Chapter Text
Emma sat with her head in her hands, staring down at the table. How long she’d been sitting like that, she didn’t know. The sounds of a normal day at Granny’s were only a distant buzz in her ears. The only thing she could really hear were the thousands of different thoughts and questions spinning around in her brain, almost making her dizzy. The one question she kept coming back to was “how?!”.
How in the hell had the Wicked Witch succeeded in brining Rumpelstiltskin back from the dead?! They had all been there when he and Pan died. How, how , how, HOW?! Should she tell Belle? No, probably not. Not until they had proof (and not before they knew if it was the man or the beast they were dealing with). Emma shuddered a bit at that, she did not fancy having to battle the Wicked Witch AND the Dark One. She never thought she would admit it, but she was glad she had Regina on her side. But what to do next? Where to start looking? What to tell Henry? God, Henry…
“Love?”
He couldn’t know! Must not know! He wouldn’t understand!
“Swan?”
If he found out about his dad (plus the fact that he was missing), about his grandparents, Regina and…
“Emma!”
She jerked her head up and met a pair of piercing blue eyes. They looked at her with concern, she frowned.
“What?” She blurted out at the eyes, massaging her temples.
“Are you alright? You have been staring a hole in the poor table for the past ten minutes. “
Emma sighed and let her hands sink to rest on said table.
“I’m fine Hook.”
He raised an eyebrow skeptically but said nothing more about it.
“What are we going to do? Where do we even start and wha… Why are you smirking at me?” It was incredibly annoying how handsome the stupid pirate was when he did that. His smirk now broadened into a teasing smile.
“Oh I don’t know, love. Just the way you said ‘we’.” The last word came out almost like a caress.
She huffed in exasperation. “How can you even think about that now?”
“I always think about it. I am a pirate you know.” He said, winked and made a show of scratching the stubble on his chin with his damned hook.
“Ugh, why do I even put up with you?”
“ ’Cause you fancy me. You may not be ready to admit it to yourself, but one day it will simply hit you.” Emma was just about to tell him off when he interrupted her. “Careful now, your lad is coming.”
She snapped hear head around and spotted Henry coming towards them with Regina not far behind. Henry looked to be in a good mood and Regina didn’t look to be in too much pain about him not remembering her.
“Hi, mom!” He called and sat down next to her after she’d made room for him.
“Hey, kid! How’s your day been? “ Emma ruffled his hair and tried to smile happily. Regina didn’t sit down, just remained standing at the end of their table.
“Good! Ms. Mills, sorry Regina,” He looked up at the woman and smiled before continuing” showed me around town. Then she had to run an errand so I got to hang around the library for a little while.” He smiled at Regina again, then he returned his gaze to Emma, and frowned. “Are you okay, mom? Did he do something?” He asked and shot a suspicious glance at Hook.
Damn it. Sometimes she really hated that he could read her like an open book, not that Hook had done anything. Well, if you counted out the thing with him being glad she had a broken heart. Jackass. Fortunately the pirate saved her from answering right away.
“Well hello to you too, mate.” He said sarcastically and frowned at Henry.
They really didn’t get along well when Henry couldn’t remember what Hook had done for all of them, or who he really was.
“What? She looks like… like she did they day you showed up in New York!” The kid shot back and was rewarded by a flinch from the pirate. Ouch. Then his expressions hardened into a glare. She had to admit, Hook looking like… well Hook, she was impressed by the fact that Henry didn’t shrink back.
“No Henry, it’s nothing Hoo… Killian did.” She reassured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Hooks eyes softened a little when she used his real name. It always felt strange saying it though, too intimate. Just like it did when he called her Emma instead of Swan, or even love. Henry was about to say something, still glaring at the man in front of him, but Regina reminded them of her presence by clearing her throat.
“Sorry to interrupt this little… family talk, but I need to get going. Call me if anything new shows up will you, Swan?” Hook smiled smugly at her choice of words, Emma ignored him. When she met the other woman’s eyes she could see the hurt hearing Henry trying to protect her from Hook had caused. She gave the Mayor a warm little smile, letting her know that she understood.
“Of course, thank you Regina.” Regina nodded and tried to return the smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She turned back to their son. “I loved spending time with you Henry, maybe we’ll do it again sometime?”
Please say yes Henry, Emma begged in her head.
“Sure! That would be fun!”
Emma relaxed and a real smile crept over Regina’s lips, then she turned to leave only adding a “Jones.” as acknowledgement of the pirate. He muttered something, probably rude, in response. Henry was looking at her again, with a concern that reminded her of Hooks a few minutes ago.
“Really, I’m fine.” She promised him, knowing fully well that is was a lie. Across the table Hook gave a snort, knowing it as well. She shot him a “not helping” look.
“If you say so…” Henry said uncertainly, now glancing at the pirate with more thoughtfulness rather than dislike. “What are we going to do for the rest of the day? Have you finished the case, can we go home?”
Emma’s heart shriveled up a little at his last question.
“No, kid. Not yet, we’ll have to stay for a bit longer.” He sighed but nodded. “Would you mind hanging out with Mary Margaret for a few hours while I work?” She asked him. He brightened at that.
“Not at all! I like her, she tells the best stories. Like a walking fairytale book!” He grinned while he dug something up from his bag. “She gave me this.” Henry placed an old book in her hands and she couldn’t help but laugh. Hook leaned over the table, curiosity plain on his face.
“What is it?”
“A book.” Henry told him, like you would tell a two year old. She could tell by Hooks expression that he was going to reply with some comment only he would find funny, so she showed the book to him.
“Not just any book.” It was the second book in the Narnia series. It couldn’t have been more fitting. A portal through which four kids accidentally walks through, ending up in an enchanted land. Full of monsters, talking animals, family, good, evil and of course magic. She wondered if her mom had had any special thought about giving the book to Henry, or if it was just an impulse. Hook just looked at it, reading the title.
“ ‘The lion, the witch and the wardrobe‘? Sorry lass, can’t say I’ve read it.”
“But you must have seen the movie!” Henry obviously couldn’t help to exclaim. The pirate looked confused and Emma could almost see the question forming on his tongue. She quickly gave the book back to Henry.
“I don’t think it’s Killians kind of book or movie.” She said and gestured for her son to get ready to leave.
“No, maps are more my thing.” Hook agreed, not realizing (or realizing but not giving a rats ass) that he was playing with fire. Henry was smart, it wouldn’t take long for him to put two and two together. Missing hand, maps, weird outfit and the way of speech. Adding the book to all of that, putting ideas into the kids head… He might as well run around waving his pirate flag singing 'a pirate’s life for me'. All he was missing was the eye patch and a parrot.
“Really, maps? What’s your job again?” Henry asked curiously. Emma gave him a light push in the back towards the front door.
“Now Kid, you know that I’m helping him with his case. “
“But you haven’t told me what kind of case!” He complained, squishing his eyebrows together.
“A missing person kind of case, lad.”
Emma turned to look at Hook who was walking right behind them. Their eyes met and she could see the worry in his blue ones. She so easily forgot, Neal had been Bealfire. Not just Henry’s father and Rumpelstiltskin’s son, but a boy a pirate Captain had taken under his wing. She acted on impulse then, reaching out and lightly touching his arm.
“We will find him.”
He searched her eyes, for what she didn’t know.