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Dark Hook Comes to Storybrooke - Chapter Twenty-Three

A Captain Swan, Season 1 Canon Divergence Collaboration by: @hollyethecurious, and @winterbaby89

Beta’d by: @ilovemesomekillianjones

Amazing Artwork by: @xhookswenchx (banner) and @flipperbrain (pastel below)

Rated M for language and dark themes (and maybe (probably) some sexy times… later ;o)

Summary: Moments before the Evil Queen’s Dark Curse whisks our beloved fairytale characters to Storybrooke, Captain Hook finally gets his revenge on the Crocodile. Twenty-eight years later, Killian Jones awakes in Storybrooke expecting just another ordinary day, that is until a number of abnormal occurrences disrupts his otherwise scheduled life. The greatest of which is a new face in town. A young woman by the name of Emma. Emma. What a lovely name…

Disclaimer: Canon dialogue and scenes from various episodes will appear within this fic. To Adam, Eddie, and the OUAT writers goes all the credit.

A/N: We’ve taken some creative license when it comes to how a certain dagger works in reference to exerting control over the Dark One. We realize that it is slightly different in canon, but felt it a necessary tweak for our story. Just go with us…

Line breaks indicate change in POV or Scene.

The gif set that launched a fic…

Also available on ao3, my fic page, and Hollye′s fic page And if you want to catch up on the last chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Killian stood at the town line with Emma, David, Mary Margaret, and Henry, silently cursing to himself. It wasn’t as if he’d truly wanted to leave Storybrooke, but he’d hoped it would be an option should the Darkness prove too much for him to overcome. Now it would only serve as a last resort, seeing as the dwarves had discovered that once one crossed the town line they would revert back to their cursed self.

Terrible news, indeed.

When Leroy and the others had run into town hall with their dire warning, it had taken some time to calm the masses once again. Graham returned with news that he’d been unable to locate Regina, speculating that she may be hiding out in her vault. Cooking up all manner of nightmarish hell for them, no doubt. They’d left the sheriff in charge, and had proceeded to the town line to assess what needed to be done to ensure no one crossed it unwittingly.

Killian smiled ruefully at their little party. Mary Margaret and David had insisted on accompanying Emma, and she in turn refused to let Henry out of her sight while Regina was in the wind. Henry and Emma had both insisted that he join them, so there they were. Five people doing a job that would otherwise only require two at most.

Emma extended a can of bright orange spray paint towards Killian. “We should mark the boundary,” she told him, as the prince and princess continued to discuss how best to announce this news to the town without starting a panic.

Killian nodded and took the can from her, shaking it as he walked over to the welcome sign. Another smile crept over his face as he saw the patch Marco had done all those months ago, after Emma had crashed into it. Before her, no one had ever come to Storybrooke, except Henry, so the fact that they had a sign in the first place seemed absurd now.

With the sign as his point of origin, Killian began to spray a visible line to designate the point of no return. Hunched over and thoroughly engrossed in his task, he was oblivious to the car coming straight for him until it was too late. Killian heard Emma cry out his name as he braced for the impact, but the one he felt did not come from the vehicle. A flash of light blinded him before he was propelled backward, landing hard on his back against the pavement.

Slowly, he sat up and took in several things all at once. The car that had been barreling toward him now rested against one of the forest’s trees, its front end smashed in from the impact. David and Mary Margaret stood paralyzed with stunned expressions on their face as they stared at Emma who was staring at her hands with the same expression.

“Are you okay, Killian?” Henry called out from David’s truck, where he’d been told to wait.

“Aye, lad,” he responded as he stood, not taking his eyes off Emma.

Emma’s eyes snapped up from her hands and met his with wide astonishment. “What the hell was that?”

“That, Swan,” he replied softly as he made his way to her, taking her hands in his once he got close enough, “was magic.”

“Magic?!” she exclaimed. “I have magic? Why? Wha-? How?”

Killian cupped the side of her face in an effort to calm her as he spoke, “Those are all good questions love, but I’m afraid they’ll have to wait. We’ve another, more urgent matter to attend to.”

Dropping his hand from her face, he looked back over his shoulder at the wrecked vehicle, then made eye contact with the prince. “Best call for an ambulance. Looks like the outside world just came to Storybrooke.”

