A/N: I couldn't get the idea out of my head that Hook should deliver Snow's baby. They have such a weird relationship and I thought they needed to bond a bit. I will get back to my "Drinks with the Prince" series later this week. Right now, it's "Labor with Snow." Thanks for reading—I've really appreciated all the feedback for my other stories very much!
Being held captive by that normally green-skinned slag was bad enough. Being held captive with the very pregnant mother of the woman he loved was just this side of surreal, and to say Killian Jones was concerned would be a vast understatement.
Snow White had gone missing the evening before — spirited away out from under the eyes of every passer-by on the street — as she was heading home from Granny's where she had just dropped off Henry. David was frantic with worry for both his wife and unborn child, and Emma was doing her level best to calm him and stay focused on figuring out where her mother might be. After losing Neal, no one dare question the lengths the witch would go to get what she wanted...whatever that might be. Knowing how close Snow was to delivering her baby, a fair portion of the town turned out to help find her before something dire happened.
Hook could see the stress radiating from Emma in waves as she tried to organize the search party to greatest effect. The corners of her mouth were pulled down into a frown the likes of which he hoped never to see again, and the small crevices between her eyes deepened with each area she assigned a group to scour. He fought the urge to enfold her forever in his arms, keeping her protected and safe from harm, but she was not ready to let anyone look after her yet. A Savior's work was never done...or so he had been told.
Not long after the search was underway, Hook became separated from his group (Granny the tracker, and one of Locksley's crew for extra firepower) when he thought he saw Zelena's signature green smoke cloud in an alleyway. He immediately ran off in the direction, hoping she was materializing and that he could take her unawares. So intent was he, he failed to see her trap before he could escape it.
In the spot where he had seen the smoke, Hook found Snow's sweater. He reached over to pick it up when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. As he turned to investigate, one of the flying monstrosities he was eager to avoid, nailed him in the head with a rock, sending him careening into the brick wall behind him, knocking him out.
When he awoke, Hook found himself on a floor of devil-knew-where, Snow White peering down at him, her relief apparent that he was finally opening his eyes.
"Oh thank heavens," she breathed and gripped Hook's hand tightly.
He righted himself and tried to take in their surroundings. They were in a rather cramped, rustic-looking cabin. There was room for a small table with chair, a single cot and a rudimentary lavatory to his right. The lighting was dim due to the closed curtains over the windows and one yellowed, bare bulb hung overhead emitting a sickly light. There didn't look to be any other exits, but there was a small fireplace. Hook hoped Snow knew where they might be so they could better plan their escape.
"My sentiments exactly, m'lady. Are you alright?" Hook asked as he rubbed the lump on the side of his head.
"I've been better," she said looking pained and exasperated.
"Where are we?" Hook asked as he stood and stepped toward the window, reaching out to pull back the curtain.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Snow warned and took a step back and turned her head away and shut her eyes.
Hook glanced back at Snow, his brows knit in confusion at her admonition, then peered out the window only to be screeched at by one of the witch's flying monkeys — its sharp teeth filling his view, the rush of its fetid breath fogging the pane of glass separating them.
"Bloody fucking hell!" he yelled, pulling the curtain shut again quickly, and slamming the wall next to the window with his hand as he gulped air trying to calm his racing heart and steady his breathing.
"I told you," Snow said in a not-so-sympathetic singsong voice. "She has them surrounding the cabin. There's no way past them."
"So noted," he remarked, wondering if he'd ever be able to peek out of a window again. "Do you recognize this place?"
"No. I have no idea where we are. There are all kinds of random things in the woods thanks to the curses, and unfortunately, there are a lot of woods around Storybrooke."
"Aye. So I've gathered these past few days."
Snow put her hands over her belly, rubbing it lightly, and said, "That's not our biggest problem." Hook raised his eyebrows high, corresponding perfectly with the increasing sense of dread he was feeling waiting for her next words. "I'm in labor." Perfect.
Hook didn't know if he should curse, cry, or congratulate. As he looked at the princess, he could see the same mix of emotions written on her face. He opted instead for consolation and said, "We'll make it out of here, Highness. I will do everything in my power to see to it."
"I won't lose this baby, too," Snow said with no small amount of determination. Her resolve didn't stop tears from welling in her eyes, though, as she whispered, "I can't."
