Pairing: Lieutenant Duckling

Rating: T (just to be on the safe side)

Word Count: 5210

A/N: Soooo... this is my gift for the very lovely lieutenantsmoak who adores Lieutenant Duckling like I've hardly ever seen anybody adore them. I've never written LD before and it was actually so much fun that I can't let it go so, with this I am starting a new project. As you will see, this "chapter" spans over quite a long time and isn't just LD. Honestly, I had no intention of writing it this way but sometimes the characters just present themselves like this. Over time I will update this with chapters that will concentrate on things that happened before, during or after this fic!

He stomped down the stairs to the cabins after her, gritting his teeth. She had already reached the bottom, trying to get away from him but now he blocked the only way out. So instead of locking herself in her room, which was definitely not her style, she took a deep breath and then turned around abruptly, facing him, her hair flying in a circle around her.

"And then what?!" she retorted. "You would've just dropped me off at the next best harbour and made sure I'd get home with a different ship. Probably tied down so I wouldn't escape."

A hurt look flashed across his face at her words. He thought she would've known him better by now.

"You know that's not what I would've done. Princess." He stressed the last word with as much spite as he could. She'd lied to him, she'd lied to the entire crew and now she was actually behaving just the way her royal title would've implied. Spoilt and rotten and… no, he could not let himself think that. He knew her better than that; he knew her courage and her fierce, kind heart, her determination and her compassion. She'd lied, but he knew who she was without that title, he knew who she was as a person.

"If not you then your brother. Or someone else," she spat, her cheeks already flushed from their argument. "And do not call me princess."

"Is that not what you are? A princess?"

He watched as she balled her hands into fists by her side, gritting her teeth, the fire sparkling in her eyes. He'd noticed that inferno within her before, when they'd run home from a bar fight she'd started with one of the local men because he'd dared to come too close to her and the only way to get her off the poor bastard had been to drag her out, a thousand words spilling from her mouth, fired like sharp arrows at the man. Or when she'd fought with his brother over the fact that he did not let her help on the ship because she was a woman and apparently not cut out for hard work on the high sea. She had eventually commanded him to give her something to do. Or when she had stolen one of the swords on board the ship to run after some outlaws who had dared to threaten and steal from a girl she'd only just met in the marketplace and his brother had insisted he go after her to make sure she was safe only for him to find the men tied up to a tree, her blade immediately at one's throat when the roughian had dared to call her princess.

He knew the fire within her and he would be lying if he said that he wasn't drawn to it.

"Not on here, I'm not," she finally replied, her voice determined, almost commanding as he took a step closer to her.

"You're right," he said. He was by no means less determined. His voice was steady, hard even. "On here you're Emma Swan; A girl who wanted to see the world and asked the first best captain to let her come aboard. But that does not change the fact that you lied to me."

"I merely chose to omit part of the truth…" Emma stated matter-of-factly, eyebrow raised at him, trying to challenge him. She watched as his jaw flexed and his head tilted a little to the side. That's when she realised that he really was angry with her.

She'd gotten to know all his little mannerisms over the last five months. The ear-scratch he did when he was nervous, the jaw-flexing when he tried to hide his anger, the head tilting, in combination with the ear-scratch, when he was flirty, or in combination with the jaw-flexing when he was barely keeping it together. Also the small little smiles that he hid by dropping his gaze when he was being shy or the teasing eyebrow-raise when he tried to have some good old-fashioned fun. She knew them all. She knew the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled; she knew the depth of his dimples, the curve of his cheekbones and his jaw. She'd studied his face for hours when he wasn't looking, knowing she would never meet anyone as wonderful as him ever again.

At this moment, that didn't seem to matter anymore. She could see his anger and it only fuelled her own.

He took another step closer, composing himself as best he could. He didn't even know why her lie made him this furious. He'd been lied to before. He wasn't even the captain of this ship. It was not him she had convinced to let her aboard. He had nothing to do with that. But he was angry nonetheless.

"You omitted part of the truth that would've kept you save. Out of harms way," he all but growled through gritted teeth.

That's something else she'd noticed. Lieutenant Jones never got loud. He was always calm and collected even when a storm was raging inside of him. He never raised his voice unless to shout orders on deck. And Emma knew that the anger that brewed below such calmness was most dangerous.

Only then his arms suddenly flapped by his side, something she had never seen him do before. It looked desperate, almost resigned. "You're a princess," he went on. The unexpected movement had done nothing to the tone of his voice though. "Do you even realise the trouble any of us could get into if something happened to you?"

"Oh, so now you choose to show concern? When you could get into trouble," she hissed, knowing full well that he had always been concerned for her safety even if he hadn't always shown it as plainly as now.

