A/N: This...I don't even know what this is. I had set out to write a simple scene and all this stuff started happening. Please be kind. I just don't even know anymore. I am still going to finish "Screw Destiny" for anyone interested in that. I really will. But I just had to write this. Right now it is "M" for language. Eventually for mature content. So that's a warning. And it's not going to be long. Maybe four chapters total. Hope you like it. Thanks for reading.

Part One

That they should end up there, together, like this, after everything that happened was no accident. It had not been planned either, but it was getting harder to believe that either of them were dealt lives of random chance and coincidence. Reason and fate were shouting and plugging their ears like stubborn children wasn't working any more.

The hallway was empty now, just two people standing outside a door. On the other side of that door was a very tried child hopefully not reliving the last few hours in his dreams. Emma had been such a rock, too. Through all of it. Strong and sturdy and she had not let anything chip at the resolve. Not until that door clicked into place and she knew that Henry was safely shielded behind it. Then the trembling started.

She backed into a wall and held the back of her hand to her mouth to hide the tremor in her lips. Careful breaths. Steady breaths. Deep inhales. But as much as her body wanted to shake with sobs she could not conjure tears. And he had the grace to avert his eyes. Still clad in leather and buckles he was not exactly inconspicuous, but he shuffled in place and tried to let her ride out the waves and get some control back. There was no malice in his eyes, no flirtation or joviality rimmed in dark lines. The one thing he did not do just then, was leave her.

"Oh God…" Emma let out a laugh and grabbed her knees. "Fucking shaking right now." She said again, drawing humor to the situation as she tried to laugh. And nothing was funny.

Hook set his eyes on her again, knowing full bloody well that she was still trying to keep a brave face. "Here." He held out a small flask, his tone droll and serious.

"What's that?" Emma asked as she took it and then she gulped down a mouthful without waiting for an answer. When the fierce drink hit her throat she hissed a bit on the intensity, but then went back for another smaller sip. "Tastes like shit."

"Yes, well, it's not meant to taste good. It's meant to feel good." He reasoned before taking his own sip and then pocketing the flask. She was able to stand up straight again, her hands still shaking, but the rest of her body was lax.

"Thanks." She nodded and then sighed. "Look, you don't have to stay here."

Hook eyed her, not moving. There was no question of his leaving. "No. I don't have to stay."

Emma's eyes locked with his at the comment before falling away, almost timidly. "Right." She tucked some hair behind her ear.

They were silent for a spell. It seemed, or felt, to both of them that there was just nowhere to go. They were in the middle of a foreign city. Mostly alone. For Hook, it was the loudest place he had ever been. The noise was constant and unrestrained. He doubted he'd have been able to sleep if he had wanted. In the silence that spread he contemplated his journey. What had started as a search for revenge had taken a different course all together. The spell had led him toward his Crocodile, sure enough, but he had not spotted Rumplestiltskin first. He had spotted Emma running down the streets of this Manhattan after some figure in a hood.

He couldn't have caught up if he tried. Not in a place where the very ground seemed to move at a breakneck pace. Instead, he had kept that blonde hair in his sights while he stalked them knowing that where he found Emma, he would eventually find his target. There had been no small amount of admiration watching her hurdle up-turned metal bins and weave through a crowd that spread thick as trees in a forest in every direction. Emma had caught her victim in the end and had sent them both tumbling to the ground. Hook had not been far behind. Then Emma began to rise and all he could see was the back of her head as she looked at the hooded stranger. He moved until he was close enough to hear over the noise of the city.

"No." Emma began to shake her head and then her voice grew fierce. "You."

"Emma…" The stranger was on his hands and knees, his eyes laced with recognition and the most obvious, guilt. It wasn't even a leap to perceive the connection there. This man was directly linked to Emma's past and not in a good way. Hook considered the idea of him being the 'once love' that had broken her. The boy's father?

"You." Emma spat the word like it was vile.

"What're you doing here?" The man began to get to his feet, his eyes darting. The look of a man used to hiding and running. Shifty.

"What am I doing here? What am I doing here?" Emma snapped. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"No, Emma, you don't understand…you're just…who's with you? Were you…sent or—?" The man was on his feet, hand out in surrender. Or to keep Emma at bay should she attack. From Hook's position, the woman was ready to spring at the slightest provocation.

"Oh my God, you're Gold's son." Emma was pointing, her voice losing some of its bite. "You're him. You're his son."

"What?"

"Gold. Mr. Gold. Rumplestiltskin. You're his son?" Emma snapped fiercely.

The man had the audacity to try and smile, but he shook off the comment. "Who? Emma, I think you're—"

"Just answer the question, Neal." Her voice was lower, quiet. And it was infinitely more dangerous.

Neal, as the hooded man was called, began to laugh nervously. "I…no. No. I don't know who this Gold is, all right? How would I? Look, I think we need to just…why don't you tell me who you're with?"

"I'm not answering anything until you tell me the truth. Are you Gold's son?"

Neal paused and considered his options before opting to dodge the question again. Which was the wrong option. "Look. I really think we need to get some clarification. I'm really, I just need to know, to understand—"

Emma was in his face in seconds. The movement so fluid and poised that had Hook blinked he would have missed it. "Are you Gold's son?"

