Title: Second Star To The Right

Author: devilishlysas

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Captain Swan (Hook/Emma)

Summary: When Emma abandoned Hook at the top of the beanstalk she had no idea just what path that decision might lead her down... straight to Neverland apparently. Follows on from the Tallahassee episode 2x6.

Warning: violence; graphic imagery; some sexual scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and stories from Once Upon A Time... or Disney, I'm just borrowing to stretch my own muse.

Emma heard the distinctive crack of a branch which sent her shooting upright from her half slumped position alert, her eyes scanned the darkness of the forest, seeing practically nothing. What she wouldn't have given for a torch, the dying embers of the fire they weren't allowed to keep alight past dark not helping in the slightest. Her ears pricked as she waited in the general direction the noise had come from, but there was nothing else as she wrapped her leather jacket tighter around herself, trying to keep out the chill.

Emma let her eyes drift for a second over to the others, asleep on the simple rolls and wrapped in blankets beneath the makeshift tents. Mary Margaret had grown up like this, she had no problem forgetting all the mod cons that Emma relied on, it made her feel useless here, everything was just so... back to basics. Sleeping hadn't been her idea, if it had been up to her they'd have trudged on for another night without rest, she couldn't risk Hook catching up to them, 10 hours wasn't much of a head start, not if he was really that motivated to make her suffer for 'besting' him again. But the others had declared mutiny out of sheer exhaustion and set up camp, leaving her to keep watch. After all this situation was entirely her fault, she got the distinct impression that Mulan and Mary Margaret much preferred the enemy amongst them approach, right where they could have kept an eye and a sword on him. This was why she'd never been much for team sports, she'd always done better alone, no one to disappoint but herself that way.

A rustle drew her attention her head snapping round to the darkness as she eased herself up into a standing position, clutching Jack's sword that she'd appropriated. At least it saved her bullets, as she checked that her pistol was still in the holster beneath her jacket. Keeping her breathing shallow she eased forward fractionally, scanning on high alert. Certain now that there was something out there, although this was an enchanted forest, so the list of what might be stalking her in the night wasn't exactly comforting; particularly if it only had one hand. A twig snapped to her right and she swung her head in that direction, leaving herself vulnerable from the left as a hand snapped out and went around her mouth, the sharp point of a blade against her throat. The loosely held blade in her hand, was torn from her hand to clatter onto the forest floor uselessly.

"Shush now Princess. I'd hate to have to slit that pretty little throat of yours." The voice rasped into her ear, the words losing some of their bite as those same lips pressed a harsh kiss against that same ear. Something leaden hit her stomach as his grip intensified and he forced her to move, dragging her back into the woods, his grip around her mouth vice-like as the metal at her throat drew the first traces of blood. She didn't need to see him to know that distinctive sneer, even the fingers that grasped her were familiar... the long lithe length of his body crushed against hers was also disturbingly all too familiar. He spun her, his hand not leaving her mouth as he slammed her back forcefully against a tree, far enough now away from the camp that their hushed voices wouldn't wake her sleeping companions.

The light danced off the silver in his ear, and the curved blade of the hook that was pressed firmly against her throat as he leant in close, the rough dark stubble of his chin brushing her cheek as he whispered. "I'm going to remove my hand my Lovely. Be a dear, don't scream. I'd hate for this little reunion of ours to end so abruptly."

Emma pressed her lips into a thin line as he removed his hand... but not the hook; that remained firmly drawing a thin line of blood that was starting to sting like a son of a bitch. "Hook." She whispered back, trying not to let her disappointment cloud her voice, she'd known trusting him was a mistake, that was why she'd left him there, this just confirmed it. She should have forced them to keep walking through another night.

