Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT or any characters that you recognize.

Author's Note: Milah/Hook never happened in this story. But since the conflict between Hook and Rumpelstiltskin is pretty important, it should still exist, so the reason for that hatred is just because Rumpel cut off his hand. I haven't decided why they were fighting in the first place, but it wasn't because of Milah. She left Rumpel for someone else.

I can't imagine a fate worse than marrying someone you don't love. In my opinion, death would be far better. My mother taught me that love is the most important thing in marriage. Money, looks, and fame don't matter, as long as you truly love the person. And I've lived my whole life with this in mind. That's why it's so ironic that I'm engaged to a man that I hate. I wish that I could get out of it, that I could run away. But I can't do that to my family. They're the reason I'm set to marry this man. He's a blacksmith; not rich by most people's standards, but in my small village, he's one of the richest. And my family is one of the poorest. Our name is synonymous with dirt. Well, maybe mud, because we at least have some use.

My current situation is why I've taken up spending my days at the bar. The bartender, George, is a friend, someone I can confide in when I need to. So that's where I am right now, at the Oakland Bar, drinking a beer and wishing a handsome prince would come and sweep me off my feet and take me to a castle. But there aren't many princes that come through our little village, so it probably won't happen. Oakland is at the edge of the forest, next to the sea. We see a lot of sailors and fishermen come through here, but they don't stay for much longer than a few days.

"So, Rose, you been out hunting today?" George's voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

"Hunting?" I snorted. "No. Haven't had time, what with all the wedding plans to make." I rolled my eyes.

"I just thought you had, since you have your bow with you." He gestured to the curved weapon leaning against the bar.

"I've just been carrying it around... In case I get a chance."

"Well why aren't you hunting now?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because it's too dark." He shrugged, then pointed at my mug as if questioning if I wanted more. Of course I did.

"You're the hunter, not me." He filled my glass until the foam overflowed.

"So how have you been, George?" I felt bad that we were always talking about my problems.

"Well a crew of pirates just docked yesterday. They don't seem to mean any harm, but they sure do cause a ruckus when they come in for a drink." He shook his head, as if shaking away some bad memory.

"Pirates? We've never exactly been a place for pirates to visit. Wonder why they're here."

"Maybe they're just getting seasick." George grinned. I chuckled at the bad joke. Just then, a group of men burst through the door, cheering and laughing.

"Aye, Cap'n! And then she told me that she was upset with me!" The men dissolved into a fit of laughter, oblivious to the fact that every eye was on them.

"Maybe you should have brought her aboard, Smee. We could've had some fun with her, eh mates?" The man nudged the first speaker, and they all nodded their agreement through their laughter. It was then that I noticed that this man, this Captain, had only one hand. In place of his other was a silver hook. I must have shown my displeasure at the Captain's insinuations, because George nudged me.

"Don't worry about them, they're nothing but dirty sea rats. They'll be gone by tomorrow." I nodded, disgust still plain on my face.

The pirates made their way to the bar, and began ordering their drinks. The man with the hook took his seat right next to me. I inwardly groaned at my luck. The pirate captain turned to me and let a peculiar smile drift across his features. I continued facing forward, hoping he wouldn't talk to me.

"Why hello there, love." No such luck. I ignored him, and raised my glass to take a sip.

"It isn't very nice to ignore someone when they're talking to you, love." His English accent held a hint of power.

"I am not your 'love', pirate." I snarled, my own English accent thick with annoyance. His eyebrows raised and his smug grin grew larger.

"You shouldn't knock what you haven't tried." He was so smug, and it just made me angrier. I shook my head and turned back to my drink. George set a glass in front of the pirate, filled with what I assumed to be rum.

"I'm Captain Hook." He was still grinning. I knew it wasn't smart to poke a bear with a stick, but I sometimes forgot to hold my tongue.

"Oh, that's clever." I said, speaking to him as if he were a child. "Did you come up with that all by yourself?" This only seemed to encourage him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I'm glad you like it. I was so worried it would come off as silly. Tell me, love, do you like the hook?"

"I told you, I am not your 'love'!" My voice was steadily rising.

"We could always change that." He winked at me suggestively.

"I am engaged." I didn't think I should mention that I hated the man.

"So?" He said simply, smiling, as if he was sure he would have me.

"You're a pig." By now the group of pirates had quieted down, and we were the subject of everyone's attention.

"There you go again, knocking something you've never tried."

"I'll knock whatever I bloody like!"

"Please, do." This earned the laughter of his crew. The man seemed to be able to turn anything into something dirty. George saw the blush creeping across my face and stepped in.

"Alright, that's enough, fellas. You keep it up, and I'll have to kick you out."

"Oh, come now, mate, I'm just having a little fun with this nice young lady." The Captain turned his smug grin on George.

"She doesn't want your kind of fun, pirate."

"Of course she does! I can see it in her eyes!" I looked at him in shock.

"Alright, pirate, I told you if you didn't stop, I'd kick you out. So out you go."

"I'll go if the lady goes with me." He turned to me. "What do you say, love?"