Magic. I have magic. Magic that wrecked a car. I didn’t mean to wreck the car, I was trying to save Killian. Wait. No. I didn’t know I could save him, I just…

Emma hadn’t moved from where she’d stood when a blast of something indescribable had shot from her hands when she saw Killian about to be run down by the red convertible. She’d thrown her hands out with some kind of innate instinct, and the force of that action had launched Killian backward as a blast of white light struck the car and forced it into the tree line. An action that had stunned them all. Except for Killian. Somehow, he’d known.

“The ambulances are on their way, love,” Killian said, startling her from her thoughts.

Ambulances?

It took a minute for Emma to register the fact that there had to actually be people in the vehicle she’d sent careening into the tree.

“Oh, god. Are they… Did I-” Emma panicked.

“Emma, look at me,” Killian commanded, his hands resting atop each of her shoulders as he waited for her to meet his gaze. “They’re unconscious, but alive. The paramedics will be here soon. They’ll be okay.”

“You don’t know that!” she argued. She tried to pull away from him, but he kept a firm grip on her as he tried to calm her down. “Let go!”

An angry and pained expression crossed his face, and his hands seemed to involuntarily fall away. His jaw clenched, his hands balled at his sides, and it was then she realized what she’d done.

“Killian, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry, I wasn’t think-”

“It’s alright, Swan.”

“No. No it isn’t.” Emma now had her hands balled at her sides. The day’s events crashed over her in waves of frustration, and worry, and the last vestiges of her adrenaline were waning. “Very little about this day is okay, Killian. Henry was cursed and almost died! I had to slay a dragon! I just wrecked a car! I made you do something against your will. No wonder you didn’t want to be able to use magic. Look what I just did! I hurt people!”

“No, Emma.” The vehemence in Killian’s voice was palpable. “Your magic is nothing like mine. You saved Henry. You were trying to save me. You didn’t mean to harm anyone, and I know you didn’t mean to control me just now.” A smirk appeared at his lips as he cheekily added, “but, perhaps you could choose your words a bit more carefully? Given this world’s more colorful sayings, I could find myself doing all manner of unintended acts.”

Emma released an amused breath, and felt some of the tension within her drain away. The man always did know just what to say or do to ease her burdens, even temporarily.

Their attentions were pulled from one another at the sound of the ambulances making their way toward them. As Mary Margaret directed the paramedics to the convertible, David jogged over to them.

“I just spoke with Graham.” David stopped before them, his hands on his hips in an authoritative stance that Emma still couldn’t quite wrap her mind around. “He’s going to meet our new arrivals at the hospital. He’ll stay with them and keep us posted on their condition.”

“Any idea who they are?” Emma questioned.

“No. I didn’t want to check for ID and risk further injury by moving them.” Emma winced at the mention of their injuries, and David was quick to pick up on it. “Hey. Emma, this is not your fault. You didn’t know. None of us did. You didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“But it did happen,” Emma retorted. “How are we going to explain it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… what are we going to tell those two men when they regain consciousness? How are we going to explain the accident? What if they remember seeing this bright white light shooting out of some woman’s hands?”

“She’s got a point, David,” Killian stated. “What do we do if they remember seeing magic?”

“Well, let’s cross that bridge if we come to it,” David said. “We don’t know what they’ll remember, but just to be safe, let’s have Graham be the one to talk with them. Minimize the chance that seeing you triggers the memory.”

Emma nodded, her teeth worrying at her lip. She suddenly felt exhausted, and her shoulders slumped as she exhaled a heavy breath.

“Why don’t you go home,” David suggested, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder. “Snow and I will head back to Town Hall and finish things up there. You and Henry should head home. You’ve both had a hell of a day.”

“We all have,” Emma grumbled. She’d love nothing more than to go back to her house, and pretend the day hadn’t happened, but she hated the idea that she was being sidelined.

“True,” David acknowledged, “but I’ve battled a dragon before, I know how taxing it can be.” His attempt at levity was almost as successful as Killian’s had been. “Go get some rest. We’ll all meet at Granny’s in the morning, and I’ll call you if anything urgent comes up before then.” David turned his attention to Killian and requested, “Look after them for me, Jones.”

Killian visibly startled at David’s words and subsequent clap to his shoulder, but managed to express an Aye, mate, before David headed back over to Mary Margaret and the two men being treated by paramedics.

“What say you, Swan?” Killian asked with raised brows, clearly deferring to her wishes over David’s.

