A/N: Hello friends Vivi and Col here.

Vivi started this story about a month ago but since then was in a nasty accident, she was planning on giving up on the story but Col convinced her otherwise. Since then the two have decided to team up and write the story together offering each other support and guidance! :) Col (AMiserableLove) agreed to post it under her name due to Vivi's recovery. If you would like to read some of Vivi's completed New Girl Stories they are still on her page LadyVeeVi.

Inspiration for the story came from the song Gravity by Sara Bareilles. The song is absolutely captivating—brilliant and perfect for the ship, highly recommend listening to it if you find yourself in a fit to write for these two, it serves as a wonderful muse. Story will be a multi-chapter and the rating is definitely subject to change (go up). Please also note there are some darker themes laced within the fiction (nothing too traumatizing)—the return to Fairytale land does not prove to be an easy or happy homecoming.

Important: Story was originally started before Cora's death so it's now completely AU.

Disclaimer: We do not own Once Upon A Time.

9 months ago

The night was dark, the air chilled, wet, and stormy—an ominous warning lingered in the gusty breeze that blew throughout the small town of Storybrooke; its threatening presence making itself known as it furiously whipped through the nearly desolate streets, stirring up loose debris and howling loudly as if announcing it's unwelcome arrival. The sound of its whirling screech eerily resembled that of a screaming banshee or worst yet...a shrieking witch thirsty for revenge. As the storm raged on, causing the windows of the police station to rattle with the force, Emma Swan jumped slightly, rolling her eyes and cursing inwardly at her juvenile reaction to the angry New England weather. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes focused on the windows at her back, noting how the wind continued to pick up, rapping against the glass as the building settled and creaked, almost as if protesting the harsh punishment it was receiving from the outside. Sighing with unease, she turned back around, narrowing her eyes as something cold ran through her veins, a warning, a premonition…quite possibly both. Rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms, now covered with goose bumps, her gaze rested on the doorway in front of her and she had to bite back a scream of surprise as she took in the sight of the dark figure lounging against the wall with leisurely calmness.

"Hook."

"Miss me love?"

Surprise, confusion, alarm, and perhaps just the tiniest bit of relief coursed through Emma's body fast and settled low in her belly while bringing a frown to her lips, as her mind tried to wrap itself around the simple and confusing fact that he was alive and well. He was the last person she had expected to see—he'd been missing for weeks now, most in town had simply assumed he was dead, had crossed the town line, or had teamed up with Cora once again. Sadly no one had cared too much to search for him, and thinking about it now, something gnawed in her gut…guilt, sadness, embarrassment.

Smoothing her features into what she hoped was a mask of indifference; she stood quickly, rising from her desk— her body tense and ready for fight as she eyed him warily. "Where have you been? No one's seen you in weeks."

Killian flashed her a crooked smile as he pushed away from where he had been leaning casually, walking confidently into the police station, he emanated an air of arrogance and smugness—it seemed to constantly and almost naturally surround him, marking him as both charming and dangerous. Emma stiffened as he moved towards her, watching as his eyes briefly scanned their surroundings, taking in the small office, the empty holding cell, the slightly disorganized desk, before settling back on her—the heat in his blue gaze startling her, causing her pulse to pick up as her heart hammered almost painfully against her chest. Coming to a halt almost directly in front of her, their bodies nearly brushed and she fought the urge to step back, not wanting to give him the upper hand. Crossing her arms defensively over her chest, she tilted her head up and stared him straight in the eye, trying to convince herself that she wasn't the least bit thrown off by his close presence while ignoring the voice in her head that chuckled cruelly and called her bluff.

He smelled of rum, danger and the sea—the intoxicating scent enveloping her slowly, caressing her intimately.

Unnerving her completely.

"I've been around," he said airily, the vague answer most likely given for the sole purpose of annoying her.

She arched an eyebrow at him, her expression less than amused, "half-truth…try again."

"Ahhh, that strange ability of yours, what does your boy call it…super-power? Quite vexing if you ask me," he shot her another winning smile and was rewarded with another thin-lipped frown, which in turn drew a low chuckle from him. "I didn't lie to you lass."

"Because you didn't answer me, where have you been?"

Tilting his head to the side, Killian's grin widened, "I think you have missed me Swan."

With a scowl Emma turned away from him—she didn't know what she felt at his surprising return. Goddammit the bastard had disappeared, vanishing seemingly without a trace. And with all that had happened in Storybrooke recently, Emma had found herself unable to take much action in locating the pirate's whereabouts, her responsibility lying with the town and ensuring the residents safety from the impending threats that lingered over them. At the time, she had told herself it didn't matter whether he had left or whether a sword had been run through him…either way good riddance. But now that he was standing in front of her, living and breathing, she couldn't help but question if maybe his disappearance had affected her more than she had cared to admit. As she felt his stare at her back, she mentally shook herself— now was not the time to attempt to figure out how she felt about his return, not while those blazing blue eyes were burning into her, his gaze nearly scorching her skin with its heat.

Grabbing her coat from the back of her chair, she faced him again and gave him a pointed look. "I'm not in the mood for your games."

"Ahhh but we could have so much fun sweet."

She rolled her eyes at that, the corners of her mouth threatening to tilt up into the beginnings of a smirk, "you're an idiot Hook. I'm going home. I swear to God if you cause any trouble now that you're back from wherever it is you were, I will have you thrown in that cell faster than you can come up with some crude innuendo about it." Making a move to walk past him, she shot him a furious glare when he stepped in her path, blocking her way. "I said we're leaving."

