A/N: I apologize. School = crazy hectic. Fanfic will be more AU from here on out, or potentially I will throw in some canon plots from end of s2 and s3. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own OUaT or any characters, only my own ideas!

Dedicated: To all the lovely readers out there who have stuck with me since day one (pretty much a year ago).

You Bested Me

Captain Swan Shipper! © KaraStephenson 2014

Chapter 10: Little Talks

"Although the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore." –Of Monsters and Men

Emma didn't move as if frozen. In that moment of seeing her one way home, it was like her whole life flashed before her blurring eyes. Her chance to have a family again had been ripped away within seconds. Of course, how could she actually believe she got a chance to be happy? When had her life ever been happy? For god's sake she was the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White the epitome of happy endings and true love—the sick irony.

Footsteps scuffed behind the blonde. "Swan?"

Hook. The last thing she needed was to deal with the overly leather pirate. Anger was boiling in Emma's veins and she knew if she turned to look at him she'd punch him, and that was being considerate. Figures a man was the root of her problem. Trusting men had never been in her favor, somehow, one way or another she drew the short end of the stick. She faced the consequences of their decisions.

No.

She couldn't blame him. It wasn't his fault, but she wished it could have been. Sometimes people can't help but pin the blame on others, to find a source to their problems and hope they can dispose of it. No, it was a bigger issue, something harder to fix and even harder to admit, she was to blame.

Emma wiped the stray tears from her face not willing to show the man weakness. "Yes?" she questioned in return through partially gritted teeth.

"Are—"

She cut him off, "I'm fine. Besides the fact I lost the only way home and you lost your chance at revenge, yeah, I'm good." Carefully, she rose from the ground brushing the dirt from her jeans. Looks like she'd be wearing those clothes for who knew how long. Still refusing to turn around her boots began moving away; maybe she could find Aurora and Mulan again.

"Wait, Swan." But the blonde kept moving forward, ignoring his words. "You're not leaving are you?"

Her jaw clenched, she really wasn't in the mood to put up with his sarcasm. "Yeah, I am. I'm going to look for another way home. Whatever deal we made, it's over because there's no portal and no compass."

"Aye, that it is, love."

Was he mocking her? Was he god damn mocking her?

"—But, I have another way."

Instantly, she stopped in her tracks. Her heal seemed to pivot before she even told it to and her eyes looked over to the pirate. "Fine, I'm listening." Mentally, she made a note-to-self to later yell at him for calling her 'love'.

Hook pulled the chain from around his neck. "Remember this?"

Emma crossed her arms. "The dried up bean you compared me to," she pursed her lips, "how could I forget."

A devilish grin flashed across his face. "No hard feelings love, although my jaw does still remember yours. Anyway, this lake, I'm sure you're aware of its properties given what just occurred."

"Yeah, it can restore things that were once…" her eyes widened as the pirate's smirk widened. "—The water will return the bean to being a, uh, magic bean," she spoke still not fully confident in the idea of magic.

"Exactly—we have ourselves a portal."

"So, the deals back on?"

"Course, love, it was never off in my books," he replied with a winked walking towards the small pool of water. Carefully, he lowered the dried bean into the lake. From just a dip the bean began to glow, a soft, warm glow—you could say hopeful. The soft light spread around the bean until the dark lump was a shining, glass-looking bean. "Now, I just need my ship, and we can sail to your realm."

A brow rose. "Ship," she snorted, "let me guess, the Jolly Rodger?"

"Aye, that would be she."

Right, Captain Hook, why had she ever doubted that detail would be different? "Okay then, how are we supposed to get to your ship?" Then it clicked. She felt around in her jacket pocket until she felt the glass. "I've got a little bit left. There might be enough for one shot at taking us to wherever you parked your ship."

"Anchored, it's anchored, Swan," there seemed to be a bit of defense in his tone much to Emma's amusement.

Her hands rose in defense. "My bad, Captain, my sea terms aren't exactly up to par; I go off the movies."

"What?" He raised a brow in confusion.