He shuffled forward again, his upper body leaning towards her. His eyes locked with hers and he saw his anger reflected in them.

She didn't even realise what happened in the next millisecond, hadn't noticed how close he'd come, how she could smell him, the musky scent his skin gave off, the salt of the sea and the smell of rain wafting off his hair. She hadn't noticed how her eyes had flickered to his lips for a split second or how the anger in his eyes had suddenly turned into something else entirely. The only thing she noticed was that his lips were suddenly on hers, hard yet soft, angry yet careful, wanting and needing yet reserved, giving her a way out if she needed it. Instead she kissed back, a moan she couldn't stop escaping her mouth as his body pressed against hers, pushing her flush against the door at her back.

She felt her own rage evaporate into nothingness as she brought her arms around his neck, her hand running through his soft, thick hair, and her lips kissing him back the way she'd wanted to for far too long. His hands were in her hair too, caressing her cheeks, her neck, travelling to her shoulders… Another moan fell from her lips as she savoured the taste of him, the feel of his lips on hers, as he nibbled her bottom lip…

And then he pushed her back, gasping for air and as if someone had pinched him with a needle. "I.. I'm.. I apologise," he panted, a wrecked look on his face. With a quick look into her eyes he turned to leave only to turn back towards her, his eyes darting to hers once again and back to the floor. She could see how flustered he was but then so was she. She saw that he didn't know what to do with himself that this wasn't a situation that could be solved with the usual discipline he was so used to work with.

"I…" she started, her tongue licking her kiss-swollen lips in a subconscious move to taste more of him. "You… You don't have to apologise," she finally managed to croak out. Hesitantly, she took a step forward, trying at the same time to calm her rapid breathing. When he didn't retreat, she took another step until she was standing right in front of him again, able to take a hand into her own.

The contact seemed to shake him out of his stupor and he looked at her, his eyes still dark from lust but searching, searching hers for any sign that would give him leave to go, to undo the mistake he'd just made.

"No," he shook his head, "I do have to apologise. That was out of line," he explained and a flash of worry crossed her face. Worry that the kiss hadn't meant a thing to him, that it had only been the heat of the moment.

"Because I am a princess and you are not a prince?" she dared to ask, relieved to see that it managed to make him chuckle, if only a little and with a hint of sarcasm.

"It was out of line no matter what your heritage may be. I should not have given in to my…" He stopped himself.

"To your what?"

He shook his head. He could not say it, dare not say it. He'd already said too much, done too much, shown too much and he was not going to get him, and more importantly her, into any more trouble.

"Okay, fine." Her voice was casual, dismissive even, but it turned shy with her next words. "But I'm glad you did…"

She still held his hand in hers and squeezed once and then, finally, the tension left his body, an almost goofy grin appearing on his lips and he looked her in the eyes again, those green orbs full of sincerity and so vulnerable at that moment. His resolve to not give in disappeared then. If her kissing him back had not been enough to tell him she felt as he did, her words and the look in her eyes did and for once he was selfish enough to give in, to let himself drown in the ocean that was Emma Swan.

"I am still mad at you for lying to me," he stated but his words had no bite to them anymore.

"Okay." It was the only thing she said, a grin tugging at her lips.

He studied her face then, soft now, the fire of her anger gone, replaced by something else burning behind her eyes, flushing her cheeks. Yes, he did know who she was. And he knew who she was to him.

Nevertheless, he was still a lieutenant of the crown. He valued the rules he lived by and he valued the truth above anything. If he was proud of just one thing, it was his honesty.

"I will have to tell the Captain," he sighed. He knew what that meant and so did she.

Still, she nodded. "I know."

A month later – a month of stolen kisses and casual touches, of hidden smiles and secret escape plans they would never set into action – the princess was escorted back to the castle by the Captain himself. They had not rushed the journey back, docking as usual to trade with several kingdoms but after four weeks, they finally laid port under the shadow of the Royal Castle again.

Killian had offered to take her back up, but his brother was not born yesterday. Liam Jones had seen the looks his passenger and his lieutenant had exchanged when they thought no one was looking. He'd seen how Killian had refused to even look at Emma at the beginning of their journey; he'd even teased him about his little crush on the golden-haired beauty and now his younger sibling was suddenly almost constantly in the blonde's presence as if she was the centre of his universe and he had no choice but to gravitate towards her. He should be happy – he would be – if it weren't for the fact that Killian had told him about Emma's true identity. The girl was clever, he really had to giver her that. She'd been with them for five months, laying port every once in a while and news of a missing princess must have travelled fast over all the kingdoms of the Enchanted Forest to Arendelle and back. (No, not a missing princess, the missing princess. Daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, the Royals who'd defeated the Evil Queen and brought peace back to all the realms. If he ever wanted to sail under a different flag, he'd want it to be theirs.) Emma had managed to keep all these news away from them for five months. No one had ever recognised her, not one man on his crew had ever heard of a missing princess and even if they had, he almost doubted that anyone would've even made the connection. The blonde had his entire crew wrapped around her little finger, him along with everyone if he was honest. It was no surprise then, that the good-bye scene was rather heartfelt.