"Oh? We? And where are we going? Finally ready to give into my dashing good looks and devilish charms?"

She rolled her eyes at that, "you really are an idiot. I'm going home and you can go back to whatever hole it is you crawled out of, I really don't care just don't cause—"

"Any trouble in your town, yes I heard you the first time, I'm not daft sheriff."

"Good, so we finished here?"

"Not particularly. Don't you want to know why I even came here in the first place?"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she tilted her head up and looked him in the eyes, "I figured it was just to annoy me now that you're back."

His mouth lifted into a smirk, "I never left love."

"Oh?"

"Just lying low for a bit."

"Why?"

When he merely smiled, and gave her a look that clearly stated he wasn't willing to share that information with her, she rolled her eyes. "Okay fine I'll bite. Why are you here now?"

Killian sighed, almost acting as if that much should be obvious to her, "to warn you." He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Interest piqued, Emma shuddered as the same cold feeling from earlier ran through her veins, narrowing her gaze at him, she searched his face for signs of deceit. "Warn me?"

"Cora."

They both fell silent at that and Emma shook her head slightly trying to wrap her head around that one terrifying name, and all the fear and buried threats that came with it. After weeks of quiet, the people in town were beginning to wonder what had happened to the witch—everyone was on edge waiting for her next move. Prior to her disappearance she had wreaked havoc throughout the tiny town, unleashing dangerous spells upon the residents with the reluctant help of her daughter. Things had gotten bad, frighteningly so. Emma, on behalf of the town had even confronted Gold, asking, nearly begging for help. And even though he had grudgingly given in after some not so gentle coaxing from a freshly healed Belle, his powers were not equal to those of two scorned witches in an unfamiliar land unaccustomed to magic. Finally, after an incident near the elementary school in which the building had almost burned to the ground with Henry and Snow trapped inside, Regina had deserted her, halting Cora's attempts at devastating Storybrooke. The former mayor's love for her adopted son had proved too strong, rendering the younger sorceress incapable of following through with Cora's plan of complete destruction and total dominance. Instead of siding with her mother, she had simply, almost easily, walked away, offering her alliance to Snow and Charming. It had shocked the royal couple but it had shocked Cora even more. After her daughter had abandoned her, enraged and hurt, the terrifying sorceress had unleashed a powerful burst of magic, hitting her daughter square in the chest. And while the blast hadn't killed her, it was a close call, closer than Emma had thought possible—she sometimes wondered if the witches and wizards and dark ones of Fairytale Land were capable of truly dying. When Regina had awoken she was nowhere near the formidable woman she had once been—her mind and powers weakened. Horrified by what she had done and distraught beyond reason, Cora had disappeared, fleeing into the night—the town had been peaceful once again, but still on edge, waiting for the witch's imminent return.

"Is she here?"

"She never left either lass."

"You working with her?"

Killian shot her a wry smile, "Not exactly…picking a side seems quite a bit rash don't you think? I'd rather just look out for myself."

"Of course you would." At his dry chuckle, Emma, ran a hand through her loose hair, and letting out a frustrated sigh, pinned him with a glare, "What's going on Hook?"

"Another curse…much like the one cast by Regina."

The words left his mouth fast, calmly spoken with a sureness that had Emma's mouth dropping open in both surprise and acceptance, "What? How's that possible? When?" Her voice came out slightly shaky—an octave higher than normal.

"Soon."

"How soon?"

"Too soon for you to do anything about it."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Have I lied to you yet?"

Emma swallowed, and raising her fingertips to her head pressed down hard, "What exactly is the curse going to do Hook?"

Killian shrugged, the action appearing nonchalant, were it not for the intense look blazing in his eyes, "it will take everyone back to our land."

"Fairytale land?" she spat the question out, her tone slightly disbelieving.

His mouth quirked into another wry smile, "If that's what you call it, yes."

"And?"

"There's something she wants there, she's desperate for it. "

"What is it?

Killian shook his head, "I'm not sure."

Emma's eyes flitted across his features skeptically, something told her he wasn't exactly being truthful but he wasn't being completely deceitful either. "Is it exactly like Regina's curse? What about our memories?"

"As far as I know they'll be in tact…think of it as the reverse curse to the one Regina cast all those years ago. It'll simply pick everyone up and drop them back home."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Witches rarely do, love."

Emma glanced at him curiously, her body had gone cold at Killian's revelation and already her mind was racing, trying to figure out ways to prevent Cora from unleashing anymore of her magic. "Why are you telling me this?"

Avoiding her gaze, Killian looked over her shoulder, focusing on the wall behind her with a slight shrug, "Like I said there's something back in our land that Cora wants…badly. And now she's figured out a way to get back there, and not only that, but she knows how to bring the rest of us with her. Whatever she wants is powerful, dangerous, and she's hell-bent on making sure that when she gets it, the lot of you are there too. I believe whatever it is, has something to do with you Swan, you're very important to her. She wants you and she wants you alive."

"How do you know?"

He shrugged again still avoiding her eyes, "call it a gut feeling."

"You never answered me before. Why are you telling me this?"

Finally, he met her gaze and the smile he gave her was touched with sadness, as a dark look flashed in his eyes. "Apparently love, I'm a bloody fool and for some reason I want you to have a fighting chance." Reaching out he picked up a lock of hair that had fallen over her shoulder and tugging on it lightly with his good hand, his features softened when she didn't pull away. "Curse hits soon, she won't come after you until after we're back in our land…go gather your family and friends, you're going to want to be with them when it hits."

A/N: The next chapter picks up at Present Day.