You know the drill, I don't own Hook or any of the pirates, though I wish I did.

This has been updated and changed, thanks to a great suggestion from Rolling Thunder Rose. Mary is no longer so blood-lustful, and Hook isn't as afraid of her; he is, quite frankly, a pirate hoping to get some. Also, I've cut out the music section to make room for Hook's attempted seduction.

Mary rummaged through the hold, throwing aside trunks of gold coins and jewels in her search for proper clothing. She found a knife, unsheathed it and found it to be quite sharp, and put it in her bodice for safekeeping.

"That arrogant pig... How dare he look at me that way!" she muttered under her breath, finally finding a chest containing dresses. She hated dresses, but what else could she wear at the moment? She found a simple green gown and a corset. Glaring at the confining thing, she put the corset on over her nightgown. