A/N: So…um...this chapter has been half finished on my computer since June 2014. You see the problem was that I kinda lost inspiration for this piece and then I rediscovered that campy little early 2000's show known as Charmed. While watching that show I got massively inspired to write a story and it ate my brain. No, seriously, I already have 38 chapters (12-20 pages apiece) and it's still going looking to be 70 chapters or so, with a squeal in mind. However now my creativity is finally letting me work on other things again, older projects. So…yea…I don't know how often updates for this are going to be, but I am updating it and this hasn't been abandoned.

Special thanks to my new Beta happynfluffy. She's amazing!

Chapter 13

Two Weeks Later

How quickly the time went by for her all depended on the day and what new crisis had arisen among the locals. Even still, Emma found herself looking out at the bay far more than was probably healthy. Nothing. Over the last two weeks no one had seen the Jolly Roger or her captain. The only comfort she had, if you could call it that, was that he'd disappeared of his own volition. He wasn't dead or being held in some torture dungeon by Gold because she would have felt that. However, where a leather-clad and one handed pirate on a pirate ship would go in the 21st Century world without magic was a mystery to her. Then again, would he really care about exposure of any kind? He'd left town to give the magic between them time to fade and several times she allowed herself to daydream about his ship making port in the Caribbean somewhere and the expressions on the faces of the locals when he did. She wondered, chuckling to herself slightly, if he would attempt to pay for things he needed with gold coins.

"You need a girls night!" the blonde blinked owlish eyes up at Ruby who'd seemingly appeared in her office out of thin air. Had she really been that lost in her thoughts?

"What?"

"A girls night." Ruby said then made a tsking sound as she smiled down at her wolfishly. "You've been working non-stop since you got back. Frankly we're all starting to get a little worried about you."

Emma snorted, resting her chin on her upturned palm, this was an argument she'd had several times so far with her parents. It wasn't that she was avoiding having a life, she really wasn't, it was just that she wasn't in that much of a celebratory mood. Plus, she had more than enough work to keep her occupied at the station, "and who exactly would we get for a 'girls night'?"

"Well I was thinking me, you, Ella, Mary, and definantly Belle," Ruby said looking put out, "that girl needs more friends in this town. Trust me, you'll love her."

"You really think going to a bar with the Disney Princess Brigade is going to be a good time?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow as she leaned back in her desk chair, "Especially when one of those people is my mother?"

"Hey! A couple of shots of Tequila and it will be! Come on! What have you got to lose?" She cajoled, giving Emma her best puppy dog expression but it had no effect. However, the comedic and slightly meta possibilities that a group of drunk fairytale princess presented to her was impossible to pass up.

"Alright, fine," She said sighing heavily to make it seem like a great concession on her part and

Ruby smiled in victory. "Where is this girls night taking place?"

"I was thinking the Rabbit Hole, they having a ladies special tonight," Emma hadn't been expecting it to be that soon but she nodded as an elated Ruby all but skipped out of the room so she could finish her work.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

The music was loud but the laughing at their table was louder as Emma slammed her fifth shot of the night down on the table. She was pretty sure it had been some kind of Vodka and she was starting to feel the effects, though she still wasn't drunk. So far the night had gone annoyingly well, in Emma's opinion, and she hadn't felt this relaxed since…well since before August had confronted her in the woods about her destiny. Had that really been three months ago now? It felt like a lifetime ago and yet no time at all.

"Look, I know that none of you get it," Belle said with a little laugh, slightly tipsy, as she answered Ella's question with good natured exasperation. That third shot of Tequila had really started to help the woman open up. "And to be quite honest there's moments, like now, where I don't get it either. But I love him and I can't help it. Don't want to help it really."

"The heart wants what it wants," Snow supplied helpfully, her words only slightly slower than normal as she nodded her head sagely. "I get that. As much as I love David, I have to admit that he wasn't the best choice for me at the time…before we were at… now…or something."

"Thank You!" Belle crowed, pointing across the table at the dark haired woman, the action causing her to tilt slightly in her seat. "Finally someone gets it!"

"Hey! I got it too!" Ruby scoffed and Belle immediately hopped off her stool to run around the table and pulled the other woman into a hug.

"You're right! I'm sorry!" Ruby laughed before miming that she couldn't breathe and Belle let her go with a snort. "I need to go to the wash room, where is it?"

Emma pointed the woman in the right direction and then eyed her carefully, "You want me to come with you?"

