Here's the 5th part of my "Drinks with the Prince" series for season 3B. This one takes place during "The Jolly Roger" (ep. 3.17). I felt like there was enough angst out there in relation to this episode (sniff), so this is on the lighter, funnier side. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it!
Hook was standing at the counter of Granny's Diner waiting for the pot of coffee to brew. He wasn't overly enamored with it, but it certainly helped his brain pick up speed in the mornings. Emma certainly swore by the stuff.
"Oh, you're here. Good," a familiar voice spoke up behind him. Hook glanced over his shoulder to see David walking over to him, a smile his only other greeting.
Raising an eyebrow in the prince's direction, Hook asked, "Good for who, mate?"
"Me of course," David stated, satisfied look firmly in place.
Hook snorted. "It's a bit early for rum don't you think?"
Shrugging, David replied flippantly, "It's five o'clock somewhere, but no. I'm not after your rum."
"I sense a 'yet' in there..." Hook said suspiciously, eyes narrowed.
"Actually, Hook, I was hoping you could lend me a hand with something," David said.
Raising his hand, Hook reminded him, "Well, I've only got the one..."
"That'll do. Grab us some coffee to go and I'll meet you outside." David patted him on the shoulder and headed back out to his truck.
Hook shook his head at his presumptuous friend. Of course, he really didn't have anything else to do and was probably going to end up at their flat anyway. No sense in fighting the current.
"Captain! Just the pirate I was looking for," the owner of the establishment called out to him as she came strolling through the kitchen doors out into the diner, the doors swinging wildly behind her.
"You and the rest of Storybrooke it seems. How can I be of service, Ms. Lucas?" Hook asked with a slight bow.
Reaching into her pocket, Granny pulled out a rolled up piece of paper and handed it to him. "This was left for you at the front desk this morning."
"Thanks," he said taking it from her.
Unrolling it, he read a familiar scrawl requesting a meeting at the docks at 11am sharp. Smee. Hook rolled up the note and shoved it in his pocket with a sigh. He wasn't exactly sure where his crew had ended up after the curse and he wasn't interested in finding out either. They were pirates after all and they could fend for themselves. Smee wanting to see him though, set him on edge. He was already troubled by his time spent during the past year, grateful no one could remember anything — if he were to be completely honest — and it was all he could do to distance himself from it, but things had a way of catching up with him, and this time it wore a grungy red knit cap.
A few minutes later when Hook exited the diner, coffees in hand, he must have looked as distracted and tense as he felt because David took his cup and asked, "Everything ok?"
"That remains to be seen," Hook replied cryptically.
David thumped the hood of his truck and said cheerfully, "Hop in!"
Once Hook was settled on the passenger side, he turned to David. "Where, might I ask, are we off to?"
David shot him a crooked grin and practically wiggled in his seat. "You'll see when we get there."
Hook rolled his eyes. "Marvelous." Only the devil knew what shenanigans the Prince had up his sleeve, and the mischievous look in his eye set off more warning bells than a coastline on a foggy night.
Several gulps of the bitter brew later, they pulled up in front of one of the many stores in downtown Storybrooke. The array of merchants was diverse enough that Hook really had no clue which one they would be visiting. He just prepared himself for the worst because he was pretty sure the lack of information coming from David meant that he should have said no to this little jaunt.
"Here we are!" David said, grinning widely and standing in front of a window displaying all manner of small clothes and toys.
"'Babe in the Woods'?" Hook asked incredulously, pointing at the sign. Would this day never end? "Is this some kind of joke? Tell me you did not just bring me to a shop full of baby things."
"Why would I tell you that? Princes don't lie. Much. Come on, Hook, I need help picking out a crib."
Hook flung his hand up in disgust, pointing at himself. "And I was the first person to come to mind?" He shook his head and turned back to the truck. "That's it. No more rum. It has obviously damaged your brain."
David blocked his way, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around toward the building. "Oh shut up. Quit being such a...what's the pirate equivalent of a drama queen?" he asked.
"Prince."
David was nonplussed. "Anyway, I want to surprise Mary Margaret. She and Emma are waiting for Regina to help put up another protection spell, so that leaves you."
Looking at David as if he had well and truly gone 'round the bend, he snapped, "Really?! Literally anyone else in Storybrooke would have been a better choice. Why not the dwarf, Leroy?"
With a shove toward the door, David said excitedly, "Come on! It won't be that bad."
"Famous last words," Hook mumbled.
As they walked through the entrance — or trudged like a whiney child in Hook's case — a bell chimed announcing their arrival. Both men stopped short at the overwhelming scene before them. Hook had never seen so much merchandise in one place in any realm. All the colors and textures and smells, and that wretched tinny music, assaulted his every sense. How much could one child need for pity's sake? he thought to himself.
