A/N: Hey everyone :) I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's an ongoing story consisting of multiple chapters that I've written in advance so I'll be updating as often as possible. This is my first time ever writing a fanfic, so please feel free to give me some reviews w/ constructive criticism :)

Summary: Emma meets a mysterious blue-eyed Captain & they share an instant, mutual dislike for each other. But before she knows it, she finds herself pulled into one hell of an adventure with the Captain - much to both of their dismay. CS fanfic.

Disclaimer: All characters (except for the ones I made up) belong to Adam & Eddy's OUAT! :)

They didn't hear her when she excused herself nor did they notice when she quietly slipped away and rushed out of the room. Nobody heard her when she snuck away on foot and not a single soul saw her crawl past the guards. Emma smiled smugly to herself as she scanned the sea of houses before her. That was exactly her intention. Invisibility and isolation.

This was the life she preferred - quiet and isolated. There wasn't much choice anyway, as she got along with little company and trusted even fewer. But she was never always that way. No, Emma's life - although quiet and isolated - was anything but peaceful. And there was only one thing to blame for that.

A loud bang snapped Emma out of her thoughts and she looked down at the street below her, fully alert. She had been sitting on the roof of the carpenter's house for much too long; she hadn't noticed that a scuffle had begun downstairs.

Fearing that she may get caught trespassing, she quickly wrapped her scarf around her mouth, put on her hood, and jumped down to the balcony below. Before she could sneak off the ledge and make her way for the streets, a pained yell from the room behind stopped her in her tracks.

"Please, I'll-I'll give you anything," a man's voice pleaded. "Please sir, just not that-"

"Should've thought better before ye borrowed from me!" a gruff voice grunted back. Conflicted, Emma looked down at the streets then back at the door beside her. Just five seconds and I'll leave, she told herself, then she peered through a crack in the door.

An elderly man covered in dirt and rags was kneeling on the floor, hands clasped in desperation. In front of him stood a much larger and broader man who did not look pleased at all. He glared at the kneeling man menacingly through dark eyes, his hands in mid-air. Emma looked at the broader man's hands carefully - he was holding what looked like a large pendant.

"Anything, please I- No!" The broader man had grabbed a fistful of the older man's shirt and pulled him closer.

"Yer pleadin' is irritatin' me! I should kill ye right now and then-"

"I don't think so, pal."

The large man dropped the man and stared in surprise at Emma, who had burst through the door. She scanned the room quickly before looking back at the two men before her.

Candlestick, horseshoe, chairs. It was all she needed.

The broad man took a step towards her. "And who do ye think-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Emma swiftly grabbed the horseshoe from a nearby drawer and whipped it at his face, causing him to stumble back and rub his watering eyes in pain. The pendant dropped to the floor and the old man, who was curled in a corner in fear, had started to crawl towards it.

"Don't," Emma warned. "Not yet." Confused, the old man looked at the broad man who was now looking at the old man through his hands.

"Why ye little-"

The broad man tried to reach for the pendant with one hand, but was thwarted by Emma. She ran towards him, took the candlestick that was beside the horseshoe from earlier, and hit him across the face with all her might. He fell to ground and yelled in pain, allowing Emma time to grab the pendant from the ground.

She looked at the fearful old man and threw it at him. "Catch!"

"Ye...Ye…" Emma turned her attention back to the broad man and grabbed a chair nearby, grounding the broad man's thigh threateningly with one of its legs. He grimaced in pain.

"I, I what?" she mocked, standing over him.

The broad man looked back at her through pained eyes. "Ye win! Ye win! Let me go! I'll leave the old git alone," he pleaded. Emma scanned the large man's eyes and saw the truth in his words, and she reluctantly lifted the chair.

"I'll know if you ever come back," she warned him. "And I promise you that if you do, our next meeting will make this one look like a tea party." He nodded nervously and ran off, leaving Emma alone with the old man. She looked back at him and held out her hand.

"Who-who are you?" he whispered, staring nervously at her hand. He remained in his spot in the corner of the room and was clutching the pendant to his chest.

Emma smiled, although the man couldn't see her covered mouth. Of course he wouldn't know who she is - that was exactly her goal. She was covered from head to toe in hunting gear; the only part of her that could be seen, if light happened to reach there, were her eyes peering from behind her hood and scarf.

"I think a 'thank you' will suffice," she replied, turning toward the balcony to leave.

"W-wait! Wait!" he stood up and hurried to her. "I apologize. I am extremely grateful." Emma nodded in acknowledge and he continued. "I promise you - I am forever in your debt. You just saved something very dear to me. If you need anything- anything- I-"

Emma laughed. "I think it's unwise for you get into any more debts, don't you think?" She took a step closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder gently. "Consider it my debt for trespassing on your roof so many times." The old man looked at her questioningly and she sighed.

"If he ever comes back, I'll be here," she reassured him. "No debts needed. Goodbye, Mister Geppetto." Then she turned and swiftly made her way around the balcony, jumping into the streets in one fluid motion.

How did she know my name...? Geppetto stared at her disappearing figure in awe, wondering who on Earth his saviour could be. He could have sworn that he recognized her voice from somewhere. Tightening his hold on the pendant, he silently hoped that she was telling the truth when she said she would be there to protect him.

But little did he know that she always comes back.

The castle always looked so beautiful in the evening, when the moon illuminated its grey stone walls and the stars danced brightly from above. It was a fortress the entire kingdom admired and a home that many envied, and Emma was fortunate to be able to stand in front of it at leisure.