After he told Killian to say his goodbyes in private and that he would not get to accompany Emma back to the castle, Captain Jones led the princess down the ramp and onto the pavement of the busy harbour. His little brother stood at the railing watching them, and Liam could tell that there was hope in his brother's eyes, hope that this was not the end. And when Emma stopped to take a look back, a tear almost falling from her eyes, he felt bad for separating them. Alas it was his duty as a man of honour to bring the princess back to her parents and he knew Killian understood that, otherwise he would never have given up Emma's real identity in the first place.

They walked silently, Emma holding her head high, her hair in loose curls around her shoulders, falling over the white blouse and dark vest she was still wearing. She hadn't bothered to change out of her seafaring outfit, wanting to show her parents that it had been her choice to go and live a life on sea, that she had felt comfortable in this.

"I would apologise, princess," Liam finally broke the silence, "but you know I have no choice."

Emma smiled. "No need to call me that, Captain."

The captain smiled in return, a smile as dashing as his brothers, then nodded in agreement.

"And no need to apologise either. You Jones brothers are woven from the same string. Honour is ingrained in you. I'm sure my father will appreciate that…" she sighed. Having to face her parents terrified her more than all of the dangers she had faced in the past five months together.

"Captain?" she asked just before they reached the gate.

"Yes, pri… Milady?" he quickly said when she threw him an exasperated look.

"Promise me you won't tell them about…"

She couldn't bring herself to say it, say his name, or she would break down.

Liam stopped in front of the gate and turned towards her, studying her face, the pain in her emerald eyes, the freckles dancing on her cheeks, the hard lines around her eyes from stealing herself against the heartache, the determination to get through it all. She would forget about his little brother soon enough so why would he have to tell her parents.

He gave her a nod. "I will not mention the matter, if you so wish."

"Thank you," Emma replied just as the gate was opened. Someone must have seen them coming and alerted the castle.

"Emma!"

She heard her mother before she even saw her and suddenly she realised that she had missed her parents and that, even though running away had been her choice and one she did not regret, she was also happy to be home. As soon as she saw her mother run down the steps, she was off, flying into her arms and hugging her tight. Her father wasn't far behind and soon the three of them were enveloped in one big family embrace, her mother crying, her father cradling her head, Emma whispering a happy tearful "I missed you" into their ears.

They eventually broke apart and Charming turned to Liam.

"My thanks to you," he said, even before he cared to ask who he was.

After an hour of explaining, most of which was Emma talking, it was time for Captain Jones to leave. The princess ran after him, slipping him a message for the sailor she had had to leave behind and made him promise to not peek.

With that final promise and a peck on the cheek from the green-eyed princess, Liam Jones left the castle, believing he would not see it again.

"Stop fussing, mother!" she exclaimed as Snow kept tugging at a strand of hair that constantly fell into her face. Snow grinned at her daughter in the mirror, so grown up and beautiful. Almost two years had passed since she'd run away and returned to them. They had celebrated many a ball but Snow had always noticed a sadness in her daughters eyes, no matter what they tried. The day Emma had returned and told them all about her adventures, she and Charming had decided that they may have been too strict on her, too worried that something might happen, that someone would take her away. They had not realised how she'd grown into a woman of her own, one that could fight for herself and needed no protection, only support. It was the day they had decided to give her the freedom she needed. She could've taken a ship and travelled wherever her heart desired but Emma had simply shook her head. If she were to travel by sea again, she would do it on the Jewel Realm and only her.

What neither mother nor father realised at first was that their daughter had left her heart on that ship. Only after their third ball, Snow's birthday ball, Snow had started to notice the signs. She'd watched as Emma danced with princes and lords alike, how she was pleasant with them, smiling and chatting, but always distant. She'd also noticed that every once in a while the princess would sneak out of her room at night. Snow never followed her, giving her the freedom her strong-willed child had always longed for but she was certain that there was a story to the nightly disappearances. The truth was, Princess Emma had run off to the meadow in the woods as often as a certain ship lay in the harbour.

