Captain Swan One Shots

The River of Broken Dreams (Part 1)

Two years -hell, two months- ago, if someone told Emma she'd be trekking through hell itself, Killian's first love and the grandmother of her son, Milah, Killian's brother Liam, and her family behind her, she would have done one of two things. Laughed in your face or punched you in the face. Either way, she would have thought you insane.

But here she was, doing just that. On her way to bring her dead boyfriend, Captain Hook back from the dead because he made her kill him and what was her life?

She has asked herself this question many times over the past few days here, in not-so-sunny hell.

After just three days, they'd encountered just about everyone they'd expect to find on their vacation to the underworld. Note the sarcasm.

Cora had been first, sitting in the mayor's office like she owned the place. Honestly, it wouldn't have surprised Emma if she ruled hell alongside Hades at this point, because why not?

Next, they found Pan. The kid was just casually frolicking around in Gold's shop in a tuxedo like it was normal and he wasn't an evil mastermind.

They even encountered Cruella. That had been an interesting conversation to say the least. "So now you gone and killed you boyfriend too?!"

At her words Emma nearly lost it and threw her off another cliff.

But Emma and her family had also met people like Milah, the woman who Killian spent so long seeking revenge on behalf of, the woman who he loved so much. They had briefly run into Killian's brother Liam too.

However, the one person they wanted to find was nowhere to be found.

They'd already been to the docks, Gold's shop, even Granny's and the Charmings' loft. Or at least the hell versions of them all which mind you, were not too pleasant.

Emma knew there was one place left to look but she didn't know if she would be able to bring herself to look there. However if he was nowhere else, she knew exactly where her pirate would be.

So she sucked it up and let the group to her house. Their house. The house she planned a future in, a future that was crushed by the violent hand of time, torn apart by the razor claws of darkness.

That's where they find him.

He sits outside on the steps of the massive house, his face is his hands.

Emma looks back to the crowd of people. The unlikely little group of heroes, villains and, well, ghosts because what else was she supposed to call Liam and Milah? Her dead, pretty-much-brother-in-law and the dead grandmother of her son, who followed her and her family to rescue her dead boyfriend as if this was completely normal -and God, did Emma need a vacation once this was all over... Far away from the nearest fairytale character. Expect maybe Captain Hook. Because oh my god she was dating him. Yep, Mexico sounded just great.

Hopeful as always, her mother was the first to speak.

"Go get him back Emma."

Encouraging nods came from everyone else.

With a deep breath, she made her way over to him.

Emma didn't exactly know what to say or do, so she opted to just sit beside him for a moment.

Bad idea.

She found herself imagining they were having a future together there, sitting on the steps of their house, maybe watching future children running around the yard with Henry?

Did he even know she was here? Could he sense her, or was he lost in his head, oblivious to everything, like some of the other spirits they'd come across?

Neal. He'd been oblivious. He had walked straight past them, as if his father, son, and the mother of his child weren't even there. Something about unfinished business, Liam had explained. Those whose lives had been cut short and weren't done with life we still conscious to everything around them. That made sense in a way, Emma supposed. Neal's life was definitely not short, what with him spending a few centuries in Neverland. And he'd sacrificed himself, but there wasn't really anything unfinished.

And shit.

Killian's life hadn't been short either, her 300 year old pirate.

Honestly, what was it with her and men a billion times her age?

Back to reality, Swan.

Or not reality, because hell.

This was ridiculous

She sighed, hoping to god or Hades or whatever, that he wasn't one of those zombies.

Emma put her arms around Killian and looked up at the charred house.

"You know, I remember it being a little less crispy," she smiled.

Slowly, he looked up, a horrified expression darkening his features.

"What the everloving hell are you doing?!?"

Tears brimmed his eyes and- oh.

He thought she was dead, that she'd died and left her family.

"I'm getting you back," she said softly.

"Swan, you- you're...?"

"I'm not dead," Emma slowly raised her hand to his cheek. "I came here... We all did, to get you back."

"How?" He breathed a sigh of relief because she was okay.

"See, that's where things get interesting. Come on, I have some people for you to meet, er, talk to. You've, uh, you've met them."

God, how was he going to react to Milah and Liam? Would he be mad that she brought them to see him, inevitably forcing him to eventually leave them again? Would he be upset that he didn't get the opportunity to introduce them to her?

Was he still mad at her? Crap, he probably was.

No. Stop thinking. Pay attention, he's talking, Emma.

"Emma...?" He looked at her expectantly.

"Sorry, what?"

"That was my question. What do you mean I've met them?" He asked.

Emma just smiled. "Come on, you'll see," she said pecking his cheek lightly and leading him towards everyone else.