A/N: Ok so yeah I wrote a one-shot. I promise my other story will be updated soon but I just got this idea to try a story after they were already together to see what that would be like. Anyways I hope you like it!
Regina woke up early; she had a habit of using the world as her alarm clock. As soon as the sound of birds chirping and cars driving by seeped into her dreams, she knew it was time to get up.
As she had gotten into the habit of doing lately, as soon as she opened her eyes she looked over to her left to look at him, the man who had surprised her, saved her, and did pretty much everything else one person can do for another. She was finally happy because of him: Captain Hook.
He lay on his stomach, his head flat on the pillow and facing her. His mouth was open slightly and he was breathing deeply, barely making any noise at all. His blackened eyes were smeared a little and his hair ruffled. She loved these quiet moments in the mornings when she got to see him like this. He was vulnerable and pure and so, so beautiful.
Regina forced herself to look away and get up. She got dressed and ready for the day before making her way downstairs. She flipped on the coffee pot and started getting out the ingredients to make breakfast; apple pancakes, as per usual. She was lucky that it happened to be Hook's new favorite meal as well.
A few minutes later the kitchen smelled delicious. She stood at the kitchen sink staring out the window at the sunny day while the food cooked. It wasn't long before she heard sluggish footsteps coming into the room.
"Must you always rise so bloody early?" he complained, his voice raspy from sleep. She turned around as he dragged himself into the bright kitchen and plopped down into a seat at the counter. He was already dressed, though he did still look quite disheveled.
"I'm the mayor, I have a packed schedule. You know this."
"I doubt the town would collapse if their fearless leader slept in a few days a week," he said with a yawn.
"I'd prefer not to risk it."
He smiled at her and she returned it while she got out some plates from the cabinet. Hook always had comments about the early mornings when he first woke up but by now his remarks had just become part of their routine. It was only the first morning that it had almost caused problems.
Hook marched into the kitchen, swearing under his breath until finally he noticed that she had been standing in the room the whole time. "Was it really necessary for us to get out of bed as soon as the damn sun came up?" Hook had questioned her, his voice full of annoyance.
Regina, who had been in a good mood after their night together, immediately knew he was looking for a fight. "No one forced you to get out of bed."
"I felt you wake up and I…" She almost thought he was going to say he had been worried but his voice trailed off and the anger returned right away. "The point is I can't rest peacefully while you're up and about being loud."
"I am not being loud!"
"You're down here banging doors and stomping your feet as if-"
"You're ridiculous. If I was using magic, I'd take your vocal chords from you."
"You wouldn't."
"Keep it up," she dared him.
He pressed his lips together so tight that they were just a mere white line on his face. She knew he did it more out of rage than fear. She suddenly had the urge to test his temper.
"Not much of a morning person are you, Captain?"
He scowled. She grinned.
"If it's so much of a problem, why don't you just spend the rest of your nights on your boat?" she joked, knowing that calling his ship a boat would really bother him.
And it did. With a clenched fist, he corrected her, "Ship. She is a ship. And if you don't want me staying here, I'd be more than happy to leave."
She felt her blood boil as the stupid pirate stood there watching her, waiting for her to take it back and beg him to stay. Regina was stubborn, though, and she would never grovel. "Well then maybe I don't want you staying here!"
He shook his head and glared at the infuriating woman. With one quick motion, he grabbed his long coat that was still thrown on the floor from their previous night of activities, and stormed out without another word.
Regina stood there staring at the door, her breathing fast from her vehemence. She hated him. They had spent such a wonderful night together and then he had the nerve to wake up irritable? How dare he criticize her like that in her own home? She hoped she never saw him again.
She remained angry all day. It was only when the sky grew dark and the moon shined in the window in her living room when she realized that all she wanted was him by her side. She was sitting on the couch cursing herself for telling him she didn't want him to stay when there was a light knock on the door.
Regina rolled her eyes, knowing that it was Snow or Whale or someone else in town only here to yell at her or accuse her of something. Regardless, she walked to the door and opened it to find Hook leaned against the doorframe, looking just as miserable as she did.
"Are we done now, love?"
Her first smile of the day appeared on her face as she pulled him into the house, kicking the door shut behind them.
Every morning after that had been a happy one.
"What's that you're always drinking?" he asked, gesturing to the mug in her hands.
"It's coffee," she explained. "It perks me up in the morning; helps me get the day started. Would you like to try some?"
She walked over to him and let him observe the contents of the mug in her hand. He grimaced. "No thank you, milady. I have my own drink to perk me up."
Out of one of the pockets in his pants, he pulled out a small bottle of rum. With a devilish smile on his face, he began pulling the cork out of the top when Regina snatched it away.
"Have you forgotten? You're meeting Henry today. No rum."
He pretended to pout and she leaned in for a quick kiss before returned to the stove to finish the pancakes. Not before she noted his face becoming uneasy as she turned away.
