The response I had to last chapter was overwhelming. You all are fantastic. Thank you so much to CuteMcBeauty, Nouqueret, Guest, Homely, Fairepeacock, SibOlga, BehindThePurpleSmoke, and laugh0ften2012 for reviewing. Thank you to everyone who favorited/followed/read last chapter.

Another Killian chapter because you all seem to like him so much :)

The stuff in italics is a (longer than I initially intended) flashback.


Emma rummaged through the cabinets looking for more hot chocolate mix. It appeared that Henry had used the last of it and had forgotten to tell his mom. Emma would have to settle on the random box of tea she found. The box claimed it was caffeine-free so she didn't feel bad about drinking it this late.

They didn't own a kettle so Emma just nuked the water in the microwave. It wasn't the ideal way to make tea, but it would work for her. Opened the packet that the tea was in and the smell hit her.

Ginger.

She smiled to herself and began steeping the tea. When it was done she added nothing, choosing to drink it plain.

Henry appeared from his bedroom in pajamas. His hair was wet from his shower and created dark spots on his grey shirt.

"Hot chocolate?"

Emma arched an eyebrow. "It would be if someone hadn't finished the box without telling their mom."

Henry scrunched up his face. "Oops."

"Yeah, 'oops' is right. I'm just having some tea I don't remember buying."

"Is it nighttime stuff? I picked it up for you at the bodega down the street last week. I thought it might help you sleep. I didn't tell you?"

Emma shook her head and took a sip of her tea. She reveled in the burn it sent down her throat.

"Can I try?" Henry held out his hand.

Emma let him take the cup, careful to keep him from burning himself. Henry took a sip and swished the liquid around in his mouth.

"Needs more sugar."

"You can make your own and dump a bunch of sugar in it, but I like my ginger tea plain."

"Since when do you drink tea?"

"I used to drink this stuff all the time when I was pregnant and nauseated though. It worked pretty well."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "Kind of like ginger ale."

"Sure. I can't remember the last time I had a cup, but it feels like it wasn't too long ago."


"Captain! The sea is getting too rough. Some of the new guys are sick."

Killian swore to himself. Mr. Smee looked worried. His jolly, red hat was stowed away somewhere, leaving his hair plastered to his face with rain.

"Take them below. You know what to do."

Mr. Smee nodded. He found those who were ill and brought them below deck. Hook closed his eyes tightly once they were stowed away. He would have to avoid the kitchen and bunks tonight.

Some memories were best left to wash away with the rain. They were too bitter, too sweet to relive.

That didn't stop his traitorous thoughts from turning to those moments though.

"Hook!"

Killian heard Emma call his name from down the hall. The worry in her voice was audible. The door flew open, making a loud crack as it hit the wall. Emma looked down at Killian, who was sprawled out on the floor. He was clutching his stomach and grimacing in pain.

"I don't suppose you know what's wrong with me, love."

Emma knelt down on the floor. She laid a bucket for swabbing the decks next to Killian's head.

"We think it was the chicken Wendy made for dinner. Being imprisoned in a cage really dulled her cooking skills. Everyone who had Tink's fish was fine."

Killian groaned. The only reason he had the chicken was because they ran out of fish and as a courtesy he let everyone else eat first. Typical that being a gentleman got him into trouble. This was why he so enjoyed being a pirate.

"Who else fell ill?"

Emma frowned. "I didn't ask. I came to check on you. Mary Margaret and I figured it out when David started puking and we didn't. The seas are really calm right now."

Killian ignored the small burst of warmth he felt in his chest. Her immediate concern probably had more to do with the fact that he was in charge than because she cared for him a great deal.

Emma forced him onto the bed. Killian's head was just off his bunk, allowing Emma to hold the bucket at the edge of the bed. She sat, but soon shot out of her chair and looked around the cabin. She quickly found a handkerchief and a waterskin. She poured some water onto the cloth and set it on the back of his neck. Her mother had done that for David. It seemed like even if it didn't cure his problem, it did add a small measure of comfort.

"It's a shame you don't have any Pepto or ginger ale in your realm," Emma joked uneasily.

"We've neither of those items, but the galley should have fresh ginger in it." Killian paused before adding. "Could you assist me in removing my vest? I would rather not get sick on it."

Emma started to make a cutting remark about him just wanting her to strip him. She realized this was less of a come-on and more of an actual request for help though. She tried to undress him as quickly as possible, but his lethargy and hook made it more difficult than she hoped for. He was soon arranged on the bed.

The bile rose in Killian's throat. He fought to keep it down. He would not evacuate the contents of his stomach in front of Emma. That was not an option for his pride.

His digestive system had other plans.