Emma sighed and closed her eyes momentarily, her weariness weighing heavier upon her. Opening her eyes she met Killian’s expectant gaze. “Let’s go home, Captain.”

Killian sat in Emma’s living room watching the last embers from the fireplace slowly die. The house was quiet. Emma and Henry had retired some hours ago, and after the day they’d all had, a silent understanding that he would remain at the house passed between he and Swan when she’d turned in for the night.

It had been too early for bed when they’d first arrived back at the house. Not that any of them would have been able to sleep with the upheaval in their lives still so fresh. At first, none of them seemed to know what to do with themselves until Emma mentioned something about eating. Killian couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a bite, and he was certain the same could be said for Emma and Henry as well. He’d insisted on cooking, telling Emma to go sit with Henry by the fire and just enjoy having her boy back. In truth, Killian needed something to keep himself from being idle.

The Crocodile had been stalking him throughout the afternoon. After the loft, the demon had appeared again at Town Hall and briefly out at the town line, before Emma’s magic had been revealed. Killian had hoped that being at Emma’s home, the Saviour’s home would provide him a sanctuary from the manifestation of the Darkness, but the imp was there waiting for him.

It was easier to ignore him if Killian stayed busy, so he’d thrown himself into the task of preparing their evening meal after he’d gotten a fire started in Emma’s living room. As he chopped, stirred, and sampled the provisions, he found himself watching Emma and Henry fondly as they looked through Henry’s storybook. Emma had confessed that she’d never really read much of it before, only looking at the odd pages Henry pointed out over the past few months as it related to the fairy tale character she was assisting at the time.

They’d only just settled before the fire to read over her parent’s story when Henry called out excitedly for Killian to come have a look. He’d been astonished to see all the pages that had once been removed, including his own, had now been restored to their rightful place within the book.

“It must be because there’s magic here now,” Henry had deduced. A deduction Killian felt sure must be correct, as he recognized the vibrations of magic within the book’s pages.

Had it not been for Henry’s never ending exuberance, dinner would most likely have been a quiet affair. As it was, Emma kept encouraging Henry to just eat so they could go to bed, the weariness of the day was etched on her brow and set in her slumped posture. Killian was glad for the lad’s constant chatter, though. Focusing on the boy allowed him to turn a deaf ear to the Darkness, which seemed to have as much to say about the day’s events as Henry did.

Now alone in the quiet house with little to occupy his thoughts, and sleep no longer a means of escape, Killian could no longer ignore the murmurings. Nor could he ignore the quiet whisper singing to him from upstairs. The dagger was calling to him, and the Darkness was urging him to go take it back.

“No,” Killian grit out through clenched teeth as he willed himself to remain on the sofa.

But without the dagger, how will you protect Emma from those two men? Surely they saw her use magic. What will happen to her, to the town, once that secret is exposed?

“We don’t know that they saw anything,” Killian countered aloud to the darkness of the room. “And even if they did, I won’t hurt the innocent. We’ll find another way.”

Can’t hurt the innocent, you mean, his mind hissed. No matter. You don’t need the dagger to stop the other threat in town… Regina, it drawled. The Evil Queen. This is all her fault, anyway. She released the magic. She wants to set the whole town against you, set Emma and Henry against you. Why… if she’d been honest about what would happen when you used the dagger for your revenge, you wouldn’t have become the Dark One in the first place. She’s no innocent. The Saviour’s command does not apply to her. You should go find her. Track her down and make her pay for what she’s done to you. Stop her before she has a chance to use her magic to hurt those you love. You won’t need magic to end her. You’ve killed dozens without it. What’s one more?

“Enough!” Killian spat. His heart pounded in his chest and a cold sweat came over him as he realized he’d moved from the sofa to the door. The knob held firmly in his hand, the intent to turn it and walk out into the night still rooted in his subconscious.

“Killian?”

Emma tossed and punched at her pillow. For the eightieth time. Despite how exhausted she felt, how fried her mind and nerves were, she couldn’t bring herself to actually fall asleep. Not with the Dark One downstairs.

Emma hadn’t truly understood what it meant. Being the Dark One. When Regina had mentioned it earlier in the storage room, the title had held no meaning to her. She knew, based on David’s reaction and Killian’s behavior in the loft that it couldn’t be anything good, but she trusted Killian. He was a good man, and clearly the fact that he was the Dark One hadn’t put Henry off of befriending or trusting him all this time.

