Taking Back Neverland, Chapter 5
CS Genre: Actors who "hate" each other au
"Alright everyone!" Leroy shouted. "That's a wrap for the day."
Emma took a deep breath and let it out, slowly transforming from Anna Swan back into herself. She glanced at her watch as Leroy droned on with his reminders about the schedule for tomorrow. 5:00. That was the earliest they'd ever wrapped for the day.
Regina was giving them a night off. This was a day to mark on the calendar. (Leroy said it was because they were ahead of schedule and the day's shoot had gone unusually well, but…well, Emma suspected the reason for the early wrap had more to do with Robin visiting the set and asking Regina for a date. Whatever the reason, Emma wasn't complaining.)
"Hey Emma," Mary Margaret said, coming up to join her, "David and I were thinking about getting some dinner at The Big Bad Wolf. Wanna join us?"
The Big Bad Wolf was a favorite of the cast and crew. A little diner run by a no-nonsense lady known only as "Granny", it had good food and an even better atmosphere.
"Sure," Emma said, "I don't think we've hung out since filming began. Sounds good."
"Great!" Mary Margaret said. "How about we meet you guys there at 6?"
Emma narrowed her eyes. "You guys? Mary Margaret who exactly is coming to dinner?"
Mary Margaret looked aside, took a deep breath and then pasted on the fakest smile Emma'd ever seen. "Well, you…and Killian."
"Mary Margaret!"
"Now, Emma," She said with a placating gesture of the hand, "just…calm down. You know Killian doesn't really have anyone and it's sad to think of him going home and eating alone."
"You sure this is really about concern for Killian?" Emma asked, arms crossed. "You sure it's not, I don't know, an attempt to matchmake?"
Mary Margaret held up her hands. "In this, I'm innocent. It was actually David who asked him."
"David, really? Why would David ask him?"
Mary Margaret shrugged. "Ever since the two of them filmed that scene this morning where Hook saves Charming, the two of them have been inseparable. I'm telling you; the bromance is strong between the two of them. You'll break your brother's heart if you insist on excluding his new best mate."
Emma laughed. "Fine; wouldn't want to break David's heart. I guess I can endure one dinner; especially since you and David will be there."
"Emma," Mary Margaret said, shooting her a thoughtful look, "don't you think maybe you're being a little too hard on Killian? I mean, he's been nothing but a gentleman, far as I can see, and the two of you seem to get along really well."
Emma felt vaguely uncomfortable, the words hitting home. She dropped her eyes and let out a long breath. "Yeah; he seems like a great guy, but I've had experience with people who seem like great guys and…well, you know how that ended up."
Mary Margaret was silent for so long, Emma finally looked up. The compassionate look in her sister-in-law's eyes was nearly her undoing. "Not every guy is Neal or Walsh," she said finally. "Trust me; I know. Your brother is proof of that. Emma, that wall of yours may keep out pain, but it may also keep out love, and let me tell you, love is so worth it. Just a little food for thought."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Killian took another bite of his burger, chewing thoughtfully. The silence in the little booth at the back of the diner was nearly deafening. He'd been flattered when Dave had asked him to dine with his family—and he was not above admitting he was more than a little bit pleased to hear David's lovely sister would be joining them.
This tense silence was not what he'd been expecting.
Oh things had started out splendidly, the four of them talking and laughing about happenings on set, but no sooner had they placed their orders than Mary Margaret made a mad dash for the restroom, coming back a few minutes later citing a sudden case of extreme nausea. David had promptly offered to take her home insisting Killian and Emma go ahead and enjoy their dinner.
Killian would have suspected shenanigans on the lovely Mrs. Nolan's part but for the fact she did appear rather green. Not that he minded having a cozy one-on-one dinner with Emma Swan.
But the lady herself certainly seemed to. She hadn't spoken so much as a word since her brother and sister-in-law had departed some quarter of an hour ago. Perhaps a bit of levity would shake her out of her mood.
"You know," he said, allowing a hint of 'Hook' to enter his voice, "some men would take your silence as off-putting, but I love a challenge."
The corners of her lips curved up in spite of herself "Really?"
"Aye," he nodded sagely. "Fortunately, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book, darling."
"That so?"
He nodded again, the smile suddenly sliding from his face. Aye; he could read her, and right now what he saw written plainly across her face was pain, wariness. The need to comfort, to protect rose up in him once again.
But if he was to comfort, he needed to know what it was that caused her such distress. "Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? Tell me love, have you ever even been in love?"
She shot him an alarmed look, dropped her grilled cheese, and took a quick sip of her iced tea. Finally, she squared her shoulders. "No. I have never been in love."
He'd crossed one of her indefinable lines and well he knew it. He sighed. "Look Emma, I'm sorry; it was none of my business. I shouldn't have pried…"
"No, no," she said, glancing away again, "it's fine. I guess I'm just kind of in a mood tonight. I'm sorry I'm so…well, you know, grumpy."
He smiled reassuringly. "It's no problem Swan. Your sister-in-law's illness thrust us into a rather awkward situation. We seem to get on well enough between takes on set. Perhaps we could imagine we're merely in the breakroom enjoying a much needed rest."
She smiled. "Sounds good to me."
His grin turned decidedly wicked. "So, love, since we are on set, I must ask you; how's the hand?"
Her cheeks took on a delightful rosy hue. "What even was that, Killian? I think I missed the line in the script where you were directed to tie the stupid scarf with your freaking teeth!"
