Hook let out a sigh of relief as he walked across the dock to his ship. It was still cloaked, but he somehow could feel his ship was there. He raised his foot in the air and when he lowered it, his foot appeared to be floating. He continued to walk up the invisible gang plank until he stepped through the protection spell and his beloved ship materialized before his eyes. A tear briefly formed in his eye, which he quickly wiped away. He let out a small laughter of joy as he ran toward the helm of the ship and ran his fingers over the wood. He was like a boy that was just reunited with his favorite toy. A part of him wanted to just set sail from there, leaving everything in Storybrooke behind, but his heart was stopping him. His vengeance with Rumplestiltskin, his latest offer from those two outsiders, then there was something else that pulled on his heart.
"Hook," a feminine voice called from the lower deck. Hook shook from his thoughts to peer over the side to see Emma, hands on hips, looking up at him. A duel of emotions welled inside of him, and the most recent emotion of being abandoned yet again in a strange land won first. He leapt over the side of the railing and landed a few feet away from her.
"You've got a lot of nerve coming aboard my ship, Swan," Hook said menacingly. "After your first abandonment, I'd have expected you to show some mercy if the opportunity ever came again. Obviously, I had you pegged wrong." He walked closer to her until he was towering over her, but she didn't flinch. In fact, she looked a bit apologetic, which made him relax his stance for a moment. "What do you want?"
"I just...I was doing a round when I saw you and...I wanted to know if you were okay," Emma said, trying not to be unnerved by him.
"Okay? Okay after being hit over the head from behind? Tied up in a dark room? Okay after not only being abandoned in a strange land, but also okay from having my ship stolen? MY SHIP?!"
"Alright, okay. I get it," Emma said, backing up a bit. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
"Save your apologies, love. It's not the first time I've been double crossed, and probably not the last either. I'm just disappointed it came from you," Hook said. "Abandonment is a deep cut, darling, one I'm sure you've learned all too well." Emma narrowed her eyes at the low blow he just dealt her. She spun on her heels to leave, but he grabbed her wrist. "No, you're not getting away that easy. You can't just run from your problems, and I've been through far too much and too many lands for just a simple apology."
"What do you want?" Emma said, trying to summon up her toughest spirits, holding his gaze firmly. Hook released his grip and disappeared below deck. Emma let out a sigh and threw her hands in the air, pacing as she waited for him. When he surfaced, his sword belt was attached and a second sword was in his hand. "Seriously? You want a duel?"
"My code as a pirate demands it, lass. And my own satisfaction to show you I can actually beat you. No holding back this time, darling. I'm not letting you knock me out this time," he said, handing her the sword by the hilt with his hook.
"You're crazy. I'm not dueling with you," she said, holding her hands away from the hilt.
"What are you afraid of, Swan? That you might actually lose? The savior can't handle fighting with a stupid pirate?" Emma sighed and kept moving toward the gang plank, but she jumped as a cutlass flew through the air and embedded in the beam in front of her, inches away from her face. She turned back to Hook, who was looking exceedingly proud of himself. He drew his own sword from its scabbard and gave an exaggerated bow before posturing for a duel. Emma rolled her eyes at him and ducked under the cutlass to keep walking away.
"I let you win, you know," Hook called after her. "At the Lake. Do you really think one punch from a woman is all it takes to beat me?" He was baiting her, she knew it, but she was ready to show him it wasn't a fluke. She reached for the sword and gave it a strong tug- nothing. Emma pulled with both hands, shaking the hilt to try to force it out of the wood, but it held tight. Hook slowly walked over to the sword and gave it a single pull and it was easily freed. He dangled the sword with his hook in front of her, taunting her. She pulled it roughly off his hook and took a few steps away from him before holding her sword out. She held the cutlass straight, but tried to hide her nervousness. Emma had fought him once, and he was a very skilled opponent, and most of her training relied on luck and possibly genetics.