-/-

The music was magical, as it always was and the ballroom was as beautiful as ever. Her mother had a talent for it. Not just the decoration, the entire hosting of a ball, and Emma wondered if she'd ever be able to do any of that.

She was currently being twirled around the dance floor by none other than Prince Eric. He was a pleasant young man, she'd enjoyed his company before but tonight she felt that something was different. Not just with him, with all the male guests. She had her suspicions, of course. Her father probably thought it was time she actually met suitors, men who would steal her heart and lift her spirits. If only she could tell him that her heart hadn't been hers in years.

The dance eventually ended and Emma responded to Prince Eric's little bow with a curtsy of her own. She hardly had time to breathe before Phillip took her gloved hand and kissed it gently.

"May I have this dance?" he asked politely and Emma smiled her most princess-y smile, the one she'd been taught from an early age, curtsied again and placed her hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Where is Aurora?" she asked, an attempt at making small talk.

Her dance partner smiled wildly at the mention of his beloved's name. "Unfortunately her parents requested her presence for some courtly business, but I will see her again soon. How lovely of you to remember."

It was Emma's turn to smile. She liked the young prince. When they had first met, she had immediately sensed that he was less than pleased to have been amongst the chosen one to court her but they had developed a friendship when she'd asked him about his heart's true desires. The two of them twirled around the ballroom now, blurring Emma's vision and bringing the strands of hair her mother had so meticulously tried to tie back, back into her eyes. She spotted her parents dancing as well, her father throwing her suspicious looks every once in a while, while her mother tried to keep him off her. It was then that she spotted a figure at the entrance but it was only for a second as Phillip spun her around again and when she turned her head, the figure was gone.

"Prince Phillip," she courteously asked, shaken by the appearance, "I would rather like some refreshments, I may have been dancing too much. Would you excuse me?" Phillip nodded his head, stopping the movement and bowed slightly before letting her go.

Emma started roaming her eyes over the crowed, looking for the familiar curve of shoulders, the tousled hair, anything. She could not have dreamt it of that she was sure. However, the crowd was too full, too many people kept moving into her field of vision and she couldn't run around like a lost chicken, it would raise suspicion.

A sudden tap on the shoulder made her jump and turn around, bringing her face to face with blue eyes, familiar eyes, alas not his eyes.

"Captain!" Emma exclaimed, hugging him enthusiastically after she got over her initial shock. "What brings you here?"

Liam Jones smiled at her, holding up an invitation. "We received this about a week ago. Good thing we were close enough or we would never have made it," he said with a wink.

"We?" The princess didn't dare to hope because it would be a little short of a miracle to see him here, in public.

For two years they had stayed in the shadows, had loved each other with only the stars as their witnesses, stealing away whenever they could. She'd seen him less than her heart would've liked in that time but their love had never once faltered. They had never once doubted that one day they could stop hiding. Last time she had promised to wait for him, had told him they would find a way. Never in her wildest dreams would she have dared to hope for what was about to happen, though.

"Cat caught your tongue, princess?" she heard Liam's voice rattle her thoughts. She hadn't realised how far away she'd gone and apologised.

"You were saying, Captain?"

Liam simply smiled, taking her hand. Slowly, he turned her around and what she saw took her breath away. There, parting the crowd, was the man she loved and had loved for longer than she cared to admit. He looked as dashing as ever in his lieutenant's uniform and it took all her willpower not to run towards him and embrace him the way she always did during their stolen nights in the woods. Instead, she stood frozen, waiting for him to reach her.

"Princess," he breathed, bowing down and kissing her hand.

She felt her cheeks flush, felt them burning, felt her heart pumping faster, like it was about to jump out of her chest. Something told her this was a dream, a dream that she didn't want to wake up from but would. A gentle push from Liam reminded her that it was in fact real and as she placed her hand on Killian's shoulder and his arm came around her waist she felt something in her click as if his arms around her anchored her to the ground.

"I would kiss you right now if my parents weren't watching," she finally said, the first words she'd managed to say since she'd spotted him in the crowd. He chuckled, the smile on his face reaching his eyes and lighting them up, making them brighter than she remembered.

"Lets not shock them too soon," he replied with a wink. "Although, I believe I have your mother to thank for this."

Emma arched an eyebrow at him. "My mother?"

The lieutenant nodded. "It was her that sent the invitations. She seems to be rather perceptive. I do not know how she figured it out though."

They were swaying around in circles in time with the music. One two three, one two three, waltzing securely around the room and Emma noticed that they suddenly seemed to be the only people dancing but she could not have cared less. A look towards her parents told her that her father was trying to convince his mother to introduce him to her dance partner while her mother held him back, a secretive and content smile on her face.