Had Emma not had the bucket wedged between her legs and the bed, then the bucket would've rolled away from the sheer force of Killian's vomit. His necklace kept clanking against the metal of the bucket, almost falling in. Emma rescued it by removing it from his neck and throwing it around her own. She dropped it down her shirt to keep it out of the way.

Killian would have to remember this when he had the time and focus to discern what that meant.

After a moment's hesitation Emma rubbed his back. Her hand moved in soothing circles, mimicking what she had seen Mary Margaret do earlier. Killian wasn't sure if her discomfort stemmed from her not wanting to touch him or from his lack of shirt.

Another thing to analyze later.

"The faster you get it out of your system, the better you'll feel."

Killian spat into the bucket. He would've given anything for a cup of water and a toothbrush. His reprieve was short and he was soon puking again.

Emma continued her ministrations on his back. Killian decided that was the only silver lining to this situation. She may look awkward and like she would rather be anywhere else, but she was here.

Taking care of him.

"I need to empty the bucket. Think you can hold out a minute?"

"Aye."

Killian motioned for the water. Emma obliged so he could rinse out his mouth first.

Emma looked at Killian a moment longer, assessing how well he would hold up in her absence. She then ran from the room. The length of time Emma was gone seemed interminable. All Killian could do was breath slowly through his mouth and pray Emma wouldn't have to clean up a mess when she got back.

Emma returned less than ten minutes after she left. She sat down in the chair again, but steadied herself against Killian's arm this time. He felt an immense amount of heat coming from her hand. It diffused throughout his body, warming every inch of him.

The door opened. Regina was damn lucky that Killian wasn't feeling up to yelling at her. He had some harsh words for the woman for interrupting this moment.

"Tea?"

Regina offered a steaming mug from the board she was using as a tray. Emma quickly took it and had a sip. She nodded at Regina.

"Good work."

Regina smiled and sauntered out the door to deliver more tea.

"Try it. It's ginger tea. I used to drink it all the time when I was pregnant with Henry. It helps with nausea."

Killian sat up some and took the proffered cup. He drank a little. It was good. It was sweet, yet spicy and burned a little on the way down.

"My compliments to the queen."

Killian swallowed the tea slowly. He could see that Emma was waiting for him to finish. It occurred to him that he could keep her here longer if he drew out his cup of tea. One look at the dark rings under her eyes had him take the rest of the drink in one gulp though. She was too noble to tell him to hurry up so she could go to bed.

Killian set down the mug and waited for Emma to make her exit. She left without much fanfare. The only thing she did that gave Killian hope was pause at the door. The way she looked at him, fleeting though it was, made his head spin.

Killian stood up and walked over to his desk. That tea Regina made must've had some sort of magical properties to it. He was feeling perfectly fine. His hand came up to scratch his bare chest when he realized Emma still had his necklace. Seeing if she still had it seemed like a good excuse to go after her. Knowing her she was up and around helping the sick even though she was practically dead on her feet. Maybe if she was still up he would convince her that he was feeling well enough to take her place.

But first a shirt.

There were a lot of women on board that might swoon at the sight of him.

Killian made his way down the hall and stopped when he saw Mary Margaret and David outside of Emma's room. Both were peering into the open door. They were talking about Emma so Killian rationalized that it was okay for him to eavesdrop long enough to hear if Emma was still awake.

"Look at them, Charming. Our little family is growing."

Killian stood rooted to his spot. He knew he should move, but couldn't stop his stupid, masochistic heart from wanting to hear more.

"Snow, they aren't back together yet," David warned.

"I know, but I think it's so nice. They spent all of this time apart and now they're together again. It's just really touching. Now they can be the family the curse didn't allow them to be."

Killian's heart ached. He practically sprinted from where he stood. It killed him to think that what he wanted could hurt so many others. His wooing of Emma was a selfish decision. If she chose him over Baelfire, then he would be the villain, the one who destroyed a family, to all of the people in Emma's life.

It was so ridiculous. He hadn't minded being the villain in the past, but now all he wanted was to be her hero. The only way to do that was to not fight dirty.

He would have to let her make his way back to her and he wasn't certain she ever would want to.

The next morning Killian woke up to a note and his necklace on the bedside table. He slipped the necklace on and read the note.

I hope you feel better this morning.

Damn her for making it seem so alluring to be the villain again.

Killian tried to keep his mind off of the note in his cabin. It was rolled up and stored in a glass vial. He unrolled it every morning and read it. It was starting to become worn at the edges from his attention.

That night she had given him something to hope for and he had decided to give her up. It was everything awful and good in one neat package.


So I went to watch a couple of clips from the show to help with this chapter and fell down the rabbit hole. So there went my day off. I happened upon a scene I had completely forgotten about (when Killian tells Neal he won't be going after Emma) and tried to work in a little backstory on that moment.