"I say you leave before you find an arrow in your heart." He looked genuinely surprised at the bow pointed at his chest, the smug smile replaced with an amused expression.

"You heard her, mates. Back to the ship." The pirates groaned, but stood and walked towards the exit nonetheless. The Captain put his hook on my bow and pushed it to the side.

"Watch where you're pointing that thing, love. Someone could get hurt." He grinned before turning and leaving. I sat back down at the bar and swallowed the last of my beer. The bar patrons had turned back to their friends and dissolved back into their conversations. George turned to me.

"Pirates, eh?" I smiled down at my lap.

"I should probably stop drinking tonight. Thanks for helping with that asshole. Here, for the beers." I slid a few coins towards him.

"On the house, for getting rid of those nasty pirates." I nodded, then slid the coins back into my dress pocket. I hated dresses, but my fiancé loved them, and insisted that I wear them more often than I wanted to.

"Do you want me to walk with you? That pirate might try something."

"No, I can take care of myself." I raised the bow. "Anyway you need to stay here and man the bar."

"Alright, fine. But if you even see that bastard, you scream, loud as you can."

"Alright, papa." I said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes.

"Just be careful, Rose." I nodded, then slung my quiver over my back and my bow over my shoulder, and walked out of the bar.

************************************************************************************* The walk home was uneventful, but the minute I got home, I was greeted with a sight I most definitely did not want to see.

"Where have you been, Rosalind! Benjamin and I have been waiting for you for hours!" My father stood up at my entrance, while my fiancé stayed seated. My baby brothers ran to me and grabbed hold of my legs. I leaned my bow and quiver against the wall.

"Rosalind, you know I don't like you spending your time at that bar. You're a woman, not a man." I sighed.

"He's right, Rose, you need to act more like a lady!" My father exclaimed. I could tell things were about to get heated, so I tapped my brothers on the head.

"Why don't you boys go on to bed. It's getting late."

"Aww, why? You just got home! We wanna play a game!" I nodded, expecting this.

"I know, but we'll have more time to play tomorrow, okay? I promise." They nodded, pouting. The twins ran back to their rooms. After a moment I turned back to my father and fiancé. Before I could say anything, my father spoke.

"You should be gracious that Benjamin chose you over any of the other young ladies in the village." I looked at him incredulously, completely fed up with the whole day.

"Gracious!?" I burst out. "Why would I be gracious? You aren't seriously telling me that I should be grateful that you arranged this marriage so you could get money, even though you know I don't love him? Should I be grateful that my own father cares more about himself than his daughter? Should I be grateful that I have to spend the rest of my life in the shitty little village, calling this asshole my husband?"

"You'd better watch your tongue, Rosalind. I chose you over anyone else in this village, and that is an honor better than you deserve." Benjamin growled.

"Oh, please! You're a self-absorbed, spoiled little brat, who-" I was cut off by my father.

"Rosalind! You're acting childish! Any woman in this village would trade places with you in an instant!"

"Anyone who wants him can have him! I'd leave him and this godforsaken village if I could."

"You'll have to learn to love me, Rosalind, because you're stuck with me." Benjamin said, his voice cold.

I held back the tears in my eyes, then turned and ran out the front door before they could fall. Voices rang out behind me, but I ignored them. It had begun to rain outside, causing my shoes to pull up mud with every squishy step. My wet hair slapped against my neck, and I knew that I had to look a mess. I had planned on going back to the bar, but I realized with a groan that it would be closed by the time I got there. I was far enough away from the house for anyone to find me, so I looked around for somewhere to sit. I found a tree, then slumped down with my back against it. One thought of my hopeless future and the tears started falling. I buried my face in my hands and cried, harder than I had in a long time.

"What's on your mind, love?" I jerked my head up at the unmistakably smug voice of Captain Hook. Embarrassed at his arrival, I turned my head away, trying to wipe away my tears.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice making it more obvious than it already was that I had been crying.

"I was just walking around and I heard a commotion. I came to find out what it was, and I found you." I wished he would just turn around and walk away, but of course, since that's exactly what I wanted, he sat down next to me, one leg straight and the other bent at the knee.

"Rum?" He asked, offering me a flask. I hesitated, seeing as how I'd never drank rum before, but grabbed the flask and took a good sized gulp. I shook my head at the taste.

"Not a fan, eh?" I shook my head.

"It isn't for everybody." He said, then took a drink.

"Shouldn't you be trying to kill me or something?"

"Why? Because of that mess back at the bar? You were just standing up for yourself. I might have been a little out of line, anyway." I snorted.

"You never answered my question, love. What's on your mind?"

"Why do you care, pirate?" I was still wary of his intentions.

"My being a pirate has nothing to do with the fact that I don't like it when beautiful women cry." I looked at him and saw that that smug smile was back on his face.

"Why should I tell you?" He glanced around.

"Well, because I don't see anyone else around here. So you might as well talk to me. I guess you could talk to yourself, but then people might think you were crazy." He smiled, but this time it was genuine. I couldn't help but notice how the moonlight shone on his face, highlighting his strong cheekbones and short stubble. The moment I realized that he looked cute when he really smiled was the moment I remembered that he was still a pirate. But he was right; there was no one else to talk to except him.

