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[It’s taken Hook a while to type out the message. What business do letters have being in some strange, nonsensical order? What sort of alphabet goes from Q to M instead of A to Z? It’s bloody confusing, but he’s managed, at last, to type out his message on the automatic writing mechanism he found in his pocket. It seems to have some sort of magical ability to show images and produce sounds too, but he has yet to figure those ones out.

The message is short and a bit stilted. He’s not used to having to hunt so hard for each letter, and finding advanced punctuation or capital letters is beyond him. But it gets the point across.]

to whom it may concern ive found myself on strange shores and could use information should it be available. the name is captain hook. im supposed to be in new york. does anyone know how to get there? i need to find emma swan. it is very important. sincerely, hook

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Guess that shouldn't surprise me, you being a pirate and all. I'm on my way.

[She begins to head for the foyer, taking the stairs down two at a time before making her way outside. It's not like Hook can't take care of himself, but the situation in Wonderland is delicate these days, and she can't have him saying the wrong thing in front of Mary Margaret or, worse yet, Henry.

He's going to need a debriefing.]

Kind of a long story? Not even the strangest one you've heard, but weird enough. Does the scenery look familiar at all?

[Those checkerboard hills are hard to miss.]

Perhaps... [There is something about it that reminds him of Wonderland, but it's different. ~~Less terrible CGI.~~ He looks around, frowning.]

I can't help noticing you don't sound surprised that a character from one of your stories is seeking you out.

Yeah, well, maybe it was a shock two years ago, but I've had some time to adjust.

[She doesn't even bother to mask the sarcasm in her voice as she heads across the grounds, picking up pace as she goes.]

Kind of a necessary part of being the so-called Savior, you know? Requires belief.

[Not that it came easily.]

I'd ask you what the hell you're doing here, but I already know it wasn't your choice.

I was under the impression that Regina's countercurse would leave you and Henry without memories of any of that. [This could save him a lot of effort. It means trying to kiss her isn't necessary, unfortunately, but perhaps reunion kisses won't be out of the question.]

Didn't quite take. [In a manner of speaking.] Pretty sure I got whisked here before it could go into effect. Hadn't driven over the line yet. Last I remember, we were all saying our tearful goodbyes.

[She might be playing it off with sarcasm, but it had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done -- being forced to say goodbye to these people who had come to mean something to her, the parents she'd been waiting for her entire life, not to mention--

Well. Others.

Her red jacket comes into view as she heads towards the shore at a fast clip, closing in on the beach in record time. She raises her voice as she gets closer, switching the phone off and slipping into her back pocket as she waves one arm just long enough to get his attention.]

Hook!

Swan! [Hook's face lights up as she approaches and he tosses his phone to the ground and strides towards her. Someone should probably tell him that this is not a good thing to do with phones, but for now he doesn't care. Nothing matters but reuniting with Emma.]

I have missed you.

[She cringes a little as the phone hits the ground -- at least they're probably magic, given where they are, so a little rough treatment won't keep them from working, but she'll have to give him a lesson or two in phone etiquette.]

Whoa, whoa--

[She puts both hands up as she slows her pace, the distance between them now narrow enough that she can talk to him without shouting.

God, is he going to try going in for a hug? He looks decidedly-- determined.]

I mean, I appreciate the sentiment and all, but it's been like five minutes since I got in the car. Unless--

[Oh, great. Of course. Damn it. She looks exasperated as she realizes that if he was asking about her memories, he must be from further on.]

Don't tell me there's more that I missed? I just got caught up.

...a year, by the sounds of it. [Forgetting her missing year is better than forgetting the rest, in his mind. He steps in closer, but he doesn't quite go for the hug yet, instead looking her up and down to see how she's looking. If she's from a year ago, if she remembers him, it hasn't been long for her.

But it's been a long time for him. And he's thought of her every day.]

You were living in New York. I'd only just tracked you down.

A whole year.

[She sighs, raking a hand through her hair. She doesn't bother stepping back when he moves closer, having gotten used to the pirate invading her personal space -- and it doesn't elicit the same roll of the eyes it used to.

A year. He'd mentioned New York, and that fell right in line with what Henry seemed to remember. So, Hook had turned up and gotten a look at her new life, the one Regina had made for them.

... if he'd come looking for her, then that meant something was wrong.]

Why did you come looking for me? How would you even get to New York? Did something happen?

[Nevermind that she's sure he has a hundred questions about Wonderland.]

Aye, something did, though I'm not sure what. I received a message telling me your family was in danger. I had to find you.

[And as unfortunate it is that the situation is so dire, he's glad to have the chance to see her again.]

I suppose finding you here saves me the difficulty of restoring your memories, but if we're stuck here...

[That's not good.]

That's nice and ominous.

[And not at all what she wants to hear. The Enchanted Forest is supposed to be home for them. They all should have been safe there, unless Regina's decided to play dirty again -- but she doubts it. They've had time to learn to co-exist. The Regina of now isn't the same woman who cast the curse.

But it's possible.

She sighs, folding her arms over her chest.]

