Emma felt as if her heart suddenly hung looser in her chest, threatening to fall. Her hope of many years was now shattered, and all she could think about was how Ruby was right, how she should have never gone after the answer to the question of Henry's fate. She found herself wishing to go back to not knowing anything at all, placing her faith in the unknown, desperately hoping to meet him again some day. Now, knowing that her only lead was futile, her dreams of reunion seemed further away than ever. She felt tears gathering in her eyes, but held them at bay. There was still a pirate in the room and she had to deal with him. She cleared her throat and blinked, trying to muster every bit of experience she had gained over the last few years to renew her seductive attitude.

"Well then," believing that the only way to make him leave was to give him what he came for, she got closer to him and laid her hand on his chest, though her body felt numb and unresponsive. "That was a little awkward, but I do believe we still can-"

With a fierce look in his ocean eyes, he turned away from her and collected his hook, reattaching it. "You should go to sleep," he used a tone more similar to the one she knew from the voyage on the Jolly Roger, authoritative and harsh. "We'll be in town for the next few days, so you better sleep while you can, because my men will be coming back here tomorrow. There's not much to fuck on the high seas." He began walking towards the door, not looking at her. Her heart pounded heavily, and both strangely insulted by his lack of interest and overwhelmed by the turn of events, she felt a rush of defiance tingling in her fingertips. She was going to get every answer she could possibly milk out of him, even if the biggest question would remain unanswered.

"So why did you even bother to take him?" She yelled at his leather clad back, and the first couple of tears rolled down her cheeks. He froze, but didn't turn back to look at her. Stunned by this small victory, she hurried to continue. "If you were only going to get rid of him in the next town you got to, why even bother? Have you gotten soft over the years, or-"

Quick as a snake, he crossed the room and towered over her with a dangerous spark in his eyes. After six years of dealing with men who terrorized women for their own arousal and pleasure, Emma wasn't one to be easily intimidated by such a display, but there was something about this man in particular that made her animal instincts jump into action. She knew on some subconscious level that if he wanted to harm her, he would. "Be careful how you speak to me, woman." He hissed, and once again she was thrown back to the Jolly Roger, back to their nightly conversation. She gulped, standing her ground.

"Tell me why, then."

Rage was simmering in his blue eyes, and her entire body went rigid. Maybe she had gone too far. But there was nothing he could have possibly done to her that would have hurt worse than the news he had already delivered. "You are a whore," he said quietly, his voice peaceful yet venomous. "And I am the most fearsome pirate captain who sailed the sea over the last hundred years. And for a good reason, too. You ought to watch your words when you talk to me. I can make your life miserable with one slash." He moved his hook lightly, implying the full meaning of his words. "And as for your precious Henry, I just didn't think that a boy should see his mother as she becomes this empty shell, an excuse of a woman. I actually did you a favor, not him."

Emma wasn't impressed with the insults. This made sense to her. His ego was compromised and he was making up for it by calling her out on things he was really just thinking about himself, just like nearly every other man she knew. What didn't make sense, was the fact that after all these years, he remembered Henry's name. He said it with confidence. Crushing doubt began to flow through her. He was lying to her.

The captain may have interpreted her silence as defeat. "Good, I see you've run out of your little remarks." He growled. "And I hope that you've learnt your lesson, so that next time-"

"You have him." She interrupted him, her voice filled with wonder, the look in her eyes almost dreamy. "You still have him, don't you?" She could see that the pirate's face was getting pale, and noticed a light tremor in his lower lip. It was a long shot, but she knew she was right - his body betrayed him, giving him away immediately to her perceptive eyes. She couldn't believe her intuition was so easily confirmed. "Tell me!" she demanded, taking advantage of the shift in the balance between them.

She could see he was about to speak, but something changed his mind. He turned away and left the room with wide steps, leaving her behind, confused and upset. It was not long after when she arrived behind him in the dark corridor, trying as hard as she could to keep up with his pace. "Where are you going? answer me!" She called after him. They climbed down the staircase and crossed the lounge. As he opened the wooden doors, they both flinched at the cold - it was snowing outside. He seemed decisive, not looking at her as he opened the doors wider, struggling against the wind, and began walking outside.

She grabbed his arm tightly, not letting him go. "Stop right there, you coward!" She accused him with desperate tears shining in her eyes. "I can't go any further, I can't leave here. They will treat me as if I tried to escape." Her unvoiced begging was floating in the cold air between them. "Please," her voice was hoarse. Sincere.

He gave her a harsh look, snatching his arm away from her grip. "Yes," he finally said. "I have him."

Emma decided to go on with her interrogation, not waiting to process the feelings that were roaring under the surface, knowing that the way she plays her hand here could determine whether or not she sees her son again. She tried to think what question would serve her best, but only one came to mind - the question of a dreading mother who had just learnt that her young son had spent the last six years surrounded by pirates, isolated from the world outside the ship. "What did you have him do for you?" She whispered, evidently afraid to hear the answer.

