A/N: So...this is a bit late in coming...but I haven't forgotten about it, I swear. It was a pretty tricky chapter and I've been working on it everyday actually. Hopefully, this is good and you readers enjoy it. Plus, I'm super excited about the next chapter and I know you will too as soon as it's out! Please leave a review with any lovely thoughts you've might have had :)
Chapter 7
"Come on, Swan. I know you're around here somewhere!" Hook called out as he slowed down to a walk. He looked around, unable to see or hear her anymore. He stopped and looked up at all the trees. "If you managed to climb one of those trees, you know that I will not hesitate in climbing it to bring you down," he said, staring up at the trees. He still couldn't catch a glimpse of her.
There was a loud thump behind him. Hook turned around just in time to see Swan's fist heading straight to his face.
Hook leaned back and avoided her punch, but she didn't stop there. With her other fist, she brought it up into his stomach. The air was knocked out of him.
"How could you do something like that?!" he heard her yell.
Hook groaned as he straightened to look at her.
She didn't wait for him to give her an answer. She threw another punch.
This time, Hook saw it coming and caught her wrist in his hook. "Bloody hell, Swan, would you stop attacking me!" he hissed.
"You're just a stupid, insensitive pirate who doesn't care about anyone!" she exclaimed as she tried pulling her wrist away from his hook, but he kept it twisted there.
"Would you shut up! There are queen's men everywhere in this part of the forest," Hook brought his face closer to hers, trying to control the volume in his voice.
Swan's eyes were red from crying. "Why did you do that?" she asked in a defeated tone.
"They wanted to know," Hook replied gruffly.
Swan stared at him for a moment before hanging her head and leaning in towards him. Her shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. "I should've been there….I could've done something…" she whispered between sobs.
Hook pulled her wrist out of his hook and brought it up to her hair, brushing a few strands of hair as he let her cry into his chest. "There was nothing to be done," Hook took a few deep breaths. "I'm…sorry. I should've been more…kind with the way I stated that information."
Swan finally lifted her head and looked at him. "Yeah, but you're Captain Hook. You don't know how to be kind," There was no trace of joking in her eyes. In fact, she seemed almost sorry.
Hook's eyes hardened. "If that's what you believe," he turned around, grabbing her wrist and pulling her along as he started walking. "We need to head back. We left them alone and I wouldn't put it past them to run away,"
It didn't take long for her to pull her wrist away from him. Hook was prepared to stop and grab her again if she decided to take off. Instead, she moved to walk next to him, neither saying a word.
"That's not just any name you hear!" they heard someone yelling.
Both Hook and Swan exchanged glances as they started running, careful to not make any noise.
"No! David, just listen!"
Hook and Swan knelt behind some bushes only to see Killian and Emma being gagged and blindfolded. The queen's men that had captured them pushed them forward and led them towards the castle. One of the men stayed behind though. He turned to look around the forest, allowing Hook and Swan to see exactly who it was.
Swan gasped. It was King James. Swan didn't notice the glare Hook sent her way, she just saw the curious expression on James' face. He brought a hand up to rub his face before dropping it. He stood there for a few moments, motionless, before lifting his head again and walking after the guards and their captured prisoners.
Hook and Swan didn't move until they were sure that they wouldn't be heard. "We have to go after them," Swan said first.
"Are you insane? That's a suicide mission. Besides, we were going to take them there anyways. The queen's men just saved us some time,"
"No!" Swan hissed as she slapped his arm. "You wanted to take them, but we weren't and now they're captured. We have to get them out,"
"And how would any of this benefit me?"
Swan looked away, trying to think of an answer.
Hook scoffed. "Exactly. There is nothing that can come out of this situation that will benefit me. We're-"
"You always wanted your own son," Swan suddenly said. She had his attention. "And Henry was…" she pursed her lips, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. "You treated him as your own, but now…" she swallowed hard, trying to make sure she could actually get the words out. "I can give you a son," she finally said.
Hook narrowed his eyes. "You would give me a son…just to help these people escape?"
Swan nodded.
His eyes stayed narrowed as he tried to see if she was being serious. "And what about your idea of returning to their world with them?"
"I won't leave you,"
"You're truly being honest about this offer, aren't you?"
Swan leaned forward, a grin on her mouth, "We can even start now if you'd like,"
Hook returned the grin meeting her lips with a quick kiss. "You drive a hard bargain, wench," he kissed her again, much rougher than before, "I think I'll take you up on your offer,"
The blindfold was finally taken off of Emma and Killian, but they left the gag and shackles on. Emma looked at Killian with wide eyes, trying to figure out where they were. Emma knew it was some kind of dungeon, but it was much narrower than she expected. She remembered something being said about a tower. This was probably it.
The guards started pushing them up the stairs.
"Wait, I want to speak to her," David said, stopping the guards.
"But sire, we should tell-"
"If I remember correctly, I'm King of this castle. Take Captain Hook to the top. I'll take care of Swan," David said, reaching over and grabbing Emma's shoulder.
