I really wanted to get this fic going a bit so here's the second chapter. Thanks for the reviews, I didn't expect to get any yet and I am happy that people are reading this and enjoying it in the early stages. I have kind of a sweeping epic planned here so stay tuned, it may be a slow burn for a while just like Hook and Emma are. I should probably say that Hans is only very loosely inspired by the character we know - basically I couldn't get the name out of my head. Warning: some brief marital rape described.
Twenty minutes later Killian heard a knock at his cabin door. He opened it to find Martin standing there with the woman in the hood slung over his shoulder, a cut on his cheek gushing blood and a very worried expression.
"Bloody hell, Martin," Killian exclaimed, "You couldn't handle a woman?" He ushered him down the steps into his cabin and Martin laid the woman down on the bed.
"There was a problem, captain," he began. "She had a sword with her and she knew how to use it. She almost took my head clean off. I didn't want to hurt her so I knocked her out."
"A feisty wench," Killian said.
"Aye, sir. Feisty indeed but she is no ordinary wench," Martin cleared his throat. "When she fell unconscious I barely had time to catch her so her dress ripped a bit. That's when I saw this." He pulled aside the torn fabric to show the captain what he had found. On her back was a small tattoo of the king's coat of arms.
"Bloody hell."
"Aye, captain. She belongs to the king or the prince and if we're caught with her …"
"Did anyone see you take her?" Martin shook his head in reply. Killian considered for a moment.
"Well, we won't be caught then. Go back to the tavern at once and gather the crew. We set sail tonight," Killian ordered.
"And what of her?"
"Martin, look at these bruises," he said, running his hand lightly over the girl's neck where there were noticeable fingerprint marks on her skin. "No woman deserves this, not even a whore. We'll take her with us away to a port far from here, outside their grasp and she can make a safer life for herself. She might even be able to make some money while she's on board." He winked at Martin and sent the first mate to gather the men.
It only took a few short hours before the crew was reassembled and they were headed for open water. They hadn't been happy about being pulled away from their revelry but no one ever wanted to stay in King Edward's port for too long anyway. His reputation for brutality was well earned. Most of the men had visited the brothel or found a tavern wench to service them. Those that didn't might likely find their pleasure with the whore that Killian had lying in his bed and he would see to it that she was well paid for her services.
He had always had abhorred any mistreatment of women and he was particularly defensive of whores. Just because they accepted payment for their favors didn't give any man the right to abuse a woman. He felt especially angered to see damages on this beauty. He knew that the royal brothers liked to mark their territory by branding their whores with a tattoo of their coat of arms as a warning to others who might want their services. Unfortunately their tastes were rather dark and they often didn't pay. Since no one dared to touch the women they claimed they weren't able to make money any other way. Killian thought she might be grateful not only for him sailing her out of the reach of Edward's kingdom but also for the chance to make some decent coin to set herself up comfortable in whatever port she chose. This poor girl probably didn't know what she had gotten herself into when she agreed to go to bed with one of the royal brothers, or both. No wonder she was in disguise, she was probably trying to escape or at least stay hidden for a night.
He laid her on his bed and removed her cloak. She would wake with one hell of a headache but for now she looked like she was resting peacefully. He removed her wig and her blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders. For a moment he forgot to breathe as he gazed upon her. She was a beauty with the dark wig but her blonde hair made her look positively angelic. He unlaced her corset and removed the heavy skirts she was wearing. He found that she was wearing boots and when he removed them a dagger clattered to the ground.
"Clever girl," he smiled. Once he had her down to her chemise he undressed himself and crawled into the bed next to her. Her soft, slender body fit nicely against his lean, muscular frame and Killian tried to ignore the twitch of arousal that he felt. He would never dream of taking advantage of an unconscious woman but he didn't think he had ever shared a bed with a woman as beautiful as this one. Shaking the thought from his head he covered them both with a blanket and drifted to sleep.
/
Emma woke in a panic. She sat up and grasped for her sword only to find nothing by her side. She was alone in a bed in what looked to be a ship's cabin wearing only her chemise. She felt a jolt of pain and remembered that a man had tried to lead her towards the docks. She had fought him and just missed killing him before her world went black.
She looked around the room and saw the sunlight streaming through the windows. She got out of the bed and looked out one of them and saw nothing but the open sea. She surveyed the rest of the room and spotted her dress draped over one of the chairs and the wig resting on top of it. Her heart sank; she must have been discovered. She moved to pick up her dress when she heard the door open and a man came down the ladder into the room. She recognized him as the pirate with the blue eyes that she had seen in the tavern the night before.
