Here's a short update :) Just a heads up, it does contain plot divergence, and the next few chapters will probably have some as well, albeit not quite as much.
Enjoy!
Emma
She heard Hook approach from behind her.
"You sure you're all right there, Swan?" he asked for what must have been the hundredth time. She could almost convince herself that he actually cared and wasn't simply making polite conversation. Above all else, he was a pirate, and as soon as he found anything else that caught his eye, he would be gone.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Her answer had been about the same every time he had asked; she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. She wasn't okay.
She had thought that she would be able to let the idea of kissing him out of her head after her time with Hook earlier, but the reality had been the opposite. Thoughts of his lips on hers, of his arms wrapped around her, plagued her every thought. Kissing Hook had been a mistake. It had made her realize everything she could have if she were to open up to him – and everything she would lose once he inevitably left.
"Look at me, Swan. Please." His voice was pleading, begging, but…she couldn't. She couldn't bear to look at him right now, not when she had kissed those lips earlier, and especially not since she still wanted to. Getting lost in his warm blue eyes caused her to forget everything on her mind, a luxury she certainly didn't have right now.
Warm fingers pressed up against her cheek, bringing her face around right in front of his. She felt the heat of his gaze as his eyes seemed to peer right into her soul. This was why she hadn't been able to meet his eyes earlier.
"Let me in, Emma. Don't block me out anymore. Just because I don't have the inherent ability to tell when people are lying doesn't mean I believe you when you say you're okay. You don't have to be strong for me, Swan. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that earlier, but please, please don't avoid me like this. We need each other if we ever want to return to Storybrooke, to Henry. Bear me for at least that long, for your boy?"
"Okay," she said quietly, barely audible over the trickle of the stream behind them.
She was relieved. Hook hadn't seen the bit of her heart that was fluttering around him. He hadn't noticed what his kiss had done to her – or what it had undone inside of her.
The walls she had built up against her emotions, against the people around her, had been penetrated by his kiss. When she hadn't been looking, somehow he had snuck up behind her and crept into her heart.
"Swan, I promise you, I will not leave you alone. I know you don't trust the word of a pirate, but I will not let you deal with this on your own."
Her breath caught at his words. His eyes were as bright as the stars shining behind him, and she was close enough to feel the warmth radiating off of him. She closed her eyes, gently leaned forward, and –
"Why hello there, dearies! He he he!"
She shot back with a gasp, realizing fully what she had been about to do. You idiot, the voice in her head whispered. You complete and utter fool. Did you really believe that he meant what he said about not leaving you? He only wants you to open up to him, and as soon as you do, he'll be no more than a painful memory. You aren't worthy of love. Your parents abandoned you, your friends abandoned you, even Neal abandoned you. Nothing makes Hook any different from any of them; he's just biding his time before he breaks your heart.
She shoved her emotions down, concealing her thoughts, and turned around to deal with Rumpelstiltskin.
Feel free to review; let me know what you think so far - what could be improved, what you like/don't like, etc.
