Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

_Can we go too far to find, what is waiting here_

_A little fall from grace_

_On the longest night_

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**CHAPTER ONE**

Emma Swan had chosen the most dingy, unpopular, and ramshackle bar in Storybrooke to hole down in. The decrepit bar was nuzzled into the underskirts of two neighboring buildings, both in similar states of decay. The rusted windows were caked with dust and it was only through the soft luminance protruding from the filthy glass, that one had the realization that this shady bar was actually inhabited and awaiting customers.

On numerous occasions had Emma pondered why this whole section of Storybrooke had not been demolished and completely remodeled. Passerby could not even say that there was some historical significance in preserving the area as there wasn't a single fathomable reason that existed. It was just there. For no other reason than to be the ugly bruise marring its otherwise beautiful surroundings.

It was utter shit compared to the rest of the town which was quaint, cozy, and picturesque.

Still, at that moment, she was grateful.

Grateful for this dodgy little bar in this teeny little alleyway which none of her friends, or for that matter even the _locals, _ever visited.

It was the den of anonymity, Emma thought as downed another drink. She glanced around at the other, very scarce, inhabitants- none of who were familiar. She smiled secretly over the rim of her glass whilst ordering another drink.

_Perfect._

Sometimes her little town could be stifling. No secret ever remained hidden. You saw the same faces every day. Everything you did was laid bare for the locals, and now for her family, to see. It wasn't like before where she could just spread her wings and fly whenever the desire and whim hit her. She could not live the life she had in the past which overall encompassed the notion of running away. Emma simply couldn't skip town now. And it was more than that. She didn't want to leave this town. Even in the short amount of time she had resided in Storybrooke, it felt more like a home to her then any of the prior locations she had settled in.

Not only that but-she had a son, a mother and father. She suddenly had a functioning and whole family. It was more then Emma thought she would ever grasp in her clutches. And the idea of abandoning them, _relinquishing_ them, made her heart ache. She shyed away from even the thought of that hypothetical pain.

And she absolutely abhorred and refused the thought of leaving her son with the same taste of abandonment that still lingered in her own mouth. It was repugnant. All of this had resulted in the essential immature need to get shitfaced (Albeit even if it was only for one night) because life was stressful. She just needed to let go of the surmountable amount of responsibility that had been practically shoved on her life. She was at her limit, her boiling point, and since she didn't consider herself to be the brightest crayon in the box, getting wasted off her ass was the smartest decision to solve all the unresolved issues of her suddenly complicated and overwhelming life.

But she didn't want anyone else to _see_. Because God's knows, it wasn't acceptable for a mother- a twenty-eight year old woman-to go to a bar for the main reason of getting completely sodden wasted.

Not acceptable here, in this little town, anyway.

Hence the reason she was at this shady, dirt-ridden bar instead of her usual watering hole, Granny's. She sighed already missing its warmth and familiarity. But a drink here was the same as a drink anywhere; it could get the job done.

As the bartender proffered his next drink to her with a sleazy leer on his face, she dismissed him without a second glance. He was harmless. Just toothless.

She tried not to grimace in disgust as she grabbed her drink.

All the people in the bar were harmless, really. This bar wasn't the place that housed convicts or criminals- she would know, being the sheriff and all. It more of housed all the social outcasts and pariah's of the town. They all congregated together in their brooding stages of awkwardness. She wondered if she stuck out like a sore thumb or if she fit in with all these misfits. She was a misfit too after all. A lonely, awkward, angry, issue ridden woman. She could admit it.

Emma sighed, running a hand through her long blonde hair. One finger traced the rim of her filthy vodka-enhanced container. Her spirits were low and she tried not to think- because it just made her overwhelmed and unhappy- and instead decided to choose vodka. Copious amounts of vodka.

Just drink Emma. She told herself. Shut up with all these stupid feelings of yours. The world will look brighter tomorrow.

She shrugged. Well, probably not- depending on her bad her hangover would be.

_Christ._

Thinking of the past week, she groaned in frustration and swallowed another burning mouthful of liquor.

She wasn't cut out for this new role that had suddenly been bestowed and practically shoved upon her. The expectations everyone wanted of her were higher then she could ever reach and would only result in disappointment. Rubbing her aching temples, Emma thought about her inefficiency as a savior, and even more importantly- her failure as both a mother and a daughter.

