Henry stirred in the backseat of his Mom's faithful yellow bug. She had that car as long as he could remember, so he was no stranger to falling asleep in it. He actually knew the most comfortable position to sleep in it, always waking without the slightest pain. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times, trying to take in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed is that his Mom wasn't in the car, and neither was that Killian guy. He tried to take in some of the other things out the window. Repair shop, drug store, clock tower…
Tap tap tap
Still in his groggy state, Henry jumped at the noise at the window. Killian's warm smile made him relax as he slowly got out of the car, stretching as he settled outside.
"Welcome to Storybrooke, my boy," Killian said as he leaned back against the car.
"Where's my Mom," Henry asked. Killian smiled down at the boy. It was obvious, especially since Regina had implanted memories, that Henry and Emma spent little time apart. When one moved, so did the other. On the drive up, Emma had told Hook that she was able to get most of her bail bonds work done during the day so she could be with Henry as much as possible. Impressive, since most of the perps she probably chased were night workers. Killian could also see in the boy's eyes that protecting his mother was his first priority. Of course- in this past year, all they had were each other. That much was true.
"Your mom just went to meet up with a source," Killian said, only slightly fibbing. "She asked me to stay with you. Why don't we get you two a hotel room here while she's gone?"
"How will she know where we're staying?"
"Only one place to stay in Storybrooke, lad," Killian explained, gesturing down the street to a house marked 'Bed and Breakfast', located just behind a diner. It was strange to Henry. In New York, there were hotels everywhere- grand ones in fact. This one barely qualified as a place for people to stay. However, it was kind of charming in his own way. Killian pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from his coat and scribbled a note for Emma, keeping his left arm tucked in his pocket as he awkwardly wrote, and placing it on the front seat before leading Henry towards Granny's.
A bell rang as they entered the lobby. Things seemed rather dusty, no where near New York quality. Henry wondered if anyone worked here at all. Maybe he shouldn't have left the safety of the car with someone he had only met a few hours ago. Henry slowly felt for the cell phone in his pocket, debating if Killian would notice if he sent a text to his mom. Henry pretended to look at an old grandfather clock while Killian rang the bell at the front desk.
"Oi! You there, lass," Killian called out down the hall, ringing the bell again. An old woman came bustling around the corner, shooting Killian a look that could, well, kill. She put her hand on the bell to stop the ringing.
"You don't have to do that, we're just having a busy night in the diner," Granny said, with no nonsense in her voice. "So, what do we owe the pleasure? Thought we'd never see your face again. Thought you crossed the border and..."
"Oh, I've been keeping pretty busy," Killian said, cutting her off. "I've been having my own adventures. And as you can see, they've been great ones." He gestured toward Henry, who had been watching the exchange with great interest. Granny's jaw dropped as she stared at the boy. It was like she was seeing a ghost. Before she could say another word, Killian put his hand out toward Henry to come greet her. "Henry, I want you to meet Granny. She'll be taking care of you during your stay. Henry is the son of a friend of mine from New York." Henry stepped forward hesitantly, but held his hand out to her all the same. She shook it tentatively, then changed to a strong, warm handshake. "Oh, don't be afraid of Granny, lad. If you talk nice to her, she'll give you a free hot fudge sundae."
"Extra everything," Granny said with a wink.
"That's...just how I like it. How did you know that," Henry asked.
"Oh, I can tell these things, dear," Granny quickly explained. "I've served in this diner a long time. I can just tell what kind of food makes people happy." She quickly went around to the desk to pencil in the room reservation. "Forest view or square view?" Henry looked at Killian, who nodded with wink, indicating that Henry had the choice.
"Um...square?"
"Excellent choice," Granny said with a smile. "There's an upgrade fee, but for such long travels, I'll waive it."
"I'll take a forest view, if you don't mind. Preferably close to their room," Killian said, putting some money on the counter. "Won't you be staying…" "I travelled with them," Killian interrupted again. "It's either that or sleep in the car."