Nodding, Hook took a step forward and looked Snow squarely in the eyes. "I will not let anything happen to you or the child. I swear it."
Snow's voice climbed an octave as she asked, "How are you going to stop her if she really wants it? She's...crazy!"
Hook raised an eyebrow and grinned slyly at Snow. "I'm sure between an expert bandit such as yourself and a wily old pirate like me, we can figure something out."
"I hope you're...ugh...right," Snow grunted out as a contraction seized her. She took several deep breaths as she closed her eyes and held on to her belly.
Hook didn't know what to do and it made him feel wholly inadequate for their current predicament. Not that he hadn't gotten himself in and out of some pretty serious scrapes in his lifetime, but this witch seemed, at best, unpredictable and wielded a murderous wizard at her whim, so there was no telling what he could expect being her prisoner. He felt as if they all stood at the edge of quicksand with dreamshade-laced spears at their backs. This day was shaping up to be quite the misadventure.
When the pain seemed to pass, Snow straightened up and put her hands on her lower back and let out an unsteady breath. "Hook," she said, "she cannot know I'm in labor."
"Do you think we will have time to escape before things get..." he gestured in the direction of her midsection.
"I don't know. Right now the contractions are several minutes apart, but I was told second babies come faster. I know I can't outrun her or those...things outside though."
Hook thought for a moment. "The town was already out looking for you, so maybe all we need to do is hold on until they find us. Has Zelena been here since you were abducted?"
"Just once. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she showed up again."
The words were barely out of Snow's mouth when a howling ruckus began to echo all around and through the tiny cabin, causing both Hook and Snow to wince. Snow looked sharply toward the door and said hopefully, "David..."
Instead of her brave prince slaying the flying beasts and kicking in the door to rescue his lady, the witch herself materialized in the room, green cloud swirling like a waterspout, then clearing to reveal her — haughty smile gleefully in place — surveying her captives.
"No worse for wear I see, Captain," she sighed. "More's the pity," she greeted Hook with a sneer. Warily, he observed her but refused to engage for the moment. He could tell by her entrance alone she was the sort who craved attention, and he was just stubborn enough not to give it to her. He stood before her, arms crossed over his chest, looking as disinterested as he could. She glared at Hook, but then seemed to think better of it. Smoothing her features as well as her skirt, Zelena affixed a gracious smile and stepped toward Snow who had retreated a half step, hands resting protectively over her belly.
"And how is our mother-to-be?" Zelena asked brightly.
Hook casually stepped between the women, standing practically nose-to-nose with Zelena. She stopped short and narrowed her eyes at him.
Hook shook his head at her and put his hand and hook on his belt and bent his elbows out to the sides, flaring his coat, and effectively blocked Snow from view.
"She's well. Thank you for asking," Hook answered with a forced smile.
"Out of my way, pirate," Zelena commanded.
Hook didn't budge. "I don't think so."
"What's this? Kissing up to the mother-in-law?" she snarled.
Hook shrugged, but stood his ground. He heard Snow take a muffled sharp breath and he shifted, digging his boot heel into the floor to cover the sound and make sure she was well-hidden to allow her the chance to work through her untimely contraction.
"No, just a gentleman," he said.
"That's rich coming from a home-wrecking miscreant such as you, Hook."
Moving farther into the witch's space, Hook's voice dropped low and dangerous, his eyes never leaving hers. "That's not the only thing I know how to wreck, darling. Care to find out for yourself?"
Zelena's eyes blazed as she ground out, "If I didn't have other..." she raised a green, gloved hand to his face and pressed her finger roughly to his lips, "more delicious plans for you, my pretty, I would kill you right here. But I'd hate to ruin the fun."
"I'm not afraid of you," Hook stated coldly.
Laughing, Zelena said, "Oh, it's not you I'm trying to scare!"
Hook felt a hand on his arm as Snow moved around him to face Zelena herself. "It's ok, Killian." She tilted her head and looked sadly at the witch. "What a lonely life you must have had to go to such great lengths to try and cause harm to your only family."
"You have no idea," she growled. "Now, I suggest you make yourself comfortable because I'm not letting you go until you have that baby."