Belle looked vaguely offended at what she mistook as coddling, "This is not the first time I've been drunk in a pub! And! I'll have you know I defeated a Yaoguai on my own! I think I can handle a couple of drunken idiots."

Emma raised her hands in mock surrender but made sure to keep an eye on her as she wound her way across the room in a less than straight line. As soon as the other woman was in the bathroom she was distracted by Ruby who was suggesting that they partake in the age old disgrace of drunken karaoke. "Oh no, no way. I'm not bad sober but I can't do it at all even a little drunk. I've been compared to a dying cat. No one needs to hear that."

"Yea well that person was a jackass, I'm sure you sound amazing," Ruby huffed, sounding offended for her. "And horrible singing is a must when they have one of those machines in a bar!"

"No and I'm not drunk enough yet to put anyone through that," Ruby blinked at her for a moment before almost skipping over to the bar where she got another round of shots and then almost dropped them all on her way back. Thankfully she righted herself quickly, using what looked like her werewolf agility and placed the tray in front of Emma.

"So then get drunk enough!" she said by way of explanation before grabbing the other two women at the table and dragging them both up to the bars' stage.

Emma covered her mouth in disbelief as her mother and Ruby began an … interesting rendition of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." She was sure the cats outside were screeching away from the building and she winced as her mother hit a particularly off-key note. Apparently she was where Emma had inherited her inability to sing drunk. Though the crowd seemed to love it or maybe they just loved watching their town leaders having fun in embarrassing ways. She'd just started to wonder if maybe she should stop them as they started another song, when Belle returned to the table looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

Even with the liquor in her system trying to relax her, Emma was immediately on guard, "Belle? What's wrong, are you ok?"

Belle took a deep breath and then downed another shot off the tray Ruby had acquired before answering. "That man in the back, the one in leather with the guy in the red cap, I know him."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows and gasped when she finally picked out who the other woman was talking about. Her heart sped up and rocketed into her throat as she saw him. "Hook! - Wait, you know Hook?"

Belle was clearly surprised that she knew the man and then nodded her head. "Yes, he…he…before the curse I was locked in one of the Queen's cells and he came. I thought he was trying to rescue me but he wasn't. He only wanted information on how to kill Rumple and when I wouldn't tell him he got upset and knocked me out. He must have left after that because when I woke I was all alone again."

Emma had been glaring at the back of Hook's head for most of the story and when it was over she turned back to Belle, "Don't worry about him. We've had a talk about him using you to get to Gold. He should leave you alone now if he knows what's good for him."

"You two know each other?" she asked interested as she watched the blonde hop down from her stool, grabbing a half filled glass of beer as she did.

"You could say that, but I haven't seen him in weeks. So I'm just going to go remind him of a few things." She said as she walked away then paused and turned back to the brunette, "Hey listen, if he ever bothers you again, no matter what, you call me, ok?"

"I will," Belle replied, looking genuinely surprised at the friendly protectiveness, and nodded with a shy smile. With that assurance given, Emma turned and stormed over to the booth near the back of the bar. She wasn't drunk enough yet to be uncoordinated but she was drunk enough to be overly confrontational. She intended on having a nice long chat with the town's newest resident troublemaker.

"So, you knocked Belle out when she wouldn't tell you how to kill her boyfriend?" Emma asked slamming her glass on the table and causing both men in the booth to jump. She leaned on the table so that her face was inches from his and placed her other hand on her hip, "That's something you're never going to do again, right Hook?"

His eyes were wide, and then they softened noticeably as his shock faded and he realized who was yelling at him. The pulling feeling from their last conversation returned to the back of her mind and she pursed her lips, pushing it away. Apparently even after two weeks that was still there, still a problem. She was here to yell at him and warn him away from her newly acquired friend, not, well, anything else.

He almost seemed to see her effort and he looked around her to his friend, "Smee, don't be rude, give the lady your seat."

Instantly the other man started sputtering apologies as he stood and she whipped her head to look at him with wide eyes. "Smee? As in Mr. Smee, Christ you exist too? What is Peter Pan in the woods hanging out with the Lost Boys?"

"I should hope not! Pan's a bloody demon he is! - what?" he asked as she covered her mouth trying to hold in the laughter that was escaping her in her inebriated state. "What's so funny?"

"You sound like the character from that story, Captain," Smee supplied helpfully as she collapsed into the booth across from him still trying and failing to control her mirth.

"Really Swan?" he asked, eyeing her with a gentle smile, the likes of which Smee had only ever seen once before. Its sudden appearance made him look at the pretty blonde he knew to be the sheriff in a different light. "I find my overall portrayal in that book you lent me to be both insulting and degrading."

