Adventures of a Deckhand
CS Genre: Deleted scene (4x22)
Hook returned to the wheel of Blackbeard's ship—his ship, he supposed, as the lad had handily commandeered it for him—his heart gradually slowing to a normal speed as the golden-haired beauty disappeared below decks.
What a day this had been! He'd never been one for adventure; he was far too timid for that, but somehow on this day alone he'd found himself stealing his captain's vessel, rescuing a beautiful woman from captivity and fighting a dragon. What strange spirit had taken over him? He quaked in his boots simply thinking of the ramifications of his actions. When Blackbeard found him, as he inevitably would, there would be bloody hell to pay. He'd be lucky if the fierce pirate captain merely skinned him alive.
And yet…despite the fear, despite the part of him that wished nothing more than to curl up into a ball and hide, despite all of it, he couldn't find it in himself to dread what had befallen him this day. From the moment the lad—Henry, was it?—had stepped aboard the Jolly Roger, Killian had felt a kinship with him, almost a sense of déjà vu. He had no bloody clue why, but he trusted the boy, believed in him, felt compelled to help him in any way possible.
And so, after he'd helped Henry stow Captain Blackbeard's unconscious body behind crates along the docks, they'd sailed away toward the fathomless sea to rescue the woman trapped in the tower.
Oh he'd heard of her before. Who hadn't? The crazy, shrieking hag who lived in the tower was legendary. The queen had imprisoned her there when her magic had become unstable, endangering all in the kingdom. It was perhaps the only truly magnanimous thing Queen Snow White had ever done.
More than once on their short journey to the tower, Hook considered turning the ship around, demanding the lad find another champion, groveling to Blackbeard, begging for forgiveness, and yet…something had compelled him to press on with the mad scheme.
Hook didn't know precisely what he'd expected the witch in the tower to look like, but the flaxen haired angel who'd fled, light-footed down the staircase and literally into his arms was most assuredly not it. She was quite possibly the most exquisitely beautiful creature he'd ever seen. The sight of her had his stomach swoop and his heart race.
But nothing could have prepared him for her reaction to him. Once she'd regained her bearings, she hadn't stepped back from him, rather, she'd placed her lovely hands against her chest and gazed up at him in awe and wonder, almost…dare he even think it?...love. Had anyone, anyone ever looked at him like that? Him! Deckhand Hook! The coward Captain Blackbeard had kidnapped and forced into service. The man who was more likely to turn tail and run than to fight. The man pirates and barmaids alike laughed to scorn for his inability to tolerate rum. The no one the lasses in the taverns rejected in no uncertain terms anytime he showed the slightest tendency to fancy one of them.
Yet despite who and what he was, this gorgeous woman, mother to the brave lad, Henry, had gazed at him as though he was everything she'd ever wanted.
After a moment of staring mesmerized into the woman's eyes, Hook had finally blinked, coming back to himself and remembering his manners.
"Pleasure," he'd croaked out, extending his one remaining hand toward her.
This seemed to break the moment for the woman as well. She'd blinked, shook her head slightly, and then turned to walk away.
"Yeah…right," she'd said, "We need to get going; we've got a wedding to stop."
He hadn't the first bloody clue what she was on about, but it simply didn't matter. He'd follow this woman and her son into hell itself should she lead him there.
As it happened, the rescue hadn't ended with getting the woman, Emma, out of the tower. Her black guard was no ordinary soldier. She was a dragon. A bloody dragon! It would seem the Wookie Prisoner Gag (whatever the devil that was) was no match for such a creature.
Hook had watched, frozen in horror as the beast burst through the tower, scattering bricks and mortar in her wake.
But Emma, the brave lass, had no such qualms. "Henry! Get below! Now!" she'd ordered the lad, and then she'd turned back to him. "I need you to load the canons with chain shot. Come on! Now! Hold your fire till I tell you."
Despite the fear that clawed at him like a living thing, he'd snapped to at the authority in her tone. Come what may, he'd no doubt the dragon was no match for this fierce, glorious woman. She'd lured the creature toward them, waiting until the beast was within range of the canon, and then ordered him to fire. They scored a direct hit, and the dragon fell crashing into the sea.
After a moment to celebrate their victory with a healthy swig from his flask of goats milk (which Emma did not seem to favor), Emma had returned below decks to reassure Henry of their safety.
And so here he was, standing at the wheel, setting their course toward the shores of Misthaven, wondering what adventures were yet in store for him.
"Henry'll be up in a minute," Emma said, climbing out of the hatch and striding purposefully his way, "he just wanted to look at the maps in the captain's cabin. You don't mind, do you?"
Hook's jaw dropped. Emma had changed, exchanging her robe for pants, a billowing white blouse and a blue vest. She was stunning. Absolutely exquisite. His mouth went dry and his heart skipped a beat. She'd asked if he had any more practical clothes she could change into, and he'd suggested she try the cabin boy's chest. Never had he imagined the simple attire could look so fetching and entrancing.
"Um…Killian?" she said, stepping up to him, so close he could smell the lavender scent of her hair. "That's not a problem, is it?"
Hook blinked, shook his head, desperately tried to regain his bearings. "What's not a problem, love?"
"Henry looking over the maps in the captain's cabin."
Hook shrugged. "No doubt Captain Blackbeard wouldn't allow it, but Captain Blackbeard isn't here, aye?"
