The Voyages of Captain Hook
CS. What if Captain Hook were also Sinbad the Sailor? And all his voyages took place during his year apart from Emma?
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Prologue
Killian Jones doesn't really know how to say goodbye. He's never had the chance to. Every person he's ever loved has either walked out of his life or been taken from him. Including Emma.
Of course in her case it's both. She's walking away because the curse is taking her away – away from him.
He watches her hug her parents, her arms wrapped around them tightly, her hands clinging onto the sides of both their coats. They stay this way for a while. Not that he blames them. The day they'd met he'd all but called her an orphan. Today she will become one for the second time. And it hurts him to watch.
So he focuses his attention on Henry, the boy whose belief could power Neverland. The boy who makes saviours out of cynics and heroes out of evil queens. Even before he'd met Henry, even before he'd joined the rescue mission for him, Killian had known the lad was special – just by virtue of who loved him. Hearing him bid Regina farewell, Killian sees that Henry will never truly know what it's like to be abandoned by those he loves. Not that either of his mothers would allow it.
Killian turns his attention away, giving the mother and son their privacy.
Just then a flash of red catches his eye and he sees Emma disengage from her parents and walk over to Baelfi-Neal. Killian feels a twinge of jealousy, but pushes it back down. The man just lost his father.
Strangely enough the Crocodile's death left Killian feeling a little hollow. It's funny. He'd spent three hundred and twenty-eight years trying to kill the man. But seeing him confront Pan – his father – like that had reminded Killian of the man who'd abandoned him all those years ago and he'd realised that perhaps inside every vengeful man was a hurt little boy.
The worst part had been hearing Belle's anguished cry as the love of her life, the place where she'd kept her heart, died before her eyes. Killian had never liked hearing women in pain. But this was even worse because he understood the kind of pain she was going through. And it seemed like he was about to go through it again.
He tries not to think about his loss. He'll have plenty of time for that later. Instead he tries to craft his goodbye, afraid his sadness will steal his last moments with her away from him.
But he can't come up with anything. Especially when he sees her talking to Neal, the father of her child. The man who'd given her Henry. That was why Killian had agreed to back away in the first. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Henry. And there's nothing Killian wouldn't do for Emma. Including giving the Lost Girl a family.
After all, he'd heard Baelfi-Neal declare that he wouldn't stop fighting for her, and Killian is not anything if not a honourable man. A honourable man who feels a connection with the Saviour. He'd felt it the moment he'd heard that she was doing this for her child. That her entire reason for being there was for someone she loved. He hadn't been lying when he'd said he'd been hoping she'd be the one joining him up the beanstalk. Because she's the kind of woman who is in it for the long haul. And he knows that he is too. That's why he told Neal as much.
But as he watches them talk Killian notes that he isn't watching a pair of lovers say goodbye. Instead they're standing at least a foot apart from one another. A brief exchange of words and it's over. Emma walks away.
Killian frowns, unhappy with the turn of events. Granted that the man just lost his father, but if this is how expects to fight for Emma's affections then Killian thinks the man is in need of fighting lessons. He seems to have simply given up. And Killian is offended on Emma's behalf.
Turning to the Saviour he sees that she isn't turning towards him, she's simply walking to her… car?
Is that it? Does Swan really think she can leave without him saying goodbye?
Despite the fact that he doesn't know what he'll say he rushes over to her, hoping to get as much time as he can before Henry finishes speaking to his father.
He can sense David and Snow's eyes on him, but he doesn't care. They know exactly how he feels about their daughter. The Echo Cave made sure of that.
Sensing movement behind her she turns and looks up at him and he sees the tears she's holding back.
Just like that, Emma Swan disarms him again. And all he wants to do is coax that exasperated half smile he's convinced she saves just for him. The one she uses when he uses one of his more elaborate turns of phrase, or when he shamelessly flirts with her, or most commonly when he does both.
So he puts on a sad smile and tries to make a joke.
"Quite the vessel you captain there Swan…"
He can't bring himself to call her Emma. Even thought that's what he calls her in his mind.
He's successful and her lips quirk upwards. But it's not the smile he usually gets. It's a different one. A much sadder one, tinged with – if he's reading her right – sadness and regret for a future that almost-was.
And just like that he knows what to say. His heart writing his words for him as he puts all joking aside and his tone becomes deathly serious.
"There's not a day will go by I won't think of you."
Because he can barely go a moment without thinking about her right now.
That's when he looks into her eyes, beyond all the strength and the tears, and sees a shift come over her as well.
"Good," she says.
His heart almost stops at the word. Apart from their kiss she's never done anything to encourage his affections. That is, until now.
And because he can read her like an open book he knows it's because she heard the promise in his voice as he told the Lost Girl inside of her that she wouldn't be lost for long, because he'd come and find her.
