Author's Note: Ahhhh thank you guys for all the love!

It had been several weeks since Klaus arrived at the castle, and Emma was frustrated. He had been the perfect gentleman, accompanying her on walks, dining with her in private, asking her for permission every goddamn time he wanted to spend time with her. And he didn't seem to have any other agenda than wooing her! The only thing that was annoying about him was that he was a little pushy. He tended to ask her to spend time with her in a way that she couldn't refuse. No one else had picked up it yet. He was cordial to everyone, and no one had anything bad to say about him. David and Mary Margaret thought he was perfectly fine, Regina just shrugged and muttered a bored "eh" when Emma asked for her opinion, and the only people who had some reservations were Henry and Neal.

"He seems nice, Mom, but there doesn't seem to be any chemistry." Henry confided with her during one of their horseback riding sessions. Neal on the other hand, was much more blunt. "I don't like him." He told her as they walked down to breakfast together.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I just don't like the guy."

"Jealous?" Emma teased.

Neal jabbed her with his elbow.

"Har har. No, it's just something about him. I can't put my finger on it."

Emma felt the same way, but she was slowly coming to think that Klaus was not as villainous as she initially thought. He just seemed adamant on courting her, and that was it. Once that realization sunk in, she began to panic. Even though they were spending a lot of time together, there was nothing between them, no spark, no chemistry. They tended to talk about the most inconsequential things, and while she admittedly was holding out on him, she could tell that Klaus wasn't being completely forthright either. She kept trying to being up the topic of Arendelle, and he kept avoiding the topic.

She hoped that she could end this courtship without insulting her guest or without causing an incident. Of course, that was not the only thing that was worrying her. Hook had been avoiding her. He refused to make eye contact with her, and he had even started to head to the kitchen for his meals instead of joining the group in the dining room. She had tried reaching out to him, sending him messages and even turning up at his door, but to no avail. She had spent a good couple of hours on day, camped outside his bedroom door only to realize he wasn't there. He had taken to (according to Fredrick, a particularly nosy page) spending most of his days destroying a hay-stuffed target with his sword or moodily (Emma raised her eyebrow wryly at Fredrick's descriptions and attention to detail) staring out to sea from the deck of the Jolly Roger.

Finally, she had had enough. After another Hook-less breakfast, she resolved to find him and force him to listen to her. She chomped on her last piece of fruit in determination, tying to formulate a plan. Just then the doors opened and David and Klaus stepped through. David cleared his throat as if to make an announcement, and all eyes turned to him.

"So, err, Prince Klaus here has convinced me to throw a ball." David shrugged. "We haven't had one in a awhile, and I thought it would be nice."

Emma's mouth almost dropped open, and she felt her heart plummet towards her stomach. What the hell was Klaus playing at? Was he planning something? She stared at him, but he stared back at her with an unreadable expression on his face. David rambled on about details and the rest of the group seemed enthused about it (except a decidedly grumpy Regina. Emma wondered what that was about.) Her mind raced. She hated balls. She hated wearing those tight dresses. She had only been to two, but it was two too many.

The first ball had happened when they had gotten settled at the castle. It had been a grand soiree, but filled with strangers. Hook was away at sea so she didn't have a buddy to bitch to either. She had spent the night meeting people and avoiding the dance floor. The next time had been a year after that, and she was sore after falling off her horse the day before, and she managed to convince David to let her leave early. She stayed for an hour before fleeing back to her room. Hook had informed her the next day that she had missed out on an interesting ball. He had turned up late, just in time to see a drunken Leroy attempt the Heimlich maneuver on a choking Doc, but Emma wasn't too upset that she missed it. How the hell was she going to get out of this one?

She stood to rush out of the room, but Mary Margaret grabbed a hold of her hand.

"Not so fast, Emma. We have to get you measured for your dress?"

"Are you kidding me?"

David frowned at her and she glared at him, but didn't fight back. She sullenly followed Mary Margaret to her room where the royal seamstress was waiting for them.

"Seriously, Mom? You're going to let him do this?"

Mary Margaret fixed her with a look.

"It's just a ball, Emma. It's customary to have one when royalty visits you."

