"When you asked me if I wanted to go out on the water today, I wasn't expecting this, darling," Killian said, as Emma stepped off the dock into a small motorized fishing boat. "Are you sure it won't capsize? It looks an awfully sorry ship, lass."
"It's not a ship, it's a boat with a motor, Killian," Emma replied, not looking in his direction, busying herself with making sure everything on the boat was in good, working condition.
"What in the bloody hell is a motor?" he asked, completely dumbfounded. Killian took in the shape and size of the "boat" before him. He was sure he could line six of them against the Jolly Roger and they would barely match the length. "Lass, are you sure this is safe? It's so small, and there are no railings."
Emma had to laugh at this as she looked up. "Are you seriously worried about this?" When he didn't answer, she rolled her eyes before going over to the little seat that had a store chest below it. He couldn't see around her, but when she turned back to him, she was holding a bright orange, puffy looking vest. "Put this on, then," she said, once she was back over to him.
He hesitantly reached out, taking the vest with his hook. "What is this supposed to be?"
"It's a life jacket. If you fall out of the boat, it'll make you float. Now get in, please. If you're going to be out here, you're going to learn how to work this."
Killian scoffed, dropping the vest on the dock, slowly stepping into the boat. "You think if I fall out, I can't swim. I've spent the last three hundred years on a ship, love."
She let out a small laugh before sitting on the opposite end of the boat, leaving the seat next to the motor open for him. "On the ship. Not in the water," she said, giving him a wink. She watched him sit down in the seat she'd left for him. "Now see that chord right there. Pull it. Hard."
He turned in his seat to find the black chord she was pointing at, bracing his hook on the motor and taking it in his hand. He did as she said and pulled hard, but jumped at the sudden roar it gave. It sounded like an even worse version of the metal boxes they used as transportation. "Why must I learn this?" he yelled. "My ship is much more peaceful."
"Because it's a good thing to know! Now take that handle, that's the throttle, and twist it to the right to make the boat go. Twist it gently so we don't go to fast and don't push or pull it suddenly, so we don't make any sharp turns.
He eyed it warily before doing what she asked, and when the boat revved and lurched forward, he dropped his hand. "Emma, this is not a good idea! I can already tell this is going to go far too fast for a boat without anything to keep you safely inside."
She rolled her eyes at his lack of willingness. "As long as you don't do anything stupid, we'll both be fine. Just barely start it moving. As you get more comfortable with it, you can make it go faster if you want." When he still gave her a look of concern, she knew she was going to have to play dirty. She leaned forward, smirking slightly. "Is the mighty Captain Hook scared?"
He straightened up at her words. He knew she was just egging him on, but her question still struck a nerve. "Killian Jones fears nothing and no one." He turned back to the motor and concentrated on it, making sure not to turn the throttle too much too soon. He started at the slowest pace he could get it, making sure not to turn it at all. Once he was comfortable with the speed, he started maneuvering it around the bay. Then, he increased the speed. He found he enjoyed the fact that this little vessel could go so fast. He decided he'd start taking a chance with his steering, turning curves at a faster speed, making the curves sharper, as well.
It wasn't until his last curve, making a pass by the docks that things started to go awry. He turned his attention back to the motor for a few seconds as he took the turn, and when he looked back, Emma was no longer looking at him with a smile on her face. She wasn't there at all. He made the boat come to a stop, looking frantically in the water around him for her form, but couldn't see her at all. As he started to turn the boat back around, he caught sight of her figure, standing on the dock. As he took the boat back to the dock, he saw that she was sopping wet, with a very annoyed look on her face, hand planted on her hips.
As he slowly pulled the boat up next to the dock, he did his best not to chuckle at her. Bits of her hair plastered to her head, water droplets rolling down her jacket, and her boot making a rather amusing squishing sound as she tapped it against the dock made it that much more difficult. "If you fancied a swim, love, all you had to do was ask."
He knew it was the wrong thing to say, but he couldn't resist pushing her buttons. She sent him a glare as she turned on her heel, walking back up the dock. "Tie the boat up yourself, Hook. You're sleeping on your ship tonight."