"Princess." His lips quirked, but she got the distinct impression he wasn't amused. "You left me tied up with a giant." He leant in and the blade cut deeper forcing her to hiss in pain. "You keep doing that my Lovely, getting the best of me." His grin was wicked. "I'm not sure it's something I care to repeat." He hadn't said her name yet she noticed, just all this 'Princess' and 'My Lovely' business, which meant he was truly pissed and trying to distance her from an actual person... god maybe he actually intended to kill her.

Fortunately her mouth was quicker than the fear he had sparked. "You're alive aren't you. As promised." Emma bit back, trying not to let it appear that she was being cowed by this pirate.

"Where's the compass?" His free hand slid across her ribs as he searched her far too thoroughly, his hand lingering too long around her breasts as he swept down her ribs, but she refused to squirm meeting his taunting gaze head on. He withdrew his hand, empty. She was grateful she'd had the presence of mind to hand it off to Mulan, the woman wasn't much of a conversationalist, but no one was getting that thing without losing another hand.

"Don't you get tired of being Cora's lapdog; or is that seadog?" Emma hissed, trying to draw a reaction that didn't involve his hook sliding further across her skin. The hook slammed hard into the bark of the tree behind her head startling her as he shoved her bodily against the tree, her hands gripped onto his shirt instinctively the urge to slug him growing steadily only cowed by the blade inches from her head.

"I trusted you Princess." He was deadly calm, she could feel the slow steady thump of his heart in his chest against her, the blade of his hook caught the moonlight, shining its warning with deadly simplicity.

"Your mistake." Emma bit off, refusing to cower.

"Was it?" he pushed his leg until it was between hers, his knee rising until it became uncomfortable, forcing her dredge up every story about Captain Hook she could remember... it wasn't encouraging, he was always the bad guy. "Seems to me Princess like it was your mistake. I held up my end of the bargain, I could have been a powerful ally. We made one hell of a team you and I." His fingers wrapped around her throat, resting there lightly, the threat implied was enough as his hook glinted inches from her face. "The hero who's too afraid to put herself out there. What did that man, you did or didn't love, do exactly to turn the swan into such a bitter shrew?"

Emma felt his words hit her like the slap he'd intended and she retreated from his lips as they approached hers, forcing her head back against the bark, but leaving her nowhere else to go as he invaded the last inch of her personal space. "Let me go." She ordered him as calmly as her body would let her, because his proximity was doing strange and conflicting things to her.

"Give me a reason Lovely." His tongue traced the shell of her ear, drawing a shudder that wasn't entirely repulsion from her. Damn her stupid hormone driven body, she wasn't seventeen anymore, the bad boy thing shouldn't still reduce her to the idiot girl duped by the leather outfit and a smirk.

He'd forgotten her hands. The small dagger she'd stuck into her belt now rested between his legs. "How about I leave your manhood mostly intact." He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the evidence of her ability to carry out the threat as he leant in until they were nose to nose, sharing the same breath. "Reason enough?" her smile was taunting.

"Bad form." He stole a kiss, his lips ghosting over her closed ones with promise, the blade she held lifted higher in response, as he pulled his head back with a hiss that matched hers from only moments ago. "Would you really my Lovely? You might be wanting me to use that soon enough."

Still he was flirting, but there was a definite edge to it now, the kind that made her wonder if he'd take her previous no's for an answer. Pirate she reminded herself as the blade of his hook slid out of the wood and back to her throat; he dragged it slowly downwards to hover above her breastbone.

"We seem to have reached something of an impasse." He quirked a mocking eyebrow at her and she felt the thin satisfied smile spread over her lips.

"No Hook. We haven't. You see you value what's between your legs. More than you value whatever Cora has over you. Me. I'll do anything to keep that witch away from my son, my world. I'd even let you carve my heart out of my chest with that hook of yours." She meant it, and he absolutely knew she did.

He paused, just a moment as he digested the truth in her words. "How can I trust you Emma? You hung me out to dry... so far Cora has at least had the sense to keep her promises." His hook traced lower until it was resting against her stomach, 'all the better to disembowel her with' she imagined. On the bright side, he had used her name again, maybe that meant he wasn't going to kill her after all, not if she was suddenly a flesh and blood person again to him.

