Alright! I know you've all been waiting FOREVER for this update, just want to say thank you for the patience! So without further ado - the conclusion to this story!

...

David was across the room so fast she barely had time to take a breath to explain.

Suddenly Killian's crushing weight was just gone and Emma was scrambling to get some words out before David could start beating Hook like he owed him money.

Or you know, just tried to bang his daughter.

"David wait!" Emma gasped, scrambling out of the blankets and to her feet.

She could tell David had sort of expected Hook to stay on his feet when he dragged him up because he'd let him go to get a better wind up on the hay-maker he was about to deliver and Hook had limply hit the floor with a hard thud that made Emma wince - that would probably hurt later.

David was momentarily stunned that his opponent had collapse before he even hit him. The fact that he wasn't moving to kill Hook didn't matter though because Emma was already hurdling at her father. So at this point it may have been needless, but she still ended up tackling him to the floor as if it were her one job in life.

"Ow" David croaked as they both lay on the floor.

"What are you doing here!?" Emma demanded

"What are you doing here!" David shot back as Emma sat up.

"I asked you first" Emma retorted

"I'm your father, I ask the questions!" David countered sitting up himself and pointing an authoritative finger at her.

"It's none of your business David" Emma hissed slapping his hand away.

"Oh, forgive my being concerned when I catch a pirate trying to get his Jolly Rogers off with my daughter" David all but snapped.

"His WHAT!?"

Hook continued snoring.

Both Emma and David looked at the unconscious pirate in question and sighed in unison.

"Why is he passed out?" David asked at last, anger subsiding with confusion.

"Because he's a stubborn jackass, he was drinking cough syrup and rum and we got into a fight for the bottle and ended up like that when he passed out on top of me" Emma explained "He's sick - that's why I'm here" she finished, deciding she sort of owed him at least that much since he'd rushed over here to defend her honour. Actually now that she thought about that...

"How did you even know I was here?" she asked

"Ruby-"

"What!? Oh she is one dead wolf!" Emma swore lividly.

"Easy Emma, she didn't know-"

"Nope - silence!" she said, interrupting him and holding up a hand to halt his excuse on her behalf.

"She's going on my vengeance list - yes I now have a list" she told him at his questioning expression as she got to her feet and helped pull him up.

"Listen David, it's really sweet you came to see if I was ok," Emma said putting her hand on his shoulder "It's even kind of cute how you went papa wolf there for a second - but I can handle Hook" she said with a smile "Relax"

Unexpectedly he pulled her into a hug then.

"Oh - ok" Emma laughed with surprise, hugging him back after a moment.

"Dad's worry, its kinda our thing" he told her before pulling back to look at her.

"I've gotta stay" she told him "he's still not 100% and I sort of owe him"

He glared in Hook's direction, "I still don't like him" he told her

"I know" she said walking him to the door "you don't have too" she shrugged.

He glowered once more over his shoulder at Hook laying on the floor where he'd dropped him and then back to Emma with a friendlier expression.

"Call me and your mother later ok?"

"Scouts honour" she promised with a salute. She closed the door behind David and sighed, looking to Killian's... 'improvised' sleeping spot.

"It amazes me how you stir up so much shit and you're not even awake" Emma marvelled aloud.

Hook murmured something unintelligible before rolling over. Emma decided she should probably get him back to the little spot she'd made him, rolling him back into the blanket and wrapping him up to keep him warm. He woke a little while she was doing so, sure - he could hit the floor and keep sawing logs but she rolls him into soft blankets and he comes too… well, sorta.

"You're pretty" he mumbled with a crooked grin.

"And you're messed up" she told him, examining his hazy eyes.

Suddenly she noticed that he had started to look more than a little green around the gills, pulling back that haze.

"Don't. You. Dare"

"Swan" he said - it was all he needed to say as color drained out of his face.

"Outsideoutsideoutside!" Emma tried to drag him up to his feet but he shook his head

"No time" he wheezed.

Emma looked around frantically before she saw something she could use. She dumped the plastic bag with her supplies in it out on the floor and put his head in it just as he started to toss his cookies and spilled his stomach contents into it.

"Yeah, I don't even feel sorry for you" she told him shaking her head while he heaved.

Finally he stopped, pulling his head up and wiping a shaky hand across his mouth.

"Here" Emma said, pouring him a cup of water and handing it to him. He sipped slowly, blinking a bit excessively to clear his eyes of tears from heaving.

"So - what have we learned?" Emma asked in a sing song voice.

"The price of victory" Hook mumbled stubbornly, finishing off the glass she poured him in one go. Emma took the cup from him and put it back on the floor.

"The price of being a tool" she corrected. She tied up the bag and dropped it outside the cabin door. That small trek was enough time for Hook to pass out once more.

"I wish I could sleep like that" Emma sighed, watching him breathe peacefully.

She gave him a quick once over - He was back to a normal temperature, he had gained a healthy amount of colour, his breathing was normal, hell even his lips looked fine. Looking at his lips however cause her to flash back to kissing them and she was suddenly flustered. Aside from the fact that he'd put himself into a coma he was actually doing very well, his voice had even sounded much better and if he was still coughing after that insane cocktail he'd forced down his own throat and been forced to purge she'd proclaim it a super bug. So, satisfied he'd not only live but make a full recovery she went back to sitting by his side, looking into the fire and sporadically checking to make sure any changes were for the better.

