Author's Note: After the season finale, I feel like some good old fashion CaptainSwan feels are needed. Plus, I've always felt that Emma would try and get Hook a boat as soon as she could after she found out about the Jolly.
Emma knew the second that she thought of it that this mission would be one of the hardest kept secrets in town. Killian was out for the day; David had whisked him, Robin, and Henry off for some male bonding, leaving Emma alone to relax. She had been flipping through the town paper and came across the ad. An ad offering the purchase of a boat. A pretty decent sized boat. She knew that Killian hadn't read it yet, so she pocketed that little tidbit and stored it somewhere ridiculous were he wouldn't look. The box she kept her tampons in seemed safe enough.
For the rest of the morning she wondered how she could do this. She had the money, and the space, plus she still felt guilty that Hook had given up his ship, the only home he really had, for her. But pity was not something that sat well with Killian, something she could understand, so for the time being she kept her musings to herself. In a bid to think about it, she took her keys and headed out into town. With no destination in mind, she wasn't surprised to find herself at the harbor lot.
She left the bug and wandered around the ships. She'd met Killian here many times, but this was the first time she was here on her own. She took notice of the ships, all in varying states, and thought of how Killian would never let the up keeping of a ship go. The Jolly Roger had always been kept in pristine conditions, despite Killian being the only one to do them, so she had no worries about him keeping this boat. A boat that she didn't know she was going to get, but had a feeling she would eventually anyway.
Emma wandered up and down until she ran into the harbor master. She struck up a casual conversation and brought of the ad for the boat. The man, hair gray with age and a bit of a limp, led her over to a less crowded area of boats. He indicated to the one for sale. She wasn't even a quarter of the size of the Jolly Roger, but she was a boat and she knew that no matter what size it was, Killian would love it. The harbor master told her to have a look, and that if she wanted him, he'd be up near the offices.
Carefully, Emma stepped onto the deck and began to look over everything. In all honesty, she had no clue if this boat was in good shape, but everything looked clean and sound. The ropes weren't frayed and the mast wasn't falling apart. The cabin looked amazing; granted, it was all modern day technology, but Killian had slowly been picking up the gadgets of her world, and she was certain he would love to learn about these. In there was one area that her pirate could excel in, it was sailing. This would be easy, even for a 300 year old pirate.
She must have spent close to an hour looking over every detail before she went back to the harbor master. The price was doable, and Emma told him that she was interested, but she'd need a few days to think it over. The older man had no problem with that. Not many were in the market for a boat, and he was in no rush to sell it off. Feeling excited, Emma got back to the bug and texted Henry. She didn't say anything about the boat in her message to him.
When she got back to the house she wasn't shocked to see Henry already waiting on the porch. He was pushing himself on the little porch swing David had installed last week and he offered a wave as she came to sit by him.
"So, what's with the secret message?" Henry loved secrets, but only if he was a part of them. Emma tried to look into the house.
"Is Killian around?" She wasn't going to risk spoiling this. Besides, it wasn't often that she could surprise her boyfriend.
"Nah, Grandpa dragged him off somewhere. They're probably gonna be out for a while." Emma sighed and then moved them into the house. She made herself some lemonade and then poured a glass for Henry.
"So, there's a boat for sail." Henry raised his eyebrows, but sat silently, waiting for her to continue. "I checked it out and it looks pretty good. But, I was thinking you could help me with some things before I tell Killian."
"You got him a boat?" Henry asked. In his head, he was already thinking of ways to tell him. They would need a codename, of course; Killian had the habit of walking into things.
"Not yet. I went to look at it today and then told the seller that I needed a few days to think about it. It might be nice to get a second opinion, since he's taken you sailing before, and you can tell me if he'll like it." In her head, Emma knew she could have gotten him a little rowboat and he would be thrilled.
"We can go tomorrow after school. Regina is doing something with Robin, and Roland will be with them, so no one would know." Emma finished her glass and put it in the empty sink.
They didn't get a chance to talk about it longer because Henry spotted David's truck coming into the driveway. Emma made a locking motion on her lips and Henry smiled. The less that people knew about this, the better. If they could make it the rest of the week without anyone else finding out, Emma would count it as a win.
"You wouldn't believe the day we had!" David exclaimed as he walked in. Judging from her boyfriend's expression, this was bound to be an interesting tale. Putting the thoughts of boats out of her mind, Emma continued to listen.
