And back from Dragon*Con. And so tired. And excited! And tired. I got pictures with so many stars, autographs, and pictures taken of me in costume! And I now have no money! But it was so worth it.
Anyway, I wanted to post this before I fell into bed to try to get over the "con crud" that I have managed to get. I told one of my good friends about this story last night and she was like "Oh my God, I wanna read this now!" I may have gotten someone into Swan Queen! Let's see!
A big thanks to Laura! You rock so very much! And a huge thanks to all the reviewers, followers, and favoriters (totally a word now). Y'all are awesome!
I'm gonna post some pictures on tumblr one I wake up. Go check them out tomorrow or so.
I don't own OUAT! Since I now have no money for much of anything.
Surprisingly, Regina didn't put up much of a fight when Emma ushered her and Henry below deck. But she did insist on being given a dagger. "Just in case," she told the captain. So, Emma handed her one. Actually handed her the dagger Emma stole from a Naval officer the first year she was a pirate.
And Regina smiled, put an arm around Henry, and nodded at the blonde. And Emma felt something she hadn't felt in years. Her heart gave a quick flutter and happiness seemed to radiate from her stomach.
Shit. She thought. I'm screwed.
The top deck was awash in noise and the crew getting ready to be boarded. They had been through this before. The way the Naval ship was coming towards them made it clear what was going to happen. This wasn't a fight. This was a search. They were looking for something.
"When they ask," Emma said firmly to the crew. "We know nothing, got it?"
Everyone nodded, knowing full well what she meant. They didn't have the woman and the boy. They knew nothing about that.
And as the ship pulled even with The Swan Queen, Emma grit her teeth at the Naval captain calmly making his way across the plank between the two ships.
"Captain Swan," he drawled. "How lovely to see you yet again."
"Killian," she sneered. "And my day was going so well."
The handsome sailor just stuck his left hand in his pocket and held his right arm in front of him, showing of the hook that replaced his hand. "You have made this relatively easy for me, my dear," he said as he made his way toward her.
Emma smirked. "I wasn't after you this time, Hook," she answered, spitting out his nickname with fire. "I have no quarrel with you right now."
"And yet, I could easily arrest you right here and now."
Emma laughed. "Really?" She glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Because the way I see it, you are now on my ship with no way back to yours."
Killian quickly glanced behind him and cursed as he watched Doc and Grumpy remove the plank from between the ships.
"Pretty stupid, boyo," Emma sneered. "Almost a first year mistake."
Killian closed his eyes and chuckled. "Indeed," he said with a shake of his head. "Then I will ask my questions and then be on my way."
Emma shrugged and placed her hand on her sword hilt, studying the man with a keen eye. "Ask away, Hook. I can't stand your stench on my ship for much longer."
The handsome man glared at her but then continued. "You and your ship were seen pulling into Storybrooke Harbor yesterday."
"A statement, not a question. You are running out of time, Hook."
A pistol being cocked from behind him made him swallow. He knew, without a doubt, that one of the crew was right behind him, holding a pistol at his back but keeping it out of sight from his own Royal Navy crew. He hadn't thought this out too well. Gold had always called him too cocky for his own good.
"You were also seen talking to a young Henry Mills. What did you say to him?"
Emma rolled her green eyes. "He begged for me to take him with us. Something about his mom not letting him have dessert the night before."
"And you refused?"
"I don't take passengers, Hook. And it isn't a crime to speak with people."
"Surely you knew he was Cora Mills' grandson."
"He mentioned that," Emma said calmly. "But even if it had been Cora Mills herself I would not have taken her with me. Or shot her on the spot. Storybrooke is a neutral town. I may not be able to be arrested there but committing a crime on Storybrooke's soil would have landed me in jail rather quickly."
"But then you left pretty quickly that evening. Why?"
"One of my boys got a letter. Seems his girl is deathly ill."
"So, you being the soft hearted pirate that you are decided to pack up the crew again and make your way to her?"
"This is my family, Hook. You know that. You also know that I would stop at nothing to help them." Emma took a few steps closer to the man. "Now, are we done here? Can we throw you back to your loyal dogs now?"
Hook let his eyes wander up and down Emma's body. She was attractive. Very attractive. Once upon a time, he would have bedded her in no time. But now…well, now she was dangerous. And he didn't bed women who could out fight him.
"Hook," Emma growled. "If you value your eyesight, you will keep your eyes to yourself. Wouldn't want you to lose them the way you lost that precious hand of yours."
The man glared at her but backed up. "Fine," he said, holding his hook up. "You know nothing about where Henry Mills is now, correct?"
"I haven't seen him. I don't do kids, anyway. Too whiny. And he was very whiny."
Hook gave a smarmy grin before turning around and making his way to the railing. "Very well then, Swan. The Royal Navy thanks you for your help."
Doc and Grumpy placed the plank back between the ships, allowing Hook to cross back over. Once he reached his ship, he turned back to them at Emma's shout.
"Hook!" She leaned on the railing. "You know I have never wanted the Navy's thanks. So, please keep in mind that the next time you come across The Swan Queen we will not be as hospitable." She nodded at Happy, Dopey, Sneezy, and Sleepy. And with no warning, the pirate ship started off again, but not before the four crew members threw lit torches covered in lantern oil over to the Naval ship. "Good sailing, Navy scum!" Emma shouted as the sailors scurried to quell the swiftly spreading fires.