"Well, I'm sure you could take roughing it for the night," Granny said pointedly. Henry didn't understand why Granny was so unhappy with Killian. He had obviously been to this town before, which would probably help if he was a client helping his Mom with whatever case he hired her for. He seemed like a nice guy, definitely had some great stories to tell on their long drive. Why was Granny looking at him like he was the worst guy in the world? The three of them looked up when the bell over the door rang again, Emma stumbling through it in a hurry.
"I thought I told you to watch him in the car," Emma said pointedly to Killian, pulling Henry next to him.
"The lad woke up himself. I thought I'd help get you settled while you were out," Killian said holding up his hand. "I was even a gentleman and paid for your room."
"If I had known that, I would have charged that extra fee," Granny mumbled. Granny smiled at Emma, who gave her a small smile back. "I'll just make sure your rooms are in order."
"Wait," Emma said. "Are there any...other people staying here tonight?" Granny exchanged looks with Killian, who gave her a tiny nod.
"Well, we have one regular who stays here," Granny said. "He's on the third floor."
"Can our rooms be on the second floor," Emma asked quickly. Granny nodded and went up the stairs to prepare the rooms.
"Mom, why…"
"It's a small inn, Henry, and it's late. We wouldn't want to wake anyone," Emma said. "Killian, can you go get our bags, please?" Killian bowed, taking his left hand out of his pocket for the first time since Henry had woken up.
"What's that?!" Emma sent Killian a panicked look, but Killian just shrugged as if it was no big deal. He actually smirked, which made Emma's blood boil a little bit.
"Um, Henry, you noticed that Killian has a fake hand. Well, he sometimes needs...he uses…" Emma said, stumbling to find an appropriate explanation that was anything but 'He's really Captain Hook.'
"It looks a bit frightening, but don't worry, lad. It actually makes things a bit easier for me in my line of work," Killian explained. "I captain a ship, you see. Having a stiff, wooden hand doesn't help much on deck."
"You captain a ship? Are you in the Navy?"
"As a matter of fact, I did serve," Killian said, a look of pride spreading on his face. "I usually spend much time at sea, more for other adventures outside the Navy in recent years."
"But if you use it on your ship, why do you have it on now," Henry asked. Killian winked at Emma before walking towards the door.
"To make it easier to carry your bags, of course," Killian said with a flash of his smile before heading back toward the car. Emma shook her head, giving a little smile and looking after him as he went down the road. Hook always did know when to come to her aide, and she appreciated the explanation. The kid seemed to buy it. Emma was suddenly struck with the realization of how much she missed their relationship. She and Killian had always made a good team, and she could have used it this past year. Starting a new life in New York wasn't always easy, then Walsh showed up and… well, the year would have been different if Killian had come with them. Henry followed her gaze and smiled up at his mother.
"You think he's handsome, don't you," Henry asked knowingly. Emma quickly jerked from her thoughts and headed towards the stairs.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma said.
"Just take it slow, Mom. You just broke up with Walsh. I mean, Killian seems like a nice guy too, but you don't want to rebound with him."
"He's just a client, Henry," Emma said, turning on the steps.
"Mom, like I said I'm okay with the idea of our family getting bigger. I don't know Killian too well, but even in just these few hours I see the way he looks at you. Even Walsh never looked at you like that. Once this case is over, if you wanted to…"
"A client," she said pointedly. "Nothing more." Henry shrugged and followed his Mom upstairs. Granny was in the hallway to greet them, ushering them to their room.
"Mr. Jones's room is right across the hall. The owner's suite is around the corner, if you need anything. My granddaughter, Ruby, lives with me. Either one of us can attend to your needs, should you have any at night. We start serving breakfast at 7am in the diner, it comes with the room," Granny explained.
"Thank you," Emma said. "Henry, pick out which bed you want. I need to ask Granny one more thing," she said before shutting the door. Granny quickly pulled her into a hug.
"It's so good to see you, Emma," she said, her eyes watering with joy.
"Yeah," Emma said uncomfortably. "It's weird being back here."
"At least Hook does something right. He knows how to find you," Granny said. "We sure do need your help figuring out what happened."