She waits two days before signing off on the boat. Emma is pretty stingy with her money, so buying the small craft doesn't even set her back, so when she sees Henry at the diner, all she does is ruffle his hair and give him the thumbs up. Robin looks confused, and Regina asks what it means, but Emma doesn't answer anything. For once, she's the one in control of the secrets in Storybrooke, and that's something that doesn't happen often. She orders a bag of fries and coke to go, then heads back to the pier with haste.
Cleaning out the boat doesn't take that long; it's not dirty by any means, but she wants the boat to be in the best condition possible. There isn't a set plan for telling Killian, but she's sure that figuring that out will be easy. There are a few people that would be more than happy to get in on the surprise, but Emma wants to make it people that won't automatically give it away. Her mother is out, but David might work. Henry is already listed. She decides to talk secretly to Robin about it, and potentially Regina, later on.
When she got back home, she was covered in sweat, but grinning. Killian was lounging on the couch, nose buried in one of the books he selected from the stack Belle gave him. He'd given up trying to work the TV weeks ago. As she stepped into the foyer, he looked up and gave her a wide smile.
"Welcome home, Swan." Emma couldn't help but feel that warm, fuzzy feeling each time he said that. She toed off her shoes and walked over to the couch. Leaning over the back, she pressed her lips to his and then let out a squeal when he pulled her over and onto his chest.
"I could have hurt you," Emma laughed as Hook peppered her exposed neck with kisses. She didn't fight his grip, not at all upset with the position they were in, but she felt gross. "Come on, let me up. I want to take a quick shower."
"You smell fine, love." Killian smirked as he tightened his hold on her waist. Emma rolled over so that she was straddled across his lap. "Now, that's just not fair."
"Well, you're a pirate. I thought your type didn't play fair." Her boyfriend rolled his eyes. Try as they might, not everyone from the Enchanted Forest could totally leave their past behind. And to be honest, Emma was glad her true love still had pirate blood running through his veins. It was more fun that way. "But," she leaned in, using her arms to amplify her cleavage, "If you ask nicely, I might let you come shower with me." The shocked look on Killian's face was too much to resist.
"People do that?" Killian was well aware that his voice cracked, but thankfully Emma didn't acknowledge it. She kissed his jaw before answering.
"Yes, people do that, Killian." She lowered her eyes and bent to nibble on his neck. "Some do it quite often, actually." The fact that her pirate was ramrod straight on the couch, and other things were not, gave her a great sense of satisfaction. Hook knew most of her little kinks, but she was still finding his. One of the quickest ways to fluster him was to throw out the sexual customs of this world. Such as showering together. Something that was so tame on the scale was clearly enough to get him interested. Which is what she wanted.
"And, uh, would you like that, Swan?" Killian trailed his hands up and down her back, stopping a few times to rest on her rear. Emma was extremely glad that they had their own place. She wanted to say yes, but what fun would that be?
"Would I like what, Hook?" The slight murderous glance he gave her almost had her give in. Almost, but not quite.
"To," Killian frowned for a moment as he figured out what to say. "Shower…together?" Emma couldn't help it. She dissolved into giggles before getting up and pulling her boyfriend along with her upstairs.
"I sure would." The next few hours were terrific; Emma couldn't recall the last time she was so relaxed by a shower, and she could tell that Killian had enjoyed it too. After the water had turned tepid, they got out and dressed, curled up on master bed. Emma tried to find something on the small television while Killian fiddled with his tiny kindle. It was one of the few pieces of technology that he could handle without any assistance. Suddenly, Emma got an idea. She looked around for her phone, before realizing that she had left the device downstairs.
"Let me up for a moment. I've got to check on something." Killian let go of her with a pout, but didn't try and stop her. Sauntering out of the bedroom, and giving her hips a swing that would drive Killian mad, she walked down the stairs and found her phone on the counter. She pulled up the conversations with Henry and typed out a message.
Found a way to tell Killian. Going to need your help. –Emma
Satisfied, she closed out of her phone and walked back upstairs. Killian was watching the screen, but didn't look impressed by it.
"Ready for bed, Swan?" He asked as he lifted up the covers. Emma smirked, plugging in her phone on the bedside table, before sliding in. She curled up next to him, letting her hand trail on his chest as he got the light. He even managed to turn the TV off on the first try. As they settled in, both letting their hands and minds wander, Emma couldn't help but be excited for tomorrow. It'd probably be a lot easier to pull off then hiding the boat, but it would be a clever way to hint at the secret present.