They're all in tact, far as I know -- but yeah. 'Stuck' is definitely the word of the day. Or the last eleven months, in my case.

[Ominous indeed. And Hook's not sure they're out of danger yet.]

But if you're here... who was in your apartment? I know I had the right place.

Still me. It's complicated, but--

[Wait just a second. She raises both eyebrows, leaning back a little, questioning.]

You were at my apartment?

[Like she'd invited him over for tea and cookies or something? But no, going by the timeline, she wouldn't have had her memories, so him showing up--

Wow. That probably didn't go so well for him.]

As long as we're here, time freezes at the moment we're taken from. For everyone else who comes from the same place as you -- time proceeds normally. They never even realize you're gone. I've been here a whole damn year and nobody noticed -- went back home a few times in between and got caught up with the timeline, but every time I came back, it was the same. Didn't remember Wonderland while I was out, but once I got pulled through again, I remembered everything that happened here and out in the real world.

Where else would I have found you? [He frowns at her words, fingering the small vial of potion in his pocket. So will he need it for her or not? He pulls it out, holding it up in the light for her to see.]

The messenger that told me to find you also supplied me with this. It's a memory potion.

I'm almost impressed that you managed to find the place. I guess if you can trust anyone to find their way, it's a pirate.

[She pauses, studying the vial he holds up, pressing her lips together as she tilts her head to catch it in a different light. As magic potions go, it looks pretty standard.]

And that was supposed to just bring everything rushing back? Convenient. Who's it from?

Your mother, I assume. The note wasn't signed, but it came by bird. [And who else would send a bird?]

[By bird. Yeah, that sounds like her, but...]

Point, but why wouldn't she sign it if it was from her? Unless maybe she was worried about it being intercepted, but who's going to try and intercept a bird carrying some magic potion?

[Sometimes she can't believe the things she says out loud.]

As long as you're here, anyway, you won't need it. I remember everything that's happened so far, but-- [Wait.] That reminds me. We need to go over a few things before you see anyone else.

[Yeah, it sounded sketchy, but Hook had wanted to find a way to Emma anyway. Trap or no, he took that chance.]

Regina said Henry needs it. That he's missing some memories.

He is. It's--

[Awful? And yet, he has memories of a life that's entirely curse-free. The life he should have had.]

It's complicated. Wonderland is interfering with them. He doesn't remember things the way they actually happened in Storybrooke -- he doesn't remember Storybrooke at all, for that matter, but he remembers everything that happened here. It's getting all jumbled. The memories are bleeding into one another. It's... a lot for a kid. For all that to come rushing back at once?

[Besides, can they even guarantee that the potion works?]

Mary Margaret doesn't remember anything, either, but it's different. Everything that's happened since she and I met you? Hasn't happened for her yet. She won't even know who you are.

[Mary Margaret barely even knows who she herself is.]

You want to give it to her instead. [He'd noticed that Mary Margaret seemed to... not know the things she should know. It was hard not to when she was asking Hook things she certainly should have noticed and didn't seem to believe she was Emma's mother. Regina wouldn't be happy, he was sure. But when it came down to it, he cared a lot more about Emma's happiness than Regina's. He offers it to Emma with a slight smile.]

It's your call, love. There's only enough for one person.

I don't know who I want to give it to.

[It would be beneficial to both of them, but--]

They both have a lot of things they need to remember. I want Mary Margaret to remember who she is, I want Henry to remember his life, to remember the other people who are important to him-- but for either one of them, it could be pretty damaging.

All those memories just coming back into place. It could really screw someone up, you know?

Perhaps. But it's better than living a lie. [So Hook had assumed when he went to bring Emma's memories back. He can't help but wonder now if she would have wanted to remember as badly as he wanted her to. What was her life with Henry like when they couldn't remember?]

Snow White already regained her memories once, didn't she? She seemed to take to it all right before.

It's different.

[Her words come sharp, uncertain. Defensive.]

She took to it fine, but Henry-- he's a kid. He's my kid. Who knows what kind of effect it could have on him. Mary Margaret-- maybe she'll go back and stay there, or go and get caught up, I don't know. What if the potion screwed with that, too?

[Too many 'what ifs.' It's not like her, but things have been so tenuous around here lately that making decisions without weighing them properly-- it just seems like a recipe for disaster.

She sighs.]

Either way, it doesn't matter. Whoever drinks the potion, it doesn't change the fact that right now, they don't know you. You'll have to be careful what you say.

...might be a bit late for that. [His entire conversation with Snow needed a spoiler warning. He steps in a little closer, meeting her eyes.] Swan, I know how much protecting your family means to you. But you can't get yourself tangled in all the things you don't know. It'll only drive you mad.

[She narrows her eyes at him, suspicious.]

What did you say? You talked to them already?

[Not good. Very potentially not good -- but when he steps closer, she doesn't back away. There was a time when she would have preferred to be armed in his presence, but not so much anymore.]

This place is already driving me mad.

[She says it sharply, pointedly.]

I hear Wonderland's kind of famous for that.

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