A/N: Sorry about the wait! I've been moving out of my apartment but twice as much as last time :)
Chapter 2. Turn a Little Faster
Henry Mills thought a great deal. Of course, he had a great many more things to think about then an average child.
Henry had grown up without much of a family and suddenly he had family members crawling out of the woodwork, literally. Different figures of familial love that neither started nor ended with blood. It was difficult to wrap around. Spending time with Neal, his Father, a man who had been kept from him, gave him even more to consider.
His hands dug deep into his pockets as he paced along the beach, questions swirling around his head.
When you love someone, you want what's best for them. But how do you know what that is? How is that your choice to make? What reason could possibly justify his father abandoning his mother, abandoning him? How could Emma lie to him?
He had always thought of himself as a hope, as the one with faith and for some reason that wasn't enough anymore.
Henry looked up at the darkening skies as the sun set behind the trees. He exhaled. So much for doing anything about it. He definitely needed to be home by now.
He climbed up the wooden steps to the docks hoping to take a shortcut with thoughts continuing to confuse him. Focusing on his shoes he kicked a rock across the panels when his eyes wandered towards a large black leather boot.
His eyes trailed upwards to the tall dark man lurking beneath shadows. Captain Hook draped in leather leaned against the shed just outside the buzzing light with a cavalier arrogance one only receives when filing a hook used as an appendage. The boy inched forward curiously, trying to get a better look at the mysterious man with a hook.
"Shouldn't you be tucked away safe in your bed?" came a menacing voice from the shadows. The man raised his glinting hook to the light but didn't bother to look at him.
Henry raised himself to his full height, jutting out his chin.
"Shouldn't you?"
Hook raised an eyebrow and swept his eyes over the fierce stance of the determined young boy's familiar hazel eyes. An expression the captain knew all too well, like trying to compensate for something tragically lost.
"You're Emma's boy?" he asked, moving closer. "The one on my ship. I'm surprised she let you out at night, that woman, knowing her issues" his tone trying to appear casual.
Henry knit his brows together, thinking. When he and his family had boarded the Jolly Roger he wasn't allowed to look at Hook much less speak to him. He wasn't aware of anyone in his family having a close connection with him. When Neal had alluded to knowing the man before, his mother gave him a soul crushing glare effectively ceasing all conversations on the topic.
"You're Captain Hook…Do you know my mom? In your land?" he asked, curiosity sparking his interest. He couldn't remember a Captain Hook character from his book.
"Certainly, climbed a beanstalk her and me. And fought off a Giant"
He looked up at him skeptically. "My mom didn't tell me about that…She sort of left that part out." He glumly shrugged his shoulders as if the weight didn't affect him.
"Well, she probably wanted to save you from all the nightmares of her dealings with a dangerous villain" Hook reasoned, detecting the hint of disappointment from the child.
"You're not dangerous." Henry stated almost exasperatedly, as if he often had to counsel adults on their true natures. Turning, he dug his hands deeper into his pockets and began to trudge slowly down the pier, as if he expected the man to follow. He did.
"Aren't I?" he mused doubtingly, looking down at his hook as he trailed after the child.
Henry turned to look up at him and smiled. "Why else would you be walking me home?"
He beamed continuing to wander ahead as they left the docks. His honesty had an unnatural ability to touch Killian in strange ways rendering Captain Hook silent.
"You're a villain because you think that's what you're supposed to be. Lots of bad guys are bad just because they don't know that they're supposed to be good."
"Is that what I am then? A hero trapped in a villain's guise?" he asked, amused by the boy's candor.
"What do you think you are?"
"A pirate," he stated expressionlessly, his boots grinding against the dark pavement.
"See, a pirates not bad," the boy explained, trailing ahead of him. .
Hook raised a condescending brow, not believing it himself and hardly believing that even a child could be so naïve. It was a rare gift bestowed on few to render the deadly pirate silent.
"Oh?" prodding the boy further.
"Well, why did you decide to become a pirate?"
He shrugged. "Seemed better than becoming a blacksmith and I can keep young lads like you from danger"
The boy looked up curiously considering him. Hook wondered if the boy would have the same knack for reading him as his mother did.
"I don't need to be protected" he finally sighed.
"Ah, I see, there's more to this evening jaunt than recreation"
It was Henry's turn to be silent, looking at his feet.
"I suspect that your mother is not always forthcoming with you in her efforts to keep you safe" He guessed. He had lied to protect once, not that it had saved her.
"No one ever wants me to know, No one ever wants me to do anything."
He sighed. He hadn't given a child advice in a very long time. "Your mother is a very damaged woman, I suspect that her hesitation is an attempt to spare you from what was so dangerous to her."
The boy said nothing; a pregnant pause filled the space between them. He glared up at him questioningly, his piercing eyes digging for answers Killian couldn't know.
He gulped. He knew those eyes. "A person unwilling to fight for what they truly want is unworthy to have it." It was line he had used hundreds of times to prey on men weaker than himself and to justify his own blackened heart. Never had he used it to explain the goodness and strength of another.