"Ah, you're awake," he said. "You slept well, I trust. I must apologize for my first mate. He isn't accustomed to dealing with a woman who knows how to use a sword."
Emma eyed him distrustfully. His eyes raked over her body and she was suddenly aware how thin her chemise was. She clutched her arms to her chest.
"Really, darling, there's no need for modesty," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. Killian Jones, at your service. You'll find that most of the men call me Captain Hook." He waved his left arm and she noticed for the first time his hand was missing and in its place was a brace with a metal hook attached. How had she not noticed that when she saw him the night before?
"What do you want with me?" she asked, taking a step back and finding there was nowhere else to go.
"I simply recognized a damsel in distress and felt moved to perform a dashing rescue," he smiled. "Now I have introduced yourself but you have yet to tell me your name."
"My name?" she asked, perplexed. How could he not know her name? It dawned on her suddenly that he didn't know who she was.
"Yes, darling, your name," he repeated. "I would like to know what I should call you."
"My name is …. Leia," Emma lied. "Leia Swan." She wasn't sure where she had heard the name Leia before but the Swan Princess was one of her favorite tales as a girl.
"Enchanted to make your acquaintance, Miss Swan," the pirate bowed slightly but with flourish. She was used to people bowing before her but this was different. It was almost mocking but not quite. "I'm sure you're wondering how you came to be my guest aboard the Jolly Roger?"
She nodded.
"I spotted you sitting alone in the tavern last night," he motioned to one of the chairs and Emma hesitantly sat down as he continued. "Something startled you and when your hood fell I saw a flash of that stunning blonde hair underneath your wig. You intrigued me so I asked my first mate – a man by the name of Martin – to invite you aboard my ship. Unfortunately for him he wasn't prepared for a wench that was armed and able to handle a sword. He is quite the swordsman himself so instead of challenging you he simply knocked you unconscious and brought you to me."
"Do your men usually bring unconscious women to your cabin?" she snapped.
Killian chuckled and lowered his voice. "No, Miss Swan, but I have been known to make women swoon once they are alone with me."
Emma shuddered and rolled her eyes. Killian just smiled and went on.
"You have a brand on you that I would recognize anywhere. It's the brand that King Edward and Prince Hans place on the whores that they claim as their own," he explained. Emma tried to hide her surprise. She recalled the time that Hans had brought in the man to permanently ink his coat of arms onto her skin. She had no idea that the brothers used the same mark on their whores and she couldn't explain why but she felt ashamed.
Killian's face changed suddenly. The smile was gone and he looked sincerely into Emma's eyes. "I've heard the rumors of what they do with the women they claim and I saw the bruises on your neck. I couldn't leave you to that fate so I gathered my crew and we set sail away from that place hours ago. By the time they realize you're gone you will be out of their reach."
Emma closed her eyes and remembered the pain when Hans had pushed her face down and bent her over the table two nights before. He was again furious that she wasn't pregnant and he was even more rough than usual with her. She had screamed out in pain but no one could help her. When he finally left her alone she had crawled into bed and sobbed. Josie was there moments later to comfort her and Emma had clung to her and asked over and over again what she had done to deserve this.
"And where will you take me?" Emma asked slowly, her eyes still closed.
"We will sail to a distant port where no one will recognize you or know what that brand means," he explained. "You can start a new life. One that is safer."
Emma was silent, still not opening her eyes. She was imagining a far away, exotic port where she could be an ordinary girl. A smile crept on her lips and Killian took that as a cue to go on.
"While on board my ship you will find that the men will be grateful for your presence and they will not mistreat you," he continued. "I will see to it that you are well paid for your services so you can establish yourself comfortably wherever we land."
Emma eyes flew open. She knew it was too good to be true. "You expect me to allow your men to pass me around like a common whore?" she asked, her green eyes flashing.
"I, I - ," Killian was speechless. Most whores would be pleased with an offer like he had just made. Every wench he had ever encountered was more than willing for the right price. "It is more than a fair offer for a common whore, as you say." He looked suspiciously at her and Emma realized her mistake. If she was going to get away with her plan to disappear she would have to play the part. This pirate had a soft spot for a damsel in distress.
"I'm sorry, captain," she began, "Your offer is fair. It's just that the prince … he was cruel. I fear it might take me some time to recover after what he has done to me. Is there any way you can guarantee that I can remain untouched until I have had sufficient time to recover?"
"I told you that my men will not mistreat you but they are pirates," he replied. "I can't guarantee your safety anywhere on this ship except here in my cabin. With me."