Henry thought the idea was great and they both spent lunch that day going over which books would be the most useful. Emma thought she could hint at the new boat by downloading some books on modern technology on the ship, which she knew would come in handy. Plus, it wouldn't raise his suspicions too much; Killian was used to looking at the Kindle and seeing a new book telling him how something worked in this world without magic. The only flaw in the plan was that she needed to get the books on there without Killian noticing her.
Eventually, she just decided to go ahead and buy the books, and if Killian caught her doing it then she would just explain that she found these and thought he would enjoy them. She didn't need to worry; she downloaded them when she got home from the diner and Hook was nowhere to be found. Later, she found out, it was because Robin and David decided to go out into the woods and took her pirate with them. At least this time, no one came back with any injuries or bruises. So, Emma spent the whole afternoon worrying for nothing.
So, when the first day passed and Killian hadn't said anything, Emma didn't worry. But then the next day passed. And another. And then a whole week had gone by and her stupid boyfriend hadn't said anything. She knew he had to have seen the books; while they were cooking dinner one night, he was flipping through the Kindle while she stirred the sauce. He wasn't that oblivious not to notice the SEVEN new books she purchased. She even put them in a little folder titled 'Really neat sailing books to read!' so that he'd notice right away. But, no.
She had to have the clueless boyfriend. The boyfriend who had an amazing girlfriend. So amazing, in fact, that she bought him a damn boat to replace the one he lost. But, he wouldn't know any of that because he didn't look at the books! Frustrated beyond belief, the only person she could talk to was Henry, since no one else knew. Waking up one morning, Emma decided that she couldn't wait for Killian to figure it out on his own. So, dressing in a pair of comfortable clothes, and grabbing the hidden key, she set off to find Killian.
It didn't take long. Her pirate was on the back deck, mug in one hand, while he tapped the wooden railing with his hook. She had a feeling that the prostatic hand was somewhere, buried, in the closet. The only time he ever wore it was when they had to leave Storybrooke. Having a hook for a hand didn't sit well with the rest of the world. Emma opened the glass door and walked over to him.
"Morning, love." Killian greeted as she weaseled her way under his arm. She started to rub her thumb over the metal on the hook.
"Want to come with me on a quick trip?" Emma asked. Her heart was going a mile a minute, but she didn't know why she worried, since Killian immediately said yes. Within the hour, the two of them were ready to head out. Slipping into the bug, Emma pulled out and headed towards the docks.
"So, where are we going?" Killian didn't think that there was trouble, but you could never be sure in this town. There always seemed to be some scheme, or plot, or someone trying to cause mayhem. Emma smirked.
"Just need to make a quick stop before we get going." Killian was puzzled at the look on his true loves face, but he decided to go along with it. Emma flipped the radio on and Killian managed to change stations seamlessly. The drive to the docks didn't take long at all and soon she was parking in the same spot as when she came to look at the boat. It still seemed pretty empty. Killian only felt more confused.
"Why are we at the harbor, Swan? Are we getting some cargo?" God, she loved this man. But he could be pretty clueless when he wanted.
"No, I don't think we can pick it up." Emma teased. She got out of the car and started walking towards the boat. Killian followed easily kept up with her pace. He continued to ask her questions, but Emma only told him to wait and see. When they got to the boat, still clean from when she had come earlier in the week, Killian stopped. Emma was standing on the deck, her pirate on the dock, looking bewildered. "Come on, don't you want to see the inside?"
"Love, whose ship is this? Do we have permission to be here?" Leave it to her boyfriend to be worried about offending someone by setting foot on their ship.
"I don't think he'll mind. After all, he wouldn't be one to yell at me for being on his ship."
"You know him?" Killian asked as she finally pulled him onto the deck.
"Yep. Gotta say, though, he's usually muck quicker at picking up hints." Emma smiled as Killian frowned at her. "Killian, what are we standing on?"
"We're on the deck of a boat, Swan." She grabbed him by the waist.
"Right, and what are you?"
"I don't-"
"A pirate, Hook. And every pirate needs a ship, right?"
Killian was giving her one of those looks, the kind where he couldn't believe she would do all this for him, and Emma was glad she had only included Henry in this.
"You got me a ship?" The awe in his voice made her glow.
"I did. Now, we can do all the sappy love stuff later, I want to show you everything."
They spent the rest of the day there, Emma watching as Hook explored every inch of his new vessel, and Emma couldn't help but blush when he named it The Beautiful Swan.