And because she's Emma and because they have an understanding, she'd reached across and told the Lost Boy in him that she'd be waiting. Because that's what lost children do, they stick together.
He smiles, sealing their pact. And she smiles right back. Killian debates kissing her, but decides not to. He's sure Emma wouldn't mind but he knows he'd never be able to let her go then. And he can't do that because he loves her. So he must always choose Henry.
So for the second time in two days, he forces himself to step back from Emma. And as he does so he notices her mirroring him and taking a step forward, toward him. Looking in her eyes he sees a flicker of doubt.
Had she wanted him to kiss her?
But then Saviour comes back and it's gone.
Killian looks away, taking a step back. He continues walking backward until he sees her turn towards her vehicle. It's only then that he turns away.
As he does so he makes eye contact with Regina. No doubt she heard the entire exchange.
He's not sure what to say so he simply nods at her. He can't even be mad at her or her choosing to cast the curse all those years ago because he knows he owes her everything. If not for her or her mother he'd never have found his way to Emma.
He sees her walk toward Emma and looks ahead instead, needing a little more distance.
But as he heads back to the group he realises he doesn't know where to stand. He's always been by Swan's side. And now that is gone.
He considers walking over to Tinkerbell, but that would be too far from Emma. And he intends to stay as close as he possibly can till she's out of his sight.
Apart from that, all he has left now is… David. So he stands by his side.
A few weeks ago he'd never have considered the Prince to be an ally. But now he considers him a friend – regardless of what the man may think of him. There's just too much about him that reminds him of Liam. And Killian could use a brother right now.
That's when he hears Regina tell Emma that all her memories will be erased. That she will lose the last few years and all the relationships that came with it. Including theirs.
But she doesn't protest. She simply accepts it, the Saviour's burden. Not that she'd call it that. It's never a sacrifice if she's doing it for Henry. It's the thing he admires most about her, her capacity to fiercely care about other people.
Of course her reward for all this is that Regina will give both her and Henry happy memories. She'll give Emma all the years she missed from her son's life. She'd never have abandoned him.
So as much as it pains Killian that she'll never remember him, or any of their time together, he's happy for her. She'll finally be able to let go of the guilt he sees in her eyes. Guilt that she'd abandoned Henry the same what she'd once been abandoned.
And that's all he's ever wanted, Emma's happiness.
That's what he keeps telling himself as she and Henry get into her vehicle. A vessel he's never had the pleasure of riding in.
For a moment he briefly entertains the thought of her as a driver. Based off of what he'd seen on the Jolly Roger, she's probably quite skilled. He'd have loved to a passenger in her vehicle. As captain she'd probably boss him around, if not yell at him. But she wouldn't be Swan if she didn't yell at him a little.
Captain Swan, he thinks, smiling sadly. He quite likes the sound of it.
He casts aside all thoughts of their possible future as Regina begins to cast her spell. Purple lightning shoots from her fingers into the sky. He turns to see that the green cloud carrying Pan's curse is closer than he thought. Behind him Emma's vehicle begins making the purring noise he associates with these things. Good, she's getting away.
He watches Regina's lighting come into contact with the cloud. He can't bear to see her leave him.
And just like that… the curse hits.
But as the smoke surrounds him, Killian flashes back to his mother, it's one of his few memories of her.
Lucy Jones lies in bed, her arms wrapped around a three-year-old Killian as he coughs violently.
"Mother…" he calls out weakly. She holds him tighter as her warm brown eyes seek out his bright blue ones.
"You're just a little ill dear." She smiles down at him reassuringly.
"Am I going to die?" His voice is filled with fear. His friend Matthew's father had been ill and he'd died.
A determined look comes onto Lucy's face.
"Killian Wesley Jones, you are not going to die." She pauses as his fingers begin to play with her auburn hair. "Think of this as one big curse."
Her eyes sparkle at the last word. She loved telling him fairy tales as much as he loved listening to them.
"And what do we know about curses?" She asks him.
"They can always be broken…" He answers.
"Exactly!" She says, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
And that's when he knows.
This isn't the end.
There's hope for him and Swan yet.
Because the one time Killian Jones gets the chance to say it, it isn't goodbye.
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A/N: So this actually started out as a thought I'd posted on tumblr and someone had mentioned that this would be a great fic and I thought, 'It would!' Two weeks later and here it is: a prologue.
I guess any time an author slaps on a prologue it means it's going to be a long one. And I intend for this to be one. To quote our favourite pirate, I am in this for the long haul. For those who are wondering I do have a game plan of how I want this to go, so I'm kind of excited for some of the stuff I have coming up. I guess the challenge is finding ways of slipping Captain Swan moments in despite them being apart. But it's one I welcome.
As always, if you guys have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know! Especially anything constructive, I want this story to be as good and as enjoyable for you guys as it is for me writing it. Thank you so much for reading, and happy hiatus!