12An Alternative Ending
It took awhile before Snow White, Charming, and Regina convinced Emma to leave. She and Henry said their goodbyes and began to climb into Emma's yellow Volkswagen beetle. There was one person Emma couldn't bear to say good bye to but she did her best. It was Captain Hook. As the car got started and the engine revved up memories kept buzzing around in Hook's mind. The first time he met Emma Swan and how he was captivated by her hair, eyes, and overall disposition. He thought of every time they flirted, usually instigated by himself. The way she smiled at him in the hospital when he cracked his ribs. Their first kiss in Neverland. All of these scenes kept haunting him and he realized he couldn't be without the woman he loved. So he did something drastic and impulsive.
The car inched forward to the town border and Regina began to keep the new curse away and to stop it. Hook got a running start at the car. The townspeople shouted for him to come back to them and his senses but he drowned their voices out. He leaped onto the roof of the car and dug his hook into to get a good grip. His hook even dug all the into the interior which tore up the material inside. Everyone gasped and inside the beetle Henry and Emma almost jumped out of their seats. Henry saw the Hook directly has he turned to wave goodbye to the life he knew. Emma saw the hook in the rear view mirror.
Back behind the town line everyone was wondering the same thing. One, why was Hook doing this? And two, what would happen to the three of them now. Snow White went over to Regina to find out what could happen. Regina sighed.
"I don't know. There's a 50/50 chance that Hook could lose his memories as well. But there's also the chance that with Hook along with them, Emma and Henry can keep there memories."
"Then its a good thing he's going with them." Snow said with some small hope in her voice.
Charming wrapped his arm around Snow to comfort her. Regina continued stopping the curse.
"Now everybody," Regina said in an almost command, "Let's go home."
And then Storybrooke and its inhabitants disappeared, like they were nothing more than a vague mist.
Along the road as Emma and Henry drove away from what was Storybrooke, the dangling hook behind them started to get to them. Henry asked if they were going to pull over soon to let Captain Hook in the car with them. In an annoyed voice Emma said no.
"But he must really love you if he's willing to risk it all and come with us." Henry pointed out.
"Not now Henry. When need to figure out where we're going to go. The closest is either Boston or Massachusetts. What do you think?"
"How about Boston? Its where we first met."
Emma smiles at her son.
"Then Boston it is."
Time passes in silence and for awhile Henry fell asleep dreaming of his family in the enchanted forest. When Henry woke up a few minutes later he was able to convince Emma to pull over to the side of the road to let Hook in. Emma stepped out, put a hand on her hip, and then crossed her arms.
"I hope you're going to pay for the damage to my car."
"Whatever the lady wants." Hook swats flies away from his face as he says this, "So beautiful are you going to let me in?"
"If you want in Hook then get off my car. You're sitting in the backseat though."
"I wouldn't expect anything else."
Hook slides off the car and climbs into the backseat. Once they were all inside the headed back on the road again. Hook asks where they are going.
"Boston," Henry answers.
Emma didn't say anything though. Hours later Henry says that he is getting hungry.
"We're almost at Boston. We'll stop at the first place that sells food."
They stop at a Starbucks nearby. Of course the cafe didn't have much in terms of food but at least Henry could get a cook or a muffin to snack on. Also Emma could get a cup of coffee to try and calm her nerves. Hook would finally find out what the big deal about coffee was.
Inside Hook and Henry grab a table in by the window. Henry says he wants a pumpkin cookie and a muffin. Hook says whatever coffee Emma gets is fine with him. While Emma was waiting in line at the cash register she could feel tears start to come to her eyes again. She tries to blink them away and it seems to work but her voice begins to crack a little. The woman behind the counter asked what Emma wanted. Emma ordered to venti sized cups of coffee for herself and Hook(with extra creamer) and Henry a hot chocolate along with his cookie and muffin. She payed for the order with her credit card and took it back to her table.
