Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.
A/N: This is set post & AU of S3 without Marion and without the CaptainSwan kiss. This is circa Christmas in Storybrooke, centered on the building of CaptainSwan.
"You know," Emma panted roughly, hands braced on her knees as she stared in exhaustion at her perp, "It occurs to me that I am the sheriff of this town. I mean yeah, this is a Podunk pond of a town, with only two law enforcement agents in the whole place, so this isn't totally out of the realm of possibility. Hell, there isn't a lot that is out of the realm of possibility. I mean I traveled through time for goodness sake, but here I am, Savior, in a river, talking to a baby cow."
"Calf actually," a smooth, softly accented, voice chimed.
"I knew that, thank you," Emma's glare deepened. "What are you doing out here hook?"
Hook leaned against a tree, boots sinking into the layer of crisp snow. "I went to the station looking for you, Love. Dear old dad said you were on a call out in the woods and here I am."
Emma's head tilted back. Of course David had managed to miss this particular call but still managed to direct Hook her way. "I don't have time for this," Emma called.
"I can see that," Hook forced the smile from his face. "If you stay in that water any longer you'll catch your death."
"Great," the blonde grumbled, "positive thinking, exactly what I need."
With a determined step, Emma slid through the water, trying to keep her movements slow and clam. The last thing she needed was for the calf to panic again and start to run. Emma didn't have anything left to lose really, her phone was fried, her boots were no doubt ruined, and she had entirely lost feeling below her knees and in her hands.
"Here, Bessie," Emma breathed, taking another measured step forward. The calf remained still. The big eyes stared at Emma, her lip twitched, she kept thinking about veal, a nice hot plate of veal. Veal was looking at her, and if that wasn't a disturbing thought Emma didn't know what was.
"Are you going to rope the poor thing or eat it," Hook asked with a chuckle.
Emma reached into the water, icy fingers scrabbling for the rope she had abandoned after her first, second, and third failed attempts at catching the calf. Breathing slowly, Emma lifted the loop in both hands and stretched forward, her foot inching forward on uneven rocks. Her breath was heavy, swirling in a cloud in the chilled air. With a short exhalation Emma dropped the rope around the Calf's neck. Her relief was short lived as she relaxed her body her foot slipped on the rock, plummeting her into the river.
"Emma," Hook cried, scrambling down the snowy embankment as Emma jerked upward, yelping as the cold seeped into her bones.
"Cold," Emma shivered, "so cold."
"Are you alright," Hook breathed, bright eyes flashing with worry.
Emma struggled to her feet, keeping a tight grip on the rope, the calf unmoving. "Fine, cold, wet, pissed, but fine."
"Let's get you out of there, eh, Love," Hook extended his hand, bracing himself so that he could safely pull Emma from the water.
Emma, true to nature, thumped the rope into this hand before flopping onto the bank and dragging herself from the water. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the bright sun, her skin prickling as the air bit into her wet form. Groaning, Emma pushed herself upward, teeth chattering. "Okay, Bessie, time to get you home."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that, Swan," Hook asked with a smirk as the woman steeled herself and took the rope from the pirate.
"Good looks and some good old fashioned stubbornness," Emma bit out.
It took some time, Hook having to lend a hand and a hook to help Emma haul the calf from the water, up the embankment and to the cruiser. Emma was exhausted; this was absolutely the last thing she had wanted to do on a Sunday morning. She had taken the early shift so she could spend the day with Henry working on popcorn garland. It wasn't exactly Emma's idea of fun, but Mary-Margaret had suggested it and Henry had jumped. Emma had been not-so-subtly been bribed by her father with promises of Granny's cinnamon hot cocoa with a shot of whiskey.
Taking the early shift, Emma decided, was the worst choice she had ever made, and that included some of her ill-advised one night stands, and maybe a theoretically year-long relationship with a flying monkey man.
"Alright," Emma sighed, "I'll drive, and you get to hold the leash." Emma pushed the rope into Hook's hand, as she moved around to the driver's side of the cruiser, digging the keys from her pocket with numb fingers.
"Ugh," Emma whimpered, "I am going to die out here. Stupid baby cow."
"Calf," Hook reminded her sweetly.
"Not helping," the blonde glared at him, letting the car roll forward on the road, her foot hovering over the break in case the calf stopped walking. "I might die of old age in this car."
"A little dramatic, aren't we, Swan," the dark-haired, dark-clothed man snickered.
Wet locks shook, "No, I really don't think I am."
"So what's the story," Hook asked curiously.
Emma shrugged, adjusting the heater and fans, "Farmer's gate was left open and that sheep for brains decided to go wandering."
"And Prince Charming was unavailable," Hook pressed.
"Yeah," Emma nodded, "believe me I called, he didn't answer. I'm starting to think about putting him on probation. I got wet…in winter, he deserves to be punished. You think Gold would help me with a curse?"
Hook laughed, lips curling in amusement, "Alright, Love, I think we had better get you warm and into some dry clothes before you decide that you'd like to be friends with the next villain that pops into your head."
Her lower lip jutted out, a shock of pink against her pale skin, "Hey, I kind of like Gold, we get each other."
"And on that, I think I'm going to pretend you haven't said that," the man sighed, his concern rising at Emma's state.
The blonde slumped slightly behind the wheel of her car, "I'm assuming it would be bad to floor it and just drag the slowest cow in the universe home."
"Yes," Hook nodded slowly, tugging lightly on the rope, "that might be a poor choice."
"Damn it," Emma shivered violently stamping the floorboards of the car.
