, holding up his heart. "But this next part, I'm really gonna enjoy."

Then he squeezed Hook's heart.

The pain, though expected, was excruciating, causing Hook to scream and fall to his knees. But it ended as quickly as it had begun—and Hook was still there, alive and conscious.

Gold was perplexed. "I don't understand."

When Hook looked up, his heart was still intact in Gold's hand, not crushed into dust like Milah's had been. And then he saw the reason for it.

Gold had been so focused on killing his archenemy, he had not noticed another interloper come into the tower and up the stairs.

"Why can't I—"

"Because I commanded you not to."

Standing behind Gold was Belle, holding out the Dark One dagger—the real dagger, capable of controlling the Dark One's actions just as much as holding a person's heart.

Belle looked at her husband with a countenance like stone. Her blue eyes were a stormy sea, full of a quiet kind of fury.

"Drop the heart," she ordered.

Hook felt his release from Gold's control the second Gold let go of his heart. He caught it in his own hand, and held it close, first to his mouth, then to his chest, where it should have resided.

"Now release everyone," Belle commanded.

With no choice but to obey, Gold waved his hand. Emma and Snow were able to move again, and the stars projected from the sorcerer's hat disappeared. Hook looked down at Emma, feeling equal parts relieved and contrite for what had almost happened.

"Now," Belle said, her gaze locked with Gold's, "now you can take us to the town line. Because we need to be alone for what comes next."

Belle and Gold disappeared in a swirl of crimson smoke. The moment they were gone, Emma rushed to the stairs.

"Killian!" she cried when she reached the landing.

"Emma," he gasped, just before she threw her arms around his shoulders. He held her tightly, despite his hook and the precious burden in his hand. His heart throbbed against her back, close to her own heart.

For several moments they simply held each other, breathing heavily and pressing kisses to each other's cheeks. It was impossible to say which of them was more comforting or comforted. Hook realized that for the first time in weeks, he felt safe, unafraid of any pending threat to either of them.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice choked. "I'm so sorry …"

"No, I'm sorry. I knew something was wrong." Emma finally pulled back, still holding his shoulders, to look at his eyes and touch his face. "Are you alright? I mean, aside from missing your heart?"

"Aye, love." He glanced between Emma and Snow, who had reached the landing by then. "How did you find us? How did you know to save me?"

Emma babbled a little: "Anna told us she'd met Rumplestiltskin, and about a magic box—I'm guessing that's it?" Off of Hook's nod, she went on, "We realized he'd been lying all along about not knowing her. And then we called Belle, and she found his dagger—the real dagger."

Anna and Belle. They had saved him from Gold, just as Elsa had saved Emma from him a few days earlier. It seemed that the couple owed their lives to multiple princesses.

Now that the danger had passed, Hook could appreciate how hard it must have been for Belle, to finally realize her husband's deception, and to stop him from carrying out his plan. In the years that he had known her and the weeks that they had spent as tentative allies, Hook had never felt so grateful toward Belle.

Snow regarded him with both relief and a concern that struck him as maternal. "Killian, what happened?"

His eyes flickered between the two of them, and then to the circular box. "It's a long story, and one I'm not proud of." Confessing to Emma in a phone message had been easier than explaining himself to her face. And he had done even worse things since then.

"It's okay," Emma said, squeezing his arms as she let go of him. "We'll have time to catch up. Let's get out of here, and get that back where it belongs." She nodded toward his heart. "Regina can put it back."

"Regina?" Hook repeated.

"She should be at Granny's now," Snow said. She picked up the box, wrapped it in her scarf, and carried the bundle with her. "Come on."

As they started down the stairs, Hook tucked his heart under the left side of his jacket, over the spot where it should have been. Emma walked on his left, one hand at his back, the other grasping his forearm as if to support him while he held his heart. He put his other arm around her, and they walked across the square to Granny's that way, holding each other protectively.

After all the stress, suspense, and near despair of the past few days, it was strange for Hook to think that they were safe, both from the Snow Queen and from the Dark One.

Snow found Regina in the diner and pulled her into the back room. Hook stood there with his heart in his hand, Emma still holding his arm. Regina's eyes widened with surprise as they told her, briefly, what had happened. She only relaxed when she heard that Belle had stopped Gold and was, presumably, sending him out of the town.

But when they asked for her help putting Hook's heart back, she gave them a withering look. "Why do you need me?" she asked dismissively. "Emma can do it. And I'm sure the pirate would prefer that."

Emma glanced uncertainly at him. "Would you?"

He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "Aye."

"We'll leave you two alone then," Snow said quickly, pulling Regina by the arm. "We should also check on Belle, and find a safe place for this box …" They went back into the diner, leaving Emma and Hook alone.

He held his heart out to her, and she picked it up with both hands, looking apprehensive. "You know I've never done this before."

"Held my heart?" He smiled in a way that was both teasing and serious. "You've done that longer than you know."

Emma's eyes were still nervous, but her mouth was set with calm resolve. Hook tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Just be gent—" He broke off with a cry when she suddenly shoved his heart back into his chest.

She started to apologize, but he barely noticed the words she was saying. He was noticing everything else about her, his senses and emotions renewed by the return of his heart to his body.

For a long while, he had thought that he was going to die, that he would never again kiss her and hold her, that he would never be able to show her how much he cared for her.

Now, he had all the time in the world, starting with this moment.

He cut her off mid-sentence, grasping the back of her neck and kissing her with so much ferocity that she was backed up against the wall.

They could both sense the difference between this kiss and the last few kisses, now that Hook's heart was in his chest again: his feelings and gestures were back to their usual, passionate intensity, and he was not going to waste another second before showing them.

She did not seem surprised, and she kissed him back with almost as much fervor. Her hands slid over his chest, as though to confirm that his heart was beating inside.

When he pulled back, he breathed against her lips. "I told you, Swan: I'm a survivor."

Emma did not say anything, but her smile and her eyes spoke volumes, warming his heart in his chest.

Author's Notes

The lines about Emma holding Hook's heart are from a Pinterest post (which I unfortunately cannot find now) purporting to be from the show's script.

I've written more about Hook's interactions with Emma and the others after this scene, but I've decided to post it as a separate story, because it's pretty long, and it deviates slightly from the canon. (Why on Earth, or any realm, does Emma go to check on Regina and plan a mission with Henry rather than catch up with Hook and comfort him after everything he just went through?)