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Ch 4

In a Honda

After several hours of driving in silence, Emma began to feel her stomach growl. Hook must've been feeling the same, because he suddenly stated, "I'm hungry. Let's get something to eat." They were a few miles away from a town called Silverthorne, so they agreed to stop there to find a place to eat.

Emma hoped they could stay away from fast food, as it was a frequent meal of hers in the various foster homes she had lived in as a child. Ever since childhood, eating a Big Mac or Whopper always made her queasy. She was glad when he spotted a small cafe not too far from the interstate.

When he parked, she made an unsuccessful grab for the car keys, but he was able to snatch them away before she could even touch them. "Now, now, Swan, wouldn't want you to go stranding me in the mountains, would we?" Hook said with a sardonic grin.

Emma grumbled and followed him into the quaint cafe. It had a homey atmosphere and the nearest waitress greeted them with a smile. "Sit anywhere you want, darlin'." She said, eying Hook a little. She continued to stare a bit as he chose a booth next to the front windows. Emma looked at Hook closely. He was wearing a leather jacket that was a modern update from his long duster. The T-shirt and jeans certainly helped his physique, though Emma couldn't help thinking they didn't quite suit him like his leather pants and vest did.

Luckily, he hadn't caught her staring, since he was too busy studying the menu. "See anything that looks good to you?" He said with a deadpan expression.

Or not, Emma thought. "I think I'll just have a burger," she said, choosing to ignore him.

The waitress wasted no time hurrying back to the table. "Can I get you something to drink?" She asked, though her eyes never left Hook.

"I'll have a Coke," Emma said, though maybe a tad too loud.

"How 'bout you?" She purred, never once glancing in Emma's direction.

"A Coke for me, too, thanks," Hook said. The waitress lingered for a moment, before turning to fill their drink orders, her hips swinging side to side a bit more than Emma thought necessary. She smirked and turned back to see that Hook, too, had noticed the waitress's show.

Emma raised her eyebrows at him in an unspoken scolding. "What?" He questioned, his eyebrows also moving closer to his hairline.

"Don't you think she's being a bit obvious?" Emma asked.

"Is that jealousy I'm detecting, love?" Hook teased. "Would you prefer if you were the owner of the backside I was admiring?"

Emma scoffed, "Don't be gross." She wasn't able to say much else, since the waitress chose that moment to deposit their drinks on the table, setting Emma's down maybe a little harder than necessary.

Emma took a sip and coughed. "Um, excuse me, but this is diet," she said to the waitress who was still lingering next to her companion.
"Yeah. Isn't that what you ordered?" The waitress turned to her with a bored expression.

"Actually, no. Regular Coke, please." Emma spoke this slowly, as if the young woman would have trouble understanding her words. The young woman scowled slightly as she took Emma's glass, holding between her thumb and forefinger as if it were dirty.

Hook had been watching the entire exchange with a look of amusement on his face. It didn't fade when the waitress returned, this time with the correct beverage, and began taking their food order. Naturally, her attention lingered on Hook and barely registered Emma's existence. Emma ordered a plain hamburger and fries, hoping that even if she messed it up, she wouldn't end up with anything too terrible.

When the waitress finally disappeared to put in their order, Emma still had trouble relaxing. She drummed her fingers on the top of the table and kept glancing out the window. "I wonder if they have a pay phone anywhere I can use to call David?" She mused aloud. Do people even have pay phones, anymore? She wondered.

Hook gently placed his hand over hers to get her rhythmic tapping to stop. "I'm sure he knows you're fine," Hook soothed. He began rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. Emma glanced into his eyes, surprised at the seriousness she saw there.

She dropped her gaze and yanked her hand from his. "Yeah, well, I'd still feel better if I could tell him where we're at," she murmured. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks and her fingers tingled where Hook had touched her moments ago. She didn't know why he was able to always get a rise out of her, but she didn't know if she ever wanted it to stop, either.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the waitress putting plates down in front of her. Turns out her instinct was right about being simple with her order. Sitting on top of her burger was mustard, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, onions, and tomatoes. Other than the tomato, which she didn't really care for, she was pretty happy with the results. She turned to the waitress, who was silently challenging her to say something about the burger, and flashed her a 1,000 watt smile. "Thanks, this looks great," she said before putting the burger together, tomato and all, and taking a giant bite. She watched as Hook also took a bite of his burger and got a wicked idea. The waitress was waiting to find out from him how it tasted, telling him she refused to leave until she knew he was "satisfied".