Killian started fighting against the guards, but they firmly held him as they continued pushing him up the stairs.
Emma looked back at him, not liking the idea of being separated again, but David wanted to talk to her. This had to be a good sign.
David pushed her in front of him and made her walk down stairs and a series of hallways. They finally came to two huge doors and David opened them. It was an empty room, with the highest ceiling Emma had ever seen. The walls and the floor were made completely of gold. Looking around, Emma was able to see that it wasn't completely empty. There were two golden thrones in the back center. One for the queen and one for the king.
David continued pushing her until she was in front of the throne. He pressed down hard on her shoulders, forcing Emma to her knees. She grunted, as her knees meet the hard, cold floor. The gag was taken off, but he left the shackles on. He made his way to sit on his throne.
Emma swallowed as he stared at her. With him looking so intently at her, Emma was able to really look at him. His face had wrinkles and his blonde hair had turned almost completely gray. He looked just as weary and aged as Snow. "Da…Ja…King James," Emma started, reminding herself what his name and position were in this world.
James shook his head. "You will not speak until I tell you. Understand?"
Emma nodded.
"And you will answer all my questions without hesitation and you will give me nothing but the truth. If I have any reason to believe you might be lying, then I will make sure you watch your husband Captain Hook being executed,"
It didn't faze her that he referred to Killian as her husband. The fact that he was threatening Killian's life was enough to keep her attention completely. Emma nodded, making sure James knew that she understood the gravity of the situation.
"Good," James shifted in his throne to make himself more comfortable. He stared at Emma until she was uncomfortable under his gaze. She lowered her eyes, unable to hold his hard stare any longer. Aside from looking older, he looked like the David she had always known. But it was his eyes that held the most difference. Just like with Snow. And she couldn't bear to look at him.
"Why does Queen Regina want you and Captain Hook dead so badly?" James stood up and slowly walked towards her. "I mean, I can understand the fact that Captain Hook is a pirate, and you're basically one too since you're always with him. But she was never like this with Blackbeard or Sparrow. What makes you two so different?"
Emma kept her head lowered, even though James was now towering over her. "I don't know, your highness," she mumbled.
James was now slowly starting to walk circles around her. "The only other person that the Queen was so insistent on capturing was Snow White, which makes me believe that you had some kind of connection to her." James stopped in front of her. He pulled out his sword and placed it under her chin, bringing her head up to look at him. "How do you know Snow White?" he finally asked after being quiet for a while.
Emma swallowed hard. She couldn't predict what James might do if she told him the exact truth. "And may I ask why you're so curious?"
James narrowed his eyes. "As I've mentioned before, her name is one that's not thrown around unless you wish to be killed immediately. Excuse me for being so curious as to why a criminal such as yourself would want to claim you actually know Snow White."
"Because I figured if I told you that, you would show mercy,"
"Why would I do that?"
"You haven't seen her in at least thirty years. You don't even know if she's alive or if she's finally been captured by the Queen's Men. At this point, you're desperate for any kind of news that you'll even believe a criminal like me. I could ask you why you want to know so badly, but I already know why,"
James narrowed his eyes as he applied more pressure, slowly beginning to break her skin. "How do you know any of this?" he growled.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Emma said, a trace of sadness in her tone.
"You're right. You're Emma Swan. I've heard how you've manipulated people in much worse circumstances,"
"So are you just going to kill me then?" she asked softly.
"Perhaps. But I still want to know how you know Snow White,"
Emma shook her head. "You're never going to believe me,"
James lowered down to her eye-level. "Try me," he growled.
Emma closed her eyes, unable to stand his gaze. "She's my mother,"
The sword was pushed further in and this time, Emma was sure her skin had broken. She could feel the tiny drip of blood down her throat. "I said not to lie!" he yelled.
"I'm not!" Emma yelled back. "Why would I lie about something like that?!"
James slowly lowered his sword and took a step back. He showed no reaction, but Emma saw the muscle in his jaw jump furiously. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-nine,"
James pursed his lips before slowly turning around and sitting on his throne. He sat there, just staring at Emma. "You really are telling the truth?"
Emma nodded.
James took a deep breath before running a hand over his face. He shook his head. "It was only once…" he mumbled to himself.
Emma swallowed hard. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Take you and Hook to Regina, of course,"
Emma's eyes widened. "No, you can't take us to her!"
"And why shouldn't I?"
"Because I can take you to Snow White!"
James narrowed his eyes. "No, you can't."
"Yes, I can. I know where she lives. If I take you there, will you let me and Hook go?"
"I don't think you understand. You can not take me there because she's dead," James hissed, getting in Emma's face once again.
Emma blinked a few times. "What?"
"She's dead. She's been dead for twenty-nine years. Rumors were that the Queen's Men finally got to her, others were that her werewolf friend turned on her, and another was that she died in childbirth," James paused for a moment to look at Emma. "Seems like I finally know how she really died," he moved past her and started walking for the door.