Emma sulked and fell into a silence and let the seamstress Adamanta drape a variety of skirts on her. After half an hour, Mary Margaret piped up in a voice that she tried to make sound casual, but Emma could hear the excitement brimming in her voice.

"After Adamanta finishes up here, she's going to measure Hook for his new suit."

Emma tried to move, but Adamanta held her tight.

"Don't move dear. A pin will end up in the wrong place." She warned her, waggling her finger.

Emma rolled her eyes at that, but turned her face oh so slightly in order to be able to gawk at Mary Margaret.

"And he agreed to this?"

Mary Margaret let out a whoop of laughter.

"Oh god no! David didn't like his attire at our last ball, and basically strong-armed him into it."

Emma chuckled at the thought of David having that conversation with a surly Hook, and then had an idea. If he was going to be measured, he was going to have to stand very still. In one place. A sly grin crossed her face.

After Adamanta took off the last skirt and packed her things away, Emma offered to carry the older lady's supplies to Hook's room.

"Thank you dear!" She said, beaming at her. "You're such a kind girl."

"Yes. Kind." Mary Margaret said, eyebrow raised, in a tone that Emma was anything but.

Emma ignored her and picked up Adamanta's bag and followed the lady to Hook's room. The door was ajar, signifying that Hook knew she was coming, and had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to get dressed up for the ball. As they entered, Emma took in the surroundings. The room had a similar layout to hers. Opulent bed, majestic screen panel blocking off a short wardrobe. Emma almost snickered. What would he even have in there? The man only seemed to own two vests, one pair of pants and one jacket.

She turned to look at his bed. Unlike hers that had lush covers and pillows, his was simple and the only luxury he seemed to afford himself was the black silk sheets that covered it. She had to concede that the room was very tidy, and that was probably due to Hook's time in the Navy, a fact he had confided to her during one of their drinks in question, and had seemed insulted when she looked surprised. "I wasn't born a pirate, Swan." He had told her.

The pirate in question was standing near his wardrobe, hanging up his coat on the screen next to it.

"Well, get on with it then." He said between gritted teeth. He turned to face them, and his jaw dropped in shock. He glared coldly at Emma, and opened his mouth to ask her to leave, but Emma beat him to it.

"Adamanta needs the help. Don't you, Adamanta?"

Adamanta adjusted her glasses nervously, no doubt picking up on the weird energy in the room.

"I wouldn't mind some help."

Emma shot Hook a smug smile and he continued to glare at her for a few more minutes before sighing.

"Let's just get this over with."

As Adamanta got out her measuring tape and indicated that Emma could help her by jotting the numbers down in her book, Emma flopped down on his bed. Hook was now back to glaring at her. He couldn't turn away, and he had made the unfortunate decision to stand facing her.

"Did you know, Adamanta, that the ball is in honour of a visiting prince?"

Adamanta replied that yes, she had heard that. Hook's jaw twitched in frustration, and his eyes moved to stare off resolutely at a corner of the room. Emma took a deep breath and continued.

"He's trying to court me, you see, but I'm not interested."

Hook's eyes snapped to meet hers, and he did not seem as angry as he was five minutes ago.

"I initially thought he had an ulterior motive, and I wanted to him to remain here so that I couldn't figure it out. But I was wrong."

Hook tilted his head, considering her words, but he did not smile at her.

Adamanta then pipped in.

"Do you fancy somebody else?"

Emma almost choked. She did not expect this. Her eyes rose to meet Hook's and he was staring her with a serious expression. She swallowed and decided to be honest. Well, as honest as she could.

"Yes."

Adamanta tittered in delight, and shot her a wink. She said nothing more. Hook was silent also, but he now had a sad expression on his face. Emma felt embarrassed. It was if she had confessed her feelings to him and he had rejected her. Several uncomfortable minutes passed, and she stood up.

"I should go. Sorry, Adamanta."

Just as she reached the door, Hook spoke up.

"If his only motive is to court you, then perhaps you should consider the Prince. He would be the right kind of man for you."

He said it quietly, but in the stifling silence of the room, it rang out loud.