"It's not his fault he didn't know" he cried defensively before turning away, his face hard and determined.
Killian raised an eyebrow. It seemed he had stumbled across something he wasn't exactly supposed to see but he wanted that boy to look at him again.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" Killian inquired with sarcastic disdain, trying a different approach.
Henry scoffed; it was a little late for that reaction.
"She tried," he responded unconcerned.
"Have you ever seen Star Wars?" he asked suddenly.
"Star…Wars…" Killian repeated, testing out the words on his tongue that didn't seem to fit quite right in his mouth.
"It's about a Jedi knight, and a princess, and there's a pirate too." He said excitedly, running ahead
Killian furrowed his brow not having the faintest idea of the meaning behind the boy's words. He simply knew that he'd follow that boy to the ends of the earth he had to.
For a brief moment Emma lay on the bed, completely relaxed. Her eyes gradually blinked open allowing waves of peace to flow leisurely through with her soft breaths.
Henry. She sat up with a was supposed to pick him up after spending time with Neal but from the look of the already darkened skies she already was very late. With a desperate look she turned over to the clock only to find an unsympathetic 2:00 A.M. blink back at her.
Frantically, she reached for her boots. Dread clenching her stomach as she rammed her feet to into them. There was no telling what could have happened to her son by now. Mary Margaret and David had gone out for the night, and Regina hadn't been heard from.
She rushed down the narrow staircase and nearly tripped over her own feet . Her eyes rested on the sight of brown tousled haired boy chatting away happily in the living room. Henry sat with his back to her in the green armchair with Return of The Jedi playing on the television.
On the opposite side sitting on the couch sat a certain, surprisingly clean pirate who stroked the stubble on his chin. His dark eyes studied the television screen curiously listening to her son's words intently.
She straightened, relief flowing through her. "Henry?" she choked questioningly. The scene before her registered in her mind and it still didn't make sense.
The boy turned with a wide grin. "Hey Mom, I was just showing Killian, Star Wars."
Emma blinked, bewildered. Not much about that sentence made sense and since when was he Killian? She ignored the way he seemed to have turned his attention to her pondering her just as deeply as he had the TV screen feeling his intent stare on her as she stepped gingerly into the kitchen.
Her eyes widened trying to make sense of the continuing horror made in the kitchen. It looked like California after an earthquake.
Jelly smeared all over the walls and counter. Jars of peanut butter and Jelly left opened and lopsided littered the countertops. Dozens of dirty knifes and plates strewn about the brightly light kitchen both and confused and shocked Emma's exhausted brain.
"What happened in here?" still feeling unrelenting gaze on her.
"Oh yeah, I was teaching Killian to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches," Henry called from the living room.
Less sense.
"Of course you were." She sighed, forming a tight-lipped smile as she moved to clean up. She tightened the lid on the peanut butter jar and looked back to where the two had both been absorbed in the TV screen. The captain's eyes still on her, gauging her every move.
Uneasiness crept into her as she watched them like thundering clouds before a storm. Hook was an unpredictable force unless tied down. A wild variable that took pleasure in throwing her off balance and a kindred spirit that was every bit as dangerous as her. Now it seemed that Henry had taken him under his wing and now the pirate knew where she lived.
She turned to the sink soaking a rag under warm water.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him stand and quietly make his way over to her. She shut off the water and dropped the rag in the sink, putting her hands on her hips.
She turned to glare at him. "What the hell are you doing here, with my son?" She whispered harshly once he was close enough.
His response remained a cool expression on a relaxed face. "Excuse me your highness, your young lad was walking through the dark and I simply thought he would be safer with me looking over his shoulder." His eyes surveyed the mess around them. "Isn't that what friends do?" he finished with practiced nonchalance.
Her mouth opened and redness tinged her checks. She managed to look humble at the thought of him doing her job for her. She cleared her throat. "Th-thank you"
Emma crinkled her forehead. "I never said we were friends," she stated. They had an agreed upon alliance…of sorts.
Killian inhaled carefully, looking at her through playfully narrowed slits. "Nor did you say we were enemies, darling"
He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly as if physically refocusing himself. He's eyes turned sympathetic as his brows raised.
"Not everyone is trying to take something from you, lass. We are on the same side"
"We are not." That had come out harsher than she had expected it to. She didn't want to alienate someone like him but she didn't want him on her home turf.
"Ooh and I suppose you fight for something much nobler? You don't think you could possibly be on the same level as a scoundrel like me. Tell me, what side does the righteous savior battle for?"
She narrowed her eyes fighting the urge to look away under the forceful gaze that had crushed many stronger than her. He was right. She wasn't better than him and she knew it
Silence seemed to fill the narrow physical space between them, tension widening the ever-increasing emotional gap between them.
Her jaw clenched shut "Don't call me that" she stated evenly, her voice low. She looked to Henry who had already drifted off to sleep, the TV blaring.
"I fight for him, I am on nobody's side and I don't care if that makes me a scoundrel." Unsure of who she was trying to convince.
His eyes softened and he took a step forward.
