Emma didn't feel well this morning. Her stomach always began to churn, when a certain man came to her mind, normally showing sparkling wit and being open for a healthy laugh. Now he was just acting strange.
The bags under his eyes literally screamed that he didn't get enough sleep and he always seemed to be on edge.
She wasn't sure if it really was a good idea to give in to her son's pleadings to see the man again, after he learned that David was with him at the docks drinking whatever liquid was available.
It wasn't the first time that she had to ask the pirate to look after Henry and he did well with him.
On the other hand his eternal bad mood was not something a boy would find entertaining. When they arrived at the docks it took Henry only seconds to spot the two men sitting on a bench and talking.
And while her father seemed to be very enthusiastic, laughing like a maniac with a drink in his hand and cheeks as red as tomatoes, the pirate's only indicate that he was living was him blinking when the sun wasn't hiding behind grey clouds.
A small smile tugged at his lips as Henry raced over to them and began to ask if he was allowed to have a drink with them too. Emma' eyes got wide immediatly after David shrugged his shoulders and gave him a full bottle of somehing yellow.
Was he drunk? She wasn't sure whether he was joking or not but the thought of him being serious made her sprint toward all of them. But before Henry could get his first sip of the drink Emma – with all her might – snatched it away. Her nostrils flared as she stared both of the men and Henry down.
„What the hell were you clowns doing?" She watched them all carefully and tried to make out what exactly happened this morning that both of the men had the need to murder their last brain cells with a sea of vodka and Henry's, too. Suddenly David began to giggle.
„Oh no, Hook! She's here" He put a finger to his mouth as if to indicate that Hook had a secret that she wasn't allowed to know.
She looked at the pirate, puzzled. And her eyebrow twitched a little when he tried to look anywhere else but her. She jumped a little when he began to speak, his voice so distant and raspy that she thought he was ill.
„Hook's a nickname, lad", he told Henry and nugged his side playfully.
But she saw that he had just enough strengh tu pull up his arm. „Like this asshole from Peter Pan?"
„Language!", she hissed but the pirate snickered, trying to overact the hurt look in his eyes, and nodded. Then he looked at Emma, his eyes a little red.
The deep bags under his eyes indicated sleepless nights.
„Did ya really think we'd waste good ol' scotch on him? It's just juice" He shaked his head as if he couldn't believe what Emma'd just done.
„No I-" Why did she always have the incessant need to defend herself, she could've just laughed too. Or she could have trusted him in the first place.
„What's wrong with him?", she changed the topic quickly instead, shoving the juice in Henry's hands again who was more than happy he got it back and sat between the two men, trying to look just like them. Her finger pointed straight at David. Hook shaked his head.
„David was determined to drink just as much as me. Not a noble thing to do"
He was quiet then, watched the sea with Henry who became still, mesmerized by the blue it seemed. David grinned like an idiot.
He sang some song she knew from a kid's movie and mumbled only the parts of the lyrics he did know – three words: kiss, the and girl. Her eyebrows knitted together, when Hook shot a hesitate glance at her, gulping cold fresh air.
So her father still knew what he was doing.
She sat with them, more worried for the men than her son and somehow babysitting them instead of Henry.
It was fun, when they ran around at the dock later laughing everytime David tripped and even Hook, who was all moody these past days, smiled. He opened up to her again, his eyes shone with new hope.
They halted both when they cought eachother's glances and she walked over, eyeing him carefully before she stepped into his personal space and he didn't back away like the last few times anymore. She reached up and -
„Shalalalalala!" David screamed, spit flying to their cheeks. She rolled her eyes, before smiling at her very drunk father. Another time.