I don't think I've ever written fluff before actually, so this might not be good. (After writing the fic, there's more angst in here than I thought.)
Prompt AU: Emma gets extremely drunk after she's told that Neal is alive by Hook and rants about her feelings to her mother with someone else eavesdropping.
She stood still. Thoughts whirled around in her head as she tried to make sense of it all. Hook was standing in front of her, with worried eyes. She didn't know what to think. She took off towards camp.
It was fortunate for Emma that she knew where Hook hid the rum. She desperately clawed with her hands through Hook's spot at the camp. There was a new bottle (the last one) and she tore the cap off with her teeth. She chugged down half of the contents and ran off to find some place to think things over. Her mother, after hearing the whole thing between Emma and Hook, decided to follow.
'Emma? Sweetie?' Snow gently asked. Her daughter was sitting at the base of a tree and was now drinking small sips from the bottle she held tightly in her hand.
'…Mom..'
Snow froze. Emma only called her that when she was going through something emotional.
'Do you want to talk about it?'
Emma looked up into Snow's eyes and nodded. 'I- Hook, he told me about.. about..' Her voice cracked and a silent sob escaped from her mouth.
Whilst in the shadows, Hook had followed Emma out of concern. However, he stayed to listen and couldn't help but feel his heart break. Was Emma this shocked and relieved that Neal-Bae was alive? Well of course she would be happy, Hook cursed himself, she's practically still in love with Baelfire.
Snow, nodded and encouraged Emma to continue.
'When he told me, I was so happy. I was so relieved. Henry didn't lose his father and I didn't lose another person… After Graham, I didn't think that I could keep anyone alive around me anymore.'
Emma took another swig. She was getting unusually hot.
'But Neverland. It changed me so much, Mom. And surprisingly, Hook, he helped me even though I was still getting over Neal's death. I tried to hide the pain I felt, but he saw right through me. We really are kindred spirits.' She laughed hysterically and winded down to a silent chuckle.
'I don't get how that's-'
'Related to finding out that Neal was alive? Immediately after hearing Neal was alive, I was disappointed. For a split second, I was disappointed that Neal, the father of Henry, a man who I loved, was alive. Who.. Who thinks like that?'
Hook widened his eyes. Tears were falling down as she kept talking.
'Then I started thinking, I'm disappointed because.. because I've moved on. I've moved on to someone else, but I couldn't help but think that it was so wrong and so right at the same time. And shocker,' Emma took another drink,' It's Hook. The goddamn pirate. He is the person who I've started to care for even though I didn't think I could care about anything anymore! I had one person that was important to me right now, and that was Henry.'
She abandoned the drink by now, and threw it on the ground.
'I don't know what to do anymore. I thought that I was expected to fall in love with Neal again after we've somehow rescued him. But I'm so torn. I'm so torn when my mind is logically saying 'Neal' but my heart is screaming for Hook.'
Emma stopped and looked at her mom with the most distraught expression Snow had ever seen.
'What do I do, Mom? What do I do?'
Snow cried and ran towards her daughter. She shook her head and repeatedly said, 'I don't know. i don't know.'
Hook had heard enough and walked back to the camp with his emotions in turmoil. Even now, he did not know whether to be happy or sad of the big news. He did know this; however, Emma made good decisions. She'll know what to do, even if she doesn't know right away.