_Let's face it, _She murmured absentmindedly,_ I'm no cuddly teddy bear. _

She had a hard exterior shell, that Emma knew. Life had brought her up to be defensive, not affectionate or softhearted like her mother and father. She couldn't express feelings like her mother. Hell, it was even hard for her to grit out the words 'I love you' to family members even if she wholeheartedly felt it to be true. They didn't understand. She wasn't made like them. Sure, she felt love and compassion and all those emotional processes but she didn't show them through words. She didn't have an outlet.

But they needed it. Her affection that is. God, she could see it brimming in her mother's eyes every time Emma kept her emotional distance. Hurt, there was so much hurt. And Henry. Henry needed her love most of all. She wished she was capable of showering him with that motherly love that good mother's were usually known for. But she didn't know how to change her personality.

She was damaged goods.

She couldn't let loose.

She was...broken.

And so Emma had ultimately decided to try to lose her uptight posterior via alcohol. Maybe it would be a learning experience. And after a multitude of questionable drinks she inevitability got to stage where her tolerance was broken.

"Drunk as a skunk" she sang.

Emma could feel the alcohol buzzing in her veins, sweetly poisoning her. Her vision was lagging as was her balance. She couldn't seem to stop sliding off the godforsaken stool. And if she wasn't falling off the stool, she was spinning in it. It was one of those moving ones.

She waved her hand in the air, aiming for nonchalance.

It didn't matter anyway. No one here was judging. They were all in similar ridiculous states of mourning. The vodka buzzing in her veins numbed her, making her feel more carefree and loose then she had in a long while. Her thinking was slower, foggier.

Emma laughed. She felt better then she had felt in a long while. One hand grabbed the counter to keep her upright and dignified while the other reached for her drink.

"Swan?"

And just like that her laughter ended abruptly.

She moaned "Go. _Hic. _Away"

She recognized that voice. She would recognize that voice anywhere.

He always found her. He always fucking found her. It was one of those annoying habits of his. She often wondered how he did it. Especially here. She was never usually here. And it sure as hell was not cute and romantic like her parents story of "I will always find you". No.

It was downright fucking creepy.

She spun around in her chair to face him. She probably looked crazy, she knew. Her hair was wild, her eyes bright and excited, and her cheeks were flushed in heightened patches from drinking.

"Hook"

"Swan?" He sounded delighted.

"You sound like its freaking Christmas morning. Kindly do me the favor and leave" She snapped, irritated. Except her words came out less snappish then she meant it to. They were slower, softer, the vowels slurred.

Dammit. Her voice sounded alluring, even to her. And he looked smitten; his eyes were heady with lust. That was not what she was going for. Emma had wanted to sound intimidating, threatening.

_Fuck. _She needed her wits about her to deal with this man. And unfortunately, at the moment, that was lagging.

She tried to swing back around on her toadstool, now that she had gotten out her formal greeting, and return to her drink. However, he quickly grabbed her thigh foreseeing what she had in mind, stilling her movement.

Emma scowled, looking up at his pretty-boy face. Again, she felt the loss of balance that only intoxication could bring and tried to remain steady. Hook apparently felt her shakiness too as his hold on her thigh tightened securely, his hand slipping slightly up her leg in the process. She tried to hide the blush from her face and ignore the fact that the overall sensation was not entirely unpleasant to her. She also tried to avoid looking straight at him. He unhinged her. His dark tousled hair, rugged face, and canine-sharp teeth did strange things to her body.

He was grinning at her now as if he knew what was on her mind. His blue eyes were glinting with humor and mischievousness as he chuckled incredulously at her state of mind. Her scowl deepened as her irritation grew at his uncomfortable proximity.

Didn't this man know boundaries? Or….social cues? Her glare and crossed arms ought to have given off the impression that he was not wanted. In fact, it usually scared off the unwelcoming and unwanted attention of the average overconfident and testosterone happy males who tried to hit on her. But then again, this was frickin Captain Hook. When the hell had he ever done anything that was convenient for her? She prepared herself for a difficult night as she looked up at his Cheshire wide smile and mischievous dark eyes.

It had always been mind-boggling difficult for her to put these two sides of Hook together as one person. His playful side and his dark side. How could two sides harbor inside the same person?

Now that she was severely intoxicated, it was even harder to distinguish the two. She squinted at the man before her.