Emboldened Emma took up the questioning "What promise did I make you Hook?" she eyed him sharply trying to see his logic. "You invited yourself along, you made your promises. I never once agreed, never once shook your hand and said I'd take you with us, never once told you I trusted you an inch." She saw the look of defiance on his face slowly slide as he reviewed their barbed conversations. Emma knew he wouldn't find the justification he was looking for, she'd been careful in her dealings with him, she'd never made any damn promise.

"Then promise me now." He hissed, leaning in and latching his mouth around the pulse point on her throat, sucking hard enough to cause her body to arch and the blade to rise a little higher into his groin. He bit down sharply against her throat, his teeth pulling the tender skin there in threat. "Come on Lovely. Don't tell me you have any love for that repellent coward of a man... Rumplestiltskin. Take me with you, let me have my revenge."

"He'll kill you." Emma grit her teeth against the feel of his lips against her skin. "Worse, he'll probably force you to become something that will make you wish you were dead."

"I'm already there my darling girl." He chuckled darkly against her skin, pressing a lingering kiss to the damaged flesh and forcing her to shudder, she longed to push him off, but personal space was never high on his agenda and one handed or not, he was currently stronger than her.

"The people of that town, they're my responsibility to protect. Even him." Emma added without hesitation. "I could never let you loose there."

"Never?" he acknowledged, pulling back to stare pointedly at her. "Such a strong word my Lovely. One day, that Crocodile will show you his teeth and you'll beg me to do what you can't and put an end to him." Emma didn't rise to his bait, just stared back resolutely.

"How about a promise then Emma; from me to you? You take me with you, let me help you get back to this precious world of yours, and I will put myself under your rule. I will make my plans against Rumple, but I will stay my hand until your oh so delicate ones point me his way?"

"Pretty speech, but you're a Pirate." Emma rolled her eyes. "You're like the King of Pirates. I'd be better off trusting Gold to keep his word than you."

"I can get you the wardrobe dust." He reminded and Emma felt something inside of her wilt, it was his only bargaining chip, but it was a good one. "You know you won't be able to retrieve it from Cora, she made a fool of you and your sweet mother Snow the last time you met. I can get it for you."

"We'll take our chances." Emma refused to let him weasel his way back into their group, into her life, certainly not at knife... well 'hook' point.

"And what about Cora?" he smirked, his eyes practically dancing now that they were back to their familiar dance, blades or not. "She will follow you to the end of the world and beyond, she'll never stop, never give in, she's a mother too after all."

"We'll stop her." Emma promised.

"I'll kill her." Hook countered and Emma stilled. That she believed. "I know the way of it."

"Why would you side with us...?"

"You." he corrected and she stilled, she didn't like the way he emphasised that, she'd been uncomfortable with their overly taut back and forth from the start and it seemed to have exploded now.

"Fine, why side with me instead of Cora? Like you said, she hasn't betrayed you. Arguably she has the dust and the magic to make it all work, and she wouldn't stop you from ripping Rumple into tiny hook shaped chunks."

Hook smiled, it was the kind of smile she imagined a shark gave right before it sunk its teeth in. "You think you know so much about this place, about what motivates people?" He kissed her again and she felt the honest desire in it mixed in with his need to unsettle her as he tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth trying to force her into some sort of reaction, but she was made of more stubborn stuff than that and kept her lips pressed together a look of contempt curling her lips at his insistence which seemed to amuse him as he pulled back, brushing his thumb over her unresponsive lips. "Cora will never allow me to lay a hand on Rumple's leathery head."

Emma frowned, ignoring the flick of his tongue in the corner of her mouth, but not daring to speak, it was the opening she knew he wanted. Instead she raised the knife, drawing it fluidly up to his throat and digging in enough to get him to back off and let her breathe.

