AN: Kisses, hugs, and wonderful Sleeping Hook dreams to all that reviewed/faved/followed! Sorry I didn't update yesterday. Fridays always leave me sad and tired, and yesterday was particularly bad.
unbeta'd

Disc: OUAT belongs to ABC. The story belongs to me.
Part of the 25 Days of Fic on tumblr


4/25 Candy Canes

It had been a long day at work for Aurora. Belle had arranged for a special day for the kids of the town where she read them books like The Night Before Christmas and The Nutcracker while Aurora handed out gingerbread men and candy canes. Mr. Gold had over prepared Belle with a rather large stock of candy canes, leaving Belle and Aurora with extra to keep for the rest of the month. But before she left for the day, Aurora had grabbed a couple and stuffed them in her purse. This holiday and its many sweets were terrible for her sweet tooth.

She was walking down Main Street, the light poles encased by swirling white and red ribbons to resemble the holiday candies.

A block away she spotted the back of a dark figure, his long coat's collar pulled up to his cheeks, his scarf pulled up to his face. Hook. She watched as he suddenly stopped, his head turned toward the pawn shop across the street. Happy Storybrookers who walked by instantly sobered when they saw him. They either briskly walked around in large arcs, choosing to walk in the street than chance being too near him, or they chose to change sides of street altogether. But he didn't notice. He was focused on the pawn shop's facade.

Aurora felt her feet pulling her towards Hook. Her mind replaying the scenes from the day before. Hook in the snow, face aflame, soaking wet and freezing, all to be forgiven by her. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt in her stomach for doing something like that. It only felt worse when she saw how he must be even more of an outcast than her.

She shouldn't feel that way though. He deserved to be ignored. He deserved what she did.

Nevertheless, she walked up behind him, hands behind her back, and cleared her throat. The noise effectively snapped Hook out of his trance, him doing a double take when he sees that it's her. The tense set of his face melted away.

"Come to see the damage you've inflicted on me?" She noticed that Hook's face and neck were littered with small cuts. Again, how snowball fights could be considered fun Aurora could not understand.

"You asked for it. You're not allowed to complain." Hook made a face and began walking again, Aurora followed.

"I have something for you." Aurora piped up, cheeks pink. Hooks studied from the side. "I have a new hook for you." He stopped in his tracks looking at her in disbelief his eyes wide.

Aurora drew her hand from behind her back, unable to keep a straight face and cracked a smile. Instead of a hand, the hook of a candy cane protruded from her sweater where she held the staff. She erupted in giggles when his face abruptly changed from wonder to a quite unamused glare. He swiftly turned and began walking away from her.

"Admit it. That was funny." She called after him as she skipped to catch up to him.

Hook made no move to slow down as he threw over his shoulder, "I don't think our relationship is developed enough for jokes."

Finally reaching his side and matching his pace, Aurora huffed, "You make fun of me every time we speak."

He just kept walking faster. He was angry. "Well I have wit. I'm sorry to break it to you sweetheart but humor isn't one of your many fairy-given gifts."

"Well your 'wit' is one of your many devil-given gifts that only give everyone more incentive to hate you."

"I don't care that they hate me." A pause, then Hook gruffly corrected himself. "No! I want them to hate me. Because that means they fear me."

"What?"

"They hate me because they fear me. Hate is easier to feel than fear." Hook's voice lowered, dark from his thoughts of what the word 'hate' spurned in him.

"So you want everyone in town to hate you or to be scared of you." Aurora thought of all the Storybrooke citizens who didn't want to be anywhere near him. He certainly had what he claims he wanted.

"Of course. I'm the big bad man!" Hook finished with a coy smirk and a raise of his brow.

"If you're so proud of that, then why were you moping to me the other day about being excluded from the rest of town?" She felt that his words were genuine. It couldn't have been just more empty talk to sway her to get what he wanted. She refused to believe it.

"That was to get you to forgive me for that 'one thing.' And we've already been over you hating me. I don't care." Hook enunciated. "And what's with the investigation? What's it to you if I don't care if no one likes me?" He studied her with a pointed look.

"I don't." She quickly responded, eyes sharp.

Hook turned to her with knowing eyes, slowing his pace so they were barely moving. "Someone's been mulling over my words. You are lonely."

"I am not!" Aurora cried indignantly. "And you never say anything of substance worth pondering longer than a minute."

"You are! I've seen your friend Smiles quite a few times. But rarely with you. She's bonded quite well with that muscular chap of hers." The thought of Mulan moving on with her old general stirred unwanted resentment in her. She loved her friend dearly, but she couldn't help but feel jealous of Mulan whenever she went out to spend time with the general leaving Aurora alone in the apartment watching Christmas movies by herself.

"It's not about me. It's about you. It's not healthy for anyone for the murderous man in town to stew in hatred and fear." If he was to stew then he would surely become engulfed in his evil side once again and he would be no use to her. So it was about her. And he wouldn't do what she wanted if it was for her.

"And, what? You want to offer yourself to me as some sort of stand-in mate? That having some person who doesn't show their fear or hate for me will somehow keep me from wanting to unleash my murderous rage?" From his mocking expression, it was obvious that the idea of them as more than just acquaintances with a twisted past was ridiculous to him.

"Fine. Forget it." Ordered Aurora roughly, her cheeks heating in embarrassment. "You got what you wanted yesterday. I just thought that since you brought up the point of us being on the fringe of this town, and that Christmas only makes it worse - I thought..." Aurora trailed off. Why did she bring this up again? This was ridiculous.

"What?" Intrigued, Hook urged her to keep speaking.

"I said forget it!" Aurora began walking in a quicker pace, trying to shake him so she wouldn't have to go through with what she started.

"You want to be Christmas buddies?" By this point, Hook's was full of mirth. Aurora hated it. "You go from trying to kill me with snowballs to wanting to be my friend?"

"I never said friends - I just - We both are alone here." She threw his words from the other day back at him. "This holiday is about spending time with friends and family. I just thought that we could be alone. Togeth- Around each other." She stuttered out the last part hoping he wouldn't catch on to what she almost said.

His jaw slacked, Hook just stared at her with disbelief, amusement, and an inkling that he thought she was crazy.

"I said forget it!" Aurora quickly turned around and began making her way back towards the library even though her original course home was the opposite direction. She cursed herself for being so stupid. She didn't know why she said any of that, or why she was so disappointed that he looked at her that way.

But before she could get too far, she felt him grab her wrist stopping her. "Hold it there princess."

Aurora turned back around, face passive, and there's a frustrated Hook. "Well you said that was for me didn't you?" he asked pointing to the candy cane. She could barely contain her smile as her mouth twitched to the side as she handed it to him.

"To Christmas!" He waved the cane in the air and caught the stem in his teeth. At the sight, Aurora's vision was replaced with a flash of him on a deck, sea air ruffling his hair, a dagger replacing the candy cane making him look like the the terrifying pirate he was.

What an odd pair they made. But still, if she spent the holiday with him she wouldn't have to be anyone else's tag along. And neither would have to be alone.