That thought of explaining what a movie was already brought on a headache. "Never mind. Point is—I'm not a pirate." She popped the lid off the dust as she stepped towards him. "Okay, one shot, so think, uh, Jolly Rodger."

He rose from the ground offering him her hand.

And once again, it was like déjà vu.

It was an inviting gesture, yet such a dangerous invitation. However, he'd helped this far, and she'd chosen not to leave him behind. They both knew how to play the game—to deceive—things would be better if he was on her side. With two witches with a dislike for her, she didn't need a hooked man also at her neck. Gently, she grasped his hand in her left, an unusual warm spreading up her arm. Her right hand tipped the bottle and like a waterfall the remaining dust fell from the bottle. Taking a deep breath she nodded at Hook and closed her eyes. Jolly Rodger. Hook's colorful ship-sails…wood…plank?

Just as before a glittering mist swirled around the two. Emma wasn't sure who let go, but once her feet stood on a new surface there wasn't a hand in her graps. Her eyes opened to a vast azure body, gently rocking the boat. Glancing down, the height took her by surprise. She was standing…on the plank. "Shit!" She wobbled forward and back; her toes were dangling over the edge. When I was thinking of planks, I didn't actually mean THE PLANK.

"Guess someone has been bad, why else would you be on the plank?"

She couldn't see him, but she knew there must have been a smirk on his face, one she'd be happily to remove. "Not the time to be joking. Are you going to help me—"

"Anymore weight, love, and that might snap."

Her arms shot out to balance herself. "Then why the hell have a plank you can't stand on?"

"Well, it's not for me, now is it."

The blonde huffed, trying to limit her movements. One wrong step and she'd go falling straight into the dark waters. She heard a creak behind her. Whipping her head around she saw Hook pressing down on the blank and with no time to reacts she bounced straight off the board down into the sea.

Ice.

The water was freezing as hell…or the opposite. Instantly, the water slammed into her body like a sharp needles pricking every piece of skin. She closed her mouth but a bit of water slipped down her lungs. With eyes closed, she swam to the surface, breaking through gasping for air.

She was going to kill that bastard.

A rope dropped beside Emma and she looked up treading the water.

Hook was looking down at her trying to mask a laugh. "Grab hold, Swan, I'll pull you up."

"Don't you d-dare laugh," she replied through chattering teeth. Her shaking hands grabbed a hold of the rope, which she couldn't really feel. Upwards, the rope moved, as she held tight, shivering. When she reached the top, Hook's hand was offered to help her aboard. Yeah, last time she trusted that grip. One arm around the rope she placed the other hooked around the rim of the boat and hoisted herself up. "What. The. Fucking. Hell." She grunted plopping down onto the deck breathing heavily.

"Quite a sailors mouth, Swan." He smirked down at her, arms crossed. "You didn't think I purposely pushed you into the water?" She swore his smirk widened. "Trust me, you were headed for that water either way."

Her breaths were coming out in short little puffs. The wind was not helping her shivers. "And I thought y-you w-were a gent-gentleman?"

He dropped a towel, which had been slung over his shoulder, on the blonde. "I am, here's a towel." He bent down and helped prop her up against the side of the boat. "However, I figured you'd know by now I am one for evening the field."

"Wh-what did I d-do to you?" she shot out, peeling her jacket off her wet body.

Hook pointed to his chin. "Not a pleasant right hook."

Emma had calmed a bit, feeling color return to her pale face. "I thought you could use one to go with your left."

"Funny."

She found it amusing. The sun was peaking out from the clouds, shedding warmth on her icy body. For a moment, her eyes closed, basking in the sunlight. A swirling, vacuuming sound shot ripped her eyes open and she shot to her feet.

Straight ahead looked like the center of a hurricane—the portal. It was a giant whirlpool… Well this should be fun. Emma glanced back to see Hook already at the wheel. Dear god, she hoped he was as good as captain as the stories made him out to be. Each step she took squished; she hated wet socks. "How long is it going to take?"

