The Story of Captain Hook
The still of the morning was what woke the sleeping pirate from his deep slumber. He'd been dreaming of the sea again, her sweet voice whispering for him to return to where he truly belonged. He had almost forgotten his love for the waves after his heart had been indirectly ripped from his chest. He had been so blinded by rage and red that he couldn't hear past his own voice of hatred to listen to the calls of the ocean. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to sail with the wind whipping through his hair, to smell the salt of the water.
Oh, how he missed it.
The young man slowly sat up as he scratched the back of his head, glancing at the fireplace in front of him. He stood to his feet and carefully popped a log into the fading flames, watching them slowly roar back to life. He then glanced out the window, the sun rising higher into the sky. He found himself frowning and quickly shook his head, walking over to his cloak and wrapping it around his shoulders. He glanced at the kitchen table and smirked brazenly as he pulled out a perfect white rose from his robe, placing it carefully on the surface of the countertop. He then pulled his boots on and walked outside, shutting the door as he went.
It had been a month-and-a-half since Killian had set out on his journey to find what he was searching for. He spent all day digging through the inches of snow for hours but he had yet to find anything. His patience was growing thin. With every day spent on searching for what would bring him his revenge he felt a part of himself withering away. His soul was turning to ash with each failure. Nothing would bring the young captain more joy than finding the damn thing.
Well, maybe Rose-Red's rabbit soup would.
At the thought of Rose-Red, Killian's heart lifted and the weight that fought to bury him alive disappeared. She brought an easiness to his life that he had never felt before, but that was the sole reason why he fought with himself each morning. She was a distraction to him and his quest, and every day he would promise himself that he would never return only to find himself in front of the door once again, knocking without thought. She was like a sickness; she was spreading through him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't define the feelings he had around her. One moment she was sweet and charming and then the next she was infuriating and almost too stubborn to deal with. She challenged him, but that, in turn, pushed him to move forward and do better. She never gave into him, as irritating as it was, but that was the way he liked Rose-Red.
She was, in a sense, his match.
Captain Hook blinked as he found himself standing on a hill top, staring out at the ocean that had brought him to this part of the land. He sighed as he stared out at the waves, the shallower end of the water frozen over. A shiver ran through him as the wind picked up, causing the brunet to pull his hood up. His blue eyes lingered on the waters for a moment before he tore them away, his heart's call to the sea much stronger than he thought it would be.
~X~
The search began anew that morning. Killian was more determined to find the object of his eye than he normally was. Perhaps he was tired of digging through the snow or perhaps he was exhausted from spending hours without meals in his search. Whatever the case was, he was going to find it and he was going to get his revenge. He trudged through the mid-calf deep snow and sighed as he shook his head, mumbling curses under his breath at mother-nature. He rolled his eyes before he found himself in the same clearing he was in every day. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself before he sighed and nodded, walking across the rather large section of the forest and glancing around. He stopped by an area he hadn't searched before and began to dig through the snow, ignoring the fact that his hand felt as if needles were stabbing him repeatedly.
Time became less of an important factor as Hook dug through the snow and dirt. What felt like a mere 15 minutes was actually 4 hours. It was early in the afternoon still, perhaps a quarter past 11 from what the pirate could tell. The sun peeked through the clouds sporadically, warming Killian's cold figure. He ignored the trembling of his body as the snow fell into his boots and slipped up his black sleeve. He was far too focused to worry about trivial manners as such. He kept digging, kept searching, and by the time the late afternoon hit the man was out of energy. He cursed as he stood to his feet, dusting the snow from his arms. He huffed as he placed his hand and hook on his hip, glancing around.
That was when his composure broke.
The clearing was so large and he was only one person. It would take ages to really find what he was looking for. That realization did nothing but infuriate Killian. He released a feral yell as he kicked a rather large rock that had been hidden in the snow. He growled before his hand ran through his brown locks of hair, his breathing uneven. He shook his head as he paced in the snow. "Where the bloody hell is it?" he snapped as he stopped and glanced around the forest like he was a starving predator searching for something to eat.