"I don't love the man I'm going to marry."

"Well, that is a problem. Then why are you going to marry him?"

"For my family."

"That really clears things up." He said, looked at me amusedly.

"He has money, and my family needs it."

"Is that really more important than love?"

"What does a pirate know of love?" I really needed to stop being rude, I mean the guy was listening to me bitch about my problems.

"Not much. I've only ever felt love for my brother."

"Is your brother a pirate, too?" He looked away, and took a swig from the rum flask.

"No. My brother wasn't a pirate." I opened my mouth, surprised.

"I'm... sorry... I know what it's like to lose someone that you love." I said quietly. He turned to me.

"My mother died when I was twelve. She died giving birth to my baby brothers."

"Why don't you leave this man? If you don't love him, then don't marry him."

"My father arranged it. I can't back out."

"Why? You're an adult; he isn't in charge of your life anymore." I looked away, tears brimming in my eyes.

"Because my father..." I took a breath to steady myself. "Because my father sold me to him." "If there was a way out of it, believe me, I would have found it." I mumbled.

"You could always just leave."

"Where would I go? I've never left the village, so I couldn't go by myself. I'd get lost. It doesn't matter anyway." I stood, ready to go home. When I turned to thank him, I found that he had already stood and was much closer than I expected. He put the flask in a pocket inside of his black jacket.

"You could go with me." I could feel his breath on my nose as he looked down at me. I hadn't ever realized how much taller than me this man was.

"Go with you... On your pirate ship... I don't even know your real name. You don't know any of my names... Even though I only have the one." We had both leaned closer to each other.

"Why don't you change that?" Our lips were almost touching.

"Rosalind... Rose... Whatever you like." Just as we were about to kiss, I came to my senses and pulled back.

"I'm sorry, but don't you think that's a little crazy of an idea? To go with you, on your pirate ship, full of your pirate crew, with you, a man I've just met... This is crazy! Regardless of anything, I have a family here, friends... a fiancé... even if I don't want to have one, I do..."

"Listen, I'll make you a deal. You have the rest of the night to think it through. We're leaving at sunrise. You make your decision, and if you decide to stay, then I'll leave without another word about it. But, if you decide you want to be happy, then I'll be there, with a spot onboard my ship for you." That smug smile reappeared, then he turned and started walking towards the docks.

"You never told me your real name!" I yelled after him. He turned around.

"If you show up tomorrow, then I'll tell you."

When I reached my home, I had already made my decision. I guess I'd been gone for a while, because the lanterns were all dark and the house was silent. My father was asleep on the couch, as usual, but I decided not to wake him. I crept into the little room I shared with my brothers and looked at them sadly. I sighed, but knew that I had to do this. After changing out of my soaking wet dress and into my brown hunting pants and a green top, I ditched the shoes that Benjamin so loved when I wore, and slipped into a pair of black, low heeled boots.

Grabbing a bag, I shoved in what little clothes I owned, leaving the dresses, except for a comfortable silk sleeping gown. I grabbed my brush, quickly ran it through my tangled hair, and shoved it in my bag, along with a few other things, like my mother's favorite bracelet and a birthday card my brothers had made me when they were younger. I lightly kissed my brothers' foreheads, then walked out to the door. I grabbed my bow and quiver on the way. My hand was on the door when I realized that I was probably never going to see my family again. I thought of the promise I'd made my brothers earlier, to play games tomorrow, and the sadness they'd feel when they found I was gone. I thought of my father, and that he might think I was missing, or dead. I thought of George, who'd be expecting me at the bar tomorrow afternoon, but would most likely get a furious Benjamin asking where I'd gone. I turned to my father, who was snoring quietly, then whispered a goodbye that he wouldn't hear before turning around and going through the door.

I looked around, and saw that it wouldn't be long until sunrise. Quickly, I walked towards the docks, fear and excitement pumping through my veins. Eventually, I saw the white sails of his ship rise over the hills, and had to take a deep breath before continuing walking. Finally, I reached the edge of the docks, and in the mix between night and day, I could just see the outline of two men standing in front of the ship. As I neared them, I could hear them speaking.

"Do you think she'll show up, Cap'n?" I recognized the voice as the first speaker from the bar, Smee I think it was. I guess I'd be introduced soon.

"Aye, of course she will." That, of course, was the ever sure of himself Captain Hook.

"Well, she seemed able to stand up for herself, so that'll be good, if she's going to be on a ship with us." He let out a hearty laugh, then walked onto the ship. After he was gone, I walked onto the dock.

"You shouldn't be so cocky." I said. The Captain turned around and grinned.

"Well, I was right, wasn't I?" He walked up so there was hardly any distance between us.

"So, Captain-" Before I could finish, he had put his hand on my back and brought our lips together. When he pulled back, I smiled and looked at my feet.

"Killian Jones." I grinned at him.

"I like that much better than Captain Hook."

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