A/N – Hello! I'm surprised this account is still valid, it's been so long since I've written anything. I just started watching OUAT and I fell in love and I got inspired and this was just something I had to do. So hopefully it's halfway decent. I'm rusty so it should at the very least get better as I go along. (Also the chapters will probably get longer. This one is shorter than what I usually do.) This story sort of launches right after 3x01 and is just going to be my take on the adventure that is to come. I hope it's readable and maybe, eventually, kinda sorta lovable. Leave me reviews if you don't mind, just so I know that people are actually reading!

Some Pirate

Emma felt the air stir around her. There was someone close. She naturally gripped the sword holstered to her waste and froze in place, waiting for her enemy to appear. After remaining motionless for a few moments, she relaxed and took a breath, giving her opponent the opening he needed.

Out of nowhere, a man appeared, sword drawn and she drew her sword just in time to deny his blade access to her face. And then she saw Hook on the other side of the crossed swords.

"What the hell?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, love. I didn't know it was you." Hook shrugged.

"What are you doing over here?" Emma demanded. "We agreed to split up, all of us going straight in five different directions for one mile and seeing what we could discover and then meeting back so we could form a plan."

"I think you're misusing the word agreed, Swan," Hook smirked. "You rather demanded and we all decided not to test how good you are with your newfound magic."

"Yet here you are, not following directions," Emma grumbled.

"I gave it an honest try, but straight ahead of me ended up being a cliff," Hook explained. "So I branched out."

"In my direction?" Emma asked, unbelieving.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going near your dear old daddy," Hook answered. "He wouldn't have shown me mercy with his sword as you did."

"I'm starting to regret that decision," Emma muttered.

"You wound me, Swan," Hook said pitifully. "Besides, wouldn't you rather traipse through the woods with me than alone?"

"Not if you're going to talk the whole time and get us found," Emma replied.

"Aye," Hook nodded. "Good point, love."

"Stop calling me that," Emma groaned.

Hook smirked again and fell in line silently behind Emma as they trekked through the woods. The island was huge and an easy place to get lost. Even after all the years he had spent in Neverland, he never found it any easier to get his bearings, something that didn't set well with him. He was a damn pirate. After navigating every ocean known to man and some known only to monster, he should be able to find his way around an island.

"Wait," Emma said, stopping in her tracks. "You've been here. Why aren't you just leading the way?"

Hook studied her momentarily, finding it unsettling how she had seemingly just been sharing his thoughts. Emma's defiant stare amused him as he continued to watch her, deciding how to word his shortcomings in a way that made them seem less like shortcomings.

"You don't know your way," Emma realized. "Some pirate."

"Pirates navigate the sea," Hook tried.

"Yeah, yeah," Emma rolled her eyes. "How did you become a famous villain? You're not even good at it."

"I'll take it as a compliment that you see me as both famous and pure hearted," Hook smiled sardonically.

"Shut up," Emma muttered, fighting the urge to roll her eyes again.

If she spent too much time around him, her eyes would surely be stuck pointed skywards. He was the most frustrating, insufferable man of all time. His flirtatiousness knew no bounds and his loyalty was… flexible at best. Except, when it came to her. She had a super power when it came to people lying and she'd never forget the reading she got from him when she was locked in Rumple's cell. He told her he wouldn't have betrayed her and she believed him. And he was proving himself now.

"Emma," Hook muttered, jolting her out of her thoughts and stopping her in her tracks.

He stepped instinctively closer to her and surveyed the area. A bird sounded in the trees and took flight toward the moon. He heard Emma sigh in relief and he glanced to her, shaking his head. She understood the signal and positioned herself so that their backs were touching. There was still something or someone out there.

Another bird shot out of the trees, leading the charge of two young boys coming out with swords drawn. Hook and Emma worked back-to-back, warding off the advances of the lost boys. They moved effortlessly together, defending each other and fighting off blades in what seemed like all directions. After a few minutes, they both engaged in a one-on-one battle with one of the boys. Emma surveyed her opponent, desperate to just knock him out. Regardless of the sword in his hand, she couldn't help but see him as a young boy. Someone's son.

"I don't want to hurt you," Emma said, deflecting his sword easily. "I just want to find my son."

"He's not your son anymore," the boy said, taking another jab at her.

"What does that mean?" Emma asked.

"He belongs to Pan now," the boy smiled, dropping his sword and surrendering himself to Emma. "Just like I do. Just like we all do."

Across the small clearing, Hook landed his sword into the leg of his opponent, making the boy laugh.

"Old Captain Hook," the boy chuckled. "Pan's missed you. His only formidable opponent."

"Take me to him," Hook challenged.

"No good. Not if you're with her," the boy replied. "He wants her dead."

"Then why has your partner surrendered?" Hook questioned.

The boy's smile was enough to make Hook stop in his tracks. His eyes caught sight of the arrow just as it left the bow. His body naturally moved toward Emma and drug her to the ground beneath him. The arrow buried itself in his arm and Emma let out a frightened yelp.

"This isn't over, Swan," the boy Hook had been fighting warned before both boys ran off.