Without thought, Killian turned, his hand balling up into a tight fist. He pulled his arm back and swung gracefully before he punched the nearest tree trunk. With a cracking sound and a loud thud the pirate relaxed, his deep breathing filling the silence. He pressed his bleeding fist further into the tree, shards of bark crumbling to the forest floor. His blue eyes closed as his shoulders began to sag, the weight he had been carrying for so long slowly crushing him. The memories began to haunt him once more as his fist tightened. There were familiar voices in his ears and he was suddenly back on his ship. He was back to the time where he had lost everything. The crocodile's laugh resounded in his head as he grit his teeth, losing any composure he had left. He was falling apart and he didn't care. There was nothing left for him; he was at a loss.
But then he was suddenly brought back to life.
"Hook?" Said pirate slowly opened his eyes as he looked over to a confused woman standing in the forest. Her dark maroon cloak stuck out in all the white as her auburn hair shined. She looked confused but the confusion morphed into shock as her eyes roamed down the man's outstretched arm and to his bleeding fist. She took a careful step toward Killian and he immediately backed away, having absolutely no control over himself in the state of mind he was in.
"Hook, what happened?"
"Rose-Red, I advise against coming any closer," Killian warned with a dangerous spark in his eyes. Said woman gave him a hard stare as her brows furrowed inward.
"Or what?" she challenged as the brunet glared at the woman. "Are you going to make me walk the plank?" Hazel eyes bore into blue as they both shined with anticipation, neither from the opposite party willing to back down so easily. Killian glared as he felt the blood from his hand dribble down his fingers and on to the snow, tainting the pure white color.
"Lass, now's hardly the time," he opined, Rose-Red ignoring him and walking closer. Her eyes softened as she stopped a few inches away, reaching out and gently grabbing a hold of his hand. Killian let her, his entire body tensing at the sudden warmth. He ignored the racing of his heart, keeping the heat of the moment at bay. He watched as the auburn haired woman looked his hand over, frowning.
"What is so important?"
"Wh—What?" Hook stuttered, Rose-Red looking up to meet his gaze once more.
"What are you looking for that is so important that you'd become so undone?" she asked, throwing any inhibition she once had to the wind. She watched as Killian ripped his gaze from hers and yanked his hand from away. She grimaced as the man turned his back to her.
"Nothing that concerns you."
"To hell with that!" Rose-Red snapped as she marched around the pirate and glared at him. "Who's the person who's been taking care of you this entire time? Who's the one who fed you and kept you safe from the brutality of the winter?" she yelled, causing the fury in Killian to rise; no one ever yelled at concern.
"Do you think I really care about any of that?" the captain yelled, the animosity in his voice almost catching Rose-Red off guard. "I didn't come to this land to befriend you nor did I come here for laughs and a merry time!"
"Then what the hell did you come here for?" the 25-year-old snapped back as she shoved the pirate in the shoulder. "What is the great Captain Hook so adamantly searching for? Gold? Power? Women to deceive and control?" That had been Killian's breaking point.
The only thing he could see was red. It was a deep, blood red in Killian's vision. He was sure that he had even blacked out for a moment, and when he came to he found himself swinging his fist at Rose-Red's face. She was quick to react though, which would have made the pirate smirk if he hadn't been so full of rage. The young woman made efficient work to throw her body into Killian's tackling the young man into the snow. He released a deep grunt as his back hit the ground, his breath escaping him for a moment. The ship captain growled deeply in the back of his throat as he wrapped his legs around his attacker's waist, his arms reaching up and pushing the woman back. He then used the momentum of the shove and his body weight to roll Rose-Red over, causing her to groan in pain. She gasped as the strong adversary wrapped his hand around her throat, his hook gently pressing against her cheek. She narrowed her eyes, almost daring him to strike her, and if Hook's mind hadn't begun to clear he might have just done it.
Killian sat above Rose-Red, the two catching their breaths and staring at each other. The menacing gleam in the pirate's eyes disappeared as he began to grow lax. He had been surprised that the look on the attained woman's face was so fierce. She was glaring up at him with her hazel eyes, waiting for his next move. He'd been expecting a hint of fear somewhere on her face, but he should have known better than that; she was far too ferocious for that.