"Welp, haven't had one contraction, so hope you're not in a hurry either," Snow said. The two women stared each other down for a moment or two while Hook looked on, impressed with Snow's prowess with falsehoods. He didn't think she had it in her given her inability to keep a secret normally.
"Fine," Zelena said, nonchalantly. "I'll check back in later. I've got other, more evil feathers to ruffle at the moment." She waved at the two and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.
As soon as Zelena vanished, Hook turned to Snow, but before he could compliment her performance, she grabbed his arms and gripped them hard, leaving indentations on his coat sleeves. All Hook could do was stand there and take it because he was at a complete loss as to what else to do. It wasn't just the mechanics of childbirth he knew nothing about, but how to help Snow in particular. How less-than-ideal could the situation be? Not only was she being held against her will by a madwoman who had designs on her baby, but she was imprisoned with someone she was less than fond of. He felt sorry not just for her plight, but for his intrusion upon it.
"This...is...not...good," Snow bit out between breaths. She bowed her head and squeezed her eyes shut. "The contractions...they're coming faster."
Hook helped Snow over to the cot to sit. She eased herself down and continued to breathe deeply, her eyes closed again. Killian's concern for all of them was causing his stomach to tighten into a Gordian knot of epic proportions. Escaping? He was confident they could manage well enough, but delivering a baby? That was not something he ever learned in the Navy or in his life of piracy. He needed to do something he was sure he could manage or he would go mad with the unknowns before him.
Looking around the small room, he spied a small pile of wood next to the fireplace. "Would a fire be to your liking, m'lady? It is a tad chilly in here."
"Is it? I'm hot already, but we probably should do it now, so when the baby's here, it will be warm enough," Snow said.
Hook built a small fire for them then explored the cabin a little more. He had no idea what they might need in the process of delivering the baby, but he gathered up a towel and ran the water in the sink to see what state it was in. It looked clear enough, but was ice cold, so he went back out in the main room and checked on Snow, who seemed to be in the midst of another contraction. Her face was strained and she was breathing heavy, and when the wave of pain passed soon after, she looked exhausted.
"What can I do to help you?" Hook asked as he knelt down in front of Snow.
She gave a weak smile and said, "Promise you won't pass out when the baby comes."
"Aye. I promise," he said with a reassuring smile.
"Crap! Here comes another one," Snow warned. She grimaced with the force of the contraction and grabbed Hook's hand, squeezing harder than before. For such a petite woman, she had a stronger grip than some of his deckhands. She could teach them something about fortitude as well, he thought. He could see her trying desperately to regulate her breathing to relax even just a small amount. When the worst had passed, she loosened her hold on his fingers and let go.
First thing Hook did was remove all his rings and place them in his vest pocket. The indentations in his fingers were deep from where Snow pressed them into his skin and he rubbed them against his leg to try to alleviate some of his own discomfort.
Snow looked at him sheepishly and apologized, but he brushed it off. "Small price to pay for the privilege of helping you. I'll be fine."
While it was quiet, Hook looked around the room again and noticed a small kettle on the mantle above the fireplace. He grabbed it and took it into the bathroom where he washed it out and refilled it with water, then placed it near the fire to warm in case they needed it later.
"Hook!" Snow cried.
He turned, wide-eyed, fully expecting to see the witch poised to kill him or snatch the baby from Snow's womb. Luckily it was neither.
"My water broke," Snow informed him between breaths. Indeed, there was a wet spot spreading on the mattress beneath her. She looked up at him, eyes wide and warned, "I don't think it's going to be long now."
Hook took off his coat, tossing it on floor next to the small table, then helped Snow to her feet so he could flip the small mattress over so it was at least dry. For the next hour or so, Snow alternated between pacing the room, sitting in the chair and laying in the bed. Her contractions were increasing in frequency and duration, and to Hook, it seemed like no position offered her any comfort. He did rummage around in his coat at one point and gave her his false hand to squeeze, which drew a chuckle from her that almost immediately turned into a sharp gasp as yet another contraction hit.
When it subsided, Snow sat on the cot, her back against the wall, and said, "Hook, I feel like I need to push now. Are you ready?"
His first inclination was to vehemently say "no," but when he saw how scared Snow looked, he nodded in the affirmative, and grabbed the towel and kneeled on the cot near her legs.
"Are you? You sure you want me to be here?" he asked gesturing to the space between them.