He was Hook and he was Killian.

But they were both different.

She let that statement sink in for a minute and then snorted to herself.

_How profound_. Hook was raising his eyebrow at her which basically signaled she really must look mentally incapacitated. Not that she was of course. She coughed, narrowing her eyes, and attempting to be 'serious' and/or 'sober'.

Right,where was I? Emma tried to return to her former train of thought.

Two sides..Two sides...

Right. She remembered.

Hook was dark, revenge-bent, and selfish. Though she didn't like to admit it, that side of him frightened her. She had only seen facets regarding that sliver of his personality. However, Killian was mischievous, playful, and irritating. Yet, she didn't mind his company.

That was as far as she felt like philosophizing in her drunken state. She could identify the many sides of Hook later. Analyze every aspects of his personality and grind him down into nothing. Right now however, the damn man was in front of her and she was not pleased.

She started at the sound of his raspy voice.

"Emma. _Emma. _You are pissed out of your head. Remind me love, how many of these lovely drinks have you consumed?" he drawled, holding up her empty glass.

"Psh…I can drink a hella of a lot more then you can pirate, that's for sure. _Hic _"

His grin widened.

"I'd love to take you up on that wager. Perhaps on some other night when you're not already so...severely handicapped". He peered into her bleary, red-rimmed eyes with a smile. "Now love-"

"Not your love" Emma muttered, searching for her drink. She needed one. Dealing with a snarky pirate did that to you.

"Whatever you say darling. Now I think it's about time that I walk you home. It's the wee hours of the morning, wouldn't want you to drown your pretty little head in vodka would you? "

"Walk? No" She smiled brightly. "Taxi, without you"

She opened her wallet, ignoring his comment of what in the seven hells was a taxi.

It took her a few moments to open the small bit of leather as her hands had unfortunately gotten to resemble something like butterfingers. In fact, the process consisted mainly of dropping the bloody wallet a few times before successfully opening it, all the while muttering a consistent stream of creative curses that would make any mother weep.

"You have a sailor's tongue" Hook commented dryly "now what would your mother say" He tut tutted, waggling his eyebrows at her in mocking chastisement. Emma ignored him while she opened her wallet.

And then she frowned, scratching her head in puzzlement.

_Huh._

She swore she had an extra twenty dollars in here. She searched all the pockets.

Nope. It was sorely empty.

With drunken suspicion she looked around and then up. Higher and higher still, till she met the eyes of the smirking one-handed man towering above her.

Her blues eyes widened in realization and she pointed accusingly at him.

"Pirate! Give it back!"

"What?" he questioned innocently.

"My dollars. I know you…_hic_…I know you steal"

He snorted humorously. "Love, believe me when I say I have no interest in your pieces of paper. I steal gold, not your world's ridiculous idea of money. Now up you get. Guess we're walking after all"

She blinked up at him in horror "It's over an hour's walk! _Hic. _I don't want to go with you" Still, her body was moving, for once following his domineering orders.

"I can't _hic_ I can't believe you're actually walking me home" She continued. Her blue eyes pierced him.

"Why?" She demanded impetuously.

"What can I say love", Killian smirked, "but what I've been saying all along. I'm a gentlemen"

"Not.._hic..._Not your love" she reprimanded childishly, ignoring the latter part of his statement.

He cocked his head to his side, watching her struggle to move before finally going over to help her. His hand teasingly assisted her places it had no business being. His hook grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against his chest while his hand slithered up her taunt stomach, making small circles against her ribcage.

She squirmed away from his tight hold and with a reluctant sigh Hook let her go.

"With you walking like that, it'll probably be taking much more than an hour" he commented. But nevertheless he followed her out the door.

Like a gentlemen.

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**Just a little idea that came to me! I had to get it down on paper. It'll either be a two-shot or three-shot but its ultimately not going to be very long. Just fluffy and silly. Very silly. Hope it was somewhat humorous..Also trying to decide whether to continue the story in Emma's POV or switch to Hook's. Any suggestions? I'm on the fence..**

**Anyway, Hope you enjoyed and tell me what you think! Please Review! XX**


	2. Chapter 2

_Stars fading but I linger on dear_  
_Still craving your kiss_  
_I'm longing to linger till dawn dear_  
_Just saying this_

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Killian Jones smirked with an incredulous shake of his head as he watched the stumbling blonde ahead of him. She had been obstinately stubborn in refusing his help, swatting away his wandering hand a multitude of times. However, instead of the hot headed anger that would be usually flowing through his veins, Killian found himself only to be amused at her halfhearted attempt to push him away.

