Emma was coming home with a bag of groceries and supplies when she put her key in her door and heard a loud crash and cursing coming from the other side.
"What the hell?" She whispered, opening the door as fast as she could and dumping the groceries on the ground, leaving the keys in the door. Inside was a disaster zone. There was flour everywhere, a jumble of kitchen implements littered the counter and there was Hook, on his hands and knees, trying to clean up a bowl of batter that he'd knocked onto the floor. He hadn't heard her come in and had his head down, a dusting of flour in his hair. His characteristic jacket was hanging off a chair.
She folded her arms and pursed her lips. "I can't leave you alone for a minute can I?"
Hook looked up and upon seeing Emma, smirked. "Apologies Swan. I was ah, hoping you would be a little longer at the store. Mr. Hopper assured me he would detain you long enough for me to…" he gestured at the pile of batter on the floor and grimaced.
Emma frowned and grabbed her keys, kicking the door closed. "Dr. Hopper did say hello to me but I told him I had to get home. Supplies remember?" She held up the groceries. "And when did you speak to Archie?" She glanced over at the phone. She'd taught him how to use it but had yet to see him actually call anyone.
Hook frowned, standing slowly, brushing off a layer of flour that had settled on his clothing. "I walked to his office earlier today and spoke to him."
Emma put the groceries down on the kitchen table and raised an eyebrow at the mess he'd made. "And what exactly is it that you're doing?"
Hook scratched the back of his head absently and looked down at the ground. "I was told it was customary to eat baked goods on the day of one's birth. Your mother mentioned she was going make you cake and I offered to try my hand. But as you can see I've made rather a mess of things." He picked up the now batterless bowl and set it on the counter.
"Have you ever actually baked anything?" Emma picked up a measuring cup covered in what she could only qualify as egg white, off the kitchen counter and unceremoniously dropped it in the sink.
"I used to help the ship's cook out from time to time." He grabbed a excessive amount of paper towel and bent to clean up the mess.
"And you thought that meant you would be able to bake a cake." Emma gave him a pointed look.
He leaned on one knee as he looked up at her. "I had to try. But now it seems you will be without a cake." He looked crestfallen so she walked over to the bags on the table.
"Tell you what. I don't need a cake to celebrate my birthday. Just the people I care about. Here, I bought something for you. I had trouble finding one in your colour." She pulled out a red party crown and reached up to set it upon his head.
"Swan." He looked down at her, blue eyes and all. "This is not the hat of a pirate." He felt uncomfortable wearing the thing, despite how light it was upon his head. It only served to remind him of his old life and what he could never be.
"You're right it's not." She reached into the bag again for another red crown, and set it on her own head. "Now, let's clean up this up before everyone gets here."
He grinned at her crown. "It looks much better on you lass."
Emma gave him a look. "Thanks Hook." She grabbed a half empty egg carton, milk and butter and shoved them back in the fridge. Hook grabbed the mixing spoons he'd used and dumped them into the sink. There was an also excessive amount of containers and appliances on every surface in the kitchen, not to mention the flour made it look like it had snowed inside.
"You went a little overboard didn't you?" She glanced over at him.
He shrugged. "I was trying to follow the book's instructions love. I can't help it if things got out of hand. I wanted to use this tin." He grabbed the container to show her.
"First of all, this is a bundt pan." She gingerly removed it from Hook's grip and set it aside. He looked genuinely confused.
"I was under the impression that you do not enjoy making food. How are you aware of its function?"
Emma shrugged. "Mary-Margaret likes to bake. You spend enough time with her you pick up a few things."
As the two began to clean up, Hook managed to smudge Emma's cheek in flour and then her hair and then her back. She stood next to the sink as it filled with suds, nonplussed.
"Are you sure you want to start something?" By her tone he could tell she was not pleased.
"I never start anything I'm not prepared to finish," Hook grinned wide, teeth and all. After all, he was always up for a challenge.
She reached her hand behind her back, grabbed a two handfuls of suds and walked up to him. He knew it was coming and yet did nothing to stop it. Instead he closed his eyes and waited. Soon enough his face was covered in soap bubbles. Too late Emma realized what he was about.
"That was foolish of you Swan, to get so close." He caught her up in his arms as she half-heartedly struggled to get away. Meanwhile he was blinking through soap as he reached over to the bag of four still sitting on the counter.
"Don't you dare!"
