Henry ran down Main Street, his backpack bouncing up to his shoulders with each pounding step. When he reached his destination, he came to a sudden halt, his sneakers nearly skidding on the sidewalk, stopped to catch his breath, and walked into Granny's diner.
"Thought I might find you here," he exclaimed when he reached the booth – and the occupant – he'd been searching for.
"And why might you have wanted to find me, lad?" Hook asked, looking up from his cup of coffee with genuine surprise, as if Henry had made some sort of mistake.
"I want to write about you. For my book," he explained, sliding into the booth and pulling his storybook from his backpack. "I have to keep an accurate history of all of the residents of Storybrooke."
"Ah, yes," Hook said, glancing down at the book. "Your mother mentioned your particular knack for understanding all of…" he paused, glancing around at the other people in the diner. "…this."
"So," Henry began without hesitation, pulling a pen from his backpack and flipping to an empty page at the back of the book. "You're a pirate."
"Aye, that would be the most obvious detail," Hook replied flatly.
"And Rumplestiltskin cut off your hand in a battle over a magic bean and the woman you both loved." Hook glanced down at the shiny silver piece of metal resting on the table, running his finger over it and sighing deeply.
"That he did," he answered softly. "If you don't mind, Henry, I should be getting back to the ship. She needs a bit of cleaning today." He stood up and started towards the door.
"That's a great idea! We can do the interview on the Jolly Roger," Henry said, collecting the book and swinging his backpack onto his shoulder as he followed closely behind Hook, taking a place alongside him when they reached the sidewalk outside. Hook rolled his eyes, but didn't object to the boy's presence as they made their way towards the docks. "What's with the earring? Did you steal it from someone and you wear it as a memory of your conquest? Did you kill them?" Henry asked, the excitement and anticipation in his voice growing with every word.
"Improves eyesight, Lad. Sorry to disappoint," Hook said, tugging absentmindedly at his ear.
"Did you ever make anyone walk the plank?" Henry asked, looking slightly disappointed at the last answer but satisfied to have the information nonetheless.
"I used that punishment merely as a threat. I don't relish the thought of forcing that fate on any man."
"But what if someone had questioned your authority?" Hook considered this question for a moment, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"I give any man who wishes to question me the chance to fight for what he wants," he said, his voice low and dark.
"A duel?" Henry asked, a new light in his eyes.
"Aye," he replied.
"I've always wondered what that would be like." He reached into his backpack and produced the wooden sword David had given to him, stopping and pointing it towards Hook with the widest of grins on his face.
"You're a brave lad," Hook said, unable to hide a smile as he slid his own sword out of his holster and proceeded to test Henry's abilities with a few slashes and clangs of metal on wood. "Your grandfather has taught you well. But what if I were to do this?" Hook performed a spin move, twisting his sword in such a way that he wrenched Henry's "weapon" out of his hands, watching it fall to the ground between them. Henry reached down to pick it up, glancing up at Hook as his eyes grew bright.
"Could you teach me how to do that?" he asked timidly.
"Mentor a swordsman like yourself? It would be an honor," Hook said, sliding his sword back into his belt as the two continued on their way.
Henry scribbled down a few notes in his book before looking up at Hook again.
"Do you have a parrot?"
"A parrot?" Hook asked, half-convinced he'd heard the boy wrong.
"Yeah, a parrot."
"Why the bloody hell would I want a bird?" Hook asked, glancing up at a pair of seagulls that happened to be flying overhead.
"He could sit on your shoulder and you could teach him how to talk like a pirate. All the famous pirates in movies and books have one. Except the one with the monkey." Hook glanced at Henry out of the corner of his eyes, his expression one of utter confusion.
"I see no reason to have any sort of pet onboard a ship that sails throughout the realms for months at a time without making port."
"What about rum?" Hook stopped mid-stride and turned to look down at the boy.
"What about it?"
"Pirates in the movies are obsessed with the stuff."
"Aye, rum was a favorite among my crew. I usually carry it with me, but I've since depleted the stores on the Jolly Roger and have yet to find the opportunity to replenish them." As he spoke, they reached the ship, its wood creaking with the small waves that reached the docks. "You're planning on coming aboard, I assume?" Hook asked as they stopped at the steps leading up on deck, though he already knew the answer. Henry nodded, a smile on his face that seemed to allude to what Hook had already begun to realize…that no one in this town seemed to be immune to the boy's charm. Not even him.
"This," Hook began, leading Henry down into an empty storage room below the deck once they boarded the ship. "…used to be the rum cellar. As you can see, it's bloody empty."