"Are you nervous?" she asked with her back facing him.
He laughed, though she knew it was fake. "Nervous about one little boy?"
Regina turned and looked at him in the eyes and he grew serious. "This is important to you. Of course I'm nervous," Hook admitted.
His honesty caught her off guard. Not because it was uncommon, but because it made him seem weak, in his own eyes, not hers.
"Hook…" she started as she slid a plate full of food towards him.
"I know he has a big heart and he's forgiving and warm," he interrupted, reiterating her own words that she had told him earlier this week. "It's not him I'm nervous about. It's myself."
She offered him a smile as she sat down next to him. "I suppose you really are the most feared pirate in all the realms. You even scare yourself."
"Do I scare you? Are you nervous about this?" he asked, not smiling back at her. He stared down at the table.
She hated when he was smug. She also hated when he was angry and stubborn. She hated when he teased her and pushed her buttons and baited her. But there was nothing in this world she hated more than when he was unsure of himself. She didn't like seeing him down. She couldn't be happy if he wasn't.
"You couldn't scare me if you tried. I trust you, Hook."
Though he was still looking down, he smiled. Regina could sense that he was feeling better so she got up to get them each a glass of water with their breakfast.
"You know, my dear, I can think of something we can do to help ease my nerves."
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "What's that?"
Before the knew it she was twirled around and pressed up against the counter with Hook standing dangerously close to her. His face was inches from hers, his eyes looking so deeply into hers that she swore he could see right into her soul. Just when she thought she might explode from anticipation, he lips crashed onto hers. His hands were everywhere as hers grasped at his shirt, pulling him closer, though there was already hardly any distance between them. They broke apart eventually, only due to the fact that they needed to breathe. The only sound in the kitchen was each of them trying to catch their breath. Hook didn't back away from her, though. He remained close, lifting his good hand to gently stroke her cheek.
The sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted their fiery moment. Regina grabbed his hand from her cheek and squeezed it reassuringly. "You'll do fine. I love you." It wasn't the first time she had said it to him, but it always seemed just as profound as it had all those weeks ago.
"I love you more," he whispered, leaning down for one last kiss.
Regina then hurried to answer the door, smoothing her skirt and fixing her hair on the way. When she finally turned the doorknob, she was immediately met with force hitting her in the stomach and holding on tightly. She hugged Henry back, rubbing his hair out of his face. Oh, how she had enjoyed these moments.
"Hi, Mom!" she said excitedly. "I came over as soon as I woke up. I didn't even eat breakfast yet!"
She smiled. Henry hadn't changed at all. She had missed him so much in those few months when their time together was numbered. Short visits and hurried conversations were the most she had gotten while Emma had kept them apart. But a lot had happened since then, Regina knew. She had changed as best she could, putting behind her the plans of revenge she had worked so hard for; she even managed to help Hook move on with her. And now things had gotten better. Henry spent several days a week at her house, sometimes even falling asleep and staying over in his room that Regina had maintained for him while he was away.
"Well it's your lucky day. I have apple pancakes waiting for you in the kitchen."
He hugged her for one more second before starting to head towards the kitchen but she grabbed his hand before he could get very far.
"Before we go in there, I want you to know that there is someone I'd like you to meet," she told him as they slowly walked to the kitchen. "He's a very good friend of mine. His name is…Killian."
They found Hook standing in the kitchen. He smiled quickly at Henry. "Hello, Henry."
"You're Captain Hook!" Henry exclaimed, more excited than scared.
"Aye, what gave me away," Hook joked as he gestured to his hook.
"I've read about you," Henry told him. "You know Peter Pan. You're from Neverland."
"You're impressive," Hook said with a laugh.
Henry looked up at Regina for reassurance and when she nodded, Henry walked forward and sat down at the counter next to the seat where Hook's breakfast was. Hook looked at Regina, who gave him an encouraging grin, and then he took his seat next to Henry.
Regina didn't move. She stayed behind them, hesitating to see if anything would happen. When nothing did, she walked further into the kitchen to fix Henry a plate of pancakes.
"So, lad," she heard Hook say to Henry from behind her, "What else do you know of my story?"
She brought the plate to Henry and then leaned on the counter, watching them.
"I know that…you're the villain," he said matter-of-factly, although his quiet tone told her that he was uneasy about what he had said.
This made Regina feel uneasy as well. She too had been called a villain before so she knew how it felt. She looked at Hook to see how he would take the comment and was surprised to find that he didn't seem displeased at all.
"The villain, eh?" he smirked. "I guess that depends on who's telling the story."
Henry smiled and Regina let out a deep breath as she watched the two dive into conversation. Henry asked a million questions a minute, and Hook kept up rather nicely, recalling adventures with mermaids and sword fights with thieves.
She couldn't remember the last time she felt so at ease. The demons of her past had been swept away. Hook healed her in every way. Henry was back in her life.
Finally, after all these years, Regina had won.