"Emma…I—"

"Answer the fucking question." She shouted at him. Screamed into his face and her hand came up, but then it stopped. "Answer the question."

"I…yeah. Yes. I'm—"

"Oh my God." Emma shook her head and turned on a booted heel.

"Wait. Emma, hold on a second."

"Don't touch me." She jerked her arm from his grasp like his touch caused her pain. "You don't get to touch me. You got that? Not ever. Not even a little. And I swear if you do it again I will level you."

Neal held up his hands. "Okay. Okay, fair enough. I deserve that. I do."

"You bet you deserve it. You deserve a whole lot more, so don't tempt me cause I am so not going to be holding back."

"All right. Emma. I understand you're angry, but I can explain—"

She laughed, darkly and bitterly. "Oh dear God, you're really going to try that? Like I really want to hear an explanation? Like you can possibly have one good enough to justify…everything." She had started walking purposefully now. Hook guessed it was back to wherever she had come from and he was thankful that her ire had clouded her powers of observation or she might have noticed him.

"I know. You're right. You're completely right. There's no excuse. But can…can I just…can you please just stop for two seconds?"

Emma stopped and gave him a level stare.

Neal halted with her, startled that she actually listened. "Thank you. I—"

"Two." Emma took off again, letting him follow her. Neal sighed and then fought to keep pace with her.

"Fine. I'm just going to say it. You can listen or you don't. But I'm going to tell you." He dodged a passer-by and then hopped back to her side. "Okay. There was this guy."

"Must have been one hell of a guy." She responded in a droll monotone. Hook broke into a grin despite himself. Emma would always bite back and he would be lying if he claimed he wasn't endeared to her gumption.

Neal ignored the comment. "This guy knew about the curse."

Emma halted. "The curse?"

"Yeah. Said a bunch of stuff about you being the savoir and that being with you was…that you had a destiny and I was keeping you from that." Neal swallowed. "Look, I'm not proud of what happened. I regret it…I regret it every single day. But you know, you had this great destiny and I knew I wasn't a part of that. I'm no savoir, Emma. I always thought you were better than me. A better person. Deserved so much more than anything I could give you. I thought…I figured this was a chance for you to have that. To have all that good stuff."

Emma remained silent, letting the idiot ramble. When it seemed he was done she laughed dryly. "Don't give me that bull shit."

"What? It's all the truth. Every line. I mean it."

"No, I know you think you mean it. But it's not going to change anything, so stop trying to flatter me. Don't go playing the 'I wasn't good enough card'. Cause you tried that, remember? You tried and I told you flat out that it didn't matter. So whatever you did don't you dare sit here and tell me it was because you thought I was better than you."

Neal's eyes flickered and Hook saw all timidity in the man. There was no fight in him.

"As for what I deserved, I deserved to have you stick around. I don't care what bull shit that…whoever fed you, but I know that if he had come to me?" She paused as she made sure to make eye contact, as much as Neal fought to avoid it. "There is nothing he could have said that would have made me leave you without a word."

"You don't know what happened. Who I am. Really am. I—"

"I know who you are, Neal. I know exactly who you are. You're the son of a coward and you've turned out just like him." She started walking again and Neal followed.

"I was. I am…" Neal shook his head. "For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Emma. I never meant…hurting you was the last thing I would ever want—"

"Yeah, well, it happened. Cause you did. You hurt me. And it's the last time, buddy. Cause I'm never giving you the chance again." Emma finally stopped walking, her shoulders tense. Neal stopped with her, looking at the ground.

"You're bringing me to him." He said, hesitant, but he wasn't running any more.

Emma didn't answer. She considered her words very carefully and then seemed to decide something. Her eyes focused on Neal. "Listen up. Here's how this is going to go down. I'm going to drop you off to Gold. Fulfill my part of the deal. Once you're there my job ends and I don't care what you do or that I ever see you again."

Neal nodded. "'Kay. I understand." He sounded wounded, but no one listening really cared.

"When we get there…there's gonna be a boy with him. You are not to speak to him. You are not to look at him. You are just going to go with Gold and that's the end of this story. You got that?" Emma seemed scared now. Worried. If not by the look of determined resolution on her face, Hook could sense as he watched her fingers play with the edges of her pockets.

"Got it."

Emma nodded. "Good. Okay."

They rounded a final corner and Hook's eyes left Emma for the first time since finding her. Gold.

"You did it, mom!" Henry ran toward her, unaware of the gravity of the situation. "I said you would."

Neal stopped in his tracks. "Mom?"

"Yeah. Let's get going, Henry." Emma pulled her son into her side and walked next to Gold. "It's done. I got him. Now I'm taking my son and leaving."

Gold didn't speak. He didn't even acknowledge her. Emma almost didn't stop to care. She started walking again, pulling Henry with her before he got her to stop.

"I wanna watch. We came all this way…" Henry protested, looking over his shoulder. Emma tried to keep the kid's focus on her, but failed.

"Can you just trust me, Henry? We've got to go."