Drinking her coffee, Emma was strangely silent and both Henry and Hook tried to get her to talk. She gives them a weak smile but they don't believe it. Emma excuses herself to go to the restroom, Hook follows her. Before she is able to enter Hook grabs her arm.
"Let go Hook," she demands.
"No. Tell me what's going on."
"N-Nothing. Nothing," she chokes.
"You're easy to read Swan. I know you."
"You do don't you? Then you know when to drop the subject with me and leave me alone. And besides, Henry's almost done and there's a hotel not too far from here. We can stay there."
"Can you drive?"
"Well you can't and Henry's too young, so I have to."
Soon the leave the cafe and in the hotel Henry killed time by watching television but there was nothing on except fairy tale cartoon that kept reminding him of his lost family. So in the end Henry had decided to go to bed early. Emma wasn't so lucky though. Thoughts about her parents, Regina, Neal kept running through her mind. She had lost them a second time after having just found them months ago and the pain of losing them became too great. For the first time that day Emma was finally able to cry. She sunk down against the wall by the kitchenette, hugged her knees to her chest, buried her head in her knees and cried.
Hook was sitting on the sofa when he noticed Emma crying. She looked so vulnerable with her guard down. He saw that the sweater she was wearing was hanging off one of her shoulders, and to him it also looked like her bare feet were getting cold. So he got up and walked over to her with his hands in his pockets. He held out his hand in front her and helped her up. Emma's eyes were red, itchy, and stained with tears.
"I understand Swan. Do you want to talk about it?"
Emma tries to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"You lost your brother, have you ever lost your parents?"
Hook took his flask out of his pocket, uncorked it with his teeth, and took a swig of rum. He handed to to Emma, she took a drink from it as well.
"My father was a coward. He left me and my brother and we never saw him again." Hook confessed.
"Yes, but you had more than half a year with him," Emma sniffles.
"You don't have to do this alone Swan. You don't have keep those walls up. I followed you for a reason."
Emma leans against the wall and tells Hook that now wasn't the time. Hook grabbed one of Emma shoulders and kissed her. At first Emma's apprehensive but wraps her free arm around Hook's neck and tangles her fingers in his hair. They pull away breathlessly, their noses touch briefly and Hook pushes a lock Emma's hair behind her ear.
"...'Night Swan." Hook says as he walks away to the sofa to get some sleep.
"Good night," Emma whispers.
A year passes by and Emma, Captain Hook, and Henry make it to New York City. All three of them live in a decent apartment. Potted plants are near the windows with vines climbing on the wooden edges. Red wood oak cover the floors and an ebony black table sits in the middle of the kitchen(also more of a kitchenette). There's one small bathroom in the middle of the short hall. Across the bathroom is Henry's bedroom. Decorating his walls were child-like drawings of Snow White, and Charming, and Regina and what his family once was. And at the end of the hall was Hook and Emma's bedroom. Nothing much was done with it, in fact it looked pretty plain, but that's how Emma wanted it.
Their lives were good, considering what they had been through the year before. It wasn't exactly a home though, at least, not without the whole family. They had each other, and Henry wouldn't be alone, so it was bearable. Plus Emma had to admit that Hook did make a good step-father. Soon though their new lives they built would be turned upside down.
Sunday morning was the day it happened. Henry had elected to sleep in that day but Emma was up bright and early. It was the anniversary of the day she was once again torn away from her parents. Since she didn't have to work weekends she stayed at home. Today she sulked on the black leather sofa with a cold cup of coffee in her hands. She wore an old black spaghetti strap tank top. The jeans she wore were faded boot cuts and the boots she wore were knee-length. Although her blond hair looked like a hot-mess but somehow attractive. Hook, after awhile, came up behind and tried to take the cup of coffee from her hands.
"I think you've had enough love." Hook told her.
"So when I say that with you and rum, it doesn't count?" Emma says without turning around.
"Its part of my personality," he says with a smile.