"No, you have to believe me! I just saw her yesterday! She's alive! Why would I lie to you about this?!" Emma did her best to move and look at James as he walked away.
"Because you're a criminal trying to get out of Regina's wrath!" James yelled.
"Please, you have to believe me. Hook and I can take you there. And if she's not there…then you can kill us both,"
James stared at her. "We leave in half an hour. And if you were lying, then I will not hesitate in killing you,"
Killian paced the cell. Well, as best as he could. The shackles on his wrists had been attached to a chain on the wall. He only had so much room to move around. He had looked over every corner and dug through ever crevice in the wall from where he could reach. There was absolutely nothing that could help him. The only thing he could actually find was straw. For him to manage to get out of the cell with just straw would take a few hours. But he had no idea if he had a few hours. They still hadn't brought Emma back and the fact that they were separated again was driving him insane, despite the fact that it had only been an hour. Tops.
The door swung open and James was standing in the doorway. A stone cold expression was on his face, one that Killian wasn't entirely used to. He came to the conclusion that it didn't look good on him. Emma stepped out from behind him before Killian could make any demands for her.
"Emma, thank the gods," Killian breathed out as he took a few steps towards her. The chains stopped him, but Emma quickly met him.
"Don't worry, I'm okay," she said, reached out and touching his arm with her own shackled hands.
"You both will be okay so long as Emma holds up to her end of the bargain," James said, slowly making his way towards them.
Killian looked at Emma with a questioning look. James answered for her.
"Emma's promised to take me to a certain cabin in the woods. If what I'm looking for isn't there, then I will see to it that you both die painful deaths. In front of each other no less," James said as he stepped towards Killian. He undid his arms from the chains, but made sure his wrists were still shackled together. "Now, we need to go through a different exit, one that guards aren't posted around because I do not want to be followed. If either of you make a noise, the deal is off and I will send you straight to the Regina. Understood?"
Emma and Killian both nodded.
Killian understood that now was not the time to make a joke about the dark side his 'mate' was displaying. In fact, part of him was greatly disturbed by it. As they followed James down the spiral staircase, Killian wondered exactly what had gone wrong to change everything completely in this world.
"And you're sure there's no guards at this entrance?" Swan asked as she peeked behind the tree she and Hook were hiding behind. The tree was a small distance away from a stone wall lining King James' castle. It looked like your regular stone wall, but Hook had said there were a few loose stones that created a small entrance.
"Most people don't know this entrance even exists," Hook said, nuzzling his nose against her throat and reaching to grab her ass.
Swan just rolled her eyes, ignoring the tickle from his scruff and wandering hand. "It leads straight to the tower?"
"You know, I think we should wait a bit longer before going in. Perhaps give this child another chance to form," Hook said, already pressing body against Swan and slowly trying to pin her against the tree.
"No. We're saving Killian and Emma right now," she growled as she shoved him off of her.
Hook narrowed his eyes. "And I expect that once we rescue them, you're just going to forget our deal and take off with them?" he brought his hook to rest against her throat. It was both tender and threatening in only a way that Captain Hook could manage with this Emma Swan.
"Honestly, Hook, this isn't a deal I would ever want to forget," Swan said, raising an eyebrow suggestively as her hand slowly began to wander down his chest…
Hook suddenly inhaled, then chuckled. "Bloody temptress…."
They could hear stones scraping against stones. They jumped away from each other to look at the wall. The stones hiding the entrance were moving.
"I thought you said no one knew about this!" Swan hissed as they ducked lower behind the bushes.
"I said most people don't know!" Hook hissed back.
They stayed silent until the last stone was moved. Killian was the first one out.
"Maybe they didn't need our help…" Swan whispered.
"No…it's not an escape. He doesn't have his hook and his wrists are still shackled. We may be vastly different but he would never leave without his hook…something's wrong,"
Emma was the next one to come out, immediately followed by King James.
Swan's eyes widened.
"We're out. Now where's Snow White?" James said, bringing out his sword and pressing it into Emma's back.
Emma exchanged a quick glance with Killian. "It's this way,"
Killian quickly cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck.
"Oh, I'm sorry, no…it's this way," Emma said, quickly changing directions after glancing at Killian once again.
The small group started moving.
"They're taking him to my mother's…" Swan breathed.
"And I was hoping we didn't have to deal with her anymore," Hook grumbled.
"We have to stop them. I have no idea how she's going to react if she sees him!" Swan hissed, already moving to stop them.
"Hold on, lass." Hook said, grabbing her arm with his hook. "Why is that such a bad idea?"
"Have you forgotten that she's been living in horrible conditions while he's been living in a gold castle and ruling her kingdom? And I'm not even going to go into how he's working with Regina now," Swan was hurrying after them before Hook could protest.
Hook just shook his head as he got up and started following after Swan. "Pardon me for believing a reunion between those two might heal some of her insanity,"