Emma jolted awake at the sound of a cough, blinking in surprise that she had managed to fall asleep at all. She glanced around the room, taking note that everyone was accounted for; Regina was asleep in a corner bunk, while Snow slept above her. Emma had insisted that Snow remain with Charming, but Snow had insisted that she stay with her daughter during such a dark time.
It was a kind notion, one Emma was still reeling over, but having her mother sleeping beside her did nothing to reduce the ache in her chest and the clenching in her gut at the loss of her son. Up until that point, Emma had not slept a single second aboard the Jolly Roger. This was the third night they were on the ship, and Emma's eyes were beginning to ache from exhaustion. She closed her eyes, hoping to slip back into torpor, but knew it would not happen after a few minutes of quiet. Apart from the creaking and groaning of the ship, everything was still. Her ears were ringing from the deafening silence.
She swung her legs over the side of the cot, making sure that her legs were steady enough to stand. Her sea legs still had some adjusting to do. She left the small cabin, walking to the steps that would lead her on deck. She hoped to find peace among the stars, to quell her nerves with the sound of the waves. She leaned against the railing towards the bow, closing her eyes and taking in the sounds and smells around her. The scent of brine in the air was quickly disappearing at her increased exposure to it, and the stickiness of the humid air left her hair in knots and her skin itchy. The cool breeze that blew from the sea was the only relief.
She turned around, leaning her back against the railing, taking the time to examine the ship in the moonlight. What had it been like when the ship was alive with Hook's crew, a true working pirate ship? She had to admit, that would have been a sight she'd love to have beheld. The captain of the ship was the only remaining pirate on board. She glanced at him where he stood at the helm, still steering his ship. She was almost certain he hadn't slept, either. In fact, he seemed to be as on-edge as she was.
She approached him quietly, giving him a sad smile when their eyes met. "Can't sleep either, huh?" she asked him, just loud enough to be heard over the roar of the sea wind. He responded with a similar smile.
"Not a wink," he said.
She turned her head slightly, narrowing her gaze. "You're unsettled. Have you seen something?" she asked, keeping her eyes on Hook.
"I've not seen anything, lass. I'm simply weary to be back in Neverland." He didn't seem to want to press on, so Emma left it at that, at least for the time being.
Emma cleared her throat, rubbing her arm in slight discomfort for what she was about to say. "I never said thanks, by the way, for coming back and offering your aid. I can't begin to think what I'd have done with no way to find my son."
He met her eyes, which held so much uncertainty. He smiled, however not in amusement. "You'd have found a way, Swan."
"I know I would have," Emma said firmly. "But I might have been too late. We still might be too late." Hook's expression turned sharp.
He said firmly, "We won't be too late, love. We'll bring your boy home."
"How can you promise that?" Emma asked quietly. Her weariness was beginning to creep into her bones, and suddenly she felt the desire to curl up and sleep. Even if she tried she knew she wouldn't be able to.
"Emma, you should try to get some sleep. You'll be of no use on the morrow like this." She looked at him in surprise, both from her first name spoken on his lips and from how well he observed her, like on the beanstalk. Or perhaps she was simply that obvious.
"Neither will you be," she said pointedly, observing the dark smudges under Hook's eyes. She imagined his eyes were just as bloodshot as hers, but it was difficult to say for sure in the moonlight. "You said that this ship was made enchanted. Can you make her keep going without steering?"
Hook frowned slightly, and then said, "Aye, I can, as long as the seas are calm. I simply doubt any use will come from abandoning the wheel."
Emma sighed, resigned, and sat to the side of the wheel. Hook looked down at her, perplexed. "What are you doing, Swan?"
She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Since you're not going to try to sleep, I won't either." Hook scowled. He did something at the helm, her best assumption being keeping it on course without his presence before walking over to her, sitting down beside her to her right. They remained silent for many minutes. Emma found that it was surprisingly easy to sit in comfortable silence. She looked at the stars, trying to see if she recognized any of them. This in itself was rather useless; the only earth constellation she could ever identify was the big dipper.
"The stars are different here. At least from this view," Hook said, breaking the silence. She turned to find his steady blue gaze on her. "Everything is different in Neverland, love. Once we are ashore, which is very soon," he added, "things will be very different. The island and its surrounding sea are full of deadly threats - poisonous plants, vicious beasts, along with the lost boys."