He leans over the sofa and starts kissing her, starting with her left shoulder. He starts up her neck slowly, then on her cheek, stopping just short an inch of her lips. Emma finches away from his touch and slides over to the opposite side of the sofa. She then places her coffee on the small, side table.
"No! Not now," she whispers.
Hook walks in front of the sofa and tries to sit by Emma. Emma just stands up and paces back and forth. He tries to convince her to sit down beside him and to calm down. She crosses her arms across her chest, it makes the top she was wearing slightly raise to show a centimeter of her stomach.
"How can you be so calm Hook?" Emma demanded, "A year ago today, we were separated from everyone we loved. I'll never see my parents again. Henry will never see Regina or Gold or his other grandparents again. He'll never see Neal again. And you'll never see them again either."
"What is it the Charmings always say?" Hook said as he put a finger to his lips in a thoughtful gesture, "I will..." he trailed off with a smile on his face and Emma sat down next to him with her legs curled up under her. She stares down at the hard wood floor before speaking.
"...Always find you," she finishes. "Yes but if you remember, optimism skipped a generation."
"Even as a pirate I have more optimism than you," Hook joked.
"Watch it Hook," Emma smiles.
She kisses Hook quickly, then grabs her coffee, and goes to the kitchen to reheat her coffee. The bright green numbers count down to zero. Hook gets up for the sofa and goes over to Emma, comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her waist. He says that he must really love her. The microwave beeped when it was done warming up the coffee. Emma grabs the coffee, letting it burn her fingers. Hook took the coffee from her hands and placed it on the counter, he then cradles her face and kisses her.
Minutes later Henry is up and walks in on them. He's wearing a slightly oversized shirt and blue plaid pajama bottoms. He has bed hair which he smooths down with his hand.
"Captain Hook is kissing my mom. Should I be embarrassed?" Henry asks aloud.
Emma and Hook pull apart and Emma drinks her coffee, she leans against the counter too.
"Hey lad, shouldn't you be into girls by now?" Hook teases.
Emma ribs Hook and walks over to Henry. She rests her arm on Henry's shoulder and smiles.
"You hungry kid?"
"Starving. Can we have french toast?"
"Sure."
They walk back to the kitchen, Henry sits down at the table and comments that Emma seemed to be in a better mood then she had been in before. As Emma prepares the ingrediants to make the french toast she comments that she had a little help from Hook.
"He helped remind me what family I come from."
Suddenly there's a knock on the door.
"Will you mix the eggs Hook while I go see who that is," Emma asks.
"As the lady wishes."
Emma walks over to the door and looks through the peephole. She couldn't believe who she saw in the distorted image of the glass. Outside in the apartment complex's hallway was a woman. She was dressed in a lavender ballgown with a white shall wrapped around her. Her eyes looked desperate, innocent, and sweet. It was none other than the beautiful Snow White, also known as Mary Margret.
Emma gasped as she fumbled with the door knob to let Snow in. She kept repeating, "It can't be. It can't be." Finally though she managed to unlock and open the door. The two women just stood there staring at each other, neither sure if this was real. Snow smiled though and greeted her daughter with a tight and loving hug.
"Emma, I've missed you so much," Snow said.
"...Mary Margret?...M-mom? Is it you?" Emma asked through choking breaths.
Snow took a step back and took her daughter's face in her gloved hands.
"It can't be possible."
"Yes, it is Emma." Snow reassured her daughter, "And you're just as beautiful as ever."
"Emma what's taking so long?" Hook asked as he walked over to the front door, "Breakfast is—Snow?" Hook was shocked at who he saw with Emma. Could it really be Snow White?
Snow walked over to Hook and took his hand into both her own. She smiled a grateful smile and tears began to run down her face.
"I'm so glad you took care of my daughter and grandson."
"Henry!" Emma called out, "Come over her!"
"What?" Henry said confused. He saw what the commotion was about and a huge smile spread across his face as he ran to Snow. "Grandma!"