"Oh god, if you think that was bad I have to sit you down and force you to watch the Disney version," she said mastering herself, mostly. Then she took a deep breath at his less than thrilled expression, "But right now, I want you to answer a few questions instead."

Killian sighed and then waved his lackey away before gesturing at her with an open hand, "Ask away Sheriff, I've nothing to hide."

"Yea, ok," she said taking a sip of her beer, "That's why you're in the back of a dark bar huddled with your little lackey. You're right, absolutely nothing suspicious about that."

Hook eyed her, spinning his glass slowly in front of him on the table, "You know Swan, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were using this as an excuse to talk to me. Did you miss me?"

She narrowed her eyes, "Miss you? No not really, and what can I say, I like to keep up on the things going on in this town. Especially things involving feuds, helps with the paperwork.

Speaking of your absence though, where the hell have you been? I mean this world isn't exactly, uh, pirate friendly."

"So you did miss me," he said with a bright smile and then leaned across the table slightly. "And you were worried about me if I'm not mistaken."

She glared at him and took another swig of her beer, "So what were you plotting with your little minion?"

"Does it ever exhaust you, being so suspicious of good natured people like myself?" When all she did was continue to eye him, he sighed dramatically. "We were discussing provisions and my procurement of them, because, as you so aptly put it, I don't live in this town nor do I know your land enough to get them on my own."

"And you didn't come to me for that because?" She asked and while she'd been trying to lead him into a verbal trap, she'd instead put herself in one.

He blinked at her and tilted his head, "You would have helped me? Funny, I was under the impression that I would end up in a cell if I approached you again."

"Don't be stupid," she said looking away and noticing that the other members of her group were done with their impromptu concert, she hadn't even noticed that the awful noise had stopped. "Of course I would have helped you…We're close enough to being friends – kinda - look I wouldn't leave you to starve!"

They were silent after that declaration but it wasn't an uncomfortable one and finally he sighed, "You're right, of course, I should have come to you. I was hoping, however, that the more distance between us, metaphorically or otherwise, the more it would help the magic fade. It seems not to have worked though."

"It didn't?" Emma asked with a raised eyebrow, then lied through her teeth, "I haven't felt anything since you left."

"Really?" Killian asked and the level of genuine surprise, verging on disbelief, in his voice made her wonder what it was he'd felt from her over the last few weeks.

"Hey Emma!" Ruby said, loping up to the table and Emma turned to look at her, "Your mom's really wasted so we're - why hello cutie, I remember you from the docks! You're the one that brought Emma home, Captain Hook right?"

Emma's eyes narrowed as her friend leaned on the table and flirted shamelessly with her pirate - the pirate, as she flirted with the pirate. Hook, who glanced at her, though she didn't notice it, smiled slightly to himself "Indeed, I don't think we've been properly introduced."

Everything about him was flirty, from his raised eyebrow to that goddamn smirk she just wanted to kiss off his face - hit, that she just wanted to hit off his face. The look seemed to entice Ruby to continue the conversation, "My name's Red, or Ruby if you prefer, I answer to both."

"Alright, cool it before I get the hose out," she snapped glaring at the pair of them. It was like she wasn't there at all and she wanted to hit something. Then, when she had their attention she pointed at Hook before moving to Ruby, "You, leave my friends alone, and you, have some standards please."

Hook's mouth opened slightly in shock at her statement though there was a knowing look in his eyes. Ruby on the other hand raised an eyebrow as she looked at the aggrieved blonde searchingly before making an O with her mouth and raising her hand in surrender. "Oh! Sorry Em, didn't realize he was already taken."

Emma's jaw dropped and Hook bit his lip to hide a smile as he watched her flounder and sputter at her friend. "He is not!"

"Darling," he simpered and she turned to look at him, knowing what was coming. "I'm hurt, after everything we've been through, how can you be so cruel as to deny me, deny us?"

Ruby snorted and then outright laughed at his theatrics while Emma just glared at him, her back straightening. "You want cruelty? I could give you cruelty. How would you like to spend another night in a cell?"

Hook gave her a considering look, "Well, my love, as enjoyable as spending an evening with you at your place of work would be, I feel it's probably best I stay out of the crocodile's sights for the foreseeable future, don't you?"

Emma gave him her patented 'fuck you' smile before standing and grabbing her beer off the table, "Fine, then I'll leave you to your drink, alone, in a dark corner, something I'm sure you're more than used to by now."

