Killian had a bad feeling when he left Emma alone in that tavern with Hook. After all, he knew how he thought. He knew just what his Hook self would think as soon as he laid eyes on Emma… Because once upon a time, he had first laid eyes on Emma. And he couldn't recall a pure thought.

Damn it. The bastard!

Emma gave her boobs another quick push up, eyeing and assessing the women who sat flocked around the Hook across the room. The competition. Yeah. She could take 'em, she thought smugly.

As soon as she laid her hands down on his table, leaning over slightly and giving him a view of the goods—and saw his blue eyes widen in interest—she knew she was right.

Be gone, wenches.

She soon found that had been the easy part, however. Because something she hadn't counted on came into to play in this little scenario… and that was the fact that this was Hook. Like, the real Hook. Not the one she'd known for a while now, and had sort of gotten used to—if a woman could really get used to that man. Maybe used to was the wrong term, and it was more that they had grown to know one another in their way. And grown to know how to skip around the sexual tension —maybe more—that was always between them.

Always between them.

At least the Hook she knew had somehow agreed to play by her rules, while she tried to figure it all out. Thank God.

Because, really. Those fucking eyes! It was sick what his eyes did to her.

…This Hook had those same fucking eyes. And he clearly did not know the rules, because he roamed them meaningfully over her cleavage and face, lighting up her skin as if he'd caressed her, all the while with that damn smirk!

Oh man, Swan. Keep it together, girlfriend. This isn't you're first rodeo, remember, Bounty Hunter Girl?

She ordered the first of the drinks she planned to ply him with, to keep him busy. He drank them down, like a pirate, while she dumped hers behind her like a sneak. Still, it took a while before he even seemed the slightest bit lit up.

"Why don't you tell me your name?" He asked her after a bit with his sexy in full swing. And that voice. Oh yeah…he also has that voice. Fuck me. It was like the "Open" sign in a bar window, flashing a beckoning to the lonely. Or horny.

"You really need to know my name?" she played coyly. Doing a pretty good job of hiding her real thoughts.

"Well, you know my name. It seems you have the advantage…"

"Oh. And you don't like when a lady has the advantage? Hook?" She said, running her tongue along her upper lip. His eyes followed the movement.

He swung around the table to sit beside her, and leaned into her ear. "Oh, no…I often relish when a lady has the advantage, actually. I find it doesn't happen often enough."

Emma tried to laugh, but it came out pathetically breathy…because she suddenly was having a problem with air. How did he smell so damn good? He'd been drinking rum for hours!

And then he became what could only be called very handsy… for a man with only one hand.

At first she did her best to control his wandering touches on her arm, along her back, down low almost over her ass, up her thigh under the table… Because, hello? Public place. But soon she just sorta…Let it happen. After all, she had a job to do of keeping him occupied. And he seemed…occupied. It's not like it was torture.

Oh my god, this is torture.

She was having a hard time remembering to keep asking him questions, about his life, his ship…The Pirate life, and all that. Because her gaze kept wandering to his lips when he spoke, and the way he leaned into her closer, and closer, every chance he got was very distracting.

She'd spent so much time keeping Killian at a distance, not trusting herself around him and his damn eyes… She hadn't really just been this close to him and felt his body heat under all that leather, before… Or been able to just look at his thick, dark lashes…Or just study, without fear of being caught out by him and having to explain herself, how long and strong his bejeweled hand was.

That same strong hand brought her out of her stupor by grazing the backs of his knuckles along her cleavage.

Holy shit! She bounced back to the moment. Killian would never been ballsy enough to do that. Get in the game, Emma! This is HOOK. She scolded herself.

"Why I do believe you are blushing, Mystery Woman." He smiled. His fingers still lingering dangerously close to her bare, now goose-fleshed, skin.

"Heh heh. Really? I think I'm just… flushed, from the drink…" She offered. Pathetic.

He studied her, rocking his face to one side. "Not the type to get up to no good in public, hmm? You surprise me. I like to be surprised."

She took a deep slow breath and decided to get back her advantage. Looking him right in the eye, she turned on her best smile, and said, " Oh, I'm full of surprises, Captain."

His face lit up, and he tugged on a length of her hair. Pulling it to his own face, smelling it, and stroking is across his mouth.

"All right! I've made up my mind we perhaps need more…privacy. To my ship, shall we?"

Emma stalled. "Your ship?"

Where Killian was right then probably speaking to her mother, this asinine plan in full swing.

"Oh, aye, lass. What would a Captain be Captain of, without a ship?"

He stood up, not even a little off balance. How much rum can this guy guzzle, anyway? Emma panicked a little. He pulled her up off the seat, and close to his leather clad body.

"And like you, my Jolly Rodger is full of surprises. All of which you shall find in my cabin. " He raised his brow at his own cleverness.

Before she knew it they were outside the tavern, his arm around her corseted waist, pulling her along in the dark.

