It was all passing by her as if she was standing on the side of a road and watching fast carriages go by. As Emma stepped out of the madam's office she found that one of the newer girls had already packed her things for her in a small bag, which was waiting for her, lying against the wall of the hallway. She was fairly certain that some of her things were stolen in the process, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Ruby's upset tears and baffled questioning were of little interest to her as well.
She was going to see Henry.
Six years had passed since she'd last seen her boy, and every time she tried to imagine what he would look like after all this time, she felt pain in her chest, pressuring her heart and her lungs.
The pirate who was waiting for her outside the brothel to escort her to the Jolly Roger was smiling at her with lustful malice. She was far from flinching at that, as she was very familiar with such intentions from men. She turned back to take one final look at the building that had been her home and her jail for years, only to see a lean silhouette that could only belong to Ruby decisively disappearing from one of the windows of the second floor. Emma decided not to wallow in the moment, promising herself that she would think about it later. For the moment, she only had one thing in mind.
As the screeches of the seagulls were getting louder, Emma's entire body was quivering with anticipation. She never dared to let her thoughts wander as far as actually imagining the moment she would finally meet her son. Would he recognize her? Would he run into her open arms and hug her, like he used to do when she got home all these years ago?
The Jolly Roger was floating calmly on the water, the cold winter breeze and the motion of the waves rocking it ever so slightly. It was hard to imagine that only a few days ago it endured such a terrible storm, along with its crewmen, who were now peacefully preparing to set sail once again, rolling the ropes into neat circles, repairing the remainder of the damage that was caused to the deck by the unforgiving weather. Never had a pirate ship seemed so inviting to Emma, so hopeful and full of promise.
She took a deep breath in, preparing herself, and then took a brave step forward towards the ship that held her future, only for a sour-smelling jute bag to be thrown over her head and her hands to be firmly gripped by her ill-mannered chaperone. She yelled and wrestled in protest, but he only laughed. "The captain requested your company in private before we introduce you to the rest of the men," he giggled hoarsely with a gleeful ring to his words that made her sick to her stomach. Right, she thought. The price.
Never had a man paid so much money to buy a prostitute, the madam said. As she was dragged on deck with the bag over her head to the sound of cheering pirates, she wondered how much time she would have to work for the pirate captain in order to buy her freedom. And even if some day she would succeed, who was to assure her that he would just let Henry run off with her to start a new life? A rough hand suddenly slapped her behind with enough force to hurt. She flinched in surprise and the cheering around her grew louder, as she continued to stumble across the deck and down a wooden staircase with spotlessly polished railing.
The bag was finally pulled over her head and she quickly adjusted to the dim candle light below deck, her eyes meeting an earnest looking Captain Jones, who sat behind a beautiful mahogany desk, the fingers of his healthy hand playing with a small, rusty compass. "Thank you, Mister Payne," He said. "You may leave us now."
"Aye, Captain," the man replied respectfully, throwing one last dirty look at Emma before climbing back up the staircase. Emma remained silent, not yet sure of the right way to proceed. The captain seemed to respond positively to her silence. He got up from his chair, but remained a few steps away from her. He was tall and swarthy, his dark hair and scruff adding to his threatening appearance.
"First," he spoke quietly, but she heard him very clearly in the small cabin. "As long as you are on my ship, you will only address me as 'captain'. Yes captain, no captain, right away captain. Are we clear about that?"
"Yes, captain." Emma answered in a shaky voice. Following orders wasn't new to her, but the current situation was nearly unbearable, knowing that Henry might have been only a few feet away from her for the first time in years
"Secondly, as you may have reckoned, I have personally paid good money for you to be here. For you, this means that you now work for me." He slid a long finger across his hook mindlessly. "You will scrub the floors, wash the dishes, fill my every order, but you will not be paid." He seemed to notice Emma's surprise, because his coal-black eyebrow raised in question. "What?"