And halfhearted it was, of that he was certain. She may have professed her skills at reading people but he wasn't all that shabby in that area of expertise himself. Her eyes were a reflection of his. They mirrored his lust, his turmoil, his need and his desires. But he wasn't going to push.

Not yet.

And so he instead strolled at a lounging pace behind her. He was partially making sure that she wouldn't fall, partially admiring her slight figure from behind, but mainly making sure that this was real. Because even though he saw it right before his eyes, it was hard to believe that bloody Emma Swan of all people- was smashed into oblivion. Even in the short time he had known her, Killian had gotten a feel for her self-righteous character, and getting wasted at filthy bar did not coincide with his view of her.

He liked it.

This side of her.

Usually she walked around like she had a stick up her arse, she was so uptight. He had pegged her right from the minute he saw her with her worry lines and all, as this woman who had her guard walls up so high that not even a bit of fun could penetrate them. She was motherly. She was responsible. She was fierce. Stubborn. Determined. Moral and goody goody, and all that shit that he hated, that encompassed her.

Yet still, maybe she wasn't as predictable as he originally thought. She kept surprising him.

Like when she bested him.

Like when he found out she was princess- the most uncanny one he had ever met.

Like when he found out she had been a law breaker at a previous point in life.

None of it equated into the whole picture of the woman he saw today. There were too many puzzle pieces, fragmented and disjointed. He couldn't quite fathom how to read her or how to put her together.

One adjective he had never thought to use with her however, was carefree. The woman never let her hair down in a manner of speaking. And yet, it was beyond irritating and bloody well aggravating to find that he was attracted, verging on slightly obsessive, to this feisty, sarcastic, and overly responsible woman.

His subconsciousness naturally could not have simply wanted some leggy seductress or some wench who would easily jump into bed with him. No, that would have been too easy. Instead, he was captivated by a woman with volatile temper and a do gooder of the law.

Women, He sighed. Always the ruin of me.

Still Killian was resolved to poke some life back into her. He ignored the irony of statement that he himself was trying to instill her with a sense of life when his own life had lost all meaning- consisting only of a revenge that consumed his entire being. It was a darkness that was surely but steadily drowning him.

Well, until now. It was strange- this sensation, the softening of his heart. Of how even through all those years of frozen solitude, his heart was still able to melt. The sensation felt slightly awkward in his chest but also tenderly pleasurable and he was not at all ready to let go of the feeling that made him feel more alive than he had felt in years.

_Mine. _He growled to himself as he looked and coveted her slender form. It felt only right that she should belong to him, _with him. _

He was a bit of a possessive bloke; it was ingrained into the nature of every pirate.

"Hook" Emma's voice startled him from his reprieve and he glanced up at her. She was looking back at him, her face for once not overly defensive but more open and trusting. Smiling even. Go figure. Only alcohol could reduce such an uptight woman to such a loose and free creature.

He thanked the Gods even if he doubted they actually listened to the prayers of such an immoral and depraved man like himself.

"Yes love?" He drawled with an air of nonchalance.

"Not your love" was her automatic and drunken response.

Killian rolled his eyes to the skies "You lass, have a one track mind" he remarked dryly.

She smiled scathingly back at him, swaying on the spot as she tried to keep her balance.

"Don't _hic, _don't patronize me" Her blue eyes narrowed at him as she crossed her arms over her chest for the umpteen time. He had come to notice that defensive crossing of arms was one of her most favorite gestures.

"Ooo, Feisty. I like that" he said languidly.

Killian briskly walked towards her then, a wolfish grin on his countenance, and only stopped when he was mere inches away. Her breathe grew heavy at his proximity, eyes rounded with surprise as she looked at him and his rapid approach.

She looked so fucking feminine and fragile and fucking fuckable that it was all he could do to not rip her clothes off right then and there. Showing restraint for a pirate, he grabbed her hand and tugged her close instead. His hook ran down the length of her spine and she shivered as he pressed his lips against her temple.

