Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Once Upon A Time. ABC, Disney, and whoever else have that distinction. No profit is being made, and no copywrite infringement in intended.
AN: Again the episode doesn't give much fanfic fodder, but here's a cute little Captain Swan fic that could totally fit in at some point around 4.6. No real spoilers this time.
Nightmare
by Lady Callista
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"Please, swallow your pride, If I have things you need to borrow.
For no one can fill those of your needs that you won't let show." -Lean On Me
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Emma woke up drenched in sweat, her scream of his name still echoing through her head.
She didn't spare a thought to be relieved that the scream hadn't been out loud, -she really, really needed her own place- nor did she focus enough to realize that the display on her cell phone when she picked it up read 2:27 AM.
She was still shaking when he answered on the second ring. "What's wrong?"
The relief at hearing his voice washed through her, forcing her to take a few deep, shuddering breaths. Her mind finally caught up to her instincts as she realized it was the the middle of the night, and that he was now saying her name urgently. "Nothing's wrong. I'm okay, everything's okay, I just..."
"Is there someone else there? Can you not speak freely?"
The oddness of the question was enough to make her chuckle, the last of the adrenaline from the nightmare finally dissipating and allowing her to think normally. "What movies have you and Henry been watching when I'm working nights?"
Something in her tone of voice communicated that everything really was okay, and the panic left his voice to be replaced with teasing, "Well there's this show about a pirate captain of a ship that flies the stars -because it's meant to, not because of a phoenix feather sail. I rather like his views on life, although the wench he argues with but obviously fancies is not nearly as attractive as the one I ended up with."
Her heart jolted at that, but not as much as it once would have. "Why am I not surprised that you like Mal? So the whole communicating in code thing..."
He chuckled again. "I hardly needed your television to learn that. And these magic phones of yours may make it quicker luv, but I'm rather adept at communicating clandestinely. Pirate."
And a very adaptable pirate at that. "A phone isn't magic." She said automatically even as she smiled slightly at the fact that the modern words no longer sounded strange in his mouth. She didn't know or care enough to really be able to explain how any of the technologies he marveled at actually worked, she'd taken them for granted too long, but she made up her mind to find the time to introduce him to Google search. After engaging the Safe Search function, her mind quickly amending, not wanting to think about what would happen when her pirate discovered porn.
Emma shook that thought away to focus back on the conversation at hand.
She remembered then him telling her a while ago that pirates always wrote their maps in code, and it really hadn't surprised her that that particular thing about pirates was true even when many others weren't, so she would have laughed with him if not for the embarrassment that was slowly starting to wind through her.
Although his voice had sounded clear when he answered, she had likely woken him from sleep. Yet even now that he knew nothing was wrong he wasn't asking her why she had called or pushing her for anything. He was simply teasing her as if she had called at a perfectly normal time, and Emma knew that he would let her play it that way if she wanted.
And it was because he would let her that she didn't feel like she needed to. Emma swallowed her pride, took a deep breath, and whispered, "I dreamt she killed you."
"Oh, luv." His voice was soft, any hint of teasing long gone. "I told you not to worry about me, remember?"
"And if I told you the same thing, could you do it?" Emma hated how hard it was to control her voice, to keep it from breaking.
"I concede the point." He said after a brief pause, everything he felt for her naked in his voice. "It was just a nightmare, luv. It wasn't real. I'm right here."
"I know it was a nightmare, I know, I just... I woke up and I had to be sure." The first part of the sentence was an angry whisper, the second half a broken almost-sob Emma almost immediately hated herself for.
"I'm not in Davey Jone's locker yet lass, and I have no plans of going there anytime soon." His voice was soothing, patient, and he let a brief silence hold before lightening his voice and reverting back to affectionate teasing, "Although I must say my heart leaps that you worried enough to call."
"Of course I did." She snapped, then took a deep breath and lowered her voice again. Her door was closed, but the loft wasn't that big, and with a baby in the house none of them slept heavily, not that they ever really had.
She didn't want the teasing, she was embarrassed enough about the fact that she'd called him like a child seeking reassurance. But she wasn't good at dealing with the care and concern that had been in his voice before either. She remembered the fear again from the dream and lashed out, and although she did still keep her voice quiet there was steel and heat burning through it, "And you're not going to tell me everything is going to be okay? You're not going to tell me to be brave? Or to be strong and believe in myself?"
Killian's reply was immediate, his voice gentle again and devastatingly open. "I do believe that everything will be okay, and most of the time you do as well. As for the other, I've seen you in action, luv. I know you're brave, I know you're strong, and you're not a woman who likes to waste time with the obvious."
"Yeah, I'm so strong that I called you at two in the morning because I had a bad dream." Her voice was filled with self-deprecation.
"You don't always have to be the strong one, Emma. It's okay to lean on someone else every once and awhile."
His uncharacteristic use of her first name made her pause, and actually think about what he had said instead of just snapping back again. He knew her far too well.
"Do you want me to come over?"
Her thoughts lurched back into focus as he asked the question softly, likely worried that she hadn't responded to his previous statement. But just the offer had loosened something within her, made the last vestiges of fear melt away as she felt herself smile. "I don't think I'm up for pillaging and plundering at the moment."
For once he didn't rise to the teasing. "You know that's not what I mean, lass."
"You're offering to come over so that I don't have to be brave and strong. And I think that's all I needed." She felt the nerves fluttering in her stomach at his offer, at knowing he meant it absolutely. He would drag himself out of bed at this ungodly hour and walk through the cold night if she asked him to. And he wouldn't think any less of her for needing him.
"I can be there in..."
"No, I don't need you to come over. I guess I just needed you to say you would. Which is stupid, but..."
He cut her off at once. "It's not. I'm not used to having anyone I can lean on either, luv. Not used to having someone I can call in the wee hours before dawn, when dreams won't allow me to rest."
"You're not used to being able to call anyone."
He chuckled then, allowing her space as he always did when things got too emotional and she had to fight the urge to run. "You know what I mean, luv."
"I do." Emma admitted softly, "I'm used to going it alone, and I'm working on that not being my default, because, because I don't always want to be alone. Sometimes I hate you for figuring that out, even before I did."
"Open book, remember?"
"I'm sorry I woke you." She shied away, having bared all she was able to tonight.
"It's more than okay, luv, as you well know." He replied, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Do you want to continue talking, or would you rather try to return to your slumber?"
"I think I can sleep now." Her voice was barely a whisper. "Killian, thank you."
"Whatever you need, luv, no matter the hour. You know that."
"I do." Emma answered softly. "It's still hard to believe at times."
"As long as it's easier than it used to be." His voice was a sweet caress.
"It is." She admitted. "Goodnight, pirate."
"Sweet dreams, my princess."
He hung up before she could object to either of the last two words.
Emma set her phone back on the nightstand, rolling over and trying to get comfortable again. She closed her eyes and immediately saw the nightmare image of his frozen body. She opened her eyes at once, forced her thoughts to take a happier turn.
She remembered the smirk he'd given her before their first kiss, the gentle look of affection tinged with joy and almost wonder after their second. The teasing way his hand would run through her hair, and how he held her when they kissed.
She was too wrapped up in him to not dream of him, but as she drifted back into slumber with the remembered taste of him on her lips she knew that at least this time the dreams would be pleasant.
THE END
