ERELA-

The figure I had seen before I fell had crossed my mind many times since it happened. For some reason, I couldn't get the brief glimpse out of my head. Every time I joined a group of pirates foraging for food, I could almost sense someone else watching - probably that figure. Who was it?

He/she obviously wasn't one of the pirates, or he/she would have revealed himself/herself. But if they wanted to remain hidden, why let me see them at all?

"Hey, Erela!"

I recognized that voice, though usually it wasn't slurring my name so that it sounded like "Erla".

"Hook," I groaned, not turning around, "are you drunk?"

"Probably, love," he replied, "but does that really matter?"

He was getting uncomfortably close to me. "Yes." I began walking away, but he followed.

"What are you scared of love?" he asked, still swerving behind me.

"A lot of things, none of which are of your concern," I mumbled.

"I'm sure it's my concern," he breathed into my ear. I jerked away, starting to get more angry than uncomfortable.

"Back off, Hook," I ordered, walking more quickly. Hopefully, he wouldn't follow.

Of course, he did follow.

"You can tell me anything, love," he said, his voice serious. But when I turned to look back at him, he still radiated a "drunk" vibe. As I watched, he pulled out a flask seemingly out of nowhere and took a huge drink, making me want to gag.

"You're going to kill yourself with that," I warned, disgusted. He just gave me his easy grin, his impossibly white teeth flashing.

"If I haven't yet, love, I doubt I ever will."

My eyes narrowed as I looked at him. "I'm going back to the ship," I stated, brushing past the drunk captain. I felt his eyes on my back as I walked back towards the shoreline, my stride long and (hopefully) confident. I could search for whoever had been watching me tomorrow, or the next day. In the meantime, I didn't want to have to deal with a drunk Hook. It just wasn't that high on my list of favorite things to do.

It took me a few minutes to reach the ship, but luckily the other crewmembers didn't seem to want to talk to me either. They seemed nervous, and even I was picking up on the vibe. At one point, I could've sworn that I heard someone following me, but when I whipped around, there was no one there. I waited for a few moments, but eventually I convinced myself that I was just getting paranoid. It was probably just Scath being his usual creepy self.

The Jolly Roger was still pulled up on the sand, its bow buried in the sand. Waves lapped up at the black-painted sides, producing a soothing kind of noise. The sun on my back felt amazing and I paused for a moment just to enjoy the feeling, my brown hair shifting over my face in the calm, salt-scented breeze that drifted off of the waves.

When I felt like I'd enjoyed the weather enough, I walked over the hot sands of the beach to the ship, feeling the sand shift between my toes, a sensation that was both familiar and alien to me. There was a rope ladder tossed over one side of the ship and I slowly climbed up it, hearing it creak and feeling it sway under my weight. There was no one on deck as I jumped up, but after a moment I noticed a crewmember sleeping among a coil of rope by the railing. Shaking my head but understand why the crewmember wanted to sleep, I started to walk over to the entrance to the brig, but I was intercepted.

"That was rather rude of you, love," Hook said, his blue eyes holding mine. For some reason, my mouth went dry and a fuzzy feeling rose up in my stomach.

"I- um- well, you're drunk. So I don't have to justify anything to you."

"Drunk I may be," he murmured, "but I still want to give you something."

"What?"

"Follow me," he ordered, making his way to the door to his quarters. He almost fell once, but caught himself on the main mast. When he realized that I wasn't following, he turned and frowned. "Come on, love. I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's not what I'm worried about," I muttered under my breath, but nevertheless I followed him, ducking into his quarters. They were barely bigger than my cell, but considerably nicer. There was a bed with a nice-looking mattress bolted to the floor, the thin sheets a stark contrast to the rest of the expensive-looking decorations, most of which had probably belonged to someone else at some point.

"It's in here somewhere," Hook was saying, digging through a large trunk. I only rolled my eyes, leaning against the doorway, half-considering walking away. Right before I did, Hook suddenly stood up, nearly falling back down in the process. He held something in his hand. My eyebrows went up when I saw what it was: a small sword, similar in design to Hook's cutlass, though considerably more elegant.

"Why are you giving this to me?" I asked, taking it from him. The scabbard was designed so that I could buckle it around my dress, sheathing it over my back.

"Because," Hook replied easily, "there's no one else to give it too."

I stared at him, then down at the sword, and then back at him. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The fuzzy feeling that had been building was now enveloping my entire being, making me almost giddy. The fact that I was in a tiny room with a fairly attractive (and drunk) pirate captain wasn't helping.

And then I noticed something.

Hook wasn't bobbing or swaying; he was standing perfectly still and looking at me, his eyes focused and alert. On top of that, his face was barely flushed at all, and I didn't smell any alcohol.

"You're not drunk," I said flatly, leaning the sword against the wall so I could cross my arms.

Hook shrugged. "I could be," he replied. "I've grown quite competent at hiding it."

"You're not," I insisted, "so what were you drinking?"

A sly smile played across Hook's features and he reached into one of his many pockets and pulled out his black flask, uncapping it and taking a small drink, much more controlled than the large gulp he'd done earlier.

"Want some?" He asked, holding it out to me and grinning. Giving him a strange look, I took the flask and sniffed it. Surprisingly, it smelled of fruit, and not of alcohol in the slightest. If it had had anything poisonous or corrupted in it, I wouldn't have been able to even smell it without making a face. This drink, on the other hand, actually smelled pleasant. Shrugging, I put the flask just above my mouth and poured a small amount into my mouth, handing the flask back to Hook once I had done so.