Hook kept his blade down and circled around her, like a cat toying with it's prey, complete with cheshire cat grin. Emma held his gaze, keeping her sword at the ready. Hook held his sword up in a salute, giving her a mocking wink as his smile spread wider, followed by whipping his sword into an attack position. He put up his blade and scissored it against hers, giving her a mocking smile as he moved it up and down hers. Emma slashed at him, leaning forward with her full body weight, which he dodged with ease.
"Really, Swan, is that anyway to start a fight with a clumsy move like that?" He took advantage of her crouched ending position and jumped at her to hold his hook to her neck. "See, darling? We haven't even crossed blades yet and I'm already winning," he whispered, his face right up against hers. He put a little pressure on her neck so she would stand completely straight. He lingered for a moment, his eyes focused on hers. There was a glint in his eye, almost gleeful, and it made her shiver a bit. He winked at her and stepped backward to resume his duel pose. "Try again?" Emma was a little more hesitant to attack again. Hook appelled with a slashing motion above his head before bringing his sword down over hers. "Nice parry, lass." Emma pushed his blade off of hers and attacked with a very beginner combination. He spun around, his leather coat whipping along with him, and parried her attacks with ease. Emma held up her hand for a moment, to which he lowered his blade. She crossed across the deck and took off her leather coat, throwing it over one of the crates on deck. Hook was not at all subtle as he looked her over in just jeans and a tank top.
"Not everyone is used to fighting in leather," Emma said, grabbing her sword again. Hook was still mesmerized by her, as if suddenly Storybrooke clothes were a mystical object, and she returned his attention by bringing her blade up to his chin. "Eyes on the fight, buddy." He brought his hook up and lowered her blade with it, letting his hook drag down on the blade.
"Are you using diversionary tactics on me, Swan? I applaud your methods," He said with a smile that should be illegal. Emma clenched her jaw and tried to focus her gaze with intensity, but his eyes were making it very difficult. Hook attacked with a balestra and a lunge, which Emma countered. They each attacked with a variety of combinations that sent them across the deck of the Jolly Roger. Hook was chuckling as they dueled, as if this was a great game they were playing instead of a challenge. It was frustrating Emma, but it was also endearing at how his laugh made him look so innocent instead of an enemy. With a final cut, Emma sliced at Hook, which resulted in a tearing sound. Hook paused and pulled at the fabric of his jacket, revealing a small hole. He threw a glance at her, almost annoyed. Without a word, he gestured for her to put her sword down before putting his in his scabbard. He unbuttoned his shirt, which took quite some time with all the buttons and facets, and took his entire jacket and shirt off.
Emma gulped as she gazed at him. Sure, his shirt was open most of the time, but now she could see every muscle, every angle of him. His back muscles rippled as he whipped his shirt before laying it next to hers on the crate. "Don't you...um...want to keep your shirt on," Emma asked, keeping her gaze down as she asked.
"I'd like to keep my favorite shirt in one piece, thank you very much. You've already damaged my jacket. I hope you know someone who can sew leather back together," he said, pulling his sword back out. It was then he noticed her downward gaze and his smile grew larger. "Enjoying the view, love? Two can play at this teasing game."
"I'm not teasing," Emma said with hardness in her voice.
"On that we have a difference of opinion," he said, coming closer to her. He gently pushed her hair over her shoulders, and she did not know why she was letting him. She could feel the warmth of his body from their duel and they were both still a bit breathless from their last bout. "Don't tell me you're not enjoying this." Emma reached up and arrested his forearm with her hand. Her fingers were over his tattoo, covering up the banner so just the heart was showing. Hook's gaze went from her fingers to her eyes, and she noticed he gulped a little before stepping back and looking more intense. "Are you ready for me to stop holding back, Swan?" Emma quickly took him in before picking up her blade again. His eyes were as intense as his stance, and Emma felt a bit shaky. Why did his beautiful blue eyes have to be so distracting?