Emma felt light-headed and light-footed as Killian spun her around and around. Their conversation was flowing, their banter as strong as ever. The last time they had seen each other had been three months ago and he had a great many things to tell her. Of sea monsters, nymphs, magic beans, of the friends she'd made while travelling on the Jewel. Eventually, more couples joined them on the dance floor again, the novelty of the lieutenant and the princess wearing off and Emma felt save in the crowd, protected. She let herself drift further into his embrace, smiling up at him.

"Have I told you that you look stunning, Swan?" he whispered into her ear, using the name she had given when they had first met.

She could feel the colour rising in her cheeks again and he smiled, dimples softening his features. Instead of replying to his question she whispered back, "I've missed you."

"Aye. I've missed you too, my love."

-/-

"She's dancing with the lieutenant…" his voice came through almost gritted teeth, definitely with a hint of surprise, confusion and possibly even a tiny hint of desperation.

Snow chuckled. Her husband could be oh so perceptive. "Yes Charming, she is."

"She hasn't seen him in years. I didn't even know they were close. They look close."

"Darling, stop fussing," Snow tried to calm him down, placing a hand on his arm.

"She looks happy," her husband eventually noted, making her smile as she started leading him to the dance floor where they started dancing with the rest of their guests again.

"I haven't seen her this happy in a long time. Except when I catch her staring at the stars when she thinks I don't see…" He couldn't let it go, tuning his wife this way and that so he could keep an eye on his little grown up girl, dancing and laughing in the arms of a man he only knew by name.

When Emma had returned to them and told them of her adventures, she'd mentioned Lieutenant Killian Jones a few times but never gave him cause to believe that his daughter had feelings for the man. Now however, as he watched her, as he saw the light in her eyes and the smile on her lips, he recognised it. Her mother had always had that look on her face after he'd found her again.

"Inviting the princes seems rather unnecessary now," he chuckled, making Snow look up at him, her head cocked to the side and a surprised look on her face.

"Good thing I invited the captain and the lieutenant then," she confessed with a smile.

"You knew?" Charming inquired surprised but his wife simply shook her head.

"I assumed but I wasn't sure. Now I am."

-/-

They danced into the night like everybody else, pretended to only just have met (even though she was certain her mother knew everything and had told her father by now) and parted ways with a kiss to her hand and a kiss on his cheek. Liam smiled at them, waiting for his brother. He was happy to see them still as much in love as they were two years ago. He had not thought their love would persist but it did and as it seemed, the princess's parents had no problem with their daughter's decision to fall for a lieutenant.

He accompanied his little brother back to the castle the next day. As soon as they walked through the gate, the blond haired whirlwind that had taken Killian's heart came running towards them, a smile wide on her face.

She had talked to her parents and finally told them everything. How she'd fallen in love with the lieutenant, how they'd met whenever they could, how she wanted to travel the seas with him and after the ball, after seeing how she had practically glowed in the lieutenants arms, neither one of them had anything against the liaison. True love was hard enough to find, and if their daughter could have what they had, then Charming and Snow would be more than happy.

Emma threw her arms around Killian as soon as she reached the brothers, kissing him with all she had and not even the initial surprise could hold him back to respond in kind. His arms slung around her waist, dragging her closer to him as much as her dress allowed. Her hand scraped at the back of his scalp and he felt a shiver down his spine, as he moaned into her mouth.

Liam cleared his throat loudly then, eliciting a chuckle from the princess, who finally broke the kiss. "Sorry," she blushed but Liam simply shook his head.

"I suppose that was overdue anyway…" he muttered before taking his leave from them.

Killian's arm around Emma, they watched his brother ascend the stairs to meet with her parents so they could have some time alone. When he rounded the corner, Killian turned to face Emma and smiled the happiest of smiles she'd seen in a long time.

"No more hiding?" he grinned.

She took both this hands then and looked at him with sparkling eyes and shook her head, her hair shaking around her face in waves like sunrays. "No, no more hiding."

The laugh that escaped her sounded like a million little bells and he couldn't help but paste another kiss on her lips.

"Come on, I'll show you around," the princess smiled, dragging him by the hands to the castle gardens.

A month later they stood on deck of his very own ship, the Jolly Roger, waving goodbye to her parents. Captain Killian Jones now had the duty to keep the seas safe and trade for Prince Charming and Snow White's kingdom, Princess Emma by his side to negotiate new terms and forge new contracts. They sailed out on the rising tide, into the sinking sun, off to experience their own adventures.

Thoughts are appreciated as always!