"You are here. And I'm guessing you have some experience with female anatomy," she said, plainly not really caring about what Hook saw.
"Aye, well, I have sailed the waters, just not this particular sea," he said as diplomatically as he could.
Snow rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "Well, this baby is coming whether you or I 'know' each other, sailor, so batten down your hatches. I'm going to do all the work, you just need to catch it. Think you can handle that?"
"Yes, m'lady," Hook answered with as much confidence and as little embarrassment as he could muster. Truth was, he was terrified for a myriad of reasons. He stopped praying to deities years ago, but he wished for smooth sailing — no complications for Snow or her child, no surprise visits from Zelena while this was going on, no interference from the winged simian army outside the doors, and least of all, no punch in the face from David when it eventually dawned on him what Hook was about to be privy to.
Snow braced her feet on his knees and gripped the edge of the cot as she began to push. Her hair was damp with sweat and her face flush as she tried hard to be as quiet as she could to not alert the witch's minions what was happening. Hook could tell that was no small effort and he patted her knee trying to comfort her.
Taking a deep breath in preparation to dive right in, Hook looked between Snow's legs and could see the top of the baby's head at her entrance. His head snapped up to meet her eyes and he grinned. "The baby is coming, I can see it."
Panting a bit, Snow nodded, acknowledging his words and gathered her energy for another round of pushing. Hook gave her his hand again to hold onto as he monitored the progress of the baby's voyage into the world and she gave a push. More of the head came through and Snow's low keening alerted him to how much pain she was in.
He took his hand back and slipped it under the towel along with his other forearm and said, "Just a little more, Snow. Almost done. There's a good girl."
Snow practically arched her back and lifted herself off the cot with the effort of her next push, but it was just what she needed to release the babe from her hold. Hook guided the child out the rest of the way, and wrapped it in the towel carefully as it started to squirm and cry. He could feel himself grinning like a fool, tears welling up in his own eyes as he handed over the little bundle to Snow.
"You've a son," Hook said, beaming because for one moment in the midst of all the chaos of their lives, something beautiful and profound graced them and it was true magic. He only wished, for Snow's sake, that her husband and daughter could have been there instead.
Snow reached for the baby, tears of her own spilling down her cheeks, cradled the infant to her and spoke soft words of welcome. Hook watched the newborn relax at her voice and settle. She allowed herself a moment to appreciate the fruits of her labor, but then she kissed the baby's downy head and looked seriously at Hook.
"Time for all of us to get the hell out of here, don't you think?" Snow said with renewed determination. Nodding at her son, she said, "Do you have a knife? We need to cut the cord and get him cleaned up."
Hook reached into his back pocket and pulled out a switchblade, which he opened and handed over to Snow. After he swapped his hook for his false hand, she passed the baby to Hook who lay the boy down on the cot then knelt in front of him. Between the two of them, they were able to find a loose thread on Hook's shirt, which they unraveled, then tied off the cord so they could cut it. Hook brought the warmed water over to the table, gathered the sleeping boy up, and began cleaning him off gently with toilet paper he grabbed from the bathroom earlier in preparation.
He was such a little thing, all red and squirmy — a patch of dark hair like Snow's, but a brow like his father's. Hook couldn't help but wonder if the lad looked anything like Emma did when she was a baby. If it wasn't such a painful topic for Snow, he might have brought it up, but for now, he would just concentrate on the task at hand, which was preparing to vacate the premises posthaste.
"When you are done, Hook, wrap him up tight in my sweater and give me the towel."
"Aye." He silently apologized to the lad for his clumsy work, but time was of the essence.
Hook lifted the boy carefully and held him to his chest then swapped arms as he tossed the towel to Snow who used it to gather up the afterbirth. He could clearly see how weary she was, but this ordeal was far from over. Their motivation to escape far exceeded any exhaustion. Nevertheless, Snow got up incrementally, tossed the towel and its contents into the fire, then staggered to the bathroom to take care of herself.
Hook plucked the sweater from the back of the chair nearby and spread it over the table. He placed the boy in the middle and contemplated the best way to wrap him up. Luckily, years on board folding the extra sails made him somewhat of an expert in making small packages and pretty quickly he had the new Prince swaddled snugly in his mother's sweater.