He laughed. They'd filmed a scene that afternoon involving a bit of first aid…and an entire jungle worth of flirtation. Anna had tripped over a tree branch in Neverland's jungle and cut her palm. Hook, ever the gentleman, had bound up the wound with his own scarf.
He shrugged. "I felt a bit of improvisation was in order."
"Yeah, well…warn a woman before you pull out that level of smolder."
"And where would be the fun in that?" he asked with a wink. "I was hoping to elicit a genuine reaction, and you, darling didn't disappoint."
She huffed. "Could you just…stop smirking at me like that and pass the salt?"
He couldn't quite manage the first, but he did pick up the salt shaker and slide it across the table, the action pushing up the sleeve of his black shirt. Emma glanced down, and Killian recognized the exact moment she noticed the tattoo.
She shook a bit of salt on her fries, and then turned speculative eyes in his direction. "Who's Milah, on the tattoo?"
The pain slammed into him, along with memories of shattering glass, twisting metal and agonizing grief. Self-consciously, he pushed the sleeve back into place. "Someone from long ago," he finally ground out, hoping his short reply would end the conversation.
No such luck.
"Where is she?"
"She's gone."
For a moment, Emma merely looked at him, and Killian got the sudden impression he wasn't the only one who could read the other like a book. Suddenly understanding came into her eyes. "That accident…the one that was in all the papers a few years back…it took more from you than the use of your hand, didn't it?"
"For someone who's never been in love," he said, desperately wanting to turn the conversation away from him and the most painful moment of his life, "you're quite perceptive."
It was her turn to glance away. "Maybe I was once…or twice."
And they were not pleasant experiences; he could see that plain enough. "What happened love? Who hurt you?"
He didn't expect her to answer, fully expected a cutting look that ordered him to keep out. But she surprised him.
"First time I fell in love, I was a kid," she said, picking up her fork and idly pushing her uneaten fries around her plate. "I was, I don't know, sixteen? A runaway from the system. Neal was a few years older, experienced, exciting."
"What happened."
"Long story short, he was nothing but a petty thief. Maybe he loved me, maybe he didn't; I'll never know. But a few months after we started dating, he ran off, planting a couple of his stolen watches in my hotel room. Next thing I knew I was in the slammer and…pregnant."
He sucked in a ragged breath.
"I was hardly mom material, so I had to give my son away."
She spoke in an off-hand manner, but Killian could feel the waves of pain radiating from her. He slid his hand across the table and took hers. She didn't pull away, a fact that spoke of her distress more than anything else could. "I'm so sorry, love."
She shrugged. "It was a long time ago. I was adopted by David's mom not long after I got out of jail and things really turned around so…I guess it all worked out?"
He hated to push her, but there was more; he could feel it. Best he take advantage of her temporary openness. "You said that was the first time you were in love. Were there others?"
"Just one more," she answered. "It was, I don't know, five years ago or so. I was trying out for a part in that new remake they did of The Wizard of Oz. I met one of the guys who played a flying monkey that first day of try outs. Walsh was his name. The whole him being a flying monkey thing? Yeah, should have been my first clue."
"What happened with him?"
"We started dating. Things got serious pretty fast, and he even proposed. I thought everything was going well…at least until I got a call back for the roll of the Wicked Witch. He kind of…went ballistic, yelling at me and then storming off. Turns out he wasn't actually into me at all. He was working for Zelena Mills, who wanted the job for herself. He was supposed to keep me occupied so I couldn't actually try for the part."
She fell silent for a moment. "Do you know what the icing on the cake was? It wouldn't have mattered anyway. Me trying out or me not trying out, Zelena still got the part."
"I'm sorry, Swan," Killian said, "but if it's any consolation, I heard Zelena was a nightmare to work with on set. Absolutely bat-shit crazy, that one. I'm not exactly seeing a long and illustrious career for her."
Emma laughed in spite of herself and squeezed his hand before pulling away. "Actually…that does help. Thanks."
Killian laughed, and then sobered. "Swan...you deserve better. Better than both Neal and the flying monkey. I sincerely hope you find it."
"Thank you," she said, and he could see in her eyes that his words had truly touched her.
He shrugged, scratching at a place behind his ear. "You're welcome, love. That is, after all, what friends are for."
"Is that what we are?" Emma asked. "Friends?"
"I'd like to think so," he said. "I've no wish to hurt you or make you uncomfortable. So what do you say, Swan? Shall we be friends?"
She looked closely at him and then nodded, a small smile on her face. "Yeah, I could go for that. Friends it is."
Notes:
-Okay, I lied, I didn't make it to that "pivotal scene" this week. The dinner and revelations and all of that just took WAAAAAAYYY too much space! But the pivotal scene is definitely coming in the next chapter, and considering the movie is shooting in basically chronological order and in this chapter they talked about Hook saving Charming's life….I'm betting you can guess just what that pivotal scene is!
-This story is, of course, about Neverland and follows the events in that arc, but how on earth do you have a proper CS au where the two of them fall in love without at least referring to the beanstalk episode? I mean that was a classic! Thus, I moved the hottest moment of first aid ever to Neverland for use in their movie. I also wanted to bring in the Captain Charming bromance, and a bit of supportive, season 1 roommate Mary Margaret and her useful advice.
-Up next: Emma's feeling better about Killian and working with him after their conversation and decision to be friends. That is, at least, until work the next day where the two of them spend a significant amount of time filming a certain scene that Emma's been dreading (and maybe secretly looking forward to) ever since she found out Killian would be her costar.