Emma Swan stood in front of the door to Room 4 at Granny's Bed and Breakfast, absentmindedly rubbing the elaborately engraved key label with her thumb. It had been a while since she'd been here, so it did surprise her that Granny had actually given her the key to the same room she'd been given when she first came to Storybrooke. What were the odds that Hook just happened to end up with Room 5, just next door? She supposed some people would call that serendipity at its finest.

Standing there in the hall, Emma's thoughts went back to that morning, and the conversation that ultimately led her to this point.

Flashback

It had been nearly four months since they'd all returned from Neverland and defeated Pan, and to everyone's pleasant surprise, everything seemed completely normal in Storybrooke. At least, as normal as a town populated by fairy tale characters could be. In fact, apart from a few minor public disturbance incidents, such as that one weekend when some of the former Lost Boys had the radio turned up too loud, and the occasional parking violation, the activity at the Sheriff's Station was practically non-existent, meaning Emma was able to simply spend the majority of her shifts watching movies with the old TV and VCR setup. Mostly old Disney movies, so she could compare them to the actual tales in Henry's storybook.

Unfortunately, the tranquility came to an end three weeks ago. It was subtle at first, so it was hard to determine with certainty the precise moment it all began, but people seemed to be disappearing from the town. The first report had come when Miss Ginger called, saying that she hadn't seen any sort of activity from the home of her elderly neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Clogg, all day, and was concerned about their well-being. When Emma had gone by to check up on the old couple, their house had been completely deserted, with no sign of a struggle. After that, reports of people going missing seemed to come in on a daily basis. Finally, after one of Henry's classmates admitted her mother hadn't returned home from running an errand, an emergency town meeting was called in order to create an accurate assessment over how many people had gone missing and to try and come up with ideas on how to go about finding answers. But when the scheduled time for the start of the meeting arrived, it was impossible to overlook how many seats still remained empty.

"How could we have not noticed anything sooner?" Mary Margret whispered, glancing around the sparsely-filled room within the town hall.

"Try not to worry." Ruby replied, placing a comforting arm around her best friend's shoulder. "We don't know anything yet."

"She's right," David agreed. "And whatever is going on, we'll figure it out." When Mary Margret returned the encouraging smile, David moved to the front of the room to begin the meeting. After thanking everyone for coming out on such short notice, he proceeded to assure the townspeople that they'd do everything they could to find out what was causing the disappearances. Unfortunately, his words only seemed to trigger the floodgate of panicked questions.

"But what's happening to everyone?"

"Have they found a way to go back to our land?"

"Are they even still alive?"

"What if it's another curse? Who cast it?"

Emma's attention was pulled away from her father's attempts to calm everyone by a low 'pssst' sound. Glancing over, she saw Neal poking his head around the door. After giving him a wave of acknowledgement, she quietly fetched Henry, who had been sitting nearby, and escorted him outside.

"Hi, Dad!" Henry greeted happily.

"Hey, Buddy. I'll join you in a bit, okay?"

"Thanks for agreeing to spend the day with him," Emma said as Henry walked off. "Until we figure out why people are going missing…"

"Don't worry about it, Henry will be fine," Neal assured. Giving him a quick smile of gratitude, Emma turned to rejoin the meeting, but before she could take a single step, Neal began to speak again.

"So, I was thinking. When this meeting lets out, why don't you join us for lunch? Just the three of us."

"Neal," Emma replied, barely able to hold back a grimace. "This isn't the best time."

"Yeah, I got that." Neal shrugged. "But you still gotta eat. And it would mean a lot to Henry."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I can't right now," Emma insisted, feeling irritated that Neal had actually resorted to dragging Henry into this. "After this meeting lets out, Regina and I are going to head out to her vault to continue my lessons."

"Wait." Neal immediately frowned in disapproval. "You mean, you're still learning magic? Emma, are you out of your mind?!"

"Please don't start," Emma begged, feeling a fresh wave of weariness. "People are disappearing. If it turns out that there is someone behind this, I might need my magic to stop them, before they can get near someone I care about. Like Henry."

"You realize how many times my father used that that same excuse? How many times he insisted he was only using magic for me?"

"Neal, I'm not…."

"Just think hard about it Emma," Neal said, cutting her off. "Because I don't want to see our son go through what I did." Without another word, Neal turned and walked off to join Henry, leaving Emma standing there, completely taken aback by Neal's words. The underlying accusation left her so shaken, she couldn't find it in her to return to the meeting. Instead, she deposited herself on a bench at the end of the hall so she could be alone with her thoughts.