If only she felt fortunate.

She looked away from the castle and leaned against a tree, suddenly feeling exhausted from the fight she had earlier. Why did she always have to play the hero act? She groaned as she felt her legs giving in. It would be hard to move in silence at this state now. She needed to rest. Sitting on a boulder under the tree, she took out her favourite dagger from her waist and held it against the moonlight, taking off her hood to give herself a better view.

Needs sharpening, she thought as she put back the dagger, and made a mental note to tell the dwarves once she gets home.

A light breeze brushed past her cheeks and the leaves on the ground rustled. Emma shivered at the cold air and stood up, glancing at the castle with a sigh. It was getting late.

"Going somewhere, lass?"

Startled, Emma turned around to see a young man with dark, sweeping hair leaning against a tree. Not a guard, she noted, taking a quick once-over at his clothing and feeling a little bit relieved at that fact. He looked at her with slightly amused eyes and crossed his arms in a slightly confident manner.

She mimicked the action and lifted her chin slightly. "I was under the impression I was alone."

"And so was I," the man replied in the same confident voice he used earlier. "Until a hooded figure with a rather sharp-looking dagger shoved their way past me and caught my eye."

Emma's breath caught in her throat as she instinctively lifted her hand towards her head. Shit. She had just realized that she was no longer wearing her hood and the scarf that was usually wrapped around the bottom half of her face was now hanging loosely around her neck.

Despite feeling slightly exposed, she held her cool. "And what business do you have with strange hooded figures?" She glanced at his clothing and saw that he was wearing some sort of uniform that she hadn't seen before.

"What business do you have with a dagger?" he shot back, raising an eyebrow. He uncrossed his arms and took a step toward her. "And what-"

But Emma was too quick. In a flash, she whipped out her dagger and pinned the man to the tree, holding the weapon close to his throat.

"Not so fast, stranger," she hissed. "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

The man glared at her before speaking, throwing away his cool demeanor. "I was not following you-"

"Lie." Emma applied more pressure to his throat with the knife, causing him to grunt in pain. "Tell no lies and I will spare your throat."

The man looked at her angrily, all playfulness disappearing from his blue eyes. "Trust me, lass, I have no intention of harming you." Emma scanned his eyes with her own and let him go roughly.

"Listen, stranger," she warned, waving the dagger at him. "I can always tell when someone is lying to me. So don't try any pretty tricks on me."

Groaning, he rubbed his neck. "You are truly a lady, you know that?" he muttered under his breath.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I've been called worse. You still didn't answer my question." She pointed the dagger at him. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The man bowed low, the confident smirk appearing on his face once again. "Captain Killian Jones. I am here at the request of the King for… important matters. I was on my way to meet with him, actually, until your suspicious demeanour gained my attention." He gestured at her dagger and she lowered it before cautiously returning it to her waist.

Truth. Taking a cautious step back, she processed his words for a moment and glanced at his clothing. Ah, so that's why she didn't recognize the uniform - he was a visitor to this kingdom. He moved closer to her slowly and cautiously, becoming more visible under the moonlight. She noticed a small golden ship pinned to his chest and frowned. She wasn't a fan of navy officers.

"And what business does a sailor have with royalty?" she asked, now raising her eyebrow.

This seemed to displease the Captain as his smirk was now replaced by a frown. "If it were in my control, there would be none at all," he replied resentfully, looking down. Then he darted his eyes back at her, scowling. "And what do you mean, sailor? Do the words 'Captain' and 'navy officer' mean anything?"

Emma shrugged, trying not to smirk. "Same difference. What's wrong with royalty?"

He paused and looked away with an expression she couldn't place. To her surprise, Killian started walking away from her. "Spoiled and a waste of leadership, amongst the list," she heard him muttering under his breath.

Suddenly, a feeling of deep dislike and annoyance surfaced from within Emma and she felt an urge to be defensive. "What do you mean spoiled and- and wasted leadership? You know nothing about those people," she said, catching up to him.

Killian continued walking and looked at her from the corner of his eye, letting out a breath of exasperation. "Are there not any other important matters you have to attend to?"

"Well, you were the one who disturbed my peace so I'm just returning the favour," she replied coolly.

He stopped and looked at her incredulously. "Me? After that lovely act of violence you bestowed upon me? You, lass, are a lunatic. Now if you'll excuse me-" He gestured to the door that had suddenly appeared in front of them. "I have a king to meet." Raising his hand to knock, he lifted his other hand as if to dismiss her. "It was lovely meeting you," he added sarcastically.

Oh shit, Emma thought. She didn't realize how close they had gotten to the castle doors. Ignoring his irritating words and her impulse to shoot an insult at him, she quickly ran as far as she could, rushed towards the nearest boulder, and jumped behind it. Just in time, too, as the doors had opened as soon as she hid herself.

She watched as the Captain was greeted by another man of a similar uniform and disappeared behind the castle walls. A feeling of deep loathing was suddenly surfacing from within again, and she found herself glaring at the spot where he was no longer standing. It was one thing to catch her off her guard, but it was another to insult the King and the royal family.

Gathering herself and brushing off the dirt from her pants, she made her way towards the castle.

It doesn't matter anyway, she thought. I'll avoid him as much as I can.

Her hand touched the familiar jagged edge on the castle wall and she began to climb.

A/N: Just a reminder - this is a Captain Swan fic :)