Henry hugged Snow tightly, afraid that if he let go she would disappear.
"What's going on? How did you get here? How's my mom, and dad?" his questions were endless.
Snow ruffled up Henry's hair a bit and said that they should discuss it as a family.
"Yeah. Let's sit at the table," Emma said as she led her mother, Hook and Henry to the kitchen table. "What's going on?"
"I missed you. Your father misses you. Even Regina misses you," Snow chuckled when she said that Regina missed Emma. "I had to see you again Emma. To see Henry again. I even had to see Hook again." Hook smiled at that and touched his fingers to his lips. "But that's not the only reason I came here searching for you."
"And?" Emma says.
"We're in trouble. The entire enchanted forest is in trouble." Snow inhaled, "The Wicked Witch of the West has taken over."
"Wicked. She's real?" Emma says with a doubtful edge to her voice.
"Every fairytale character is real," Henry added, "What's she doing?"
"She cast a powerful curse. Wicked is too powerful for even Regina to stop. We need you. All three of you."
Emma runs her fingers through her hair. She still can't believe her mother is right in front of her, that everything once again has turned upside down, but she knew what was happening was real. She was the savior after all.
Snow was about to reach for her daughter's hand when she saw something on her left wrist.
It was another tattoo, underneath her buttercup flower tattoo. It read: "As you wish," in an elegant script. Snow turned Emma's wrist over onto the table.
"What's this?" Snow asked.
Emma rubbed that area of her wrist, turned her head to the right, and had an apprehensive expression on her face.
"Hook has a matching one on his wrist too," Emma slowly answers, "Tiffanys' doesn't take take gold doubloons or pieces of eight. Plus, it made sense. You and David have 'I will always find you. ' We've kind of gone with 'As you wish.'"
"I witnessed it," Henry says.
"You and Hook got married," Snow sadly says, "I'm sorry I missed it."
"It wasn't much. It was at the courthouse," Hook said.
"As long as you're happy. I just wished I could have been there. That we all could have been there."
"You had to go," Emma told Snow, "How'd you get here? How do we all get there?
Snow gulped.
"Regina created a portal. David and I disagreed on who should come here. We finally agreed tha it should be me to come to you. Before I left Regina handed me a scroll. She said that you would know what to do."
Snow handed Emma the scroll. Emma stared at the scroll in her hands.
"Make a portal? It's been a year since I've done magic. I don't know if there's any still in me."
"I know you can do it Emma," Snow says, "And you're the only one here you can do this."
"We all believe in you," Henry says, patting his mother on her back.
"Aye." Hook adds.
So Emma concentrated and gathered every ounce of belief and magic that was inside her. The magical power began flowing through her veins. Her eyes close and open in determination. She tells them to hand her something. Anything in order to make a portal. Henry grabs a frying pan and dumps the french toast out of it and into the trash.
"Will this work."
"Yeah, it should. Place it on the floor. Hook, move the table."
Everyone stands up and gathers around the frying pan. Magic burst out of Emma's hands and almost knocks her to the ground from the force of it all. Hook managed to steady her though. Emma sent bright pink smoke into the pan. It swirled and swirled in it and grew in size until it overflowed out of the pan. The pink smoked covered every inch of the floor and a portal in the same shade of pink opened up.
"I knew you could do it," Snow sad patting her daughter on the shoulder, "On the count of three then?"
Hook started the count.
"One!"
"Two!" Henry shouted.
"THREE!" Emma and Snow said together.
Emma, Snow, and Henry held hands with Hook holding onto Henry's shoulder so he wouldn't be separated and they jump into the portal. And as soon as they did the portal closed behind them and they left their New York lives behind them.
THE END
Author's Note: I hoped you enjoyed this story. I doubt that I'll do another chapter for this story but be on the look out for another sweet Captain Swan fic soon, as well as a Frozen(2013) fanfic. Lots of love.