"You will promise my safety if I stay here with you?" she asked.
"I assure you that you are safe with me, Miss Swan," Killian promised. She searched his eyes and found the truth within them.
"Then I shall stay here as your guest until I am recovered. If we have not made port by then I may take you up on your offer of trading my favors to your crew," she said. Killian found that a strange sense of anger flared within him at her last words. He didn't know why but suddenly he didn't like the idea of his men using her for their pleasure. He banished the thought from his head.
"Excellent. I will tell the men that you are my guest and not to be touched by anyone. It would be best if you remain in my cabin while we are at sea. As I said, these are good men but they are also pirates and long days at sea can make a man desperate," he said. "I wouldn't want anyone touching you against your will."
"Thank you for the advice, Captain."
"As long as you stay here you have my word that no one will touch you," he went to climb the ladder but something stopped him. He turned to face her. "Unless, of course, you want me to." He gave her a devilish smile.
"I can assure you, Captain Hook, that is something I will never ask."
"As you say, Miss Swan. I will return after dark. There is food and water on the table and plenty of books if you feel inclined to read." With that he went up the ladder and locked her inside the cabin.
Emma felt a wave of relief wash over her. The pirate believed her story and he was going to sail her away from her troubles. She felt a pang of guilt about her lie. It was one thing for a pirate to steal a whore but another thing entirely to steal a princess. Hans would not take kindly to the news that Emma had disappeared but she didn't think there could be any way that he could find her. This was her only chance to get away from the hell she had been living in and she was going to take it!
The hours passed and Emma searched through the cabin. She nibbled at the food but didn't find that she was very hungry. She read and looked out the windows but as the sun set she found that she was very tired. She lay down in the captain's bed and before long the waves had rocked her to sleep.
It was dark when she woke and it took her a moment before she realized that she wasn't alone in the bed. She heard the pirate's steady breathing behind her but she felt something, too. A cold fear suddenly took over her as she realized that she felt him pressing against the back of her thigh. Panic took her and she screamed and tried to scramble away from him.
Her scream woke Killian from his sleep and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer.
"No!" she cried. "Please, please, please don't hurt me! No, no, no, no…."
He could feel her trembling and he tried to shush her.
"No, get it away from me!" she was struggling to get free and Killian was fully awake and he let go of her. She sprang out of bed and went around to the other side of the room, placing the table between them. She looked terrified. "You promised me," she hissed at him.
"Leia," he said, sitting up on the bed, beckoning her to come to him. "I think you had a nightmare. Come lay down."
"No," she snapped. "You promised me I would be safe but I felt you. You were going to hurt me." She stepped back further until she was against the wall and could get no further away from him.
Killian suddenly realized that he was naked and erect. Either he had a dream or just the proximity of her body had made him hard in his sleep. "I'm sorry, Leia. I didn't mean to frighten you. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I wasn't trying to do anything to you. It was just a natural reaction that my body had."
She didn't move any closer but she seemed to relax slightly. "I felt you pressing against me," she said again.
"I know, love," he said gently. "I'm accustomed to sleeping without clothing but I can keep my pants on while you stay with me. I can't guarantee that I won't get hard but they should help so you can't feel me."
"Can you put them on now?" she asked. Killian complied and pulled his pants on but left them unlaced. He beckoned for her to come back to the bed again. This time she took a few tentative steps forward.
"What did he do to you, darling?" Killian asked. Emma froze.
"He hurt me."
"Well, love, you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm taking you away from that."
Tears filled Emma's eyes and she suddenly missed Josie. She had been the only person that ever comforted her since her parents and she felt so empty without her. Emma crumpled into one of the chairs and let the sorrow wash over her.
Killian was there before she even realized that he had gotten up from the bed. He gently placed one of her arms around his neck and picked her up. He carried her back to the narrow bed and laid her down on the soft mattress. He pulled the blanket over her but he remained on top of it, letting it act as a barrier between their bodies.
"May I hold you, Swan?" he asked. Emma nodded and Killian pulled her into his arms and held her. He felt an overwhelming urge to protect her as well as a flare of rage at the prince that had done something so terrible to her that to elicit a reaction like the one she had just had.
Emma closed her eyes and tried to pretend that it was Josie comforting her and not this stranger that she had just met. But no matter how hard she shut her eyes she couldn't forget that it was a pirate that was holding her so gently and soothing away her fears. Emma didn't know why but she felt safe and she drifted back to sleep.
When she woke the next morning she found the cabin empty again.