Hook had been missing for a total of two weeks and as much as she despised the feeling, she was worried about him. Cora had only been seen a few times since their arrival to Storybrooke and many just assumed that Captain Hook was hiding out with the Queen. But, Emma had other opinions. Her last encounter with Killian hadn't seemed final, in fact, their last interchange felt uneasily meaningful.

He alluded that she was like the bean, shriveled up and useless and yet that damned bean was what had brought him to Storybrooke. Though he did talk quite a bit just to hear himself talk, that didn't seem to be without cause. He wasn't done with her.

But then where was he? Because the last time anyone had seen Cora, she was alone.

Emma knew she shouldn't be putting this much effort into finding the wayward pirate, but she was. Call it foolishness or a desire for closure she was going to find out what he had meant. Because maybe he was done with her, but she wasn't done with him.

"Gold, where's Hook?" Emma strode into the pawn shop, her eyes flickering around the room for any signs of the pirate.

"What do you mean dearie?" Gold gave her a thin smile, perching his hands on his cane.

Emma crossed her arms across her chest, "The last person he was seen with was you." After thoroughly questioning the town and anyone who dwelled down by the docks, Smee had come forward to say that the last time that he had seen Hook was at the docks when he confronted Rumplestiltskin.

"It's true, I met with him two weeks ago – but I haven't seen him since." He gave her a smirk, "Is there any particular reason you want to find him dearie?"

"Don't play games with my Gold, I know full well why he came to see you."

"And why's that?"

Emma narrowed her eyes – she knew that toying with Gold was a dangerous game. "Because of what you did to Milah."

Gold turned away, concealing that look of hatred in his eyes, "Well, dearie, that's all been sorted out. He and I finished what needed to be finished."

Emma tensed, "Killian was prepared to die for his cause."

"Did he tell you that?" Gold looked up at her, a dark look in his eyes. "Then maybe your beloved pirate is just that then."

"Are you admitting to killing him?" Emma's brows raised, her heart pounding in her chest. No – he couldn't be dead.

"Well, the way I see it, there's a lot of people who would like to see him dead. He's a pirate after all." Gold tapped his cane against the floor, turning his back to move a few items from the counter, "Now if you excuse me I have some work to do around the shop."

"That's his hook!"

Gold shot around, his eyes focused on Emma. "His hook? Why would I have his hook here Emma?"

"What have you done with him?" Her hand moved to her gun, knowing that it wouldn't do a damned thing to Gold.

"I'll make you a deal-"

"No, you'll tell me where he is."

Gold laughed, "You love him."

Emma's eyes widened, "I hardly know him,"

"Ah," Gold rounded the counter, a knowing smirk on his lips. "But that look in your eyes I have seen before. Your father to be specific, in his quest to find your mother." The miser snatched the hook from her hold, "Care to hear my offer?"

"What is it?" Her voice sounded strained. Gold was trying to play with her, trick her into believing that she was in love with Hook – to get something out of her.

"Don't look so disgruntled Emma, it's hardly any loss to you." He rested his weight against his cane, "That necklace you wear, with the swan."

Emma's fingers went to the necklace, a reminder of Neal and Tallahassee.

"Youthful innocence can be quiet potent in spells," Gold held his hand out for it. "The necklace for Hook."

She unclasped the necklace, all but ready to drop it into his palm before she jerked it away. "What's the catch?"

"A catch?"

"Is he alive?"

"Quite."

"Where is he?"

Gold smirked, his gaze going downward as he tapped on the floor. "Our deal?"

"Take it." Emma dropped the necklace into his hand. She hesitated for a second, half expecting purple smoke or something to give way to their deal, but when there was nothing she headed towards the basement door, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket to light her way down the stairs.

The basement was dark, dank, somewhere between a cellar and a dungeon. The light from her phone helped her navigate her way through the ceiling-high stacks of boxes and empty display cases. In the darkness, she could pick up the faint sound of breathing.

"Killian?" As soon as Emma spoke the name, she realized that it was the first time she had ever said his name aloud.

A shuffling sound led her to Hook, bound and gagged in the furthest reach of the basement. She knelt beside him, resting the phone on the floor to light the area. She jerked away the gag from his mouth, cringing at the gasp of pain he gave. His hair was matted with blood, the dried streaks of red revealing where the trail of blood had been left untreated.