"Was there a big fight?" Henry asked excitedly once Emma appeared below deck.
Emma smirked. "There wasn't a fight at all, kid."
"No fight?" Henry frowned. "But that's all pirates do!"
Emma's eyes widened comically. "That's not true! We also rescue damsels and their sons if they are in distress."
Henry giggled while Regina just rolled her eyes.
"Who was it?" Regina asked softly as they made their way back to Emma's cabin.
"Killian Jones," Emma answered.
"Hook," Regina muttered. "My mother's closest Naval captain."
"One and the same," Emma said as she held her cabin door open for Regina and Henry. "He wanted to know if we had you and Henry on board. It seems that I was seen talking to Henry last night. News spreads fast."
"Especially in Storybrooke," Regina finished. "I believe it was luck that we just happened to be at our family mansion in Storybrooke when you docked, Captain."
Emma grunted in agreement as she sat at her desk. Henry ran over to the bed and lay down with a grin. "I'm not so sure about that," Emma stated. "Something about all of this seems off."
"What do you mean?" Regina asked, sitting down in the same chair as the night before.
"Hook was too close to us to have heard about the rumors. We've been moving all night. And I think he has as well. Something just seems off to me."
"You should go with your instinct," Henry chirped from the bed.
Both adults looked over at him with raised eyebrows.
"And why is that?" Emma asked with a grin.
"That's what Grandpa used to say," the boy said, sitting up. "He always told me to go with my instincts."
Emma noticed the pained smiled Regina gave at the mention of her father. So, she stood up, placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder and grinned at Henry. "Then that's what I'll do, kid." She walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "Now, go find Grumpy. Tell him I need you to learn a few knots. Just in case." She winked at him and he nodded, grinning excitedly.
"You're good with him," Regina stated as her son ran out the door.
Emma sighed. "He reminds me of myself when I was that age. Except he has a mother that loves him and food to eat every night."
Brown eyes studied Emma's tense face. "I'm not going to pretend to know your life, Captain Swan but I do want you to know that I am extremely grateful for what you have done for us. And that shows that your life at this point, is the life of a good person."
Emma smirked. "Says the woman whose mother is one of the top people I want to kill."
Regina shrugged. "Well, we all have our faults."
Emma let out a burst of laughter while Regina just smiled.
"I don't get it, Captain," Grumpy muttered around his food. "Why are we going to pick them up and then head to Enchanted Island? What's there for us?"
Emma sighed and pushed her food around her plate. She wasn't hungry. She was anxious. And when she was anxious, well food didn't stay down very well. "First off, we need their help. You know that as well as I do. Second, Enchanted Island holds someone that we need to see. Someone who once knew the Royal Navy very well."
"Who?" Doc asked, managing to swallow his food, unlike his brother.
"Yeah," Dopey stated. "We have Ms. Mills," he smiled at Regina, who smiled back. "Can't she give us the info we need?"
"Sadly," Regina said. "I am not privy to the Navy's inner workings. I have only heard things from other rooms or seen hastily jotted notes while in the library of the house."
Emma nodded. "Exactly. We need someone who once knew Gold. Who was very close to him."
"And…" Red started. "Who is it?"
"Belle French."
"Belle?" Red gasped, almost choking. She thankfully grabbed the glass of water Granny handed her.
Emma gave a sympathetic smile at her friend, knowing her history with Belle. "She and Gold were…lovers for a time."
Red continued to choke.
"It was long after we left the island, Red," Emma comforted.
"It doesn't matter," Red wheezed. "That was years ago."
Snow gently put an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"So, you're thinking she might know something?" Charming asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
Emma nodded. "I know she'll know something. Rumor has it, she took great notes."
"Who says she'll help, though," Granny asked gruffly.
"Oh, she'll help," Emma stated confidently. "She couldn't quite get over Gold's workings with the Navy. She saw the corrupt way things were handled. She left him."
"Doesn't he know where she is?"
"She's kept hidden," Emma said with a shrug. "That's why we need Mulan and Aurora. Aurora has kept up correspondence with Belle. They are great friends."
"How great?" Red asked quietly.
"Not that great," Emma answered. "Mulan would get jealous."
The boys, all seven of them, burst out laughing while Charming and Snow chuckled. Regina and Henry just grinned uncertainly, not quite getting the joke. And Red seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"But that's where we are headed, boys. So, finish up and get back to work. We're almost at the Wraith Lands. And we all know how hard that trip inland is gonna be."
Emma stood up from her seat and walked out, leaving her almost full plate behind.
Granny sighed and grabbed her plate with a shake of her head. "She's not eating again."
Snow closed her eyes. "She's worried. And I think she had a nightmare again last night."
"She did," Regina said softly.
Every eye turned to look at her. She bit her lip but straightened up, determined to show these pirates that she wasn't weak.
"What do you mean?" Charming asked, worry clearly in his voice.
"I heard her," Regina stated. "She was crying in her sleep. And then she woke up and left the cabin. Is that usual?"
Charming stood up and went after his captain while Snow sighed. "She's had nightmares for years. At first, it was about her childhood but then ten years ago that changed everything. Her nightmares are now about the events that made her turn to piracy."
"What happened?" Regina asked.
"I think that's for Emma to tell," Snow said softly with a sad smile.
Regina just nodded and looked down at her plate, trying to determine why she was suddenly worried about a woman she had just met.
To be continued…