The Princess and The Hatter

Control

"Sorry," she offered meekly, feeling even more ashamed of her powers.

"Don't be," he reassured her. "We'll figure this out."

000

Hook stared bleakly up at the white ceiling of his hospital room. He was going on two days in that god forsaken bed and he was beginning to go stir crazy. He missed his ship. The only bright spots were the occasional visits from Swan. He enjoyed pestering her into conversing with him, despite her obvious annoyance. He'd tried desperately to convince her to return his hook, but so far she'd refused. That didn't deter him. His charm always won out in the end.

He was in the middle of recounting the dots on the ceiling above him when a flash of purple smoke appeared in the corner of his eye. He heaved a heavy sigh and pretended to be upset at the disturbance. "Hello Cora," he drawled. "Here to mock me, I suppose?"

"Well that was my original intention, but then I found this." Cora flicked her wrist in the air and a silver hook materialized in the air from a cloud of smoke. Hook's eyes widen and he sat up in anticipation, wincing at the pain from his cracked ribs as he did so. "Here," she said as she tossed it to him. He caught it expertly with his good hand. "Think of it as a parting gift."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked as he returned his hook to its rightful place. He grinned as it clicked into position.

"It means that from now on me and you are through," Cora explained. "I found my daughter on my own with no help from you. Together she and I will take down the Dark One, Snow White and anyone else who dares to stand in our way as we make our way back to the top where we belong. You would just be a nuisance."

"You swore you'd leave the Dark One to me," Hook spat, his anger bubbling to the surface.

"Yes, but as it turns out, you're stuck here and I'm afraid I don't have time to wait for your recovery."

Hook let out an angry snarl and went to take a stab at her but found his wrist bound to the bed by the handcuffs Swan had applied earlier. Cora smirked, satisfied that her point was made. "So long Hook," she said as she disappeared the same way she had come, leaving Hook seething and plotting his revenge.

000

Exasperation filled Gold as he heard the bell above his door ring as someone entered the shop. "We're closed," he barked, not bothering to look up from the item he was packaging to see who it was. His patience was wearing thin, and he was anxious to be on his way to finding his son.

"I've never known you to be one to pass up a deal, Rumplestiltskin."

Gold recognized the voice instantly. There weren't many people he'd bothered to get acquainted over his years in the Enchanted Forest, and even fewer that he could actually stand. However, he had had one business partner over the years that became the closest thing he'd ever had to a friend.

"I didn't think you did that thing anymore Jefferson," he said calmly. The two had not spoken since the birth of the hatter's daughter Grace, but he was still one of the few people Rumplestiltskin felt no animosity towards.

"Well, I didn't, but these are extenuating circumstances," Jefferson explained.

"Like the time the witch you were attempting to court turned you into a snail?"

Jefferson sighed. "You still won't let me live that down will you?"

"Don't count on it," Rumplestiltskin jested. "What is it you need?"

"I was wondering if you might consider taking up teaching again."

"As long as you're not the student," the deal maker dead-panned.