The question seemed to have insulted the pirate in some way. He looked at her with disgust. "I didn't have him doing anything for me, lass." He hissed at her, hateful of her vile insinuation. "I've raised him as my own."

At that, an unstoppable stream of tears began flowing down her face. Not even in her wildest dreams did she ever imagine that this would be the case. "You have to let me see him." She whispered.

"I don't owe you anything, lass. If anything, you owe a great deal to me." He replied. "Besides, you said you can't leave here. I'm sure you wouldn't want Henry to see your new life." She detected faint traces of compassion in his voice. He must have been telling the truth, he really did care for Henry. And he was right. The madam had proven before that leaving the brothel was not an option, and the thought of Henry seeing her perform her acts was insufferable. Right before she began spiraling into panic, it dawned on her. As impossible as it was genius, as simple as it was unlikely.

"Buy me." She whispered, shocked.

"Excuse me?" Finally paying his full attention to her, his eyebrows were raised so high they nearly blended into his hairline.

"Buy me, and I'll work for you for as long as it takes to pay off my debt. It would be as if you loaned me money to buy myself from the madam."

"You must be insane." He shook his head at her with something that looked almost like pity. "What could you possibly do for me to pay me back?"

The answer was clear to her, almost obvious. "Anything," she replied solemnly. "If you need me to scrub your deck, I will. If you need me to learn how to fight and sail, I will. If you need me to entertain you and your men and keep you company-"

"Stop, stop." He seemed to have been disgusted with the idea of her joining his crew as their personal harlot, as she hoped he would be. "Not that I'm actually considering it, but humor me - what makes you think you're even up for sale?"

"Everything is for sale." She plainly said, beginning to shiver from the cold. She knew the odds on this were not in her favor. This was a lot to ask from a nearly-complete stranger, and a pirate, no less; but he had surprised her before. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something unexpected in his behavior, as if an inner conflict was constantly throwing him from one path to another.

"Not everything." He said, drily.

She took a deep breath in, knowing that they were nearing the end of their conversation. If she pushed him much further, he would lose interest. "Just tell me one more thing." She asked, and by some miracle, his tired eyes seemed almost attentive. "Is he well?"

The pirate sighed. She suddenly noticed the dark circles under his eyes, his fatigue, and something else. Small shreds of grief, coated with deep dissatisfaction. But his voice was softer than she expected when he spoke. "He's a wonderful lad." He chose to say. "He's growing into a fine young man."

With that, he left, leaving a trail of dark footsteps in the piling snow. Emma knew that she couldn't prevent him from leaving any longer. She turned on her heels and padded to her room in perfect silence.

-xxx-

A few days had passed, and it all began feeling like a distant dream. Emma decided not to tell Ruby anything. Hearing her take on it wouldn't do any good, and Emma already felt too fragile to handle criticism. Ruby didn't ask - Emma knew she'd just let it go unless she brought it up herself. It was the early afternoon, well before they were allowed to receive their first clients of the evening, so they walked around the parlor with the other girls, teasing the dining customers, advertising what could come later, if they'd be willing to pay.

"Red, Goldilocks, kindly join me in my office." The madam's voice was loud and clear over the noisy room. Emma and Ruby shared a confused look as she disappeared back into her office. As they entered it, she gestured at the chairs that were usually reserved for dignified guests, ordering them to sit.

"I called you here because apparently you both did an incredible job last night." She said with a crooked smile. "Both of your clients requested to see me in person about you. You, Red," she looked at Ruby and licked her lips with satisfaction, "Have received a wedding proposal from the governor's son." Ruby chuckled, amused, but mostly looking forward to hearing the next part. "I took the liberty of declining it, of course, but since you've been doing so well, I believe that you've earned yourself a quick stroll around town. One of the guards will accompany you, and you shall use this time to buy yourself something new to wear." Ruby's eyes glittered. Opportunities to leave the brothel had been all too rare. She glanced at her friend with disbelief and Emma squeezed her hand under the table.

"And you, Goldilocks." The madam's tone changed, suddenly a full octave lower. "I knew you were good. But I had no idea you were that good." Emma was baffled. She didn't remember doing anything special the night before, but perhaps she managed to hit just the right spots for her client, or maybe he was a virgin? Ruby looked at her with surprise and mock admiration, raising her eyebrows and nodding in appreciation. "Never, in my entire career, had anyone offered me so much money in exchange for buying one woman. And a pirate captain, no less!" Her breath hitched. What was happening?

Ruby responded faster than her, and tears of betrayal shone in her eyes. "Emma, what have you done?"

A/N: Thank you for reading :) I just wanted to say that you're very welcome to communicate with me via reviews, it really means a lot.