She didn't stop him. Instead, she had hesitantly placed her soft hands on the front of his shirt as though unsure whether to pull him closer or throw him off. She was teetering on the edge and he continued his persistent onslaught. He caught her earlobe with his teeth, nibbling on it and he could feel her quivering in his grasp. He could see her eyes roll to the back of her head in pleasure.

"What are you thinking about in that curiously intoxicated head of yours?" he whispered against her neck.

"Honestly Hook" She whispered back "I was just thinking how you and I could never work out"

"Liar" He murmured against the crook of her neck.

It didn't discourage him and he didn't let her go. Instead, he smirked. She had obviously thought about it then. Him and her. Them. His advances had clearly not gone unnoticed as much as she tried to play being aloof. She was not as unfazed to him as she liked to presume. No, she was clearly in denial.

It was plaguing her. His confidence soared. He decided to try and probe more out of her. Killian was nothing if not persistent.

"And why wouldn't we work out love?" His hands wandering up and the down the expanse of her body as though he owned it. He touched every crevice of her warm skin that he could find.

She sighed and looked at him tiredly, caught in the expanse of his arms "There are so many reasons. I could spend all night explaining them to you till the sun shone and I was blue in the face, and I would still have more reasons. I just wish you would realize that and just, just stop trying" Emma let out with frustration.

He stared at her intensely and his body stilled. How could she not see how right this felt? Why was she so determined in them not working out? He knew he was a notorious pirate but she wasn't just some stereotypical princess. They were alike in more ways than one. Was it her reputation that she worried of? Would her moral reputation be tarnished by his immoral actions? Would her self-righteous parents frown down upon them? Why was she so cowardly and stubborn in not crossing this line?

Anger suddenly reared its ugly head and he tried to stifle it.

"Emma" Killian growled as she suddenly tried to struggle from their comprising position of entangled limbs and overall closeness.

"Let go of me Hook!" She mumbled in exasperation and with a sudden sharp flare of rage at her stupid beliefs and idiotic notions, he did. And she went flying backwards, landing on her ass.

He quickly knelt down beside her, pressing his face close to hers before she had time to sputter and protest in indignation at his sudden rough handling.

"Alright Swan, here's the deal" Killian said in a rush "I estimate that we have another forty five minutes before we find our way back to your domain. If you can list ten fool proof reasons of why we wouldn't work out then I promise, on a pirate's code, that I will never disturb your life again. If however, as I think, you can't come up with ten reasons that I can't thoroughly counteract then I get to spend the night—_with you"_

She glanced up at him briefly, confidence brewing on a face that had broken into a glorious smile.

"Challenge accepted" She announced. "I could come up with so many more reasons then ten. Really Hook, I honestly think you just like losing to me" She said cheerily.

Emma cocked her head at him mockingly and he shrugged casually.

"Very funny love. But don't count your chickens before they hatch. I don't think I'll be saying goodbye to you anytime soon" Killian drawled, dark eyes glittering.

In fact he was positive. Killian could not think of one reason why they shouldn't be together.

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**A/N. I Hope you liked the chapter. There will only be one more chapter I think. I reedited and added bits to the first chapter and will probably correct whatever mistakes I made in this chapter before I post up my last.**

**Review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi readers,**

**I apologize for the long delay. A lot of things came up in my life that ended up putting this story on the back burner. I appreciate all the people who have reviewed and who continue to read this. I also have not watched the last few episode of OUAT yet, so any of my information is inaccurate- I apologize in advance. Anywho, without further ado, enjoy!**

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_Cause trying not to love you, only goes so far  
And trying not to need you, is tearing me apart_

It sounded like a punch line to a joke, Emma thought ruefully.

She glanced from the corner of her eye at the man who assisted her, Mr. Captain_ fucking_ Hook, and tried to subdue her very much unlady-like snort of drunken laughter.

So Captain Hook walks into a bar and BAM, runs into a very much drunken princess. What would result from this unfortunate interaction? She pondered, staggering slightly against him.

Grudgingly, Emma had eventually accepted the pirate's supposed 'chivalrous' offer of assistance. However she had warned him sharply, with a menacing poke of her finger against his tight abdomen she might add, that one grope or inappropriate caress and she would personally feed him and his entrails to her neighbor's dog.

