Author's note: Future Emma/Killian Jones (Captain Hook)
I don't own OUAT.
Summary: Captain Hook is cursed by Mr. Gold. Emma panics and Henry persists in his unintended role as the ramshackle knight.
"It's just a kiss," Emma Swan mutters.
She tries to ignore Henry's expectant gaze.
"Come on, Mom," Henry cajoles, "Just give him a small kiss."
Emma slowly nods as she tries to think of something that would buy her more time.
"We weren't like that," she slowly tells her young son.
"Like what?" Henry naively asks.
"We aren't… romantically involved? Romantically entangled?" Emma starts to frantically grasp at straws when she realizes that Henry isn't buying her story.
"But you admire him," Henry persists.
"No, I don't! He's a pirate!" Emma loudly objects to his insinuation.
"Mom, it isn't good to lie," he warns.
"Fine," Emma grumbles, "I may admire him just a little bit."
"And you care about him," Henry quickly continues when he sees that his Mom is glaring at him, "Just a little bit."
"Maybe," Emma quietly admits.
Worriedly, she looks around the room; she would hate for anyone but Henry to overhear her miniscule confession.
"Captain Hook seems to listen to you a little bit," Henry loudly adds, "He even lets you occasionally fuss over him."
"I don't fuss over him!"
"Don't lie," Henry pertly tells her.
Emma blushes.
"I might… fuss over his well-being just a… little too much," Emma reluctantly confesses.
Henry nods, his eyes seem to mischievously sparkle when he tells her, "It may be a bit of a long shot but it wouldn't hurt to try."
Emma bites her lower lip.
"Mr. Gold was really mad at Hook," she absentmindedly muses.
"Mr. Gold knows a lot of dark magic that could create an eternity of pain for some unfortunate person," Henry soberly reminds her.
"That's true but we don't know what the spell is doing to him," Emma continues, "We just know that Hook isn't going to wake up for a long, long time. Maybe Hook wouldn't mind being asleep?"
"We do know that Captain Hook isn't being plagued by the sleeping curse but we do know that Mr. Gold isn't known for being merciful," Henry reminds her.
Emma mechanically nods.
"What if he does wake up after I kiss him? The implications," Emma moans.
Slowly, she sinks down until she is sitting upon the hospital's laminated floor. Her long arms tightly wrap around her knees.
"Oh, Mom," Henry whines, "True love isn't something to be ashamed about."
"Hook would never let me forget about this," Emma complains.
"Sooo just kiss him and run out of the room like the hounds of hell are snapping at your heels," Henry slyly tells her, "No one would rat you out."
"Completely juvenile but that does seem to be my best option," Emma reluctantly admits as her arms limply fall at her side.
"So you'll kiss him?"
"I'll kiss him," Emma agrees as she stands up.
She slowly walks towards Hook's hospital bed. Unintentionally, she winces as she observes his battered body.
"Mom, just kiss him and run!" Henry whines.
"Henry, you would be a terrible thief," Emma remarks before she quickly presses her lips against those of the comatose patient.
Henry's grin quickly fades when his Mom darts out of the room like her life depended upon her swift exit. In shock, he stares at the open door.
"I thought that she was joking," Henry absentmindedly remarks.
Author's Note: I wanted to explore the possibility of Emma not wanting to fess up on whether she is Killian's true love.