Emma swallowed hard. "I guess I just thought-"
He interrupted her with a dangerous, slashing tone. "This is not a conversation between friends. I am your captain, and if you don't learn to behave yourself soon enough you will be punished for it."
"I'm sorry, captain." She lowered her head in humility, only glancing up for a brief moment to meet the scorching blue rage in his eyes. "What I was meaning to say, captain, was that when I heard of the transaction between my former employer and yourself I assumed that you intended for me to entertain your crew."
His gaze remained sealed. "You are not to lie with any of them under any circumstances." He simply said. "And you are not to ask any further questions unless I explicitly allow it." She nodded, beginning to catch up on the rules of the game. "If needed in battle, you will fight for us. If you are not trained for combat, I suggest you find someone to teach you. Nobody lives on my ship unwilling to fight for it. Was I clear?"
Emma put her best efforts into listening carefully, knowing that her security depended on it. But she could help but nervously eyeing her surroundings, hoping that by some miracle Henry would appear out of the blue. "Yes, captain," she managed to blurt.
"Good." He lingered in the silence for a moment longer before speaking. "You must be wondering why I brought you here," he said. "And the truth is that I'm not entirely sure myself, but generally speaking, I brought you here for Henry's sake. A boy his age should have a mother, and none of us here are qualified for the job." Emma's eyes shone at the mention of her son's name. "And yet, should you prove to be of no use to me, I will not hesitate to discard you at the nearest port town. Henry will be fine, I assure you. He already has a family."
The captain's last words filled her with desperate determination. She would stay on the Jolly Roger no matter what it would cost her. Never again would she be separated from her child by slave-trading pirates. "I understand, captain." She whispered.
He nodded. "Boy!" He raised his voice, causing Emma to freeze and her heartbeat to quicken. "Boy, c'mere!" Swift footsteps were heard from the staircase, followed by the appearance of small, brown boots, skinny, leather-clad legs and a young face under a brown mane of tangled hair. Emma's jaw dropped, her eyes filled with tears.
"Aye, captain?" He obediently inquired, so enthusiastic to please that he seemed to hardly even notice someone else was standing there. The captain ruffled his hair and pulled him to his side, so that he locked eyes with Emma. She saw recognition sparking in his eyes.
"Henry, I have someone important for you to meet. This is your mother."
"Hello, dear," Emma said, her throat closing with emotion. Henry stared at the captain, as if looking for approval, and the latter nodded at him, confirmingly.
"Your mother was kidnapped the day I took you in," He simplified.
"I remember," Henry said with a small voice. "Is she staying?" he asked, his gaze still locked with the captain's. Emma felt as if the entire conversation was over her head, between the pirate and the young man her son had apparently become.
"For now, she is." The pirate assured him, and finally, finally, Henry turned to look at her.
"You had to go, right?" He asked her, and she could hear the subtext ringing clearly in the small cabin; you wouldn't have left me if you had a choice, right? Emma nodded her head frantically, her eyes never leaving the newfound connection with Henry's.
"I would have never let you go otherwise." She told him, her voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to give you your best chance."
At that, Henry took a few hesitant steps towards her, and then timidly wrapped his hands around Emma's waist. Her body responded automatically, as if remembering what the mind had already almost forgotten. She wrapped her hands around him and got down to her knees, and a sharp sob escaped her lips. Henry wasn't frightened. "My baby," she cried. "Oh, my baby. I've missed you so much."
"I've missed you too," Henry confessed. How confused must he be, she thought to herself. She buried her tear soaked face in her child's cotton shirt, and then stood up to find the captain staring at the reunion with a strange expression on his face. Henry detached himself from her embrace and returned to the captain's side. This must have been a lot for him to process. The captain cleared his throat.
"Payne will show you around. You will begin by replacing Smee in the kitchen. You may leave us now, thank you… What should I call you?"
"My name is Emma Swan," she said, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Run along, then, Swan. Remember what we discussed. We set sail in half an hour."