After a few minutes, however, she was alerted to someone's presence by the sound of their footsteps coming closer. With a soft sigh, Emma fought against the sudden urge to shift over on the bench to make room next to her. While she would never admit it, even to herself, she somehow knew who had come after her before he even spoke.

"You all right, Swan?" Hook asked gently. "I saw you leaving with your boy when Neal stopped by to collect him, but you took so long in coming back in, I thought something might have happened."

"I'm fine," Emma insisted, a bit too quickly. Instead of calling her out on her obvious attempt at deflecting, Hook simply perched himself on the arm of the bench, wordlessly offering her his flask of rum, which Emma accepted with a soft 'thanks.' For a time, the two simply sat in a comfortable silence, until Emma could no longer hold back the question that was plaguing her mind.

"Am I making a mistake?" she asked.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more articulate than that. What exactly is this mistake you think you might be making?"

"Letting Regina teach me magic. We've both seen what magic did to her, and what it did to Gold. Am I making a mistake in continuing to learn it myself?"

"Is that what has you vexed?" Hook inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Emma admitted. "I keep telling myself that I might need my magic if there's actually some new threat out there causing these disappearances, but what if I'm just rationalizing, the way Regina and Gold were when they started out? What if I….?"

"Emma," Hook interrupted gently. "The difference between you and them is that Regina and Gold both purposely went and sought out magic. They both chose to become infused with it. But you? You were born with magic inside of you. Don't forget that I saw the power inside of you, when Cora tried to steal your heart. Magic is a part of who you are. It's what makes you the Savior. You can't just deny such a vital part of yourself, Swan. You should embrace it." For a brief moment, Emma nearly allowed a smile to form on her face, but then his words started to sink in. How could he have witnessed the moment when her heart was nearly taken by Cora? She distinctly remembered knocking him out before that had happened. Hook had been lying unconscious at the time. Hadn't he? As that thought crossed her mind, she turned to question him, but her words died in her throat the moment she met his eyes, which were trained directly on her, filled with sincerity, deep admiration, and….

Acting quickly, refusing to even think the word, she passed the flask back to Hook, turning away.

"You should go back to the meeting, Hook," Emma stated.

"Actually, the meeting was starting to wrap itself up when I stepped out," Hook explained. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right before I set off."

"Set off?" Emma asked, looking back up at him.

"During the meeting, someone brought up the possibility that, if there is someone behind the disappearances, they might be hiding somewhere beyond the town line. It would explain why no one has noticed anything unusual, apart from the people going missing. Most people can't leave Storybrooke without once again reverting back to their cursed persona, so it would only make sense for a new enemy to set up camp where no one could go. I volunteered my services to go and run reconnaissance, to see if there is someone lurking beyond the town line."

"You did?" Emma blinked in amazement.

"Let's not forget, Swan, that I wasn't caught up in Regina's curse. Which means I'm one of the only people who can leave Storybrooke without losing my memories. Why not use that to our advantage?"

"But, what if you end up getting caught by whoever's causing all of this before you get the chance to warn us?" Emma asked, finding herself surprised by the sudden feeling of panic welling up inside her and hoping it wasn't detected in her voice.

"I'm a pirate, love. Escaping problematic situations and avoiding capture is something I'm all too familiar with. Besides, I won't be going alone. Tink and some of the older Lost Boys are joining me, seeing as how they can also cross the town line without consequence. Even if we run into trouble, between the five of us, we'll be able to get away without too much of a melee."

Emma opened her mouth to respond to that, but before she could say anything, Hook reached out to give her hand a comforting squeeze, turning the full force of his intense gaze on her.

"I promise you, we'll take the utmost care," he assured in a near-whisper. For nearly half a minute, Emma held Hook's gaze, unable to look away. There was a brief moment when she thought he might actually kiss her, and her eyes instantly glanced down at his lips. But then, the moment was broken, with Hook clearing his throat while standing back up again. Casting one last smile at her, he turned and headed off.

End Flashback

Emma had been unable to get that conversation out of her head the entire duration of her walk to Regina's vault. By the time she'd arrived, she had reached the point where she'd internally berated herself for dwelling so much on it. These lessons were important, and she needed to focus on them if she seriously wanted to learn anything. Unfortunately, it turned out that, no matter how hard she tried to pay attention to what Regina was telling her, her mind just kept bouncing back to Hook and how he was once again going out of his way to help her and her family. First it was him volunteering to bring them to Neverland to save Henry, even though he had no real reason to do so. In fact, he and Henry hadn't even spoken to each other at that point. Now he was once again volunteering his assistance, just because he was one of the few people who could leave the town at will.