The whole time Snow and Hook were preparing, they discussed the merits of a few different plans until they came up with something that might work — a fairly standard distract and divert operation. Snow pretended to be holding the baby (which was really the last fire log wrapped in toilet paper) when, in fact, they had created a sling with Hook's shirt and he secured the real baby under his coat. As Snow pretended to make a break for it out the front door, drawing the attention of the flying monkeys, Hook and the infant would climb out the window and take off into the woods.
As they stood ready to execute their plan, Snow placed her hand on the lump under Hook's coat and smiled sweetly. "Be careful with my boy," she requested.
"As if he were my very own, Highness," Hook responded sincerely. Maybe someday he would have his own child to protect against whatever the world threw at them, but for now, he would treat this child as the treasure he was.
Snow stood on her tip-toes and kissed Hook's cheek. "Thank you, Killian," she whispered.
All he could do was bow slightly, which prevented him from having to get words past the lump in his throat and keep him from waking the boy who seemed content under the protection of a wayward pirate's leather coat.
Putting her hand on the doorknob, Snow looked back at Hook, who was now standing by the window waiting for her cue. "On the count of three?" she asked expectantly.
"On three," he agreed.
Three beats later, Snow flung open the door only to be greeted by a stream of flame racing toward the cabin that split into several arms, scorching the evil guardians of the property sending them skyward. As that was happening, a protective spell flowed in underneath the fire, until it created a dome around the cabin and a portion of the yard that kept the beasts at bay. Beneath that were David, Emma, Regina, Robin and several of his men, bows in hand pointed at the sky in case the spell broke and the monkeys came flying back.
David rushed forward yelling to his wife, "Snow! Snow!"
"David!" she cried and collapsed into his arms, sobbing. "You found me!" she laughed through her tears.
He kissed her face several times then held up his hand to show off a little ring on his smallest finger that was glowing green. "You left it on the kitchen window sill. Thank god your fingers got too fat to wear it," he teased.
Snow took David's hand and lead him toward Hook, who had come out the front door after hearing the vile screech of monkeys and then David's voice. She smiled widely at the two men and said to David, "There's someone you need to meet."
David looked at Hook, then Snow, then back at Hook again, confused. "Pretty sure I've met Hook before, Snow."
"Aye, but you haven't met this little man," Hook said as he unbuttoned his coat to reveal the sleeping prince safe in his sling, pressed up against Hook's chest.
David's eyes widened in shock, and he covered his mouth with his hand, completely unprepared for the sight before him.
Hook grinned as Snow untied the sling. "Come on, mate. Come see your boy. He's a tough little bugger." David came closer and Hook smacked him on the back in congratulations once Snow had the newborn back in her arms. David touched the baby's head with shaking hands then kissed Snow on top of hers. Once he had processed everything, he turned to Hook and grabbed him in a bear hug. "Thank you," he said, voice full of emotion.
Thumping David on the back, Hook said, "Nothing you wouldn't have done for anyone else, mate." The men separated with one last shoulder squeeze each and turned toward the rest of the party.
Regina and Emma ended their spells and joined the group under the cover of Hood and the arrows of his men. After they spent a moment gazing at the baby, Regina sighed and reminded them that time was short. "We've got to keep moving before old Greenie figures out what's happened," she advised.
She and Robin led the way, followed by Snow and David who were flanked by Robin Hood's crew, with Hook and Emma bringing up the rear as they made their way out of the woods.
"Way to go, there Doctor Quinn," Emma teased Hook, only to get a rather confused, raised eyebrow in return. Emma laughed to herself, but looked up at him with genuine affection.
"I want to thank you, too," she said. "For making sure Mary Margaret didn't have to give up my brother as well."
Hook pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I was never going to let that happen," he said.
Emma reached over and took his hand in hers. She pressed it briefly then let go, small smiles exchanged between them. Pointing at his shirt flung over his shoulder, Emma ribbed Hook again, "You know, I couldn't even tell your shirt was missing. Why do you bother wearing it anyway?"
Leaning in close to her ear, Hook murmured, "So you can have the pleasure of removing it someday." He pulled back and winked, watching the color rise in her cheeks.
Emma smirked at Hook and chuckled. "You are going to give Whale a run for his money in more ways than one," she laughed.