Emma swallowed her bite and leaned over the table to Hook. "Ooh, sweetie," she cooed, "You have something right there..." She trailed off and licked the corner of his mouth, leaving the waitress speechless. She turned on her heel and huffed back to her station to roll silverware.

Emma smiled and sat back down. Unfortunately, Hook seemed even more at a loss for words than the waitress had been. I hope he doesn't get any ideas, Emma thought, and went back to her burger. She ate quickly, hoping they could get back on the road so she could be that much closer to going home.

Twenty minutes later, they were back in the car. Killian had to do a few quick maneuvers to keep the keys away from Emma, but he was still in the driver's seat. He wouldn't admit this to her, but his experience as a captain always made him cautious of others taking the helm. He liked being in charge of their vehicle's direction, and wanted to stay the course.

She had been able to locate a phone to call David, letting him know of their situation. Other than that, she had been quiet since her forwardness at the diner. He hadn't known how to respond, though he supposed she was only trying to get the waitress to leave them alone. He smirked a bit to himself, since he purposefully tried to get a rise out of Emma by flirting with the girl. She really hadn't meant anything to him, other than to bring them food and drinks, but it felt good knowing that Emma didn't like the attention the girl was giving him. It made him hopeful that, perhaps, she was beginning to allow herself to feel something for him.

"Do you think you could keep it below the speed limit?" Emma snapped from her seat. "We are in the mountains, and I'd hate to drive over the edge of the road to my death."

He lightened his foot off the gas ever so slightly. "As you wish," he replied. He also didn't want to admit to her that driving on the mountain roads made him a bit nervous, as well. The seas were easier; avoid some rocks here and there close to the shoreline, but for the most part, smooth sailing. Sure, there was a squall now and again, but nothing he and his crew couldn't handle. Although, sitting here next to a sulky Emma, he preferred a squall.

He drove another mile until he saw a pull off area. There were a couple of other cars already pulled over, their occupants wandering about snapping pictures of the view. He glanced at his passenger before slowing down and pulling over.

"What are you doing?" Emma turned on him. "We don't have time to sight see. I want to get back to Storybrooke."

"You really need to lighten up, love," Killian tried his best to soothe her. "I don't get to see the mountains much, being a pirate and all. I'd like to have a moment to take it in." He parked the car and pocketed the keys. "You're welcome to join me, or you can stay in the car. Your choice." He opened the door and got out, walking to the edge of the shoulder.

For a moment, he looked over the horizon at the peaks speckled with snow and trees in awe. He really didn't get much of an opportunity to see views like this, and wanted to make the most of it.

After a minute, he felt something brush the leather of his jacket. He didn't turn to her, but acknowledged her presence with a nod. "This is pretty incredible," Emma said, keeping her eyes on the mountains. "Look, I'm sorry about the diner. I just knew that if I didn't do something that waitress would continue to harass us."

"She wasn't bothering me, love," he smirked. "But, there's no need for apologies. I quite enjoyed your little show."

"I'm sure you did," she said wryly. "Don't worry, I won't let it happen again." She started to turn away, but he put his hand on her arm, turning her toward him.

"Emma, you've kept your walls up for so long, you might not know how to let others in," he whispered, his eyes holding onto hers. "You don't have to be afraid. I would never hurt you."

She stared back into his eyes, as if looking for the truth behind his words. She abruptly broke his gaze and looked at the ground. "I'm going to wait in the car. Try not to take too long out here." He dropped his hand from her as she walked back to the car.

Killian sighed. She did have walls up, keeping anything and anyone from hurting her. It was also keeping her from being honest with herself. He had always been able to read her like a book, knowing what her head was telling her. He knew she had a moment in Neverland, her walls coming down for a brief moment, giving in to the temptation of their shared kiss. Again, at the diner, he had seen a brief glimmer of those walls crumbling. Now, those bricks were firmly mortared in place, preventing him from getting past. He would try to help her bring that wall down, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep trying before she shut him out for good.

Several minutes passed before Hook finally came back to the car. Emma shifted in her seat, anxious to get back on the road. The pirate's driving made her nervous, but they would be out of the mountains in a few hours. He opened the driver side door and slid into his seat. He was silent as he put the key in the ignition and started the car.

She kept her eyes forward, thinking about what he had said. She had to be guarded with people. She'd been hurt so many times in the past by people she thought she loved and trusted. There were scores of foster parents, some kind and decent, others brutal and neglectful, all of them giving up on her, rejecting her. Neal had been different, for a while. Until he left her with those stolen watches to get arrested. She understood his story, why he felt he had to leave her, that her destiny could only be carried out if he wasn't there. That didn't make his betrayal hurt any less. When they had returned to Storybrooke after Neverland, she admitted to him that she just couldn't bring herself to trust him again. He had been hurt, but agreed that she was being honest. He would try to regain her trust, but she wasn't sure if he ever would.