She took a step even closer, that look of adoration back in her eyes. "No he's not, and for the record I'm really, really glad. There's no one I'd rather have help Henry rescue me. No one I'd rather be fighting beside."
Hook warmed at the praise, the confidence, but he couldn't help the slight furrowing of his brow. "Might I ask you a question, love?"
She shot him a playful look and knocked his hip with hers. "Looks like you just did."
He chuckled. "So I have. Perhaps you'll permit me to ask another?"
"You can ask me anything, Killian," she said, turning serious once more. "You have no idea how much I've missed you! How much I've missed our conversations."
"That's precisely it, Love," Hook said. "You treat me with a level of familiarity that astounds me. Not that I'm complaining, to be sure, but it seems curious. I've never laid eyes upon you before this morning; I'm quite certain I'd never forget meeting one such as you; and yet you act as though you know me, even use my given name. How is it you seem to know me?"
She looked at him for a long time, her green eyes moving back and forth between his, as if trying to decide how to answer. At length, she seemed to come to a decision.
"This…is going to be really hard for you to believe, Killian," she began hesitantly.
"I'm all ears, love."
Emma leaned against the railing of the ship, looking out to sea and letting the breeze play in the wispy hair that framed her face. After a moment she turned back toward him. "I act like I know you, Killian, because I do…or at least a version of you."
"A…version of me?"
"Yeah," she said with a secret smile. "You'd be surprised how many of those are running around out there. At least this time I'm pretty certain you won't knock yourself out."
"I won't, what?"
"Never mind," she said with a wave of her hand. "I don't know quite how to explain this, but this life you're living? This reality you know? It's…actually not real. You, me, all of us are stuck inside this really twisted storybook that the author created so that he could give himself his happy ending."
Hook's brow furrowed farther, but he didn't interrupt.
"Gold really did a number on you, trying to take your courage, your willingness to do anything for those you lo…care for. Trying to turn you into a coward."
"Gold?" Hook said, "I'm afraid I don't know this man."
"Rumplestiltskin," she said, "the Light One."
"The Light One? Why should he wish me harm?"
Emma chuckled softly. "You two are mortal enemies. Of any of us, you were the one he was more likely to try to screw over. Of course he'd try to make you a coward!"
Hook felt his heart drop to his toes. "I'm afraid, if this Gold intended to make me a coward, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams."
She turned him toward her, placing her hands once again against his chest, her head shaking emphatically. "Hate to disagree with you, but no he didn't. He failed just as spectacularly as he fails at ever evil scheme he tries. You are not a coward."
Hook broke eye contact, looking down at the deck of his ship. "I'm afraid you do not know me well, love."
"As it turns out," she said with a secret smile, "I know you better than you know yourself, and let me tell you, Killian, you are not a coward! Look at what you've done today. You saved me from my tower prison. You fought a dragon. You followed the kid even when he wanted you to steal your ship back from your captain. None of those are acts of a coward. I think you sell yourself short."
Heat blossomed within his chest, pride, joy, boundless affection for this woman he'd only just met. What she spoke was nonsense, absolute lunacy. They lived in a storybook created by an out-of-control author and in another world he was brave and selfless? Absurd!
And yet, he trusted her, trusted this Emma with every fiber of his being.
"I…" he began, hardly knowing what he'd said, "my thanks. You've no idea what such confidence means to me."
"Oh, I think maybe I do," she said, smiling that slow, secret smile at him again. "Your confidence in me has never wavered, and it's given me strength to do some of the most difficult things of my life."
Killian opened his mouth, prepared to respond, when Henry poked his head out of the hatch, and then scrambled on deck. "Hey look, guys! Looks like we made it!"
Turning in the direction the lad indicated, Killian saw the port of Misthaven looming ever closer.
"Right you are, my lad," Killian said, turning his attention back to the task of making berth at the docks in the busy port town.
"Great!" Emma said, turning to give her son a one-armed hug. "When we land, how about you see if you can scrounge us up some food, kid, and I'll see if I can jog Killian's memory when it comes to sword fighting. Sound good?"
Killian smiled. Oh, there was no doubt. There would likely be ramifications of this day, but whatever they might be they were worth it. He'd not trade this glorious adventure for all the goat's milk in the Enchanted Forest.
Notes:
-Happy Friday everyone! What an emotional week it's been within the fandom, hasn't it? First we had the absolutely amazing, swoon-worthy Captain Swan wedding, and then we learned that Jennifer Morrison won't be returning next season. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows all within the span of 12 hours! It will be sad to lose Emma (and thus our chance to see CS every week) next season, but I am glad we get a seventh season. It will be interesting to see where the showrunners go from here, but regardless, CS still lives on as beautiful and central as ever in fanfics!
-This week's story was in response to a prompt sent to me by both TutorGirlML ( snowbellewells on Tumblr) and searchingwardrobes on ao3. Both wanted to see a little more of Emma with Deckhand!Hook. When I was considering what to write for this prompt, something stood out to me. During the sword fight training, Hook obviously knew of another him in a different life, so I figured Emma must have told him about the real world at some point between fighting dragon!Lily and landing in Misthaven. Seemed like a good subject for Fluffy Fridays!
-With an official renewal of OUAT for a seventh season, comes what you might call a renewal of Fluffy Fridays. I have enough prompts to keep me going for probably most of next season, so this massive anthology will continue on!
-Up next: I'm not sure. I'll just have to wait and see what the muse wants after Sunday's season finale!