"Why? Emma pressed, finally able to speak without fear of him assaulting her mouth.

Hook slid his own blade lower, until it brushed her inner thigh, switching their respective threats. "Kill her Master before he's given up all his magical secrets? I think not. Cora is many things, but a fool isn't one of them."

"Her Master?" Emma was genuinely baffled by that.

"Come now Deary, where did you think Cora and the Queen learnt it all. You don't think they just popped out of the womb black as sin, hurling curses do you?" he barked an unfathomable laugh at her. "Oh no, my Lovely, evil like that has to be made... it has to be warped and twisted into such a broken shape over years of careful cultivation. He made them what they are. He turned them into monsters, gave them the Dark Curse that ripped your family away from you, tore this whole world apart." He leant in close, whispering for her ears alone. "And he's not done. Whatever his plan, it isn't over, and you can bet it won't end well for the rest of us."

Emma breathed in shallowly, the truth of his words twisting the cold steel of suspicion in her gut. "So you'd side with me, knowing that one day he'll reveal himself and I'll see the error of my saintly ways and order you to what... skin him?"

"Something like that." His smile was all teeth and razor charm.

"You don't know me very well." She retorted.

He smirked, "Oh I think I know you well enough Emma. I know how you feel about betrayal and I have a feeling Mr Gold, won't survive crossing you."

"You want my word?" Emma forced the words out, she had no choice, she trusted his self serving nature, and if what he'd told her was true, which she had every reason to suspect it was, Regina had told her the same thing... the Curse she'd gotten from Gold; then she had to trust that he'd keep to his word, because he'd need her help to get to Gold when the time came. "Fine." She dropped the blade, holding out her hand in the non-existent space between them. "You have my word, that if you help us find the way home, I'll take you with us."

Hooks hand slid into hers, wrapping his fingers tightly around them into a tight grip that he raised to his lips and kissed. "Then we have an accord my dearest Princess Swan."

"Don't call me that." She tried to push away, hating the word Princess... it conjured the image of flowing pink frilled dresses and tiara's far too vividly; but his grip was still firm and his hooked hand had risen to gain purchase on her hip.

"And what of us my Lovely?" he teased, rolling his hips against her and letting her feel his current clearly aroused predicament. "Surely you wouldn't deny this tension between us a moment longer?"

"I really would." Emma bit back, trying to squirm out of his now eel like grasp as his hands slid around her waist, until he was crushing her with new intent against the tree. His lips descended over her collarbone and he sucked against her skin leaving fresh marks to add to those on her neck as her head rolled back. She didn't want to feel this, not for him, not with the sting of the cut he'd made on the other side of her neck still fresh. There was no way for this to end but badly. His lips rose to the back of her ear, feather light and teasing as he pressed himself against her groin, her jeans doing nothing to lessen the intensity of him. With every bit of strength as a woman scorned far too often she shoved him forcefully, wrapping her leg around his ankle and toppling him to the ground, he seemed genuinely stunned as he landed on his ass, staring up at her with a bewildered calm of a man certain he'd got her.

"Take a hint, Captain. You're really not my type." Emma strode past him, returning back to the camp, determined to hide the way her legs were trembling, in what she was mortified to realise wasn't just fear.

"I won't give up on us Emma." He called after her, climbing gracefully to his feet as he strolled along behind her. "Maybe you don't realise, but playing hard to get with a Pirate... that's just teasing really." He caught up with her as she retrieved Jack's blade from where he'd forced her to drop it as he seemed to dance along behind her with gleeful menace as they approached the camp where she'd have to explain to her no doubt thrilled companions that he'd be joining them again. The image of Mary Margaret walking in on the two of them with Hook having her pinned to the tree like that... the thought bought a smirk to her lips. She'd seen what her formerly mild mannered primary school teacher of a mother could do now and she didn't fancy Hook's chances.