They attacked at the same time, blades catching the light of the sun as they clashed. Hook was putting her footwork to the test as he guided her all over the deck of his ship, which he had fought on thousands of times. Emma, however, found that fighting on a boat was not the best for a novice. She was only glad that it was docked and not moving. Hook gave a final combination, locked her sword, and backed her up to the wall of the cabin. They gazed at each other through the locked blades, both catching their breath from the last bout.
"Forfeit, Swan," Hook said. "For the first time since we've met, I've finally bested you." Emma simply nodded through her labored breathing and Hook lowered their swords. Their eyes were locked again and Emma subconsciously pursed her lips tighter. His face was inches away from hers, and his eyes kept glancing from her lips and back to her eyes. Neither one of them moved, and Hook's smile of triumph slowly melted into a look of intensity, almost passionate. He had her right where he wanted her, and they both felt it. In a moment of weakness, Emma tilted her face towards him, giving him an open invitation. Hook leaned in slightly, tilting his head, and she allowed herself to close her eyes. To Emma's surprise, nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, Hook dropped his head in defeat and took a step back, crossing away from her as he took off his scabbard and tucked his sword away, laying it on a barrel. He took the lid off another barrel and splashed some water on his face. Emma looked at him in confusion.
"What, that's it?" Emma asked, throwing her sword down. "What the hell was all that?" Hook looked back at her, not sure which 'what' she was referring to- the fight or the moment they just had.
"I bested you. That's all I wanted to prove," he said, crossing past her to a rope that didn't need to be handled at the moment. Emma crossed after him and spun him around, getting up in his face once more.
"You're nothing but an arrogant, scheming, filthy pirate," Emma said through her teeth.
"And you, darling, still don't know when to trust, especially when I'm being a gentleman- believe me," he said, reaching for his shirt and putting it back on. Emma whipped her jacket off the barrel, causing Hook's torn jacket to fall to the ground. In the short time their clothes had intermixed, Emma swore her jacket already smelled like him. She pushed past him, bumping his shoulder with hers as she passed. He caught her wrist with his hook, causing her to spin around once more. "Someday, I hope you do trust me."
"Trust a pirate?" Emma said, almost in a mocking tone.
"Aye," Hook said, almost in a whisper. "Apology accepted, Swan. But I will not be responsible for my actions if you abandon me again." Emma's mind started to swirl as he was so close to her again. He didn't have anger in his eyes, it was almost pleading. Emma nodded slowly and he gently released her from his grasp. He offered his hand to help her over the side, which she hesitated to accept. The way he held his hand out to her was a bit too familiar.
Come. Let's go.
Emma, look at me. Have I told you a lie? I brought you here. I risked my own safety to help you. The compass is in your hand. Why do this to me now?
Emma didn't need help to step off the ship. He gazed at her as she was weighing her decision, a look of disappointment already on his face. Without a word, she took his hand and let him guide her down the gangplank until she was out of his reach. Emma turned back once she was on the dock, unable to see him anymore because of the protection spell, but if she had, she would have seen a memorable smile on his face- one that had a glimmer of hope. Even though she couldn't see him, she held her hand up in a small wave and continued back up the dock.
Back on the ship, Hook walked back over to the barrel of water with only one thought in his mind. He quickly dunked his head fully into the water and gasped as he pulled himself back up. He wiped the excess water from his face and hair and shook his head. The thoughts he had before about simply sailing away from Storybrooke had lessened.
A/N: This was just a one shot. In the little time I've had to write, I've been too engrossed in reading "The Path that Moonbeams Make", which if you haven't already, you should read it. I hope you like my story!
Change of Engagement: (fencing term) Changes of engagement are sometimes performed to place one fencer's blade on the side of his/her opponent's blade that he feels has an advantage, or could be just to fool with the opponent. I thought it was appropriate because we all know how much Hook likes to mess with Emma, but it's also a move with the intention to disarm. In case you were wondering where I got the title.