Gold had stepped forward and Neal was caught wanting to run from his father and run toward Emma. So he stood there.

"Baelfire?" Tears glistened on the Crocodile's eyes and that name halted Hook instantly.

Thinking of him as Neal or as simply 'Gold's son' had been one thing. But the name Baelfire…hearing it spoken and seeing the man that he had once seen as a child, it made him hesitate. How many times had Hook heard that name called into the darkness and nightmares as regret tormented Milah's dreams? How often had she spoken of the name fondly in memories or stories?

But this was for Milah. The swell of vengeance and his warped heart made him consider striking out at the boy, man. At Neal. One final blow to the Crocodile's heart before Hook ended him for good. It would be the last thing Rumplestiltskin saw. A knife in the back of his beloved son's neck right before Hook used it to pierce his rotting heart. And Hook's smile was vile and his eyes were venomous. And he ached at the gratification of terror and complete horror in the Crocodile's eyes before the end.

What stayed his hand was Henry. Henry running back into the thick of things as Gold began to talk at Neal.

"Henry get back here." Emma ran after him, catching Henry by the arm before they got closer.

"It's him. I can tell." Henry struggled. "I can see it. Let me go. Mom, he's here. He's here."

"Henry you're wrong." Emma held him as Henry fought to get to Neal.

"No. No, I'm not. I'm right. And you know it. Please. I have to see him. I have to know." He broke free as Emma slackened her grip. She was on her knees from holding him and she pivoted, defeated.

Henry stood next to Gold, looking up at Neal with the wide smile of a boy who had just found his father. "Dad."

Neal stared at Henry for a long while. Not moving. No one moved.

Finally, Neal looked to Emma and she closed her eyes as she nodded slowly.

"See. I knew it."

"Okay, Henry." Emma stood near her son. "You've seen him."

"But. But I have so many questions and I—"

"We'll get to that, kid." She was staring down Neal while she spoke. "I promise. I'll answer anything you want to know, but this is Mr. Gold's moment. Let's get going." Henry allowed himself to be lead by his mother and that is when Hook was moving.

Eyes on Emma, Hook moved with a passing crowd and left Gold and Neal behind. It was a sudden decision. One he hadn't quite made before he was acting on it. It wasn't the right time. He needed to wait for the dagger like planned. Baelfire changed things. The rationalizations piled on his shoulders as he sought Emma. He felt guilty. He had let an opportunity pass. Even if he knew that he would never have harmed Milah's son for his vengeance. Even if the real reason he was running right now was to catch up to Emma. Because Emma was going to need him. Because…because…because fucking Rumplestiltskin could wait.

"Swan." Hook caught up to them, now a few blocks from where they had left Gold. She rounded, attack mode.

"Hook."

"Surprised to see me?" He grinned.

"I…yeah. What're you doing here?" She held onto Henry. "Gold. Obviously."

Hook adopted a casual nonchalance. "Yeah, I've other plans for my Crocodile. Now's not my moment."

"Then what're you doing here?"

He swallowed and bit at his tongue. "I might be over stepping my bounds, but you look like you could use the company."

Emma opened her mouth then shut it. "Thanks, but I really don't."

Hook shrugged. "Then I'll just have to follow you."

"I'm so not in the mood for this." Emma groaned, pressing a hand to her temple.

"My point, exactly, love. You may be doing a fine show for everyone else, but you are most definitely not fine. At least let me see you to an inn or wherever it is people stay."

"That's Hook, isn't it?" Henry was staring at the pirate with a hint of awe in his eyes.

"Yeah, kid." Emma bent to Henry's level. "Listen. There's a lot I need to tell you. And…" Then she bent toward him so that Hook couldn't hear. "Is it cool if he comes? You say the word and he's gone."

"Nah. I think he's here to be nice. And that's never a bad thing." Henry observed. "Are you cool with it?"

His mother opened her mouth and closed it. Damn kid and his insightful questions. "I really don't think he's going to let up." Emma said seriously.

Henry nodded. "Then we better just let him come. It'll be best for everyone."

"Kid speaks with a wisdom beyond his years." Hook commented with a smirk. "Not surprising, but I would heed the lad's advice if I were you."

Emma stood up and glared. "We get one thing straight now. You watch what you say in front of my son and you get too annoying and I'm punching you and leaving you where you fall."

"You wound me." He stepped closer. "I've enough decency to hold my tongue in the presence of a child, or do you really think me so reprehensible?"

"Just come on and shut up." She groaned, turning again to guide Henry.

A/N: So, I just wanted to kind of point out that I understand the meeting of these characters would probably be more explosive. I know I skipped over Gold and Neal's meeting. I know I didn't do it quite the justice it deserves, but this is a Captain Swan story that I wanted to focus on them and their interactions. I just needed to write out Emma's reactions to Neal so that I could get Hook and Emma where I want them to be later in the story. So. Please don't judge that part too harshly. I know it's no where near how intense that scene should be. But eh. If I really wanted to get into it, it'd take pages and so many hours of thought that I just wasn't having it for this story's purposes. Hope you enjoyed it any way. Thanks for reading. ^_^