Ruby's eyes widened as she was all but dragged away from the table and back to their group and Emma could feel eyes following them, burning into the back of her head. Still she refused to acknowledge him, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know he got to her.

"Ok, seriously Emma, if you don't jump on that, I will forever be disappointed in you," Ruby finally said, pulling them to a stop so that they could talk without everyone else hearing.

"Ruby!" Emma gasped as she stared at her friend. The alcohol must have really been affecting the dark haired woman if she thought sex with Captain Freaking Hook would ever be a good idea. "You're kidding right? He's Captain Hook- a villain! Why would you say that?"

Ruby snorted, "Oh please, you two reeked of sexual tension and don't deny it because hello, wolf, and he's definitely interested, really interested"

"Oh yea," she said waving her hand dismissively with a sneer. "That's why he was flirting with you, because he's so interested in me."

"Hello green eye monster, how are you tonight," Ruby said with a teasing laugh, then grew serious when she realized Emma really was upset, "Look Emma, he may have been actually flirting with me but he was watching you the entire time. He was trying to make you jealous, and guess what, it worked."

"I'm not jealous!"

"You are so in denial," Ruby said shaking her head with a smile as they reached the table again.

Her mother looked up at them, "What's she in denial about?"

"Ruby thinks she's going to convince me to sing," she said quickly and glared at the other woman meaningfully. If she'd been even a little bit sober she knew her mother would have caught it.

"Yea," Ruby said with a mocking smile and a roll of her eyes, "that was it."

Belle looked at her inquisitively as she sat down and then lowered her voice "Your conversation go ok?"

"I think so," Emma replied just quietly and something made her look back at the table where he sat alone now. There was a darkened air around him as he stood up and headed for the door. A familiar loneliness that made her heart twinge. "Hopefully he won't bug you again."

She watched him leave out of the corner of her eye, when the door to the bar suddenly opened and crashed into his face. It was hilarious and she would have laughed with the rest of the table, who'd noticed her watching him, if she hadn't been overcome by a sudden pain that wasn't hers. It throbbed through her nose and then to the rest of her face. She gripped her nose and watched him snarl at the man who'd hurt him before storming out of the building completely, his anger and embarrassment echoing through her as he disappeared into the night. It had been two weeks since she'd felt anything like that and she swallowed thickly. This was bad. She'd not only felt his physical pain, she'd felt his emotions in that moment too.

She needed to talk to Blue.

0ooo0ooo0ooo0

This part of town was exceptionally quiet now-a-days and she paused to look around at the church grounds. Back during the curse, this area hadn't been overly traveled but people had definitely come for services and to volunteer. Now however everyone remembered who they were and the only people who spent any kind of time around the quaint country church and convent was the fairies who still strangely decided to dress as nuns.

"Sheriff Swan? To what do I owe the pleasure?" Blue asked as she stood up from working in the garden behind the main building as Emma rounded the building.

"Hey Blue, I wish I could say his was a social call but um, it's still there, the connection I mean, and I wanted to know why?" She asked and the fairy turned nun's eyes widened in surprise and then turned thoughtful as they started to walk along one of the ground's many paths.

"That doesn't surprise me." She said thoughtfully as they wandered. "With the way your magic fought against my attempts to end the spell I thought there might be fragments left over."

Emma paused, "What do you mean my magic fought it?"

"Do you remember the volatility of the energy surrounding you both when I was working?" she eyed the younger woman. "That was your magic trying to stop me from breaking the connection with the Captain. You're magic instinctively knew what I think you're still learning."

Emma rubbed the bridge of her nose, "And that would be?"

"That you two share a destiny," she said simply and her smile was sympathetic, "I could see it in the way your energy weaved together under the Heart Queen's spell. You're meant to be…partners somehow."

"Wonderful," Emma groused and looked heavenward just as the phone in her pocket went off.

It was a number she didn't recognize and as soon as she answered it the person on the other end started talking quickly. It took her a few seconds, with Blue looking on curiously, to realize that the person on the other end of the line was Belle. The other woman frantically told her that she'd just been assaulted by the town's newest leather clad menace and her heart sank. Emma was equal parts upset and hurt by the news and she offered her assurances that she was on her way before hanging up the phone.

"Is something wrong?" the fairy asked and she frowned.

"Yea, the other half of my 'shared destiny' just assaulted the town librarian." She snapped shoving her phone in her pocket and starting to walk away. "Sorry, I have to go kick his ass."

A/N: *sing song* Somebodies in trouble! Oh and yes, Shady Blue knows what's up, she just doesn't want to get involved.