She’d seen the fear in Killian’s eyes, the earnest pleading for her to help him try and control whatever sinister affect this Darkness was having on him. With just the quick rant about never being his own master, Emma knew what it had cost him to ask her to take the dagger. Using the favor he held over her was telltale in just how important her compliance was to him.

She knew he was Captain Hook. That realization hit her in the hallway of the hospital as Henry lay cursed, and really settled into her in the Town Hall when she saw the reaction of the town’s people when Belle had outed him. When she’d heard what he’d done to her, that he’d almost killed her and had murdered Rumplestiltskin, she’d had a moment’s difficulty reconciling the villain with the man she knew.

Then he’d reunited Jefferson with his daughter, and that good man was evident right there in front of her once more. He might have been Captain Hook, but Killian Jones was a good man. Except, he wasn’t just Killian Jones now. He was also the Dark One.

After she and Henry turned in for the night, Emma spent hours reading through the storybook. She found it served as a suitable distraction to the things her mind wasn’t ready to address or process just yet. Henry had taken her through her parent’s story, her story, but with the long night before her, there were other stories she was interested in.

The story of Killian Jones. Captain Hook and his Crocodile. Rumplestiltskin. The Dark One.

She’d poured over the pages. Stories of cowardice and betrayal were juxtaposed against loyalty and good form. Heartbreak that fueled villainy as they both quested to right a wrong, by whatever means necessary. Means, Emma knew, the stories only scratched the surface of; a chilling darkness running much deeper in acts too grievous to display upon the page. Acts that had spanned centuries.

David had been right to be wary, Captain Hook was not to be trusted. Neither was the Dark One.

Killian Jones, however… he was another matter altogether.

The sound of voices from downstairs pulled Emma from her thoughts. Had Henry gotten up and gone downstairs, waking Killian up in the process? Emma crawled out of bed with the intentions of getting Henry back into his, but when she passed by her son’s room he was in bed fast asleep. Then who is Killian talking to?

“Killian?” she called out as she made her way down the stairs, finding him stopped in the middle of the living room. “I thought I heard voices. Who were you talking to?”

“Just talking to myself,” he replied, clearly on edge about something. “Old habit from many nights on the lonely seas.”

“Hmm,” Emma hummed. It wasn’t an all out lie, but his words didn’t ring true either. “What are you doing up so late?”

“I could ask the same thing of you, love,” Killian deflected.

“I asked you first.” Really, Emma? What is this, third grade?

Killian made his way to the sofa and sank down into the cushions with a heavy sigh. “The Darkness does not require sleep, so as the Dark One, it seems neither do I.” He played with his rings as he spoke, but stopped when he turned his attention to her. “Your turn, Swan. What’s keeping you up at this hour?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Emma scoffed sarcastically. “Maybe the fact that my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, and my son was raised by the Evil Queen. Or the fact that I helped Cinderella keep her baby, and her best friend is both Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.” She was pacing now, the reality she’d suppressed all night now flowing out of her like a tidal wave. “Not to mention that the person I am closest to in this entire town, or the whole world for that matter, is Captain freaking Hook, whom I saved from getting hit by a car. With. Magic.” Killian stared at her from over the back of the sofa, and Emma suddenly felt self-conscious about her rant. Moving to sit with him, she added, “I may have been reading Henry’s book.”

Killian’s slightly stunned expression became one of panic before it slowly transformed into something softer, with a wisp of smugness as he recounted, “Closer to than anyone else in the world?”

“Of course that’s what you would get out of all that.” Emma rolled her eyes as he chuckled, and for a moment everything felt so… normal. It felt like them. Emma and Killian, not the Saviour and Captain Hook. It could have been any other night, with easy banter and over-the-top flirty overtures. Any other night when Emma might get lost in Killian’s forget-me-not eyes and wonder if things would ever move past the stage of longing.

Emma felt a blush creep across her face as she remembered her efforts to try and push them past that stage. Had it really only been last night when she’d drunkenly tried to pull him into her bed? “Killian, about last night.”

“Swan, you don’t have to-”

“No. I want to thank you.” She cut him off and took his hand in hers, causing that stunned look to settle on his face again. “I want you to know that I appreciate you being honest with me. Wanting to wait until I really knew. And now that I do… now that I know you’re actually Captain Hook, and the…”

“The Dark One,” he supplied despondently, his eyes cast down with a hint of resignation.

“I want you to know that it doesn’t change the way I feel about the Killian Jones I’ve come to know.”