The guilt slowly began to settle in as the brunet's eyes softened. Rose-Red's eyes softened as well as she slowly reached up and wrapped her hands around Killian's wounded one. She gently pulled his hand from her neck, the redness making the pirate internally wince. He let his fingers softly graze over the damage he had done to her. His frown deepened as he slowly pulled his leg over her form and sat in the snow, his knees bent and his arms propped on them. Rose-Red slowly sat up as she dusted a bit of snow from her shoulders, sighing and looking over at the silent man.
"…Forgive me," Killian said quietly as he chuckled at his own behavior. "It seems I've lost control," he stated with a short and cold laugh as he leaned his head back against a tree. He avoided the hazel-eyed woman's gaze as she watched him closely. She gently reached up to her neck before she sighed and shook her head, scooting to the man's side and leaning against him. He let her, the warmth of her body bringing a bit of solace to his heart. He looked at the maiden as she gave him a forgiving stare. He sighed as he shook his head and stared out at the forest.
"…I'm searching for a bottle." That caught Rose-Red off guard.
"A bottle?" she repeated incredulously as Hook smirked at her confusion.
"It's no ordinary bottle, lass."
"How so?" she asked with a coped brow. Her companion rolled his eyes at her slight attitude but continued with his explanation.
"They say that inside this silver bottle is a demon, and if you release the demon from the bottle, he'll give you whatever you want," he explained. "And I need something from that creature."
Rose-Red stared at Killian and inside she couldn't stop her heart from swelling with appreciation. She knew that they were standing on a fragile thread but her curiosity was getting the best of her. She couldn't stop from speaking up as she leaned forward to gain a better glance at his face. "…What is your wish?"
Killian looked over at the young maiden as his entire face fell. He sighed as he glanced down at his hook and then at his right wrist. "I wish to seek revenge on the man who took my hand from me…" he trailed off, not sure if he was quite prepared to go on with his story. Rose-Red's sympathetic expression grew stronger as she glanced down at the tattoo on the man's wrist. She had taken notice to it when they had first met but never thought to mention is; she hadn't cared so much at the time.
Now she did.
"Milah," she said quietly as Killian's heart stopped for a half-of-a-second. "The man who took your hand, he took her as well, didn't he?" Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, not sure how many lines she had just crossed with just that single statement. She could see the fire in Killian's eyes rising at the mention of his lost lover's name. Her heart sank at that.
Losing love was a terrible thing.
"…I'd met her some time ago," he began. "She'd been at the very same tavern that I frequented. The moment I sat down she had fearlessly approached me and asked if I was a sailor."
"Sailor doesn't seem like the correct term," Rose-Red softly stated with a tiny smirk, bringing a deep chuckle from the pirate's throat. She smiled at the sound.
"I—at first—had no interest in her but as the night continued I couldn't help but notice the gleam in her eyes as I spoke about my expeditions. She seemed so entranced by my stories at sea," he explained as he rubbed his hand over his cheek, trying to rid himself of the numbness in his fingers. "I could see it in her eyes, her thirst for adventure. She wasn't meant to live the life she had. She was made for traveling and seeing the world."
"How could you tell?" the auburn haired woman asked curiously. Killian chuckled as he shook his head.
"She had the same look in her eyes as I once had." The two sat in a comfortable silence as they let the breeze caress their faces. Rose-Red looked up at the profile of the pirate's face as he stared aimlessly out at the snow, his facial expression blank.
"…What happened to her?" she asked as Killian looked over at her. His expression grew colder for a moment as he raised his hook into the air so it was at eye level with him.
"The very demon who stole my hand ripped her heart from her chest and turned it to ash."
Rose-Red wasn't sure how to respond. She hadn't been expecting that ending to his story. She let the shock settle in first before she tried to come up with something to say, but she couldn't seem to figure out the right words. How could she comfort someone who had lost their beloved when she had never even fallen in love before? She could attempt to understand his feelings of pain, of remorse, of complete and utter defeat, but she knew that would never do.