"He is vicious" Emma had said with exaggerated theatrics. She raised her arms over her head and stood at her highest length, "And he's huuuuuge. You couldn't take him on Hook" She shook her head with a fake look of concern. "He'll rip your other hand right off"

"Thanks for your concern" Hook replied sarcastically. Still, he rubbed his Hook in worrying fashion and Emma smirked.

"With no hands and two hooks, I would surmise that all women would flee from you" she mused thoughtfully.

He tossed her look that begged to differ, heady and darkly seductive that made her stomach curl. How she hated that stupid face. It mocked her. Dryly she thought that even if Hook had two pointy daggers for hands, if he spread his arms wide and shot one of his 'come hither' looks, women would still be running towards into his arms.

_How irritating. _

"Well. I don't venture to take you up on that wager. Besides, it'd be quite a travesty for you if I lost my one hand" He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively "You'd be missing out on quite a lot m'lady"

She scoffed "Neighbor's dog, Hook. Don't forget"

Said neighbor's dog was actually a beagle. The nicest simpleton if she ever knew one. Wouldn't chomp on a butterfly, nevermind a six foot pirate made of sinewy muscle, clad in leather.

Dog would probably piss itself. Not that she would tell Hook that. Any bit of grievance she could cause him was lovely. Her pent up frustration and stress at life had finally found an outlet.

Still, when Hook wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her own arm to rest on his shoulder, Emma resisted the inane urge to snuggle. She liked the closeness of the warm body beside her. But, if she was being entirely honest with herself, it was specifically that it was _his_ warm body that she liked beside her. She liked the smell of him, all masculine and musty. And _him._

Emma tried to snap herself out of it.

This was her drunkenness and lust talking. And lust could not be irrevocably replaced with love. Sex was not love. And she didn't love this man. They were as different as night and day. He was cruel and calloused, treachery was common to him. She had never seen him offer a hand of comfort to anyone. Sensitivity and feeling were lost on him. From all she had garnered about Hook, Emma did not view him as fit for a relationship. She could not see him committing himself to strictly any one woman. They were two different types of puzzle pieces that could not feasibly compute when together. They wanted different things.

No, she didn't love this man. She simply wanted to fuck him. But she had priorities. She knew what she needed. And it wasn't Killian Jones.

"So Princess", Killian drawled as they progressed at a snail's pace, pulling her from her reprieve. "You've been awfully quiet these past few minutes. Having trouble coming up with a reason?"

"You wish Hook"

"No, I know Swan"

"Do you enjoying battling wits with a woman who can't cognitively function correctly?" She randomly questioned.

"Only if it's you", Killian smiled with a wink before continuing "anyway, I must say I am impressed with your ability to hold a most coherent conversation in your….state. Mostly I find drunken babble irritating. But you hold yourself quite well"

"I've had lots of practice" She murmured quietly. "Before Storybrooke, I ended up drunk a lot" It slipped out calmly, taking her by surprise. She never usually vocally proffered this information but her lips had always been looser after some tequila.

Emma looked up at Hook with large doe eyes and a humorless smile "Life sucked. I'll spare you the details. And the badly written songs that pretty much described my life _hic. _ But there are many ways to escape life and drinking became mine _hic_"

Emma nudged him in the ribs "See", she laughed, aiming and failing for nonchalance."You would be no drinking competition for me. I can drink my weight and more in liquor _hic_. I have a mighty tolerance. I think I should have been a predestined pirate not a princess"

She laughed again, brightly. Yet, it was the hysterical edge that Hook noted with a frown.

"I'm sorry" He said quietly.

_Sorry for what? _She wondered.

Emma waited for more but he didn't elaborate. Instead,Hook rubbed consoling circles of comfort against her hipbone. Emma almost shook him off but, when she looked up at his absentminded and lost-in-thought face, she realized it really was a genuine gesture of comfort and not some leery grope. A soft smile crept on her lips.

_Who knew._

"Ah, escape. I know the feeling well love" He looked at her, blue eyes scorching "Escape is useless. I came to that epiphany long ago. I tried to drink away my problems too. But you can't run and escape forever lass. Better to do something about it instead" The spark of determination and anger ebbed into eyes. It was a fire that scorched. She admired that quality of him, that determination. He wouldn't stop until he he taken what he sought.

Emma could only imagine he was talking about his revenge on the crocodile. His face only took on that darkening shade and visibly upset look when on the subject.