"Shouldn't be long. This is the fastest ship in all the realms." The pirate started to turn the wheel. "I'd hold on to something, lass, this is going to be a bit of a rocky sail."

Her insides were rising along with what felt like her lunch and she grabbed the rope of one of the sails. They were dropping down until the boat was sailing in what seemed like a ring of water. How? Emma decided she needed to stop questioning magic. Minutes later, they dropped into a new ocean, her realm's ocean.

"So, Swan, since we have some time, can I ask you something?"

Conversation, here we go. Emma seemed to lack in that department. "You ask me something? Thought I was an open book?"

A small laughed escaped his lips. "Aye, you are, which is why I know you were lying back there. When you knew Cora wasn't me."

Emma clenched the rope slightly.

"Ah, so I was correct."

Damn it. How could he read her so easily? She'd finally met someone who was just as good as reading lies. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Curiosity. Humor me, love."

"If you promise not to call me that again," irritation filled her words and she shot him a narrowed look.

"As you said before, never going to happen."

If she had a dollar for every time he smirked… Her hands dropped from the rope and she found a seat atop a wooden crate. "I don't know how to explain it," she spoke with a shrug. That was the truth; she didn't know how she knew. She looked back at the man who was now leaning against the railing. "Hook…shouldn't you be steering?"

"She's headed in the direction we want, so I can afford to step away for a bit."

Somehow that didn't make her feel any better.

"There's more too it, I saw it in the way you looked at me," his tone told Emma he was anything but convinced.

"Same," the word slipped out of her mouth. She didn't like how he could get under her skin, how he oddly was similar. "It was this look in your eyes—it wasn't the same. I know it's crazy, but you had this, I don't know, light in them." There was a pause, and then Emma chuckled. "I'm joking, don't look so serious. Cora didn't have a heartbeat," she spoke with her most convincing tone. Behind her smirk, she knew the first answer had been the truth, but she'd never admit it to him. She wasn't about to lower her guard, a long time ago she'd learned never to trust just anyone.

"Fine…" his voice sounded distant, skeptical, but didn't pry her more.

Then it was her turn to question. "Believe in true love?" She didn't know why she was asking. Love and relationships seemed to be a motif in their conversations.

The captain raised a brow. "Interesting hearing that from you, Swan, but perhaps."

Her next question was slower, "Was it Milah?" Again, she was treading, but in more dangerous waters.

Silence filled the air. If things weren't uncomfortable before, they were now.

"Aye," he finally replied, with no interest to continue.

True love, happy endings, all of it was too unbelievable and for her, frightening.

"And you miss never-been-in-love?"

"Granted who my parents are you think I would, but if it does exist…I have yet to find it." She wondered if she ever would. Constantly, scars from her past held her back.

"He hurt you didn't he?"

Emma hadn't expected that question as if Hook read her mind. Was she that obvious? She shrugged trying to mask her sadness. "Bad breakup, nothing to seek revenge upon." She looked over to him with a smirk. Variations of the truth, more and more she hid from him. She wasn't about to share her whole life's tragedy with a one handed stranger. And yet, he seemed to relate to her better than anyone.

"Ash. Rumplestiltskin, he crushed her heart into ash, she died in my arms."

Ash...it seemed familiar, at least dying in her arms. She couldn't even imagine what it must feel like with true love."I'm sorry…" barely a whisper.

"I think were more similar than you like to admit, Swan. Although, if only we weren't. I'm afraid our similarities are the negative point in our lives."

Sailing began to feel like navigating through a sea of emotions. She felt like a foolish teenager again, unable to process conversations. There wasn't any sign of him lying…of course, he was trusting her. Her eyes drifted forward towards the ocean and could spot a dock up ahead. As if forgetting their conversation she stood with a small smile. "Home...nice job, Captain."

E/N: I don't know why it took me forever to update, but I hope you liked it! Leave thoughts, improvements, or yell at me for the lateness. :P (Do I use too much dialogue?) Thank you so much to those who have stayed with this story, it means so much to me! I feel the next chapters will definitely focus on CS growing closer...this was a kind of bonding moment again. Stay tuned for more!