When she had allowed herself to give in to her lust and kissed Hook, she felt something stir inside her, something she had to shut down immediately. She had felt it again when they were in the Dark Hollow and his life was in danger by the shadow. She buried those feelings, keeping her mind on the task of getting her son back.

Even when Henry was safe back in Storybrooke, she still couldn't bring herself to give in. She had flashed back many times to the shadow being ripped from Hook's body and the terror she had felt. I only felt that way because I allowed him to get to me, she told herself. If I keep him out, I won't get hurt, again.

She was brought out of her musings by the car slowing down abruptly, finally coming to a halt on the shoulder of the highway. "Another sight seeing stop?" She asked Hook.

"Afraid not, love," Hook said, tapping on the dash displays. "We seem to be out of gas." Emma groaned, remembering that they didn't stop after lunch to fill up the car and she had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to remind him.

"How far are we from the nearest town?" She asked him as he consulted his map.

"We're still several miles from Grand Junction," he explained. "Maybe we can wave somebody down?"

"Yeah, that's a helluva idea," Emma said wryly. "You're really not familiar with how our world works, are you? That's a great way to get killed."

"You really don't trust people, do you?" Hook shook his head in disbelief. As he did, an old green Chevy pickup truck pulled onto the shoulder behind them. Emma tensed so much that Hook laid his hand over hers. She glanced at him, forgetting for a moment about the truck. The sudden knock on her window startled her back to the present.

She rolled down her window to the man on the other side. He had hair that had once been black, but was now more salt than pepper. Around his eyes were wrinkles suggesting he had his fair share of smiles, and this was no exception.

"Having car trouble?" He asked, his voice was both booming and sympathetic.

"Indeed," Hook offered. "We weren't very observant and seem to have run out of gas." Emma noticed he kept his hook hidden behind his leg.

"Well, there's a service station up the road a bit," He supplied. "Why don't I run up there and bring a can back for you?"

Emma was a bit taken aback by his kind offer. "Please, let me give you some money-" She was cut off by a wave of the older man's hand.

"It's not necessary. I'll be back in a bit."

Emma rolled up her window as the man walked back to his pickup. It still amazed her, sometimes, at the kindness some people showed. It had been all too rare in her life.

"Well, since we're going to be here a while with nothing else to do," Hook started. "Why don't you tell me how you ended up finding me?"

Emma sighed. It seemed like a year had passed since Smee told her Hook was missing, when it had only been two days. "The short version? Regina and I cast a spell."

"Regina and you?" Hook's eyebrows shot up. "Embracing your magic, love?"

"Hardly," Emma said dryly. "Smee asked for help finding you and Regina said she knew a spell that would help. I had to get a personal item of yours from your ship in order for the spell to work." She braced herself for what she had to tell him next. "I had to use the picture of Milah. Regina didn't tell me that the spell would destroy the picture. I'm sorry." She finished quietly, her apology barely audible.

Hook was quiet for a moment. Pain registered momentarily on his face. "It's alright, Swan," he said finally, breaking the silence. "There were more personal and precious items you could've taken, I suppose." Emma's mind flitted to the golden box she had in her suitcase. She didn't know if he was referring to that, but something told her he was. She decided not to mention its whereabouts, for now.

She continued with her story, leaving the boring details out, but making sure he knew how conspicuous he was along his journey. "You really don't know how to blend in, do you?" She mock-scolded him.

"Some of us were born to stand out, darling," he replied with a cheeky grin.

A few minutes later, their rescuer came back with a small gas can. He filled the tank of the small car and allowed them to follow him back to the service station. He lingered while they filled the tank of their car and refused any compensation for his efforts, though Emma protested that it was the right thing to do.

"Just pay it forward," he smiled at the two of them. "Do you two know your way?"

Emma looked hesitant, but Hook reassured him that they were fine. He shook the man's hand and thanked him for his kind assistance.

"Well, I'd hate to see any young couple get stranded in these mountains," he replied. Before Emma had time to correct him, he said his goodbyes and was off. Hook gave her a broad smile before heading back to the driver's seat.

Well, what do you think of Emma's reaction to the waitress? They're getting closer to Sin City… Any thoughts as to what they should do while they're there? Reviews are always appreciated.