Think, Emma. Think!

"It's not a long walk, love. I promise it will be worth it." He growled—growled, Sweet Jesus!— into her ear, his breath sweet with rum and practically steaming with cockiness.

Emma feigned a stumble, allowing Hook to catch her.

"Oh, there now, lass. Hope you haven't had too much to drink." He said, pulling her upright.

"Oh!" She forced herself to giggle. "No…Well…Maybe I should sit." And she attempted to flop right down on the path like a drunken sorority girl.

"Hey now, love!" He laughed, kneeling down beside her. "Perhaps we can find a better place? Let the fresh air do its bit, hmmm?"

He scooped her right up, her arms automatically going around his wide shoulders, her face inexplicable tucking itself into his neck. Damn, he really did smell good.

She had to buy time, and it suddenly occurred to her that he might just carry her all the way to his ship. Crap. His pace stuttered when she kissed his neck, flicking her wet tongue along his skin.

"Maybe we could just…sit over there? Just for a moment? I don't think I'm ready for a rocking…ship…just yet." she purred. Two could play this game, bub.

He quickly changed direction away from the dock, finding a crate to set her down on in the shadows of an alleyway. It was tall enough that her legs dangled in her skirts, and put them at eye level with one another. He looked at her seriously.

"I would hate to pass on such a lovely mystery, love. But perhaps—"

"No! No. I'm well." She smiled, and pulled on his hand. "I thought you were a pirate, not a gentleman." She challenged.

He stepped in between her dangling legs, and let his lips brush hers while he spoke.

"I'm no gentleman, I can assure you, lass." He said, in a softly threatening tone that made Emma feel a bolt of lightening shoot through her stomach. And land a bit lower.

He flicked his tongue out, and traced her lips with it. Like he was committing the shape of them to memory.

"I just like to be sure my guests are able to enjoy the festivities." He said.

"Oh." She breathed, feeling the air cool along her mouth where he'd licked her.

"So are you?" He asked, still hovering near her mouth with his own. His hips pressed along her inner thighs.

"What was that? Am I?" She wasn't focused. She really wasn't staying very professional. Thank God there hadn't been any pirates dripping sex in front of her face back in her bounty hunting days, or she'd have fricking starved.

"Are you…" he asked, pushing what she realized was a sizable hard-on into her crotch, "able to enjoy the festivities?"

"Oh." Ok. This was happening now. Things getting this far hadn't been in her plans—and she knew it hadn't been in Killian's plans! Oh brother, what the fuck? What now?

And while her mind raced as fast as her pulse, she suddenly felt his hand up under her skirts…Running up her thigh. High up her thigh, in fact. She knew she should stop him…But. Well, his face was still so close her hers. And she felt a little bit like this might be a dream…Maybe she drank the rum? Did she drink the rum? She tried to remember.

His thumb grazed her wet spot through her panties… Because, yeah. She was wet, all right. Because this whole night with him had been a giant clusterfuck, is what it had been. With the touching, and the nearness, and the rum-and-leather smell of him, and the fucking bedroom eyes. It had been every single thing she'd fought allowing with Killian for months!

And this is why! Fucking pirate.

His mouth finally came down on hers, and she just pretty much gave up and gave in. Like water gives into Niagara Falls…No choice going over. Whoosh!

Just a little kissing… she thought. To keep him occupied…

His thumb moved further, rubbing circles of wetness on her as his tongue played in her mouth. Then he pulled back. He looked at her with a question in his expression, like he was trying to make sense of something.

"There's…something about you…." He said. Her heart almost stopped. What had she done now? What part of time was this moment changing?

"There…is?"

"Yes…Some feeling… We've been here before, you and I…" He looked around, and shook his head. "Not here, here. No… It's just something else…"

He can't possibly remember her from the future. How could that be? She had no idea how this magic worked. Or how any magic worked. Fucking magic!

"Maybe, "He said softly, more seriously…sounding more like the Killian she knew than the Hook she was with, "Maybe we were destined, Mystery Woman."

To stop him from thinking or saying anything more, she pulled him into another kiss. And for just that moment she let herself really kiss him. Because she wanted to. Because ever since getting her memories back, and recalling that kiss with Killian in Neverland, another chance to kiss him was both her biggest fear…and strongest longing.

She kissed him because he was him, and because he wasn't. And she wanted to.

He broke the kiss gently. And cocked his brow at her with his trademark smirk. "I think we should see how you do on my ship now. Your surprise is waiting, love.

Emma kind of felt bad when Killian knocked Hook—himself? - out cold in the ship cabin. But it was for the best…She was in no kind of headspace to explain anything she hardly understood. And she couldn't help note Killian was a tad…tense at seeing the kissing he saw.

So. Poor Hook.

Surprise? She thought, a wee bit hysterically, as she watched him fall.