Captain Hook decides not to wait until the curse is broken to reach the land without magic. His early arrival to our world will change everything, because the handsome pirate will appear in Emma's life earlier than expected. This story starts in the past, at 2×09 QUEEN OF HEARTS when Hook decides to help Cora instead of Regina, shortly before the Evil Queen enacts the curse. It's rated T because I really suck at writing smut, but I will try to summon some hot scenes now and then.

Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review. I don't own OUAT

WASN'T LOVE, LOVE.

Chapter 01: Tired to wait.

The Evil Queen's curse ripped through the Enchanted Forest, the purple smoke quickly progressing across the land, destroying, ripping and tearing everything in its path to dust.

While Cora and Hook watched from a distance, the harsh sound of the destruction could be heard as it approached. He couldn't keep his eyes from the purple storm coming toward them, hoping Cora had enough power to protect his ship.

As if reading his mind, Cora struck the ground with her scepter, creating a beam of light that shot up towards the sky. Eventually, the beam scattered, creating a domed shield around a small section of the land. The storm passed over them, leaving the land under the shield untouched. Hook could sense the magic rippling over his body.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to reconcile with her before her curse destroys the land?"

The witch let the scepter lay across her chest, and after smoothing the skirts of her blue dress she answered. "Regina doesn't need me – not now. Not when she thinks she's about to win. But I still have a place in her heart. And the curse won't last forever. In twenty-eight years, there will be a savior. And she'll break it."

"Twenty-eight years?" Hook didn't want to wait, he had been waiting for centuries, and now revenge was within his grasp, at the tip of his fingers.

"You won't even notice. You'll be frozen, like all those in this corner of the land. But when the curse ends, our quest will resume. And when it does, Regina will truly have lost everything, and then she'll need me. That's when we'll go to this new land. You'll get your revenge. And I... I'll help her pick up the pieces."

Raising an eyebrow, Hook looked at her in disbelief. "And how will you travel to the Land Without Magic?"

"Lake Nostos. The legend says its waters hold the power to restore what was once lost. It'll return magic to what remains of a magic wardrobe that I… we would use as a portal. And then, we'll be able to cross worlds… with the little help of a compass that the giants keep in their den and these two cuffs that will allow us to climb their beanstalk."

Hook had been at Lake Nostos some years ago, finding it totally drained. "I may be a simple pirate, but… I know one thing. Lakes have water."

Cora waved her hand. "After everything we've been through, why do you still doubt me? Water is there, just not on the surface." With a bittersweet smile Cora patted his arm. "Now, we have twenty-eight years to forge a plan."

With those words and a purple puff of smoke, Cora left Hook alone. Back on his ship, he unbolted a latch and shoved open the door below deck. Thank god Cora had enchanted the Jolly to sail herself. His ship was a bloody marvel before, but now it was a wonder. He entered his quarters.

Hook took a big shot of rum as he passed by his desk; he had waited too long, mainly because of his lack of knowledge. To kill the Crocodile, he needed to know his weakness. He had exiled himself to Neverland to gain enough time to find a way to skin the imp. There he had failed miserably, not just in finding information, but he had failed Milah.

Milah, his beloved Milah, she was a twinkle in the sky now - too high for his arms to reach.

He laid in his bed, looking at the ceiling. His temper. He had lost his temper and had handed Baelfire to the Lost Ones. He had regretted it later and had been unable to rescue him from the Shadow, but after discovering that the lad had escaped, he began to look for ways to leave the island, discovering that the only way was to be the servant of Peter Pan. For many years he had served the twisted lad until he had bargained for his way out of the island.

With a smirk, he raised an arm and admired the simplicity of the leather cuff he was holding in his only hand.

The Lost Ones were the worst scum he had ever met. Nevertheless, Milah's lad hadn't wanted to stay with him, preferring instead to live alone in the dangerous island.

He lowered his hand and turned around in his bed, his smile lost.

When he finally had a way out of Neverland, he left to find that nearly three hundred years had gone by. And he still looked twenty-five, maybe thirty. Shortly after, he came into contact with the underworld of the Enchanted Forest, and thanks to Robin Hood, a cheerful gentleman, he had discovered that the Crocodile had a maid. It took him a year to find that the maid had been captured by the Evil Queen and forgotten by her master.

Bloody bastard.

So using a long coat to disguise himself, he had entered the Evil Queen's castle to be a hero, for once, and rescue the damsel in distress. But Captain Hook wasn't a lucky man. The maid didn't want to cooperate, so he left her in her cage to rot.

He felt a little guilty about that too, but after having lived for more than three bloody hundred years it was perfectly fine to have a couple of faults on his conscience.

Captain Hook was not one to turn down a good deal. And if it involved hurting his Crocodile, he was always eager to accept. So he befriended the Evil Queen and departed to Wonderland with a corpse to kill Cora, the Evil Queen's mother, who turned out to be a far better ally.

Now there he was, meant to be alone for the next twenty-eight years, waiting for an unknown savior. For once he had the chance to work alone. If he could reach Rumpelstiltskin before the savior broke the curse, he could kill him; and if it was really true that the Crocodile wasn't going to remember his life in the Enchanted Forest, he would be able to walk straight up to the imp and skin him.

"I'm not going to wait so long, your majesty." On his right wrist, Hook placed the cuff that would soon grant him access to the compass. The hunt had begun.

Thanks to dancingdoula for being my beta for this chapter!

Please give the fic a chance, I promise that after the third chapter the history becomes interesting!
Next chapter Hook will reach our land!
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