"Look, Granny, I may have my memories back, and you've gathered that Henry doesn't, so it's really important that Neal stays away from him," Emma said. "In Henry's memories, he doesn't have the same view of his father. To him, he doesn't exist at all. If Neal is staying right upstairs, things could get complicated. And Storybrooke has enough complicated that I have to deal with."
"Say no more," Granny said. "I'll take care of Henry."
"You always did," Emma said with a warm smile. At that moment, Killian comically stumbled upstairs with all their suitcases strapped to him. Most were hanging over his back, held by his hook, but he had some of his belongings in a large pack under his arm and Henry's backpack strap clenched between his teeth. He set them down in the hallway with a loud crash. Granny shushed him before heading back to her room for the night.
"For someone who prides in not having too many belongings to move, you sure packed heavy luggage, Swan," Killian said after dropping the strap from his teeth. Emma rolled her eyes before opening the door for Henry to help gather things up. Henry quickly went down the hall to the bathroom to get ready for bed, leaving Hook and Emma alone in the hall.
"That's your room," Emma gestured towards the opposite door. "And why aren't you staying on the Jolly Roger again?"
"I thought it'd be awkward explaining to Henry that I lived on a pirate ship," Killian said. "Thought it would look more acceptable to get a room as well." Emma nodded, folding her arms before stepping toward her room. "Swan," he said, reaching out to grab her arm. His eyes softened as he looked into hers, reminding her of their last moments together at the border. Like there was a thousand words he wanted to say, but not being able to express any of them. "I'm… I'm happy you're here, Swan."
"Yeah," Emma said, stepping slightly away from his grasp. She was still a bit upset with him for taking her away from her life, imaginary or not. She still wished she could step back into yesterday, alone on the couch with Henry playing video games. Making a fresh made breakfast every morning before Henry went to school. Being able to be in a relationship without fear of monsters attacking. Well… that is if she wasn't already dating a monster.
Walsh. Thank God they set up physical boundaries in their relationship. If she had known he was a….ugh. Since she was a single mother, wanting to set a good example for Henry, she explained early on that she didn't want to step into that aspect of a relationship until they were at least engaged. Walsh seemed extremely accepting of her terms. It also seemed like that was why he was so eager to propose. But, being the nice guy he was, she didn't think he was doing it purely to get her into bed. No, he was doing it to distract her from where she needed to be- in Storybrooke. Or, at least, temporarily...
"Listen, Hook," Emma said, covering his hand with hers, only to push his hand away. "I know how you feel and, just so I'm not leading you on, I only plan to stay in Storybrooke until this is over. Then we're going back to New York." Hook nodded and looked down.
"I expected as much," he said softly. "I had hoped…"
"I know," Emma said, resisting the urge to put her hand to his cheek in comfort. He looked so hurt, so alone. She knew all too well the look in his eyes. Like he could see the writing on the wall of how long he'd be in her life. But that look quickly changed to one of determination, a look she had seen in his eyes many times.
"So I better make good use of the time you are here," Killian declared. "If being by your side for a short time is all I get, then I shall never leave it. You have no idea how much I've missed you, Emma. And if however long it takes to break this curse is all I have to be with you, then I won't spend it dwelling on how I may lose you again. I'll be fighting at your side, Emma." He was so close to her now, she could feel the warmth of his lips so close to hers. Without losing his advantage of their current proximity, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, lingering there for a moment. The familiar feeling of his lips against her skin warmed her, and the only thing she resisted was letting herself want more. "Goodnight, Swan," he whispered softly. He picked up his pack from the floor and went to enter his room.
"You're not going to change my mind, Hook." Killian smiled at her, causing shivers to run down her spine, overtaking the warmth that was there a second ago.
"Tomorrow never knows, love," he said with a wink before closing the door. Emma picked up the last of the luggage and went into her room, flopping down on her bed and staring at the ceiling. She was right- Hook hasn't changed.
I am probably going to continue this one, but I don't know where I'm going from here. We'll see how the season influences me! I'd like to explore Henry's relationship with Neal, since all he has is his "cursed" memories, and how that affects his relationship with Killian. But, like I said, we'll see how the season influences me.
Hope you like where it's going!