"And you avoid the beer belly" She ventured, more to get him out of his bleak mood then anything. His face cracked into a small smile and his eyes softened as he looked down at her, a look that he unconsciously reserved especially for her "Aye, that as well"

They walked on, quiet. Companionable silence. It was an epiphany to Emma.

_Who knew. Who knew. Who knew. _Her mind chanted this marveling mantra in a continuing cycle. For the first time, Emma wanted to actually understand Hook instead of dismiss him without a second glance. She wanted to know what made him tick, what made him passionate. She wanted to dig him out of all the buried walls that had enclosed upon him and make him feel something. Anything.

She was….confused. Bombarded with this new opinion of Hook, she placed one hand on her head and tried to block him out.

"Love, you okay over there?" He gave her a cautious shake of her shoulder, her body now suddenly comatose "if you faint on me, I'm not carrying you back. Besides I can't have you backing out of our deal" He warned.

"I'm fine" She muttered finally "I'll finish our stupid deal"

"Lovely" He gave a self-satisfied smirk as he lugged her body. "Come on, I'm not dragging you home. Though it would probably be faster with the way you're walking"

"Hey!" She objected. Clearly his sympathy had its limits.

"Don't even try to sound offended. At turtle could outstrip you at this moment" He scoffed.

"Slow and steady wins the race" She stuck her tongue out childishly, wondering why he always brought out this stupid side of her. And wondering why he was attracted to it. His gaze once more lingered on her lips and she blushed, crossing her arms.

A defense mechanism, she had been told. She also had found it to be true. She was defensive and hostile with men she didn't like. And she was defensive and hostile with men she did. She kept most people at an arm's length distance and when she did let them in, Emma still felt uncomfortable and….awkward.

Right now, she still felt so incredibly awkward.

They trudged onward.

Killian cleared his throat "Anyway love, need I remind you that we've been walking for bloody ages and though I've immensely enjoyed our stimulating and enlightening conversation, you have yet to give me even one out of ten reasons"

"Well fine" She snapped. She was angry, more at herself then at him. Still, to his credit, he ignored her whiplash and merely raised his eyebrows.

"I have Henry" She tossed out.

'Yes, clearly" he remarked patiently.

There was a short silence and they looked at each other, one in confused bafflement and the other with a knowing look in her bleary eyes.

"I fail to see the problem" He managed finally.

"I know about you and Peter" She appraised him with blue and judgmental eyes.

Killian scowled. How he despised that look.

"Swan, the fuck is Peter? I absolutely have no idea what you're talking about"

"Peter is a child _hic"_', She explained slowly and petulantly. "And you hate him—" she said matter of factly.

"I don't even know him" He interjected. "How can I hate him?"

"No, you hate him. I know. I've read the books _hic" _Again, she gave him that all-knowing look and a nudge.

"Admit it, you basically, unequivocally, hate Henry"

"I thought I hated Peter?"

Emma exclaimed, large eyes rounded eyes, she whispered in mock exaggeration "so you do hate him"

"This is ridiculous" Killian tossed his hands up in exasperation and she wobbled without the balance that he once provided for her.

"Hook" She reached for him but he was lost in his angry tirade.

"So, in this realm, the view that people have of me is that….I'm a pirate who bullies children" He turned calmly to look at her with hooded eyes. "Is that how you think of me as well?"

"I don't think of you" She lied blatantly.

His brow creased, furrowed with pent up irritation. He let it out in a sigh "You are so stubborn Emma"

Killian grasped her hand, pulling it over his shoulder once more. "Well, come on then"

A wave of dizziness washed over her, and her mouth contorted. She grasped his hook gladly, holding onto the support.

Emma followed his lead, boring her eyes into the back of his head. How she wished she had the capability to read minds. She didn't know how to read him. Her superpower of reading people was failing her. She didn't know what to do; she closed her eyes wearily and hoped the spinning would stop.

And then she passed out as the enveloping darkness surrounded her.

* * *

**Hi readers,**

**I know I keep saying I'm going to wrap this up and finish but I keep adding things so all I can say is that I'll try to wrap it up soon but it's not done yet. I again apologize for the delay. I'm so sorry! And will try to update much faster in the future.**

**I hope you enjoyed and would appreciate your reviews and thoughts. It takes a second to review, but hours to write! Thanks X**

**X **

**Sineadxrose**


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Once Upon a Time, Humor, Romance