The sun was coming up well and truly now, climbing into the sky and bringing and end to the night. Killian was peacefully sleeping and it was strangely… calming seeing him so relaxed. In fact once or twice she had to give her head a shake to re-open her own eyes.

She was entertaining the idea of just laying down with him and catching a few-

Whoa. She must have been a lot more tired then she thought.

Because she'd have to be to consider lying down with Killian and snuggling, wouldn't she? She found herself staring down at him, wearing half a smile, reaching forward to stroke his hair like she had earlier. She pulled her hand back - she had to stop doing that she was getting way to touchy feely with him.

I don't mind love, just don't be afraid to you know, really get into it she heard his phantom voice say in her head, imagining how he'd wink at her. Good god she was making flirty innuendo for him - she'd been hanging out with him too long.

But like she'd told charming she couldn't leave him yet, and if she were to be completely honest with herself (which she rarely ever was when it concerned her pirate) she didn't really want to leave yet anyway's. She needed to find something to entertain herself for a bit longer until she was 100% sure he was going to be ok. Her eyes scanned the pirates quarters, half hoping she could find something embarrassing that she could mercilessly hound him with in retribution for the things he'd done. She got up and walked around so she could stretch her legs, wandering about and finding nothing of any particular interest - gold coins, some sculptures, maps-

Oh.

Oh this was so much better than blackmail material she though reaching down to pluck the item off the desk. She smiled impishly as she pulled the cap off the end of the permanent black marker before looking back to the sleeping Captain.

"I'm going to enjoy this waaaaay more than I should" she admitted to herself, walking over to where Hook lay…

When Hook managed to drag himself out of his self induced coma he was amazed by how much better he felt. His throat, though a bit scratchy was feeling remarkably better - his cough had all but vanished, he felt stronger and his head was clear. His breath probably could have killed someone though if he were to judge by the taste in his mouth.

Swan was most certainly right - she would have made a fantastic nurse.

In a little nurse outfit… he thought to himself grinning.

Speaking of his Swan, where was she?

He looked around but his blonde fire cracker was nowhere to be seen. It was just his usual empty quarters, only embers within the fireplace. That's when he saw there was a piece of paper sticking to his chest. He peeled it off and read the short little note telling him to meet her at the diner.

"What are you up to love?" he wondered with a smirk.

He got ready, realizing how much he'd recovered by how good he continued to feel while he gargled something this world called 'scope' (he didn't get it) and spit it into the fireplace to squash the last embers out. He then changed into some of his clean clothes, reattached his hook and made his way into town. He strode into the town grinning, still awed by how much better he felt and curious as to why she was inviting him to breakfast - perhaps he'd gotten to her at last? Was this breakfast to be a meal of his victory in wooing her?

He walked past a few ladies out for a morning stroll, feeling in high spirits he gave his best come hither smile and a nod of his head "ladies" he said smoothly. Instead of getting the usual blushes and giggles he was so used to the two women took one look at him and bust out laughing. His expression knotted up in confusion as the two women kept on their way, laughter trailing behind them.

What had that been about? He wondered looking after them.

He was willing to brush it off as him running across a couple of strange lass's however all his greetings or simply his presence was having much the same effect on everyone, either muffled giggles or all out guff's of laughter. By the time he'd arrived at the diner Hook was both baffled and cross - what exactly was so bloody amusing to everyone? Ruby, who was carrying two plates of food, took one look at him and let her jaw drop - both plates slipping out of her hands and hitting the floor with a loud crash before she started to laugh so hard she snorted once or twice.

"Oh god" she wheezed between fits of laughter "Hook what the hell-" she couldn't even finish the question, looking as if she was trying to get a breath.

Hook had no idea how to react. In his world few had dared laugh at him and those few had paid greatly for it. But now the whole town was laughing and he couldn't very well threaten the lives of an entire town (but oh how he wished he could)

So he found himself very much sounding like a child when he demanded Ruby "Stop it!"

Which if possibly only made her laugh that much harder. But it was the sound of a more familiar laugh that got his attention and made him look to a booth behind him by the door to see Emma, a wicked grin curling her lips of the like he'd never seen her wear raised a cup to him in salute as she took a sip with a wink. He was about to approach her but Ruby was trying to hand him something still lost in a fit of giggling. He carefully took the offered object from her, a compact mirror, and opened it.

His reflection provided a horrifying clarity on everyone's behaviour. His handsome face had been vandalized with black marker. Someone had drawn a big black curly moustache above his lip, filled in the space between his eyebrows to give the illusion of a unibrow. Also one eye had been coloured in black with what he guess was two little straps to make it look like an eye patch and the word "Aaarrrrgggg!" running across his forehead.

And to top it off? A little swan had been drawn on his chin. And she'd tricked him into walking out in public by inviting him here - Oh she would pay dearly for this.

"EMMA!" he yelled, turning lividly to where she'd been sitting a moment before.

Only to see the spot empty with her still steaming cocoa and the door just slamming shut, laughter still floating behind her.

"YEAH YOU BETTER RUN SWAN!" he yelled after her.

...

I love this ship, I'm never disembarking! - everyone is so nice :D thank you for reading and much luvs to those who review! Seriously reviews are like crack, writers LOVE them! Have a great week guys!