"Em-" He was almost too weak to say her name, his mouth dry and burning from the rough cloth that had wicked away any moisture.

"Shh," Emma whispered as she worked the rope loose from his wrists, finally breaking him free. "Can you walk?" His state was sickening – it had been two weeks.

"In a moment," Killian looked up at her, his brows creased together as he mustered a weak smirk, his lips still painful from the gag. "How?"

"I followed my gut." Emma touched his cheek hesitantly, turning it so she could examine his face in the pale glow of her phone. "This needs to be looked at by a doctor."

"I'll live." A strained laugh rumbled in his chest. The pirate's eyes focused in on hers, "I knew you'd find me."

Emma shook her head, sitting back on her legs. "I don't always make the best decisions." Gold's words echoed in her thoughts – love. "We need to get you out now before Gold changes his mind." She wrapped her hand beneath his arm, helping him up as they stood.

"Wait," Hook clutched his chest, giving a ragged cough, before he looked up at Emma. "You didn't make a deal did you?"

"I had to." Emma grabbed her cellphone, wanting to avoid him getting overly flattered by her making a deal for his life. "Come on."

"This does nothing for my looks," Killian stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes narrowed with irritation at the bandaging that was wrapped around his head.

Emma laughed with a hesitant smile on her lips as she looked up at him. "I think you got out of there with minimal injury. You're lucky that that's all that's bandaged up." She swallowed hard as he walked towards her, "What's that look for?"

Killian smiled at her, not a cocky or smug grin – a genuine smile. One that few had had the privilege to see over the past three hundred miles. "What look?"

"That look-" Emma gestured towards his face, feeling her cheeks heating under his gaze. He looked smitten, that was what that look was. It made her feel uncomfortable because she knew it was written all over her face too.

"I knew you'd save me." He wasn't the same haughty pirate that she'd last seen.

"What made you think that?" Emma licked her lips, flinching slightly as he stepped even closer.

"Because you're like me-"

"I'm no-"

"Shh." He pressed his finger to her lips, silencing her. "Because you love a challenge just like I do. You knew that what I had said meant the opposite." Killian stared at her lips as he drew his finger across them, "You were the bean."

"I know." Emma brushed his hand away, "But if you decide to call me that, I might be inclined to wound the other side of your head."

"I'll remember that." Killian gave a short chuckle before he dipped his head in and place a chaste kiss to her lips, testing the waters.

"What was that?" Emma's brows rose high, feeling her flush spread over her body.

"Thank you?" He offered with a hopeful smile.

Emma forced herself to frown, despite how hard the muscles in her cheeks protested. "Clearly you weren't all that thankful."

"Gods, Emma don't tempt a man." Killian gave her a wicked smirk; his finger cupped the back of her neck as he pulled her into another kiss, this one lacking the hesitance of a nervous man. This was something that he had thought of during the past two weeks – kissing Emma. She had drawn up emotions and desires that he hadn't felt since Milah had been alive and thought she was no Milah, he was thankful that the comparisons between the two were hard to find.

Maybe she was more of an open book than she had realized. Or maybe, just maybe, he could read her so easily because they were part of the same book. Gold hadn't been bluffing however much she had wished he had been, or at least she had been wishing that right up until this point.

Killian pulled back for oxygen, pressing his forehead against hers to keep them close, not quite ready to relinquish her warmth when he had been imagining it for so long. "What did he make you do for my safety?"

"He wanted my necklace." Emma said softly, confusion lacing her voice. "That was all he wanted."

"That doesn't make any sense." Killian met her eyes warily, "That's all he made you trade?" He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb along the hollow of her cheek.

Emma nodded, "Yes." She ran her hands over his shoulders, "As much as part of me would like to just continue standing here and kissing you." Emma pulled away from him, knowing that if they continued it was going to go too far too fast. "I need to get down to the station and finish some paperwork."

"I could have died."

Emma cocked a brow, "But you didn't." She nodded her head towards the sofa, "Rest."

"Aye, aye captain." Killian smirked at her, "But know – I'll be thinking of you."

Gold stood, hunched over his desk. "Manhattan." He muttered to himself as his fingers stroked over the swan emblem on the necklace. The spell had worked. "Belle," He glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the brunette, "I've done it. I've found my boy."