Silly Princess & Despicable Pirate
Summary: Aurora/Hook pairing - Everything about them screams that they are horrible for each other, but they can't deny their feelings. As he sets out to save her life and win his freedom, they both hope for something more.
Notes: This is my first attempt at writing, so I hope you like it. I plan for this to be part of a much bigger story, expanding upon the relationship (both past, present, and future) and bringing in some more characters. Some ideas and characters are borrowed from the show, but I've tweaked things to keep you guessing. Enjoy!
She seemed to have the worst of luck and nothing ever worked out for her. If he was the kind of person who could express his emotions, he might even say that he felt sorry for her. First having to endure the sleeping curse, then losing her Prince in that terrible accident, and now this - if he had known what he knew now, he might not have used her like he had. It was not like a pirate to admit he had been wrong, but Captain Hook found himself regretting his actions. He had almost felt a duty to her - compelled to correct the mistake he had made. Hook could never let his crew (or anyone, for that matter) know this side of him. He would grumble every few days about how he would be sailing free if it wasn't for his life being threatened by the King and Queen. It was a good, and extremely valid, excuse for why they were hauling around collecting the scattered pieces to return to her. After all, he had a reputation to maintain, and there was no way he would let some silly Princess ruin that for him.
A time not too long ago...
A silly Princess, indeed!? She could not believe that lowly pirate thought he could talk to her in such a manner. After everything Aurora had been through, she was absolutely infuriated that someone as despicable as Captain Hook would get under her skin so easily. It was true that she had been more on edge lately - having experienced two emotional traumas one right after the other. She was finding it hard to sleep and she had no real desire to eat, so maintaining her usually royal-thick skin had proved more difficult of late. She knew the pirate had singled her out on purpose, and that he was trying to take advantage of her because she appeared to be the weakest. Aurora was determined to not let him win, but his words had stung her deeply.
She tried to distract herself by getting started on creating the campfire and getting something prepared to eat. The others were busy securing the prisoner, and part of her wished they would gag his mouth as well. He seemed to have an endless supply of biting remarks, and her witty comebacks were slowly decreasing in conviction. She wondered what exactly his plan was. If he succeeded in wearing her down, what would he do then? She couldn't really see how she could be helpful to him in any way. Besides her minor cooking skills, her only real contribution to the group had been distracting the pirate while the others took care of the more dangerous tasks.
Aurora decided that she needed a new strategy if she was going to win in her struggle with Hook. He had been able to upset her by talking about Philip, her kingdom, and everything she'd lost. She couldn't take much more of his incessant prattling, and he knew it. She had tried being diplomatic with him, and that had failed. So had her attempts to simply ignore him, to yell at him, and to match his wit with her own. She had spent years being trained how to deal with people like him, but he was just being so stubborn. Whatever he was after, he was not going to give up without a fight - but neither was she. She would make him believe he had won, that he had guilted her into trusting him, and then she would turn the tables on him when he least expected it.
Hook consulted his map to check their bearings. His crew had already hunted down one of the missing pieces. They were on their way to collect the second from some witch on, what would probably turn out to be, an island full of magical traps (why couldn't these things ever lead to welcoming sea ports where all you had to do was drink some rum). The third, and final piece, was still missing in action. No leads yet on where that had been shipped off to, but he would find it regardless. It was true that he didn't have much choice in the matter - the King and Queen really had threatened to chop off his head if he even thought about running away from his responsibility. When he had been sailing off, Aurora had wanted to come along on the journey. He figured it was because she didn't trust him to complete the task, but there was a small part of him that hoped it was because she wanted to spend time with him. It was foolish to think, and he laughed at himself even now for contemplating it. There was no way she could have feelings for him, and he tried to tell himself that what he felt was probably more along the lines of guilt than anything else. Once he got all the pieces back for her, she could continue on with her life and he could get back to the freedom that being a pirate brings. That's the way life should be, but a couple glasses of rum had Captain Hook imagining what the world would be like if things were a little different.
A time not too long ago...
She was breaking - Hook could see it in her eyes. His constant jabs were really starting to get to her and he knew that she was close to giving in. Pretty soon, she would reach the point where she would do anything to get him to stop and then he would finally be able to bend her to his will. The Princess had often called him a "despicable pirate," and it was that mere fact that made this fight turn in his favor. This type of manipulation required a cold, unfeeling attitude and he was so intent on his ultimate goal that he didn't care how he got there. He could see what little light was left in her eyes slowly leaving, but he simply was not effected by it.
After allowing her a brief respite from his pointed remarks, Hook started in again as she was finishing up cooking the evening meal. He started out asking her to recall what her palace was like in all its glory and what she missed most about losing her family. Forcing her to dig through the painful memories, he kept right on going until he hit her pressure point. He brought up her dear Prince, questioning her choice to let him die and if she ever let good old Philip take her to bed. Only these most personal intrusions would be enough to get her where he wanted.
To his disappointment, she continued to resist his verbal torture of her. If anything, she seemed to have found some new resolve within her and was pushing back on him. She answered almost every question truthfully, though called him a "despicable pirate" again when he brought up her sleeping habits with the Prince. As exhaustion set in and he started letting up on her, Aurora decided that it was time to start beating him at his own game. After an unnecessarily harsh comment about having to constantly be the damsel in distress, she was absolutely furious with him and tired of taking his abuse. She turned to the pirate with flushed cheeks and clenched fists, and said:
"Captain, I do not know what you are trying to achieve here but you won't get it this way. I may have underestimated you when we first met, but you have done the same with me. Keep throwing your insults all you want, but I will bear them all. I can promise you now that you won't get whatever it is you're really after by these devious means but, if you choose to be honest with me, I might be able to actually help you. There is more than one way to get what you want."
He stared at her blankly - he hadn't really expected that sort of forwardness from her. His plan had always been for her to want to help him, but he had to admit he was impressed by her boldness. He had been cruel to her for weeks and, not only had she lasted longer than he would have thought, but she also had a great deal of fight left in her.
"Let me know when you decide what you want to do." She turned with a swish of her cloak, leaving him to sleep on it. He didn't really need the time to consider her offer, but it helped sell it if he appeared to struggle with the decision. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but smile to himself when he thought about her little outburst. It was not what he had been anticipating, but it helped to keep things interesting. This silly little Princess could surely hold her own against him, and he found himself excited to continue their little dance.
Aurora sat at her window, staring out over the open sea. She knew he was out there somewhere, searching for those missing pieces. There were some who doubted him, who talked in hushed whispers behind her back about how he wasn't going to return. His life was forfeit if he did not come back before time ran out, but she hoped that he would not fail her. The deadline was fast approaching and it was hard for her not to worry. Those missing pieces were absolutely essential to her and she needed them back immediately. She had tried to convince him to take her with him, and had almost succeeded before the King stepped in and forbade it. He had seemed almost relieved at that, so she had dropped the matter. Hook had promised her that he would right his wrong, and that she shouldn't worry her pretty little head over him running off and abandoning his responsibility. However, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was mostly just worried that something would happen to him. That frightened her more than anything because, if he was never able to return to her, then she would never be able to tell him how she felt.