If that wasn't enough, there was also his words of encouragement, which actually helped alleviate the fears Neal's disparagement had given her. Just like he did in Neverland, he actually made her feel more confident and forget her hesitations, simply by offering her praise and encouragement. If she was honest with herself, it almost scared her how much his faith in her made her feel like she could actually succeed in whatever she intended to do. No one had ever believed in her that much. It actually made her wonder if Hook really was different from everyone else in her past. Was it really worth it to take a leap of faith and find out?

In the end, Regina had gotten so fed up with Emma's inattention, she announced that she wasn't going to continue teaching Emma until she got her act together. Her exact words were 'I don't know what exactly you're trying to deliberate over, Miss Swan, but whatever it is, just go and get it over with.' Of course, when Emma had finally built up the courage to come to Granny's in order to see him, she'd been informed that Hook still hadn't returned from his reconnaissance mission. Deciding that it was probably more practical to simply wait for him to return then to leave and come back later, she decided on the spot to simply rent a room at Granny's so she'd be able to make herself comfortable while waiting. And if she took the room next to his, it would be easier for her to hear him when he returned. Which is how she ended up here, standing outside Room 4.

Taking a deep breath, Emma placed the key into the lock and entered the room. Looking around, she couldn't help but notice that everything was exactly how it was when she last saw it before Regina had coerced Granny to kick her out after the frame job. Then again, she knew she probably shouldn't have expected anything else. After depositing her car keys on the nearby dresser and sending her parents a quick text to let them know not to wait up for her, she selected one of the books from the wall-mounted bookshelf in order to have something to pass the time while waiting. Settling into the wicker chair positioned near the door, Emma began reading the old book, keeping an ear open for Hook's return

Emma's eyes flew open at the muffled sound of a door banging shut out in the hallway. The first thing she noticed was how dark the room had become, followed almost instantly by the dull ache in her lower back and neck from the awkward angle her body was positioned in. It didn't take her long to realize she must have fallen asleep in the old wicker chair, waiting for Hook to return. Ignoring her body's reluctance to move, she pulled herself to her feet. Determined to work out the kinks in her stiff muscles, she crossed the room to the window, looking out onto the deserted street below. The illumination of Stroybrooke's iconic clock tower confirmed Emma's suspicion of the late hour- it was only slightly past two in the morning. With a sigh of acquiescence, she decided that it was best to put things on hold until morning. Either Hook had returned to Granny's while she was asleep and had already gone to bed, or the closing door that had awoken her had been his, which meant he was only just getting back now, and therefore was probably tired and simply wanted to get some sleep. It wouldn't be fair to him to disturb him any more tonight.

Stifling a yawn, Emma began to make her way to the bed. Before she could reach it, however, she started to hear noises permeating from the wall behind the headboard; the wall that separated her room from the one Granny said Hook had been occupying since they'd returned from Neverland. Because of how thin the walls were, it was quite easy for Emma to identify the sound as squeaking mattress springs. Instantly, Emma froze in place, feeling a sudden wave of confusion mixed with concern. Yes, the old beds at the bed and breakfast were not always the most comfortable, and it was not uncommon for the occupants to toss and turn quite a bit. But Hook had undoubtedly been long accustomed to sleeping aboard the Jolly Roger. Emma had experienced firsthand how hard and uncomfortable the beds were aboard the ship, and from what Henry had told her, the bed in the captain's quarters was probably not that much better than the ones typically occupied by the crew. So it was highly unlikely that Hook would be having issues with the mattresses at Granny's.

Immediately, a thought crossed Emma's mind. Was Hook having a nightmare? As that thought occurred to her, she realized she never really took the time to take notice of his sleeping patterns during Operation Henry, given how she was solely focused on getting her son back. But now that she thought back, Hook never seemed to rest very easily at all while they were on the island. In fact, she now had to admit she never really saw him sleep at all, apart from what could only be considered a few brief catnaps. Emma began to feel slightly guilty as the realization sank in. Even though he never really went into detail on the matter, she had been able to determine that Neverland held a lot of unpleasant memories for Hook. And yet, Emma had never taken the time to consider how returning to Neverland to help save Henry might have affected him. Was it possible that he was still suffering from the ordeal of once again going back to that island, and was being plagued by nightmares?