Killian’s eyes snapped up to meet hers, wide with a small spark of hope as he tentatively pressed, “But?”

“But,” she continued, intertwining her fingers with his in an effort to stoke that hope. “I’m going to need some time to process all this. I mean, my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, and I have magic, and you are actually Captain Hook.”

“Without the perm and waxed mustache,” Killian teased, a smile pulling at his lips.

“Or the hook.”

“The one benefit of the curse, love,” Killian responded, both of them now smiling fondly at the memory of having the same conversation all those weeks ago.

“Just… be patient?” Emma asked.

“I seem to remember you saying that to me once before, too,” Killian reminded.

Emma shuddered slightly at the memory of her being suspended in the mine shaft, attempting to rescue Henry and the dashing rapscallion before her. “Yeah. Just before you nearly plummeted to your death.”

“Well, the one upside to being the Dark One is that I’m immortal now, so I quite literally have all the time in the world. Even if another car appears out of nowhere and tries to kill me.” He stared at her pointedly with raised brows, and Emma’s nerves spiked at the reminder of the car, and the two men, and the fact that she had magic.

“Hey,” Killian soothed, rubbing small circles over her wrist, perceptive as ever. “Everything’s going to be okay. No use worrying yourself until we know more about what those men remember, and we won’t know that until we meet everyone in the morning.”

Emma took a deep breath and nodded, offering him a small smile before she stood to head back upstairs. “You going to be okay?”

“Aye, love. You don’t need to worry about me.” Emma’s superpower wasn’t too sure about that statement. “Go get some rest, Swan. I’ve a feeling you’ll be needing it. Just know that whatever tomorrow throws at us, we’ll face it together.”

That statement, however… nothing had ever rang more true.

“Captain! Captain!”

Killian turned to see Smee crossing the street, approaching them just as they’d made their way to Granny’s the next morning. He told Emma and Henry to go on ahead and that he’d meet them inside shortly, then greeted his first mate.

“Ah, Mr. Smee. It’s good to see that you’re your old self again.”

“You too, Sir. I’ve been looking for you since the curse broke. Where have you been?”

“I’ve had things to attend to, Mr. Smee,” Killian replied sharply, not caring for his first mate’s impertinence.

“Of course, Sir,” Smee said apologetically. “I was just wondering if I ought to be rounding up the crew. If you planned for us to set sail soon.”

“Not quite, Mr. Smee. It seems there is no safe passage out of Storybrooke.”

“What do you mean?”

“Anyone who crosses over the town line reverts back to their cursed self. I’m not willing to test whether or not the same holds true if we stray too far out to sea, are you Mr. Smee?”

“Oh. Well… no, of course not.” Smee’s face fell at the news. “So what do we do now?

“Now,” Killian replied. “We bide our time and wait. I’ve business to attend to this morning and have no plans to open the shop today. Carry on as you wish, but stay at the ready. I may have need of you.”

“Aye, Captain.” With his orders received Killian made his way into the diner as Smee set off to do… whatever it was Smee did in his free time.

Settled in one of the booths next to Emma, Killian listened to the various reports of the happenings from the previous evening and overnight. The prince and princess relayed all that had happened when they’d returned to Town Hall, including the reunion of David’s wife Katherine, really Princess Abigail, with her love Frederick. It had been decided that the fairies would oversee the continued task of helping people reunite with their loved ones, while also compiling a list of cursed personas to real identities. Killian couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw an astonishingly rare expression of happiness and possibly a slight blush on Leroy’s face at the mention of one of the fairies.

The expression lasted only a moment though, as he was then tasked to give an account of the dwarves’ overnight stake-out on the Queen’s home. There had still been no sign of Regina, her house remained dark and quiet all throughout the night, leading all those present to believe she must be holed up in her vault. Emma and Graham agreed to go and check it out after they adjourned, which left Graham to give his report on the two men from the town line.

“How are they?” Emma inquired, wringing her hands beneath the table, which Killian stilled as he took one of them in his.

“Whale says they’ll be fine. They’re both conscious, but are being held for observation just to be on the safe side.”

“Who are they?” Mary Margaret pressed. “What did they say when you questioned them about the accident?”

It felt as though their entire assembly held their breath as they awaited the sheriff’s answer.