Emma yanked the door open, prickling with hostility. She turned to face him one more time before she left, hoping that the idiot would clue in to her feelings.

"Do you really mean that?"

His face did not change, remaining to stay in an expression that was best suited for the lovelorn.

"Aye."

"Fine then!"

She turned away in anger and slammed the door shut. She sprinted down the hall and up the stairs to her own room. She threw herself onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow, screaming in frustration. What kind of self-sacrificing idiot was she in love with? Did he think he wasn't good enough for him? She giggled deliriously. Funny, she thought that she was unworthy of love, yet here was a man who thought he was unworthy of her. Then it hit her. She was in love with him! Was love always this annoying and frustrating? She let out a disgruntled sigh, and allowed herself to fall into an angry sleep.

She woke up in the late afternoon, still angry. She decided she was going to talk to Hook once more, and make her feelings clear, once and for all. After all, if there was anything her parents taught her, it was that you never get up in love. Renewed strength flowed through her, almost as if her realization of her feelings had opened up a well of energy. She headed to her toilet to splash some water on her face and change her clothes. (Another thing that annoyed her about Klaus was that dinnertime was now more formal than she would have liked.) She put on a simple dress, an off-white dress with a modest neckline that lightly hugged her curves and was cinched at her waist with a thin braided belt. There. David couldn't yell at her now. She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, and then decided she better go find her pirate.

She headed back to his room, only to find it empty. She started her search of the castle, but after two hours of searching, she did not see a sign of him anywhere. After leaving the archery and sword practice range/area (David and Mary Margaret really did love to do everything together), hoping to find him taking his frustration out on a hay-stuffed scarecrow with his sword, she ran into Robin, who was practicing with his set of bow and arrows. Figuring there was no harm in asking, she asked he had seen Hook.

"Actually, I did see him a short while ago. He was heading down to the docks. He seemed upset." Commented Robin. Emma's heart leapt to her throat, and she thanked him profusely before hurrying down to the docks.

She found him aboard the Jolly Roger, and she was mad at herself for not checking there sooner. He sat his back facing the docks, while he gazed out at the sea. He seemed to be mindlessly knotting together twine to make some ropes. She took a deep breath and strode up the gangplank.

"Are you planning a journey?"

Hook straightened his back and stood up, letting the rope he had been tying knots into fall at his feet. He turned to face her, a tight smile on his face. If he was surprised by her presence, he wasn't showing it.

"Aye. I was thinking about taking a little trip soon."

"Where to?"

He shrugged.

"Hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'll sail around the isles for a bit. Maybe swing down to Port Royal."

She leaned against the mast and smiled wistfully.

"That sounds quite nice, actually."

A small smirk began to play on his lips.

"Care to join me, Princess?"

"Yes."

He stared at her, clearly not anticipating her answer. He faltered for a second, and once more a mask went up and that stupid fake smile had settled across his face.

"Not sure the Prince would like that, love. You, alone with a dashing pirate such as meself?"

He was deflecting, and it annoyed her.

"Enough."

He stared at her with a quizzical brow. She began to pace out of anger, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slip down into his previously vacated seat. She spun on her heel and stomped over to him.

"Enough about Prince Klaus! Stop trying to decide what I should do and who I should be with! You know what? I've had enough. Enough of all these idiots trying to convince me that they love me when I know they don't. I'm so tired, Hook. I just want a break from people telling me what to do and who I am. I thought you of all people would understand that."

Hook looked up at her, and she suddenly felt very self-conscious. That, coupled with the cool evening breeze, made her shiver. Without a word, he peeled his heavy jacket from his shoulders and rose to drape it around her shoulders.

"How do you walk around in this thing? It weighs a ton."

He chuckled, his hand and hook resting on her shoulders. He was close enough for Emma to feel the heat rising off his body, and she could feel the heat that left him start to fill her up. He smelt good too: his coat was not only heavy with leather, but also with sweat, spices, and rum. It was a heady smell, one she associated with him. She looked at him and found him staring. His hand slipped down her arm and his hook went to her waist.

"Emma." He started. He paused, trying to gather his words.