Emma looked at him curiously. "That poison that you used when you stabbed Gold. He said it was of your own making. Did you learn to make it here?"
"That I did," he said. "You have to learn your defenses here. I can teach you some of them, including how to properly wield a sword."
"Hey!" Emma said indignantly. "I held my own pretty good against you before."
She did not like the smug expression on his face when he said, "Love, I let you win."
Emma looked at him, offended. "You did not."
He laughed. "I did. That is beside the point, anyways – you are lousy with the sword, and you'll need to know basic swordplay for when you need it." His voice became serious and he looked at her directly in the eyes. "And you will need it."
Relenting, Emma nodded. She was technically a princess, but she wasn't raised one. Guns she could handle. Swords? She could be better.
They lapsed into another content silence, listening to the waves lightly lapping at the sides of the boat and the wind rippling the sails. She could hear Hook's breathing beside her, and found that she was oddly...comfortable.
The next thing she was aware of, Hook's hand shook her lightly awake. "Come on, love. We should go down and sleep."
She stood beside him, blinking rapidly. She had actually slept, albeit a short amount of time. Hook continued, "My bunk is large. You may take the bed if you'd like, or we could share." He quirked his eyebrow suggestively, and then chuckled at her mutinous expression.
"What makes you think going down to your bunk will help us go to sleep?" She asked guardedly.
He gave her a wry grin, and leaned in to say conspiratorially, "Because we both just fell asleep."
Emma's heart irrationally beat a little faster. He had fallen asleep too? Why did that make her pulse quicken? She stopped her train of thought, deciding not too look too deep into the meaning of that. Perhaps Hook was right; they had both easily slipped into sleep, and if they were to find Henry, they would need to be sharp. They would rest tonight, and then Hook would teach her how to properly wield a sword. Neverland was close, as he had told her tonight, and she needed to be ready. She needed to save her son.
"Okay," she finally said, not meeting his eyes. "After you." At that they exchanged a glance, remembering with amusement how she had spoken similar words at the top of the beanstalk.
Hook opened the door to his cabin, and Emma followed behind him. He stalked over to light a lantern. The cabin flickered to life, casting shadows across the large room. She had only briefly glanced inside the Captain's quarters the previous day, and was surprised at how large it actually was. She spotted his bed in the back corner, and indignantly noticed how much more comfortable it appeared than the crew's bunks and hammocks.
There wasn't, however, another place for Hook to sleep. When she said this aloud, he merely shrugged, telling her that he was a gentleman. "I've slept in worst places than the floor of my ship, love."
"I don't doubt it," she muttered to herself. She chewed on her lip, debating how comfortable she'd be with the suggestion she was about to voice. It was, after all, only one night...
"The bed is big enough, just sleep next to me," she said, sounding bolder than she truly felt. His eyes, which were still a stunningly bright blue in the lamplight, widened. She knew that he knew about the trust issues she had, even if he didn't know the details. As he'd told her on the beanstalk, he could read her like an open book.
As he opened his mouth to speak, she said, "Don't 'Emma' me, Jones. Let's go to sleep." She kicked off her shoes, but before she could climb into the bed, he gripped her arm. She turned, raising a brow in confusion. He didn't speak, he simply removed the hook from its hold, setting it in a safe place by his bed, and lay as close to the wall as possible.
Giving her a way out if she became too uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
She blew out the lamp and slid in after him, confirming her suspicion that it was indeed a lot more comfortable than her bunk. Though both were fully clothed and under the covers, they avoided touching. She should have been surprised – this was Hook, after all – but she truly wasn't. She turned to look at him in the dark.
"Sweet dreams, princess," he said.
"Oh, shut it," she said, and they chuckled in the dark.
Soon after both fell asleep, side-by-side in the dark, hands brushing lightly like children in a fairytale.
This was my first CS fic, I'm pretty nervous about sharing it! Hopefully you liked it for what it was. I wanted to acknowledge that my final sentence is a nod to a scene in Cassandra Clare's City of Glass (p.334, if I am not mistaken). Anyways, hope you enjoyed, shipmates!