“They’re brothers by the names of John and Michael Banks. They were just on a drive up the coast and got distracted referencing their map when they saw the sign for Storybrooke. They said the last thing they remembered was double checking the route on their GPS then waking up at the hospital.”

“So they didn’t see the magic?” David clarified.

“No,” Graham assured them. “In fact they were worried I was going to cite them for driving while distracted.”

Killian let out a sigh of relief. “So how long are we going to have to endure their presence in town?”

“Whale said barring any complications, they’ll be released tomorrow morning.”

“And Tillman thinks it’ll take three or four days to get their car running well enough to leave town,” Ruby chimed in as she sidled up next to Graham.

“Tell him the sooner the better.” Killian squeezed Emma’s hand as he spoke, and she responded with a grateful smile that had his heart fluttering.

“Right,” David announced as he stood. “I think it’s time we all get to work, then. Snow and I will check in with Blue at Town Hall. Emma, Killian, and Graham will be on Regina patrol.”

The prince and princess took their leave, with Leroy hot on their heels expressing his desire to assist the fairies.

“Does that mean I get to come with you guys?” Henry asked excitedly as Killian and Emma made their way out of the booth.

“Sorry, kid,” Emma responded, dropping Killian’s hand as she pulled her coat back on. “But you’re staying with Ruby. She’s gonna watch after you while we look for Regina.”

“Actually,” Ruby hedged apologetically, “there’s something I need to take care of this morning.” She and Graham shared a significant look before she turned and inquired, “Killian, you haven’t, by chance, seen a red cloak at the pawn shop, have you?”

“Not that I recall. Why?”

Graham wrapped an arm around Ruby’s shoulder and gave her an encouraging nod, prompting her to continue. “The full moon is in a couple of days, and with magic being back there’s a chance that I’ll… you know.” Killian could see the fear in Ruby’s eyes. Compassion sparked within him, but the Darkness was quick to try and snuff it out. Greedy for a desperate soul to entice and entrap. “In our realm, the cloak kept me from transforming. I have no memory of ever seeing it in town, and if I can’t find it before the full moon I’ll need a place where I can transform without hurting anyone. Graham’s offered to let me make… modifications to a room in his cabin. I need to get started so everything will be ready in time. Just in case.”

Killian could see the Crocodile’s gleeful expression out of the corner of his eye and had to fight back the instinct, both as the Dark One and a pirate, to work Ruby’s anxiety to his advantage. There was a wardrobe of cloaks in the back room of the shop. Believing they’d be of no use or interest to anyone in town while under the curse, he hadn’t bothered to really look them over. If Ruby’s cloak was among them, what would she be willing to offer to get it back? What might he wish to extract from her in exchange?

Killian clenched his jaw and shook the thought from his head, throwing a glare at the Crocodile as a growl rumbled low in his chest.

“Killian?” Emma said softly, her hand coming to rest on his forearm. “What is it?”

Killian snapped back and hurriedly assured, “Nothing. Everything’s fine.” The confused and wary expressions staring back at him attested to their disbelief, and Killian let go a long suffering sigh before confessing, “The cloak may be at the shop. There’s a wardrobe in the back room containing garments, but I haven’t taken a good enough look before to assess what all it contains. I can go by there later and check, and if it is there… you are welcome to it.” He had to force out the last part of his statement, an itching desire crawled under his skin that not even Emma’s touch could alleviate, and flared at Graham’s question.

“What’s your price?”

Killian swallowed and steadied himself. “I’m no longer in the business of making deals. I won’t give in so easily.” Killian couldn’t help but direct that comment to the figment seated at the bar, even if it caused the others to cast glances that way as well. “Go and make whatever provisions you feel might be necessary, just in case the cloak isn’t there.”

“What about Henry?” Emma reminded.

“I’ll stay here with the lad,” Killian offered. “Might be best if I stay back anyway. Her Majesty has a way of bringing out the worst in me, and right now,” Killian faced them all with a self-deprecating smile and an attempt of levity rolling off his tongue, “I think we can all agree that’s something we ought to avoid.”

They stood assessing him for a moment. Ruby was the first to respond, surprising them all as she wrapped her arms around to hug him.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “I knew you were still the same old Jones.”

Killian balked at her words, his eyes met Graham’s whose reflected Ruby’s sentiment in the way he now took in the pirate before him. Ruby kissed Graham goodbye, ruffled Henry’s hair, and called out a farewell to them all before heading out of the diner, but not before reminding Killian to let her know what he discovered about her cloak.

