Do I think the confrontation hinted at in the promo will go like this? Probably not.

Can I hope? Absolutely.

…

Promise Me

…

It's late afternoon when she finally tracks the pirate down. He's standing out by the town line, shoulders slightly slouched, eyes downcast, but still, there is a command about him, a calm control.

"Hook! What are you doing out here?"

He looks up at the sound of her voice, a smile threatening the corners of his mouth for the briefest second before flickering and fading into a hollow look of disinterest, "Keeping watch."

She closes the door of her bug, stepping cautiously towards him, "It's dangerous out here. You shouldn't be here alone."

He doesn't look pleased with her advances, holding up a hand, "I do work best by myself, princess."

She frowns. It's not that he's the kind of person to shy away from pet names, it's more the fact that he's never said any name pertaining to her with such disdain, "What's going on, Hook?"

This time he does smile, but it's tight and false and she notices right away that it doesn't even come close to reaching his eyes. "Emma," her name on his tongue sounds like a curse, "I would prefer it greatly if you were to leave this old pirate in peace."

But her steps only carry her forward, closer to him, "What aren't you telling me?" Her eyes scan his face, making it obvious that she's searching for his lies.

He blinks at her proximity, but matches her with a step in her direction, challenging her, "I have revealed all to you, lass. There is nothing further I have to say."

With a deep breath, he takes a step backwards and turns away from her. She's not blind though, she can see the pain he's trying so hard to mask.

"You know I can't talk about this right now." Her feet on the gravel give away that she's moving closer to him again, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "I want to. When this is all over. I want to talk."

He faces her again, this time sadness hinting at his features, "Swan, you will always find something to stand in the way."

"I don't want it to be that way."

That humourless smile crosses his face again, "Aye, but it shall continue so long as you are the saviour." And there's that disdain again.

"Hey, you're the one who brought me back." If he's going to be unyielding and cold, then she can match him, "You're the one who couldn't leave well enough alone. I was happy, Hook."

Anger flares behind his eyes. Good, she thinks. Perhaps finally they can get this all out there instead of treading around it like precious china sitting on a glass shelf.

"I was told to come back for you. I was warned. You know this, Emma. Don't turn it against me when you know how much it ails me to see you hurting."

He's being too reasonable and she needs that fire, she needs to yell, so she stares him point blank in the eye and mutters the biggest lie she's ever told him. "I couldn't even tell."

And he knows it's a lie too. Because for all of the running back and forth and trying to determine what's happening in Storybrooke, he has always vocalised his concern for her and for her son. He can see she's looking for a fight, but he's quite the opposite. While she wants to reveal what she has to say under the guise of anger, he wishes to be calm. He wants her to know he speaks the truth and not be able to excuse it away as a heat of the moment thing.

So he steps in close to Emma again, eyes alight and full of longing, full of their year apart. "Yes you could," his voice is low and gravelly and he sees a visible shiver go through her, "You know I am a man of my word, you've watched me prove it over and over. So you know when I told you I would think of you daily, I did."

He's leaning right into her personal space now, his lips close to her ear, breath hot and so, so welcomed. "I wanted you every day of that year, my love. I wandered the realms in search of a way to get back to you. Yet when that bird landed at my helm, I hesitated." He leans back a fraction, meeting her heavy lidded gaze. It gives him a great satisfaction to know he's got her so on edge, but he continues with his even tone, "Because for as much as I had wanted to find you, I knew you were happy. Destroying your happiness was everything I didn't want wrapped up in a guise of everything I did want."

His hand reaches up to cup her jaw, thumb running along her bottom lip, "I dislike, very much, seeing you upset."

He drops his hand and she finally breathes, tears springing to her eyes at the emotion in his speech, "Hook…I," she stutters over her words for a moment, "I'm sorry. I should have known it hasn't been easy for you." She remembers their farewell, his promise and her permission. She had wanted him to think of her, to love her. He had that memory for a year travelling the realms, free to think of her, free to know that that was exactly what she had wanted.

And yet, when they were brought back together, her year of happiness had masked the longing need she had felt for him in that moment at the town line.

"I'm not asking for your love. I know your heart is confused." Her concern for Neal has been evident since she's had her memories back and he knows his own place in her heart is shared, "I am simply asking that you don't make an effort to push me away. I'm here for the long haul, lass. Always by your side."

His sincerity rocks her. Suspecting the depth of his feelings for her had always been one thing, but actually hearing it from his lips lights a desire within her, makes her feel sure about at least one thing in her life. And being sure isn't a luxury she gets often.

She smiles, finally, her eyes shining and the glow of dusk and her breath coming out in white puffs against the cold air, "I wouldn't want you anywhere else."

His focus had shifted back to the town line, but her voice pulls him out of his world and into hers, his matching smile no longer filled with dread, "Good."

She nods at his solitary word, understanding the meaning and power behind it. "I should…" she points over her shoulder at her car. Now that the air is somewhat clear between them, she remembers all the responsibilities she has back in town. They're still trying to figure this whole situation out, the flying monkeys circling closer to Storybrooke than anyone wants to know. "Don't stay out here too late. There might be people who miss you if something were to happen."

She turns on her heel, walking back towards the yellow bug. His voice catches her just before she's out of earshot though, calling to her above the sound of her footsteps and the wind picking up, "Would you miss me, Swan?"

Her back remains facing him, but her movements halt, a dazzling smile breaking out on her lips. She turns around and he's got a look that can only be described as cocky written all over him. Without a word, she marches towards him, reaching out and grasping his lapels, pulling him down to her and swallowing his shocked gasp with a searing kiss.

He only takes a second to react, cradling her head with his right hand and pulling her hips flush against his with his hook. Their noses brush as they pull away momentarily, only to lean into each other again after a breath, soaking up every nuance of this stolen moment. Responsibilities fly from both their minds and settle just outside the bounds of their bubble of happiness.

This time when she pulls back, their breath mingling in front of their faces, she doesn't break it down to nothing, instead kissing the corner of his mouth and whispering a promise there, "Until the next time."

With a grin, she spins around and saunters back to her car, a definite swing in her hips, knowing he is watching her every step of the way.

…

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