"Can I...help you?" a tentative voice asked from up ahead. A young woman looked at the men, her smile dying on her lips as she noticed Hook. He couldn't blame her. He was a dark blight on the manifestation of hope and joy that this store peddled.
The Prince cleared his throat and stepped forward with one of his more winning grins, no doubt trying to make up for the lack of Hook's. "Yes! We are looking for a crib," he announced.
"A crib! Well congratulations to you...both," the shopkeeper said with some sort of hesitancy that it took Hook and David a moment to process.
Catching on a second before David, Hook rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest while he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in irritation.
Laughing, David said, gesturing between himself and Hook "Oh, not...us. My wife and I. Snow White? She's due any day and I wanted to get a crib as a surprise."
A nervous giggle escaped the woman as she exclaimed, "Oh! That makes total sense! Come this way! We have several different styles. I'm sure we can find just the right one for the royal baby."
She led them through a maze of clothing racks, shelves of toys and sundries and Hook wondered if he should leave some crumbs behind so he can find his way out again. Finally they arrived at a part of the store where the furniture was on display and the shopkeeper began to describe the merits of all the different kinds of cribs, of which there were many. One in particular caught Hook's eye. Constructed of a warm, light-colored wood, he ran his hand over the smooth finish, making it sway gently.
He smiled softly to himself thinking about his early days aboard ship. The youngest — and smallest — of the midshipmen aboard, he would sleep in a hammock below deck when he got to sleep at all. He loved it though, and the rock of the ship along with the swaying of the hammock would put him to sleep before he realized how tired he felt, how far from home he'd traveled, or how hungry he was. It was the only true peace he'd known as a sailor.
"This one," he interrupted.
"Hmmm?" David hummed, somewhat surprised at Hook's pronouncement.
Hook gave the crib a delicate push and watched it move back and forth. He looked up at David and said, "It rocks...like a ship. No better way to fall asleep."
"Perfect!" David proclaimed with a quick nod. "I like a sleeping baby...at least I think I do. We'll take it."
As the sales woman and David went to take care of the payment and retrieving the item, Hook wandered through the store toward what he hoped was the exit. He stopped at a display of pretend animals. He touched a few of them, enjoying the feel of the softness of the furs and coats against his callous-roughened fingers. They never had toys such as these when he was a lad. He couldn't imagine what he would have liked to play with he'd been an adult so long. He was about to turn away, when one of the animals caught his eye. It was a tiny black cat, with yellow eyes and the softest of fur.
Hook picked it up and smiled again. In this realm, he had learned that black cats were a bad omen, but black cats on board a ship were considered lucky and his favorite of all the mousers he had befriended over the years was named Jet. Sometimes she would sleep with him in his bunk, or would seek him out for scraps if the rodent population was not big enough to keep her well-fed. The rest of the crew teased young Killian for stealing all the luck regularly because of their relationship, but later in life, he missed that luck and the damn cat terribly. Casting about to make sure no one could see him, Hook shoved the little toy up his sleeve and continued out of the store. Every ship needed a cat, and he could provide at least that for the baby and his or her newly acquired vessel.
Finally escaping the shop, Hook leaned against the truck waiting for David. When the Prince finally emerged, barely holding onto the large and unwieldy box, Hook considered letting him stumble around and suffer a bit for bringing him along, but then thought better of it. Wouldn't do to bring home a damaged crib, because David would just drag him out again to get a new one. Besides, he was pretty sure this was the actual part when David expected a hand to be lent.
"Let me help you with that, mate," Hook offered as he grabbed one end of the box with his hand, and shoving his hook through one corner for extra leverage. He and David slid the box into the flatbed of the truck and then when they got back to the loft, he helped him bring it up the stairs to their apartment.
While Snow and David looked delightedly over their new purchase, Emma caught up with Hook who was hanging back in the kitchen.
"Hey, thanks for going with David," she said, smiling softly at him.
Hook waved off her thanks and smiled. "Not a problem."
"Are you going to stick around? Help us put together this thing?" Emma asked nodding toward her parents and the crib David was removing from the box in its many pieces.
Rubbing the back of his ear and raising his eyebrows, Hook replied, "Uh, not today, love. I have an appointment to keep at the docks in less than an hour. I need to head down that way, now actually."
He could have sworn she looked slightly disappointed, but it was gone in an instant. "Oh, Ok. Well, uh, see you later maybe," she said.
Hook smiled and nodded, but as Emma walked away, he slid the little stuffed cat from his sleeve, and surreptitiously deposited it on the counter then headed quickly toward the door. Maybe luck would find them all after all.