Killian felt Emma take his hand, her eyes searching his as she asked, “Are you sure you and Henry are going to be okay here?”

“Aye, love,” Killian assured. “The diner’s the safest place we could be right now. I doubt Regina would come after Henry in such a public place. Besides, I’d like to see her get past Granny’s crossbow,” he added cheekily, throwing a smirk at Granny who was stowing said weapon behind the counter. “Besides, I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking him out in town, let alone to the pawn shop just yet. There’s no telling how the newly released magic is affecting some of the items. Best for him to wait until we can have the fairies give it the all clear.”

“Okay, then,” Emma relented. “We’ll see you at the sheriff station later with David and Mary Margaret. Just… be careful. Regina is still out there somewhere.”

“I promise you, Swan. No harm will come to your boy whilst he’s in my charge,” Killian vowed earnestly, and he noticed some of the tension she’d been carrying leave her shoulders as she squeezed his hand one last time before turning her attention to Henry.

“Alright, kid. Be good for Killian, and I’ll see you later.” Emma wrapped her arms around her son as he said see you later, then watched him scramble onto the barstool Granny had just set a cup of hot cocoa down at. “Ready to go?” Emma turned to Graham, but a look of hesitation sat heavily upon the man’s face.

“Actually, before we head out… Jones, can I talk to you for a second?” Graham gestured them toward the back hallway and the three made their way out of earshot of the diner’s patrons.

“What’s up, mate?”

“I was wondering,” Graham began nervously, “since there’s magic here now, if you would put this back where it’s supposed to be.”

Killian drew in a sharp breath as Graham pulled his heart from the inside pocket of his jacket, and heard Emma gasp next to him causing him to meet her wide eyes.

Killian swallowed and remorsefully replied, “I would if I could mate, but I-I’m afraid I can’t.”

“You’re the Dark One, don’t you have magic?”

“Aye, but it’s complicated.” Graham had seen the dagger the day before, had heard Belle say that it was the only weapon that could kill the Dark One, but Killian wasn’t sure how much the man might know about its controlling affects, and as much as he may have come to trust the sheriff, Killian wasn’t ready for that secret to be shared by too many people within town. Besides, he didn’t need Killian’s magic. “Not to worry though. I might not be able to put your heart back, but Emma can.”

“Emma can what now?!” his Swan hissed next to him.

“You have magic Swan, you can do this.”

“Killian!” She stared at him incredulously. “That’s Graham’s heart.”

“Aye.”

“That Regina ripped out of his chest.”

“Aye.”

“And you expect me to put it back?”

“Aye.”

“Stop saying that!”

Killian winced at the unintended command, and Emma’s eyes screwed shut, “Damn it! Killian, I’m sorry. Say… say whatever you want,” she affirmed apologetically.

“Wait. Sorry for what?” Graham asked. “Why can’t you-”

“Do you want that heart back in your chest or not?” Killian interjected curtly.

“Aye,” Graham replied, earning him glares from Killian and Emma both. “Sorry,” he muttered before handing his heart to Emma.

Emma stared down at the heart in her hand, shaking her head as her voice nearly betrayed her in its denial. “I-I can’t do this.”

“Yes, Swan. You can.”

Killian glanced past Graham and saw the Crocodile looking on. Emma may have commanded him to not use magic, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t share the inherent knowledge he now possessed in how to wield it. Something in the demon’s eyes gave him a moment’s pause, but Killian brushed it aside. He wasn’t asking Emma to do anything dark with her magic, and despite her doubts, he knew that she would want to do whatever she could to help Graham.

“How?”

“Will it,” Killian instructed. “Magic isn’t an intellectual endeavor. It’s emotion. Look inward and ask yourself, why am I doing this? Who am I helping? Just… feel it, Swan.”

Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, Killian saw a flash of resolve in her eyes just before a quick burst of magic allowed her to place Graham’s heart back into his chest. The sheriff gasped at the sensation, eyes blinking wildly before they fixed themselves on Emma’s astonished face.

“I did it,” Emma stated, her stunned tone matching her expression.

“You did it,” Graham astonished back.

“I knew you could do it, Swan,” Killian affirmed. A sense of pride welled in his chest at her accomplishment, and perhaps at the part he’d played in it. A part that was met with the greatest reward he could have imagined when Emma threw her arms around him and whispered an earnest thank you into his ear.

Chapter Twenty-Four

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