He smiled and his hand went up to play with her hair. He twirled the strands around in his fingers, and Emma was glad that he was not wearing his usual heavy rings. He tucked several errant hairs behind her ear (a foolish task, she thought. The sea breeze would soon free them. Still, she shivered when his thumb grazed her cheek on its return).

"You know that all we all want for you is your happiness."

"And you don't think you could make me happy?"

He was silent for a second, and Emma regretted her outburst.

"Aye."

It was a low response, full of sadness and longing, and suddenly Emma felt angry, and she balled her hands into fists.

"You'll make me even less happy if you leave." She took a deep breath and tried to will away the tears that were starting to well in her eyes. "Why are you trying to leave me?"

He looked shocked for a split second, and then gathered her into his arms into a tight embrace. He rested his chin on her head on her head. She inhaled sharply, and hugged him back as tightly, the tension in her body slowly escaping.

"Oh Emma. My Emma. I would never leave you. I-" He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "I thought you and Klaus…you seemed to get along…and I…" He paused once more, and Emma felt him tense up. "I'm a commoner. I'm not the man you should be with. I know that. Yet it hurts me to see you with someone else. I-"

Emma pulled away, her anger returning. His jacket slipped off her shoulders due to her sudden movement and fell to the deck.

"And you think you know what I want? Who I want? What I deserve?"

He gaped in shock.

"No I didn't mean-"

"I don't want Klaus, Hook. I want you."

Without warning, he pounced on her, his lips slamming into hers. He kissed her as if this was their first and last kiss, as if he would never get to kiss her again. He pulled her into him, a move that deepened the kiss. It was hot and heady and Emma felt as if she was floating. He stopped to breathe a few minutes later, and smiled at her while he continued to hold her.

"Emma, I've loved you since you left me up that blasted beanstalk. I can't fathom why you'd want a man like me-" She silenced him with an open-mouthed kiss that rivaled his.

When they broke apart for air moments later, she smirked at him.

"You're a better man than you think, Killian Jones."

He chortled and pulled her in for another kiss.

"I must be, if Princess Emma thinks I'm worthy enough for a kiss."

They kissed lazily, Emma taking the opportunity to run her fingers through her hair, and Hook's fingers drifted down her back in a comforting gesture. Hook then took the chance to press hot kisses along her jawline and neck, sending tingles of pleasure down Emma's spine.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this." He murmured into her skin, nipping gently at a patch of skin near her collarbone. She groaned and tugged sharply at his hair, forcing him to look up at her.

And what a sight he was. His heavily lidded eyes were filled with lust and his lips were swollen from their substantial makeout session. His eyes kept drifting to her lips, and he had the audacity to lick his lips and shoot her a toothy grin. His hand slipped further, moving to her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze. She yelped in response, and playfully swatted at his chest in response. He chuckled and buried his face into her neck.

"Apologies love. I can't seem to keep my hand to myself."

Emma laughed in response, and Hook raised his face to look at her. Percy was right, Emma realized. Even if he hadn't declared the extent of his feelings towards her, there was no denying now that Hook was in love. It was written all over his face and his eyes had a sparkle in them that Emma had never seen before. Old Emma would have balked and run for cover, but New Emma felt a sense of utter bliss that overtook every sense in her body. She nuzzled his neck and grinned at the surprised yet contented grunt he responded with.

"As much as I would love to stay here, I fear you are needed back at the castle, love."

She groaned, and he laughed, pressing a kiss to her hair.

"I know, I know. But you have a ball to attend and a Prince to reject."

She laughed and reluctantly pulled away from him. She slipped her hand into his and nudged him playfully as they disembarked the ship

"You'd better be escorting me back, Hook."

He grinned at her, and tapped her nose impishly.

"I wouldn't be much of a gentleman, would I now?"

She snorted.

"What kind of gentleman grabs a princess's ass?"

He smiled wolfishly at her, and lowered his lips to her ear, ghosting her lobe with his tongue

"With an arse as delectable as your own, you can handle expect me to ignore it."

He nipped at her earlobe, and Emma felt a shot of lust course through her veins.

"Easy there, pirate. We do have to get back."

It was his turn to groan.