A/N: This is my first time writing for the Once Upon A Time fandom, and I couldn't help but write for my favourite ship of all time: Captain Swan. I had always wanted to write for Once Upon A Time, but never found the right inspiration to do so. But - after that finale on Sunday and today being my birthday (YAY!), I couldn't help but start a new story!

So, here we go...

Ships Passing in the Night

Prologue

"You betrayed me." His crisp accented voice, laden with bitterness and spite, did not conceal any hurt he was feeling.

Her green eyes searched his stricken face imploringly, before she shrugged her shoulders unapologetic. "I was just doing what I was told," her frown then turned to a slight smirk, "To be honest, though, you didn't make it too hard."

Growling, he stood up from his spot on the dusty, cold floor, intent on storming towards her until he was held back by the bounds that now burdened his wrists.

He grit his teeth, glancing down at the bounds on his wrists and back at her, into her eyes as she stood behind the bars. "Why would you do this? This isn't like you, lass!"

Her heart almost stopped at that line, her face scrunching as though she was in pain. She turned her head to the side, closing her eyes tight as though in concentration, before she masked it with indifference. He was so surprised by the rapid switch that he was unsure of whether he had imagined it or not. His very soul felt chill to the bone when he heard her finally speak, "How do you know what I'm like, pirate?" She spat the last word as though it was venom off her tongue.

He looked straight at the woman who he had met just the year before. After all they had been through – all the dangers they had narrowly escaped, all the flirtatious touches and words, all the caresses – and that night –

He shook his head, preparing to freeze his heart from the pain he did not want to feel. He looked straight at her, stony gaze as he let his voice drop, reminiscent of the man he had been for the past three hundred years, "Well then, seems like my first impression of you wasn't wrong. You are nothing more than a lo—"

"Don't you dare say it!" she exclaimed, her voice wavering at the end.

He raised his eyebrow, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "Lost girl."

Her heart did stop then, unable to believe that he –

What was she thinking? He was nothing more than a pirate, someone who had spent the past three hundred years tricking, betraying, killing. Someone who had no qualms of hurting others, if only to gain themselves.

Her gaze turned stone hard, before she looked at him, her voice so cold that even he was surprised. "Lost girl or not, I was able to trick you. Of all the people. You know, others did warn me about you."

His gaze never left her face as she stepped back, intent on leaving the confinement. She continued, hoping to push past his steely exterior and hurt him as he had with those two words she never wanted to hear again. "They told me, it would take a lot of skill to break through the ice cold heart of Captain Hook. Guess they were wrong."

She gave him one last glance and knew she had hit her target when she saw his face contort with pain and anguish. His eyes pleaded with hers, and she almost felt herself wavering.

She turned around, knowing that if she saw his eyes again that he would see through the act – perceptive as he always was.

She didn't have a choice though, and she knew the costs that came with this – she just wasn't prepared to pay them for a pirate.

All that was heard as she left the dungeon were her quiet footsteps mangled with his strangled cries into the echoing abyss, "SWAN!"

Always exploring and unleashing,

ღ rEd RoSe-StArFiRe-RoSeFiRe