Emma rolled the car into the station parking spots. Blurrily putting the car in park and slipping the key out of the ignition. She stumbled out of the car, letting Hook manage the calf who was still ambling down the road as if time had become irrelevant. The ten minute drive had been lengthened to an hour with the burden of the calf, and Emma was more popsicle than human.
"David," she growled, sounding more like a lost kid than a pissed sheriff. "David," she called again her voice fading and cracking.
"Emma, is that you," David's voice carried from deeper in the station, most likely the file storage room.
"No," Emma grumped, "I don't think I can technically be considered Emma anymore. I'm more frozen than human."
"What," David asked in confusion as he stepped into the room, his footsteps halted at the site of his daughter.
Her hair was straggly and half hardened from the cold, her skin was pale as snow, her veins standing out under her sickly complexion. Emma's clothes were actually dripping on the linoleum.
"What happened," David asked, stepping forward and placing his hands on Emma's shoulders so he could look her over properly.
The disheveled woman took a deep breath, straightened her spine as much as she could before she let out a dramatic sigh. "I got a call about a stupid baby cow that ran away from home. I called for backup, but no one answered. So I had to get in the river and wrestle a freaking cow on my own."
David's wide eyes shimmered with concern, his mouth opening slightly in regret. "Your mother is going to kill me," he muttered. "You should get home."
"Oh," Emma forced a grimace of a smile, "I'm going home, you're going to take the idiot home, good luck. She walks like he's had both her hips replaced."
The door opened and Hook leaned in, "Hey mate, do you want to take this?"
The rope was brandished as the pirate pursed his lips. Prince Charming dropped his hands from Emma's sodden shoulders and looked around her at the leather-clad man. "Hook," he asked. "What are you doing here?"
"Your job, apparently," was the smiling reply.
A sigh and an eye roll was all Emma could muster as she drifted toward the door, "Have fun. Hook, you wanna drive me home?"
"There's a first time for everything," Hook winked, holding the door open for Emma and escorting her to the yellow bug.
"Oh my goodness," Mary-Margret gasped, hands covering her mouth in horror as the door swung open and her daughter stumbled in supported by Captain Hook. "What happened?"
"I got in a fight with a big black and white monster," Emma shivered, her head dropping slightly. "I won."
"She took a little dip in the river," Hook added, "it took longer than expected to return."
The petite, dark haired woman nodded frantically, and motioned for Hook to bring Emma further into the apartment. "We should get her into the shower and then bed," the woman shook her head as she moved to help, "where was David in all of this."
"Not answering his phone," Hook supplied helpfully.
Chocolate eyes narrowed and a little bit of Snow White peaked out, "I am going to kill him."
"How about making sure I don't croak first," Emma's muscles seized slightly and she tightened her hold on Hook.
The man grunted, shifting his hold on the woman, "Alright, Love, I've got you."
Mary-Margaret rushed across the room and into the bathroom, opening the taps and letting the hot water flow. "Hook," Mary-Margaret called, "I know this is asking a lot, but would you mind helping me with Emma? I don't think I'll be able to manage her on my own."
"Sure," he flashed a canned smile, unwilling to betray how very fast his heart was beating, "Although I would appreciate it if, when Emma is better, you prevent her from shooting me. I don't think she would be particularly appreciative of me helping her with a bath."
The older woman laughed, "I think I can stop her from doing that."
Emma's head lifted sharply before dropping limply, "Who's shooting who?"
Hook exhaled sharply as he swept Emma up into his arms entirely. He moved across the apartment floor, stepping into the cramped bathroom before he set her down on her feet, keeping a firm hold of her all the while. Between himself and Emma's mother, they managed to strip Emma down to her underwear so Hook could settled her into the steaming water.
Emma jerked as the temperature of the water hit her pale skin. Hook tightened his hold on her, lowering her deliberately into the water. Mary-Margaret stood at the foot of the tub, one hand clasped on the necklace resting against her clavicle, a clear sign of worry.
Lowering himself to the tile beside the tub, Hook kept his good hand and arm around Emma, preventing her head from slipping underwater. With short jerky shrugs, he wiggled his hooked arm out of his coat, and with some maneuvering shucked the coat entirely.
"Do you mind," Mary-Margaret nodded to Emma, "I need to check on the baby."
"Sure, of course," the faux smile returned. As the once-queen exited the bathroom, Hook returned his attention to Emma. The woman he was falling for, already fallen for. It was rather blurred, he supposed.
The blonde shifted, water sloshing sharply against the sides of the tub, "Hook?"
"I'm here, Love," he breathed, the honey in his voice soothing his charge.
"Am I naked," she breathed as her hands skated over her body beneath the hot water.
Hook shook his head, "No. I promise your virtue is still intact."
"Virtue, Hook," Emma snorted, eyes still firmly closed, "you do remember I have an twelve year-old son running around this town?"
"Killian, Love, and I do remember your charming son," Hook agreed. "How are you feeling?"
"Warmer, still pissed at my father," Emma's face tightened as she squeezed her eyes shut a little harder. "Killian, I feel numb."
"I know, Love, I know. It'll pass in a while, and I'll be here."
"Okay," Emma relaxed slightly, her hands reaching up to hold onto Hook's arm.
A/N: For those of you who haven't experience my version of Christmas-Madness, it goes a little like this: I pick a fandom and write a chapter a day ending on December 25th. Now, I actually started this on December 1st with a different fandom (Heroes), and then about 6 days ago I started thinking about Emma and Killian and decided that on top of my Heroes fic I would write a 12 day CaptainSwan story. All I ask in return for this story is reviews; I love to hear what you guys think! Happy Holidays.