Just as Emma was starting to consider going over to Hook's room to confirm her suspicions, a new sound reached her ears. A sound that was just as easily identifiable, and therefore made Emma feel a sudden sinking feeling in her chest. It was the sound of a woman moaning in pleasure. Instantly, she realized that she had been horribly wrong. Hook wasn't having a nightmare at all. He was with someone.

The moment she realized this, the sounds of the squeaking bed springs leveled off into a more rhythmic pattern, and the woman's moans grew louder, accompanied by the occasional 'don't stop' and 'so good'. The mystery woman, whoever she was, was clearly a screamer. In spite of everything, Emma found herself letting out a bitter chuckle. Figures Hook would end up bringing a loud one back with him. It was probably one of the women who frequented the Rabbit Hole, looking for a good time. Unbidden, a mental image entered Emma's head, of a naked woman writhing about on the bed as Hook hovered above her with her legs wrapped around his hips, gripping the headboard with his good hand for leverage as he thrust into her an aggressive pace. It wasn't until she felt the cold moisture slide down her cheek that Emma realized she was crying. Fighting back a sudden cry of devastation, she dropped to her knees, shaking in misery, childishly covering her ears in a vain attempt to muffle the sounds coming from Hook's room, which now included the muffled but still distinct sound of masculine groans.

As if her subconscious mind wanted to add to the torture of listening to Hook having sex with some other woman in the next room, his voice began ringing in her ears. 'I was hoping it'd be you. You are bloody brilliant. Amazing. I don't mean to upset you, Emma, but I think we make quite the team. Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me. Perhaps I would. I never thought I'd be capable of letting go of my first love, of my Milah; to believe that I could find someone else. That is, until I met you. When I win your heart, Emma... and I will win it... it will not be because of any trickery. It will be because you want me.'

A gasping sob instantly slipped from Emma's lips as the memory of that last vow echoed through her mind. Unable to hold back her misery any longer, she allowed the hurt and angry tears to fall from her eyes as the mocking sounds of creaking bedsprings and piercing cries of ecstasy from the nameless woman raged on from the next room. The worst part was that she'd let herself believe that Hook had been genuine in his words. Now she could see that his words had been just that- words. Just a bunch of pretty lines he'd used to try and win her over. And she'd been stupid enough to fall for them. Just not quickly enough, it seemed. Hook had obviously written her off as a lost cause and simply moved on to someone more willing. Someone less broken and damaged. For all she knew, Hook might have been sleeping with other women this whole time, from the moment they'd returned from Neverland, and she'd been completely ignorant of it. How could she have been such an idiot? Why did she think Hook would be any different from anyone else? That he wouldn't end up letting her down in the end, or decide she wasn't worth the effort after all? She should have known better. Nothing good ever came from letting yourself hope. It only led to disappointment and betrayal.

Steeling herself, Emma wiped away the tears that clung to her eyelashes, getting to her feet. From the sound of it, Hook and his booty call had finished, as things had finally quieted down.

'Good riddance,' Emma whispered to herself. But she was still unable to completely vanquish the residual misery that remained nestled in her chest. For a brief moment, she considered simply curling up into a ball in the nearby bed and just sleep for the next few days. Anything to momentary escape the humiliation and pain of rejection. Before she could do so however, the sounds of creaking bedsprings stated back up again, somehow sounding even louder and more forceful than before. This time, they were accompanied by the unmistakable sound of the headboard slamming against the wall. Immediately, Emma's eyes flashed in irritated frustration. Obviously, she'd misjudged Hook again. He hadn't decided to stop for the night. He'd just been gearing up for another round.

Huffing in disgust, Emma turned and simply walked out of the room, deciding to crash at the sheriff's station. After all, there was no other option open to her. There was no way she was going to stick around and continue to be serenaded by the sounds of Hook and his latest conquest having sex. And if she returned to the loft apartment now, she might end up waking her parents. She didn't want to have to face them right now, or explain what had just happened. As angry as she was right now, she just didn't have the strength to discuss it at the moment. Because deep down, she knew doing so would only result in her anger to give way to the sorrow and heartbreak that threatened to flare up at the slightest provocation. Hopefully, once morning arrived, she'd be able to hold herself together.

AN: I hope I didn't lose any readers after that ending. Just keep in mind that, at the end of the day, I'm a huge Captain Swan shipper. So rest assured that they'll be happy in the end.