He grabbed a handful of flour. At this point he was sputtering, the soap having gotten into his mouth. Emma looked up at his suds-covered face and started to grin, then she started to chuckle. She couldn't even seen his face but she could tell he was amused, how his grip loosened, how the hand holding the flour dropped.
"Are you laughing at me Swan?"
"Well it's not every day an ex-pirate gets a face full of soap in my kitchen." She brought her arms to rest on his chest and smiled up at him.
"I see. And it's not every day I've a princess in my arms covered in flour." With that he dumped the flour over her head. She let out a small gasp. Her hair and her crown had turned white, covered by a generous dusting of flour.
"I can't believe you did that." She glared at him for a minute before shaking her head vigourously, spraying flour all over him, surrounding them in a cloud of white.
"And now we match," he murmured.
"Hook." She said softly.
"Yes darling?" She started at the word but he gave no indication that he noticed. Instead he looked down at her as she reached up and hesitantly brushed the soap from his face. It was as if he could see through her with those piercing blue eyes of his. The anger and guilt and sadness that had plagued her in Neverland had long since vanished. And she could no longer see the pain in his eyes that had once been there. Somehow they had healed one another. And now, here, in his arms there was comfort and safety and trust.
"Thank you for trying to make me a cake." She rested her head against his chest, coating her cheek in flour.
"Well I wasn't about to let the day pass by without making my own contribution. Henry made it quite clear how important birth days are. I just wish I had been able to pull it off." He did indeed wish he had been able to replicate the picture in the book. Perhaps he had been too ambitious.
"I don't care about the cake. What I appreciate is how thoughtful you were to want to make me a cake." Emma wrapped her arms around him, stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a floury imprint behind.
Once he would have blushed at such praise from her but now it was becoming second nature to accept her compliments and believe he deserved them. Then again, he still found it difficult to believe all that had transpired between the two of them. It was in Neverland that they had begun to lean on each other, to share small moments apart from the group. He could only have dared to hope it would lead to this, her in his arms, choosing him.
"Mom, what happened?" A voice came out of the ether. The two turned to see Henry standing at the front door with Mary-Margaret and David who was holding balloons. All three looked slightly shocked and slightly amused. Emma could feel her face growing red and loosened her grip on Hook. He let her go and they stood apart.
"Sorry mate, didn't hear you come in. We were too busy, making a mess." He looked over at Emma who did look rather ridiculous.
Mary-Margaret was holding a box that looked suspiciously cake-sized. Emma raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her mother. Mary-Margaret actively avoided her gaze, forcing her hand.
"Is that a cake?" Emma asked innocently enough but the look in her eye said she knew exactly what her mother had done.
"I thought one cake might not be enough." Mary-Margaret put the box on the kitchen table and looked her daughter in the eye. "Henry is a growing boy after all."
"Mmhmm." Emma walked over and gave her a big floury hug to Mary-Margaret's consternation.
David deposited the balloons on the kitchen counter. "Hook," he nodded over at the man, trying not to stare at the soap bubbles surrounding his face, trying not to smile. He didn't even dare look at Emma for fear of laughing.
"Dave." Hook watched as Emma's parents tried very hard to not to look at the two of them. Henry however, having deposited a bag of gifts on the floor, was making a face.
"Come on let's sit down. I want some cake." He threw off his jacket onto a chair and sat at the table.
David grabbed some plates while Emma grabbed the forks as they arranged themselves around the kitchen table. Emma was seated at the head, a chocolate frosted cake with candles in front of her. David and Mary-Margaret sat next to one another, leaving Hook seated next to Henry, with Emma to his right.
"Are you wearing a crown." Henry looked over absently at the pirate next to him. The red hat was sitting haphazardly on his head, slightly askew.
"Yes." He smiled in spite of himself.
"I like it." Henry picked up his fork and waited.
"Thanks mate." It was strange, sitting with them all now. No battles to fight, no great adventures lying before them. Just a quiet celebration, all gathered around, together.
Mary-Margaret quickly lit the candles and Emma closed her eyes and blew them out. As the candle smoke wafted up from the table, she cut the cake into pieces.
"What'd you wish for mom?" Henry
"If I tell you then it won't come true." Emma looked over at Hook and smiled. She handed him a piece of cake, their fingers touching for one moment, lingering as Hook looked into her eyes.
"Happy Birthday Emma."