"It tasted like mangoes," I said thoughtfully once I had swallowed. It was good, but I didn't really feel like having any more of the stuff.

"That's the idea, love," Hook replied, the flask vanishing once more.

"But why do that?" I queried, frowning. "Why pretend to be drunk in front of your crew?"

"I have to keep up appearances," he replied slowly, his tone soft. "I'm a pirate, after all."

"Don't you like being a pirate?"

"Of course!" He replied, giving me a strange look. "The open seas, the freedom - who wouldn't love this life?"

"You don't like the drinking part," I pointed out. Hook gave me a shameful smile.

"I used to drink a lot more than this, love," he admitted. "Only when I realized I wasn't making a good captain did I stop."

"So you don't drink at all anymore?"

"Of course not! I still enjoy the good shot every now and then."

"Right," I muttered, smiling slightly. Hook was definitely a strange character, and the way he was acting was only pulling me towards him more. The feelings I was experiencing . . . I hadn't felt them in a long time. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to have connections, to love someone.

It was then that I realized it, and my heart skipped a beat. The fuzzy feeling, the way Hook played with my brain and my voice - it was so obvious I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it earlier.

I loved Hook.

I loved Captain Killian Jones Hook.

Just the thought running through my head sent enough adrenaline coursing through me to make my hands shake. Suddenly, the room felt too small, but I didn't want to leave, not when Hook was still giving me that look of his. In a second, I was moving, acting on impulses I couldn't hope to control.

I was inches from Hook, pressed into him, our bodies fitting together like pieces in a puzzle. He stared down at me, a playful smirk flitting across his features, making my insides go soft.

"You're sure, love?" Hook breathed softly, his good hand stroking my back and playing with my hair, sending shivers down my spine. Trying to keep my breathing steady, I nodded. He seemed just as eager as I was, but he'd been much better at hiding it. Though, now that I was this close, I could see how much his good hand was shaking, and I could feel how quickly his heart was racing.

"Yes." My voice shook, and I took a deep breath, trying to reorganize my thoughts.

"Just relax," Hook murmured softly, running his hand down my back. It wasn't invasive, but it was intimate, and the feeling his nearness sent through me made me want to cry and hug him at the same time. Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I surged forwards and threw my arms around Hook, startling him. I buried my face in Hook's neck, drinking in his scent. Dimly, I was aware of Hook closing the door, but his hand was back on me in an instant, stroking small circles on my back that sent thrills through my body.

"I want you," I said quietly, the words coming from a place inside of me that I barely remembered. "I want you with every piece of me."

"Same here, love," Hook replied, resting his chin on the top of my head. His hands continued stroking my back, even as I pulled him to me even closer, marvelling how easily we fit together, like we were made to fit together. A sudden rush of emotion went through me and I knew what I had to do. I pulled Hook down, causing both of us to fall onto his fancy bed, facing each other. Hook's face was bright with something I'd never seen in him before, a flush in his cheeks.

I pulled Hook into me and kissed him with everything I had, pouring my heart and soul into him through my lips, tasting him in the most exquisite way possible. He replied in kind, and I found myself knowing Hook. My hands went around his neck and I lost myself in him for a few moments, revelling in the feelings flowing through me, the heat from Hook making my whole body warm and fuzzy.

Hook started playing with the lace on my dress, but his eyes stayed with mine the entire time.

"Hold on," I muttered, pushing him away for a second. Hook looked at me with confusion, some of the fire fading from his eyes.

"What is it, Erela?" He murmured, his soft voice setting off my emotions all over again. I could only laugh, finding the whole situation ridiculous.

"I'm doing this," I eventually managed, the ridiculous grin still on my face, "with a pirate captain, who rescued me from the ocean." For some reason, saying it out loud made it even funnier, and I laughed even harder. Hook grinned in turn and he wrapped me in a strong, embracing hug, holding me together while my body felt like it was trying to fall apart, the ocean of my emotions rolling around and filling me with an exquisite euphoria.

"And I'm doing this," Hook replied, his voice husky, sending chills through me, "with a girl who fell from the sky." His smirk was so inviting I just had to press my mouth to his again.

"Let's just forget the ridiculousness of this," I suggested around his mouth, my hands tracing the muscles on his back.

"Agreed," he responded, and then I faded into him, giving myself to him, wanting him with every fiber of my being.

It was an experience I would never forget.

A/N

Sooooooooorry for the wait! School is stressful and annoying but WHATEVER!

Alright now I'm going to respond to my guests :)

guest-

Very mysterious chapter! Don't blame me for thinking that only Erela could see Scath - she's an angel and the story has supernatural elements :) And after this dialogue between Hook and Scath ... well something is going on with this guy, he is so not normal! I am very curious to learn more of him.

I'm not blaming anyone for anything (lol :P) I'm glad you are curious about Scath!

Guest-

Who is "she" that must the crew stay away from her home? What is the connection between Scath and the island? What does Hook -and you- know that we don't? We need answers :-)
Very nice chapter. I like what you do with the plot.

To answer all your questions at once . . . You shall see *cue evil laughter* . . . Is it bad that I feel like Edward and Adam? lol I'm glad you like my story! xoxoxo

SooooooooOOoOoOoooOOo review pleaseeee!

-bmwchickk

PS. If you haven't watched the OUAT episode Witch Hunt then DO NOT READ THIS . . .

I KNEW IT! I KNEW REGINA AND THE WICKED WITCH WERE SISTERS!

AND RUMPLE OMG OMG RUMPLE! I cried when I saw him!