"…So now you are on the search for this bottle so you can find a way to kill this man?" she asked as Killian nodded his head. She thought deeply for a second before she took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"You know." She stood to her feet as she brushed the snow from her cloak. "Even the cruelest of stories can have the happiest of endings."
Killian stared up at Rose-Red as she smiled down at him. His heart beat loudly and rapidly against his chest as this strange uneasiness fell over him. He was suddenly anxious, suddenly not as angry at the world as he had been. As his companion stared down at him, he felt like he had been remade. He was sure he had felt that way once before. He wasn't sure when or why, but his feelings were far too familiar to him.
Rose-Red held her hand out to the pirate as he hesitated before taking it. She helped him to his feet as he began brushing the snow from his form as well. She smiled as she sighed and glanced around the forest. She looked over at Hook as he raised a brow at her, confused as she suddenly began to make her way towards an unexamined area of the clearing. "Two is always better than one." She began to dig, ignoring the fact that the bottom of her dress was soaked. She ignored the fact that she was almost too cold to feel her finger tips and she ignored the fact that her heart was racing. She looked up at Killian as he stared at her with disbelief in his eyes.
It was in that moment Killian had realized what he was feeling.
Rose-Red was surprised as she was pulled to her feet by the curve of Killian's hook. She was whipped around so she could face the man fully. She blinked as he stared at her with an unreadable expression. She raised a brow at him, her confusion quite evident on her face. "What—"
The moment had been flawless. The seconds had stopped, and it was as if the world had stopped turning just for them.
Without another thought, Killian pulled Rose-Red close to his body as he pressed his lips against her unsuspecting ones. Her hazel eyes widened as her pupils constricted, her entire body feeling as if she were burning. She was suddenly hyperaware of every movement the man made as he pulled her body closer with his left arm wrapped securely around her waist. His right hand was around the back of her neck, his fingers slithering their way into her untamed hair. She shivered as the facial hair on the man's face lightly scratched her chin, causing her to realize just how soft his lips were, just how perfect they seemed to mold against hers. Killian's lips pulled away from her, leaving her speechless. The awe was obvious in her expression as the pirate's blue eyes gazed into her hazel ones. He kept a small distance between them, his breath brushing over her lips.
Killian had promised himself that he would avenge Milah's death. He had vowed that he would stop at nothing to kill Rumpelstiltskin, but as he stared into Rose-Red's innocent eyes, he couldn't stop himself from choosing to push those needs aside for just a short moment. A suffocating amount of bliss coursed through his entire body as he placed his hand on the young woman's cheek. His heart clenched as she leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, releasing a content sigh. A tiny, honest and genuine smile crawled across his lips as he leaned forward, capturing Rose-Red in a searing kiss once more. He pressed his body into hers as he felt her fist his brown cloak, pulling him closer. He smirked as she stole control and hungrily kissed him, seeking every ounce of emotion in his being. He gladly gave her what she was looking for, gently pushing her into a tree and moving his lips enticingly against her pale, pink ones.
Regretfully pulling away, Rose-Red stared into the man's eyes, her emotions disarray and her flustered expression causing the man to release a jovial chuckle. He sighed as his thumb brushed against the soft skin of her cheek. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and from their previous moment; she wasn't sure how to feel.
Killian sighed as he leaned his head exhaustedly against Rose-Red's shoulder. He closed his eyes and leaned against the woman, feeling her arms embrace him and holding him. He smiled slightly as he shook his head, wrapping his arms around the woman's waist.
The weight he had once felt had completely dissipated away. He could finally breathe again; he felt alive again. The pirate smiled at the thought as he looked up at Rose-Red. She blinked before she wordlessly smiled at him, reassuring him once more; he wasn't the only one who felt so complete.
"Thank you, Rose-Red."
So, there is the newest chapter for this story! Thank you for all the support readers =) I'm just glad you guys are enjoying this story and I hope you continue to keep enjoying! I'm getting back in my updating schedule of Friday or Saturday so hopefully I'll be able to keep that up with no more writer's block.
Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter and if you have anything to say advice wise or comment wise just let me know! I'm always looking to do better!
