Hooked (Hook's Daughter Fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter Twenty Eight

Kiliah walked beside her Pa as he and the crew of the Jolly Rodger made their way back from the tavern, laughing merrily as they passed through an alley.

Her smile dropped slightly as she saw a hooded figure coming towards them, and her grip tightened momentarily around the hilt of her sword as they approached. As they drew nearer however, her grip relaxed as she realised it could only be a peasant making his way back home late.

Just as they were about to pass, the peasant pushed past Kiliah, knocking her aside and continuing on. In a second, Kiliah had spun around and drawn her sword, but Killian held her back.

"Hey, you! Stop," he called after the man. "Even gutter rats have more manners than you just displayed."

"No, I'm so sorry, Sir," the peasant replied quietly.

Kiliah stepped forward. Though the peasant's hood was pulled down over his eyes, what she could still see of his face made her contort her face in disgust. "No," she said. "Not a rat at all. More..." Kiliah lent forward and hit the cup out of his hands, spilling the few coppers he'd collected onto the ground. The peasant scrambled to pick them up and Kiliah pushed him over with her foot. She could see his face more clearly now, and the man apepared to suffer from a condition which covered his face in brown scales. "More like a crocodile. What's your name, crocodile?"

The peasant started to laugh, and Kiliah exchanged an uncertain look with her Pa as he rose up and took down his hood.

"You," Killian breathed. "I remember you."

"Always nice to make an impression." The peasant's voice was strangely high - almost manical. "Where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced. Rumplestiltskin, or as others know me, The Dark One." Kiliah's eyes widened, and she could hear some of her crew start to back away. The captain and his daughter stood their ground, though Kiliah had heard of this man. By all accounts, this crocodile had been her Ma's last husband before her Pa had rescued her. But she had always been told he was a coward - she never knew that Rumplestiltskin and the Dark One were one and the same. "Oh! I see my reputation precedes me."

"It does," Killian replied as the Dark One started to circle them.

"Good! That's gonna save us time during the question and answer portion of our game."

"What is it you want to know?"

"How's Milah, of course?" the Dark One asked from behind them. Kiliah's eyes rose momentarily to look at her father before he answered.

"Who?"

"The older version of this oh-so-pretty child," the Dark One responded, and Kiliah tensed as he ran a hand down her arm as he moved in front of them. "Only too happy to, uh, dig out the memory, but it gets really messy."

"She's dead," Kiliah said at once, trying to keep her voice level. "Died a long time ago."

"What is it you want?" Killian asked.

"We didn't get a chance to finish our duel." Killian drew his sword, but the Dark One held up a hand to stop him. "Ah! Not now. Tomorrow at dawn. I am not a cruel man. Get your affairs in order. Also, you can spend tonight knowing it'll be your last." He giggled crazily. "Maybe I am cruel. And don't think about trying to escape, because I will find you, and I will gut your entire crew -" he switched to an Italian accent, "- like the fish." With a twirl of his hands, the Dark One disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kiliah wheeled around to face her Pa. "There's no way to kill the Dark One," she cried, fear evident in her eyes. "We must set sail at once. This may be his hunting ground, but the sea is ours."

"We can't," Killian replied, sounding resigned. "Kiliah we are more than just pirates. We don't steal and plunder for the bloody hell of it, we have a code. It's how we learn to live with ourselves after everything we've done." He sighed, then turned to meet her eyes. "A captain's duty is to ensure his men are safe, and the Dark One will not rest until he makes me pay for taking your Ma. You'll understand tomorrow, when the ship is yours."

Kiliah's mouth fell open in a mixture of surprise and anger, but no words came out as Killian continued walking back to the Jolly Rodger.