"I'm sure The Rabbit Hole could help you out with that," Henry said, picking up an empty glass bottle and stuffing it into his backpack for further investigation later.
"The Rabbit Hole?" Hook asked, his eyebrow rising curiously.
"The local bar," Henry explained as Hook narrowed his eyes, looking at Henry with disbelief.
"You're quite an intelligent, lad," Hook observed as he climbed the stairs back up to the deck and began checking for any loose or damaged floorboards.
"So what about wenches?" Henry asked as Hook, who had been attempting to wrench loose boards free, pulled back in shock and nearly smacked himself in the face with the back of his hook.
"Excuse me?" Hook asked, shocked.
"Wenches. Women? You know…" Henry trailed off, nudging Hook in the ribs as he took a seat on the deck beside him.
"Lad, you may possess a wisdom far beyond your years, but this is one topic I cannot discuss with an eleven year old. Especially because your mother would-"
"Here you are, Henry," a new voice interrupted as Emma ascended the steps and boarded the ship, casting a curious glance at Hook who had just stood up and was staring at Emma with what she thought was embarrassment, though she had never seen the captain display this particular emotion before. "What could the two of you possibly be up to, together?"
"I was just asking Hook about being a pirate, so I could write it in—"
"—the book," Emma finished before Henry had the chance. She glanced at Hook with a smile. "He knows more about me than I do. I hope it's all right."
"Not a problem, Lass. I was just about to ask the lad for another question," he said, putting particular emphasis on the fact that he'd rather not have a repeat of the last inquiry.
"You never answered my last one," Henry replied without hesitation, casting a mischievous glance between his mother and Hook. "I was just asking him about what the women are like in a pirate's life." Hook's cheeks burned a bit hotter as Emma, hands crossed over her chest and appearing slightly embarrassed herself, awaited the answer. Hook cleared his throat, attempting to return the temperature of his cheeks back to normal, and placed his hand on Henry's shoulder.
"Henry, my boy, there are two things that I can tell you about dealing with women. Pirate or not, you must always be a gentleman. Your mother can vouch for me," he said, winking at Emma, who rolled her eyes but smiled. "And second," he began, his tone lowering. "Once a woman has your heart, metaphorically speaking of course, you find that you'd be willing to do anything for her, be anything for her. Even if it means letting go of the past and accepting that what you have in the present is far more important." His gaze left Henry and fell on Emma, his blue eyes full of an emotion that Emma saw just a hint of every time that he looked at her. Really looked at her.
"Suddenly, I'm really hungry," Henry said, looking from Emma to Hook. "I'm going to head back to Granny's for some lunch."
"I'll be there in a few minutes, all right, Henry?" Emma said when she snapped out of her own thoughts.
"Sure. I'll see you in a few," Henry said. "And Hook?" Hook tore his eyes from Emma and looked back at the boy. "Thanks. I can't wait for the sword fighting lesson."
"You're welcome, Lad," Hook answered with a nod as Henry turned and descended the steps off of the ship and ran off towards town.
"You're going to teach him to sword fight?" Emma asked in disbelief.
"Aye, he challenged me to a duel and I showed him a thing or two. If it's all right with his mother, of course."
"You may have to fight it out with David first, but otherwise it's fine with me. Henry's grown pretty fond of you, ya know."
"I've grown fond of him, as well. He's a great lad," he said, stepping closer to her before adding, "So did you just come here to look for Henry, or was there something else you desired?"
"I, uh, I just wanted to come and see if maybe you wanted to…" she paused, lost for a moment in his piercing blue eyes. "…be my deputy. At the sheriff's station. Someone made me realize once that I wouldn't really be a part of something until I had some roots. And seeing as how your ship is so…mobile, I thought maybe you'd want something a little more permanent." She tried to swallow, but her mouth had gone dry as he continued to stare down into her eyes.
"What exactly are you saying, Emma?" he asked, his voice soft as he stepped even closer until they were nearly touching. Emma looked down at the ground, pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, took a deep breath, and met his gaze once more.
"I don't want to wake up one day and find out that you're gone," she said sadly. "After what you did for me, for Henry, for everyone…you're a part of this town. You're a part of this family, as dysfunctional as it may be. You're a part…of me."
Suddenly, he leaned down, his lips brushing gently against hers. She placed her hand at the back of his neck and urged him forward, their lips crushing together in a moment of pent-up passion.
"To quote your son, I've always wondered what that would be like," he said when they finally parted, their foreheads resting together. "And Emma, I would never leave you. Because you are as much a part of me as I am a part of you."
"So, Killian, is what you have in the present worth letting go of the past?" she asked. He kissed her again, softer, longer.
"No, Love. It's worth so much more."