"You fight for love, even when you feel like it's already destroyed everything that you are" He smiled again. "Aren't we a pair?" he said playfully.
Emma let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in and peered up at him curiously through her eye lashes. He saw her for exactly what she was and he thought it was brilliant. She didn't know how she felt about that. She turned away to hide a soft smile curled at her lips.
She reached for the rag resting on the sink when she felt him move closer. His hot breath caressed her neck and sent shivers down her spine. Emma turned to face him and found a wide smile brightening his dark features. Her eyes flashed to his trying to gather the motivation to push him away but finding it rather non-existent.
"Was that a smile, love?" he asked teasingly, looking at her through beneath his thick lashes.
"What? No, stop that," she glared, frowning. Nothing good could come of him knowing that she smiled for him.
"Stop what?" he grinned, his eyes glittering playfully as he moved forward again. His face inches away from hers'.
"That," her voice strong but her resolve faltering. Her heart beat faster in her chest. Blood pounded in her ears. Every nerve stimulated to the air he created around her.
"You can hardly blame me for surrounding yourself with scoundrels." His tone faking amusement while his posture became daring.
"I-I do not." her voice fading and inexplicably out of breath. Her heart pounded loudly. She turned her eyes downward, determined not to look at him. She couldn't think of any action other than to contradict him directly.
With his hook gently resting on her waist he raised his hand, tenderly, effortlessly tilting her chin up to him.
"My dear Emma," he murmured, smiling warmly. His voice so low, it could have been a breath. "You can't get enough of us."
Emma drew an intake of breath and looked to his lips. The smell of rum and salt filled her nostrils. She fully expected him kiss her; to reach down and slide over her lips with his wet and willing mouth; for his hands to tangle themselves in her hair in a desperate attempt to possess her; to mark her good and true as his own right there in front of her son.
But she looked into his eyes—blue eyes filled with storms that were passionate and beautiful like the sea and just as deadly, eyes that held a great mystery and a great tragedy— And saw him. Not the mask, not Captain Hook. Killian. She saw how frightened they both were.
His wistful gaze hardened as realization and apprehension entered his eyes. The muscles in his face tightened and he dropped his hand to his side.
"We are eventually going to have to trust one another, lass" his voice low and restrained like hers.
Things will go a lot smoother if you do. His voice echoed in her head. She closed her eyes. He hadn't exactly been wrong. She had spent her whole life trusting men better than him, trusting in a world that had offered her nothing but cruelty. They both had and it had destroyed them.
Trusting him would be like trying to shove two broken things together to create something whole. It didn't work.
Taking a deep breath she crossed her arms over her chest.
As if he could sense her walls, he raised his own. His jaw clenched as a stiff sardonic smile painted his face, effectively hiding any emotion.
"Tell me, Swan what if it were you? Your son? What if he took that all away from you?"
What would it take to have you help me? His eyes asked.
She glared up at him shooting daggers. There was that desperation that had been missing from his gentle face earlier. The desperation that lurked behind the thick layer of charm and reminded her that underneath the long lashes and blue eyes, he was still a pirate. How dare he ask her that. They both knew the answer. She had that same rage within her. She'd destroy everything.
His lips twisted to form a luck luster half-smile. Taking a step back he bowed deeply and turned on his heel with that same smirk as if he had figured out some terrible secret about her. Flipping his leather coat he left without a word.
Sympathy churned in her stomach. As if her soul and even her body knew that hating Killian Jones was as awful and as selfish as hating herself.
His boot collided with the road crushing the pebbles beneath his feet.
The cold air around him bit at his fingertips as he blew out hot air, seething at her. Mostly he felt livid at himself for continuing to follow her when like a siren, she only sought to drown him in her.
How dare she look at him and see him for anything other than a shriveled up excuse for a man. She could do anything she wanted to him and he'd still feel the sheer ecstasy of being broken by such a woman. She could rouse the full power of his mind and his body with the look of her eyes. She could move him till he trembled then never speak to him again and he'd still feel the thrill that shook his knees from her simple glance. She could squeeze him like a python till he burst from the rippling agony and he'd beg her to hurt him just a little bit more.
And she just wouldn't.
Suddenly a low ardent voice made its presence known.
"Captain," it rang. His jaw locked at the sound. He came to a halt at the sight of Regina stepping from the shadows
"ah, Majesty, I would offer my sincerest condolences at your mother's parting if they were…sincere."
She raised her eyebrows, not at all shocked by his hostility. She looked up at him smirking, her eyes making his skin crawl.
"I would simply like to offer you deal" she said innocently through a wide smile.
He raised a silent eyebrow. "Really? Well, forgive me but it would seem that our little arrangements tend to leave dissatisfied parties."
He treaded forward, baiting her to make her deal or get out.
"You might soon find yourself rather lonely here, Hook. I know how little you care for sides but you may want to consider what it's like to win for once."
She stepped closer to him looking him up and down with narrowed eyes that seemed to peer into his soul. Chills ran down his spine.
"But how do you look so well for your age?" she asked with a knowing smile.
Thanks for reading guys. I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested. Review! :)