Episode 3x22

"Fire"

Hook had never had much of a rapport with Snow White. In fact, prior to his alliance with her family, he had not always spoken or behaved gentlemanly toward her. But by now they had been on several adventures together, along with Emma and their other relatives.

They had camped together in Neverland, cooperating as they figured out how to survive in the jungle, outsmart the Lost Boys, and rescue Henry.

They had heard each other confess their secret desires in the Echo Caves, being more vulnerable than they had ever planned to be in each other's company.

They had clasped hands when Regina tried to summon Cora's spirit, each of them wary of what the dead woman might do to them. Snow, after all, was the one who had killed her, and Hook had not been on friendly terms with Cora by the time she died.

Just a few days ago, in Hook's experience of time, he had aided in the rescue of Snow's newborn son. After that, he had twice seen her holding the infant while surrounded by the rest of her family, first in the hospital and then at Granny's.

Over the last night and day, he had seen her as she used to be, a bandit seeking her own survival, willing to make deals with pirates and princes alike. He had realized, then, that they had never talked about their commonalities as professional thieves.

Hook had seen how capable Snow was in a fight, how deeply she loved her family, and what lengths she was willing to go for her people. He had come to respect her and think of her as an ally, even if they were not close enough to be considered friends.

Now, that beautiful, loving, heroic woman was dying, long before she found victory, family, or happiness.

Captain Hook was not prone to weeping, but now, holding Emma in his arms and watching as Snow was burned at the stake, his eyes stung in a way that had nothing to do with the smoke.

His mind could not comprehend what he was seeing, but his heart responded with painful clarity when he felt Emma almost double over, her own hand muffling her scream.

Hook had imagined himself holding Emma plenty of times, but this was the worst possible way for it to finally happen.

The woman he loved was watching her mother die a painful death, and he was helpless to stop it.

He had seen Emma upset before, but he had never seen her lose her composure. Now, she fell apart, and all he could do was try to hold her together.

Hook was not well practiced in comforting people—he had never had anyone to comfort, or who would have let him comfort them. But he did what he could.

He held Emma close, the way Liam had held him when their mother died.

He ushered her out of the castle, keeping his arm around her and gently forcing her to follow David, Red, and the other prisoner.

In the forest clearing, he stayed by her side, sitting by the campfire that David started for them. It seemed almost cruel to light it, but the forest was cold, and they needed warmth.

It was strange to see David so calm, after what had just happened to his beloved. But this David did not yet know or love Snow. And now he never would.

The stranger that Emma had rescued shed a few tears, lamenting that the innocent princess had been killed by the Evil Queen. Snow White, after all, was beloved by her people, and despite Regina's attempts at propaganda, they believed she had never done any wrong deserving of death.

Besides Emma, the only other person who seemed deeply, personally affected by Snow's death was Red, or Ruby, as Hook knew her in Storybrooke. She had just lost a dear friend. But she was not yet friends with Emma, so they could not console each other in their grief.

After her initial horror, Emma seemed to have sunk into shock. Hook realized that it must have been her first time experiencing the death of a family member. For most of her life, she had had no family, no one she would have mourned upon their death.

She stared at the flames of their campfire as though seeing her mother's pyre burning again. Not wanting her to fall into the kind of spiral he used to, reliving the moment of death, Hook spoke from his own painful experience of losing his brother. That had been different from his mother's death, his father's abandonment, or even Milah's murder. Liam had practically raised him, toiled and sacrificed for him, been his sole source of stability and encouragement during their years of servitude. He had been more of a parent to Killian than either of their actual parents.

He realized what a poor choice of words "here and now" was when Emma repeated them back, her tone full of wonder. Then, for the first time since the execution a few hours earlier, she seemed to think clearly again, reasoning through what had happened and what should have happened as a result.

If Snow White had died before falling in love with Prince Charming … then Emma herself should have ceased to exist, because she would never have been born. For a few fearful seconds, Hook wondered if Emma was about to disappear; but surely if that were the result, she would have done so by now.

They reached the same conclusion at the same moment: if Emma was alive, then Snow must be too.

David deduced the truth, and somehow recognized Snow in the little ladybug that darted around them. She had faked her own death by transforming herself with magic dust. She had escaped the flames at the last second, and then flown through the rainy night air all the way to their campfire.

Hook might never admit it out loud, but Snow White truly was one of the most impressive people he knew. Not only was she brave, she was also clever and resourceful, with tricks hidden up her sleeve that other bandits—and pirates—would envy. He had to admire someone that good at surviving—perhaps almost as good as himself.

They could not understand what the princess-turned-insect was saying, but a moment later, the Blue Fairy answered her call. With a simple wave of her wand, Snow White was there, standing in their midst. It was an incredible moment, a sudden reversal of what had seemed utter devastation.

Emma hugged her fiercely, now crying tears of happiness. Her enthusiasm bewildered Snow, who thanked her politely before sharing a more mutually heartfelt embrace with Red.

As the others turned away and talked amongst themselves, Emma looked stunned, almost crestfallen. It must have been jarring for her to be so relieved and overjoyed about her mother's survival when Snow did not even know who she was.

At the same time, Hook could not help feeling happy, for all of their sakes.

Snow White was alive, and that meant Emma Swan would live.

Hook smiled softly at Emma and wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. "Looks like we're back on track, love."

Emma smiled back through her tears. She still looked a little shaken, perhaps wistful, but the despair of the last few hours was gone.

Their smiles held what they had almost lost—the very thing that Snow White stood for the most: hope.

They would find a way back to their time, together. And then … who knew what might happen?

Author's Note: I think the show missed an opportunity by not having Hook and Snow bond over the fact that they were both thieves at some point, and that David and Emma, both royals who didn't grow up as royalty, both chose partners with criminal pasts. I imagine Hook finding out that Snow had been a bandit, and saying, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"