Trigger warnings; torture, attempted murder, betrayal, etc.

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Click.

Killian's heart leapt into his throat as he heard and felt something close around his wrist after taking the hand Emma offered. His eyes dropped down to find a chain.

Emma had chained him to a post.

His breath caught in his throat as he met her eyes before she started to walk away and panic overcame him.

"SWAN! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! You just HAD to betray Cora for this woman, didn't you?!' His mind chastised as a shiver ran up his spine. His hand and hook were shaking as he tried to yank his arm through the chain.

'If Cora finds out, I'm dead! And the kids..' He paled at the very thought.

If Cora tortured him for trying to kill her, what would she do to his kids now that she knew they existed and he had betrayed her?

He could already hear the screams of pain and terror and it made him sick to his stomach.

"Why not?" Emma called back, not looking at him.

Blast this bloody woman to hell' Killian swore internally, silently panicking.

He didn't know what to do.

He couldn't tell her he had kids because no hero would leave children in a Pirate's care— even if the kids were his own. And she might use them against him. But at the same time, he couldn't not tell her because she was desperate to get back to her son and wouldn't let anyone get in the way of getting back to him.

It was probably the only way she'd possibly bring him with her.

It was a lose-lose situation and his babies were at risk either way.

He really, really needed to get back to his babies before Cora found out that he had betrayed her and if Emma left him, he probably wouldn't be able to.

He needed to make a decision and make it quick because Emma definitely wasn't gonna wait around for long.

Suddenly, he was assaulted by a borage of memories involving his kids.

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8 month old, Harriet was toddling toward him for the first time— her long, curly hair falling in her face as she did so.

"That's it, lassie, you got it. Careful, careful" Killian instructed, Kneeling a few feet in front of her with his arms held out for her.

She giggled and quickly waddled into his arms, immediately being swooped up by him.

"There you go!" He lifted her into the air.

"You did it! That's my girl! " he exclaimed, kissing the giggling baby's cheek. She wrapped her little arms around his neck and rubbed her head up against his cheek, smiling widely.

It was one of Killian's most favorite memories that he was sure he'd cherish forever.

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"D-a-d-dy " 3 year old Harry stammered out for the first time.

Causing Killian to freeze and spin around in shock .

"Did you just...?" He sputtered, nearly dropping the barrel he was holding.

Harry nodded, reaching out for him "d-daddy."

A grin painted itself upon Killian's face as his mind caught up with the situation.

He set the barrel aside and quickly picked up his mini-me, smiling widely as he hugged him "you can talk!"

Harry had been having trouble for years trying to learn and the fact that he was, indeed, capable of saying at least one word made Killian the proudest father in the world.

Harry giggled, causing Killian to laugh as well before he kissed the toddler's cheek.

"Daddy" the boy repeated, as Killian cupped his head. It was one of the proudest moments of Killian's life.

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"Calista get down from there" Killian called up to his 3 year old daughter, chuckling slightly as he saw her climbing up the mast.

His little girl was definitely his daughter— his brother would attest to that if he was still alive.

"But daddy!" Cj whined, pouting "I wanna get to the top!"

Killian couldn't help but roll his eyes at that statement, hoping that she wouldn't be as wild as he was when she got to be a teenager.

"No buts, get down from there. It's dangerous, " he ordered more sternly.

Cj pouted and huffed.

"Don't huff at me, little lady," he said without any heat.

"Okay daddy. Sorry."

"It's okay, monkey. Please just get down from there" To Killian's horror, the 3 year old grabbed a rope and jumped off the Mast— nearly giving him a heart attack as she swung down beside him flawlessly.

"What's wrong daddy? Did you see a ghost?" Cj asked innocently, not understanding why he had gone so white.

"Nothing sweetheart" he said faintly, absentmindedly patting her head.

That was the first of many heart attacks CJ would give him.

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He quickly made his decision.

"Because I have kids too!" He called out frantically, causing Emma to freeze on the spot. He quickly forced himself to keep talking so she wouldn't leave— so she would listen to him and his words. "Two little girls and a boy— all under 10 years old that need their dad . Cora knows about them— if she finds out I betrayed her for you and the others, think of what she will do to them!"

"She can't be that bad" was the first thing Emma said— trying her best to keep the doubt, hesitation, and fear out of her voice. She didn't want or need 3 children's deaths on her hands— especially if it meant that Hook would be her enemy.

If he was willing to wait 200 years for revenge on Gold for god knows what, what would he do to her for getting his kids killed?

Killian's panic grew and he did the only thing he could think of.

He grabbed his collar and yanked it down— revealing a large hand shaped burn mark which overlapped with a giant bruise. "She is! If she's capable of doing this because I tried to warn the villagers, then what do you think she will do if she finds out I betrayed her?!"

All the color drained from Emma's face at the sight. She hadn't known that Cora had hurt him — she probably wouldn't have planned on leaving him behind if she had known that the queen had.

"Is this why you helped her?" The blonde questioned faintly, staring at the injury.

"Well, I couldn't have very well said no, could I?" He asked a bit pointedly. "You're a parent too, Swan. You have to know of the lengths one would go to protect their child— their defenseless child."

Emma still seemed hesitant to help him, so he pulled the last trick he had up his sleeve.

"Cora gave me the ashes of the magical wardrobe for safe keeping. You can use them along with the compass to get back to Storybrooke— just please, please, please take me and my children with you. They need to be safe."

Emma blinked at the revelation and began fidgeting with the shackle.

"Okay, fine. You can come with us. BUT —" she cut him off, stressing the 'but' part. "If you try to backstab me and the others, I will make you regret the day you were ever born. Understood?"

Killian thought about replying with it was too late for that but wisely decided to just nod instead of speaking what was on his mind.

"Good. Now come on" she said, undoing the shackle. "And you will be seeing a doctor when we get back."

Killian groaned, not liking the idea of that.