Hello guys! So I'm gonna be adding a chapter every day until this two week hiatus is over. It will be loosley in chronological order. I hope you like it!
If Emma could pick one word for her time after Neverland she would have picked complicated. Or maybe confused.
Or maybe conflicted.
Life had been great the first couple of months. Snow and David were expecting a baby and had moved into a new house. Belle was mayor, which was fine with Regina. Henry had been visiting her more often. He had gone on outings with Neal. Killian had been giving Henry sailing lessons.
Killian. She only ever called him that in her head. He knew she was too stubborn to call him anything but Hook out loud and the day she did that, well….
It would be on different terms.
That night, Emma had gone out to dinner with Ruby. It had been fun, fantastic she could even say. Until he came.
They were in the back of the Rabbit Hole, sharing stories and drinking. Generally just having a good time. She had no idea how in the hell he found her all the way in the back, but he did.
He always found her.
Ruby noticing him before Emma, made an excuse that she was supposed to be at the movies with Victor tonight, and had abruptly left. Emma was confused. But only for a moment.
Killian slid into the booth across from her. He had refused to wear the clothes Snow and Emma had gotten for him. So he still wore his black shirt with his-you guessed it-black leather pants. He didn't wear his vest or his coat anymore, even though it was getting colder. His hair was a little longer, too. But his scruff seemed to be in it's perpetual five o'clock shadow.
"Hello, Emma." He didn't call her 'Swan' anymore.
"Hello, Hook." She hadn't called him 'Killian' yet.
"Why are you here?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I can't enjoy a beautiful woman's company? What has this world come to?" He asked in mock hurt. She rolled her eyes.
"I guess you can…" She said. He grinned.
They had left after that, walking around the forest, picking random topics of conversation.
And then he had brought up the question she had been avoiding.
"So how are you and Neal?"
She had stopped in her tracks.
"If you mean have I chosen yet, then no. If you're genuinely asking if we're fine, then yeah, it's great."
She hadn't heard him, but he had gotten closer. So when she had turned around to look at him, he was in far clearer perspective than she had wanted.
"You know what I meant, Emma," He leaned closer their noses touching slightly. She could see their breaths in the cold air. She could see them mingling.
He was too close.
"Maybe I just won't give you an answer, then." She said, pulling away. He let out an irritated huff.
"What?" Emma demanded. "You think just because I kissed you that you get to know everything about me, get to know if I choose you or Neal?"
Killian cocked his head for a second, thinking. "Actually yes, Emma. Because you and I both know we have done more than kiss. I would say our relationship has gone farther than a kiss. I just want to know."
"And what if I don't choose you, will you just go back to thinking about Milah? About how you're going to kill my son's grandfather?" Emma said, her voice rising.
Killian took a deep breath. Then exhaled.
Emma could see it in the moonlight.
"Is that all you think I am? A no-good pirate who cares only about himself. Who would give up at a simple 'no'? Because Princess, I think you're afraid." He said quietly.
His eyes were dark blue. He was pissed. Well, so was she.
"I am not afraid," Emma said. "You damn well know that."
Lie.
"I think you're a coward, a monster, a villain."
Lie.
"And you know what? You think you won't give up at a 'no'? Well, let's see because I choose Neal."
Lie.
Killian staggered back. He looked as if he'd been shot. His skin had turned pale, and his blue eyes had faded to a dull gray.
Emma had never seen him like this.
"Good to know, Swan." Was all he said.
He hadn't called her 'Emma.'
He brushed past her, and she felt the anger coming off of him in waves.
She just stood there, letting the cold engulf her. She walked home silently, thinking What have I done? He would get over it, and she would apologize in the morning. She entered the apartment quietly, taking off her coat and hanging it up. Henry would be spending the night at Regina's. Neal was probably sleeping in the spare room. She made her way up the stairs quietly to her loft.
When she opened the door, she dropped onto the bed face down. Her hair was spread around her in a gold halo, covering her face.
She cried herself to sleep that night.
In the morning, she woke up to the sound of a loud knock.
"Come in," She said groggily.
Her mother rushed in, not even bothering to cover her eyes. Her eyes were wild.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
And when Snow spoke, she said the last two words Emma would ever expect.
"Hook's gone,"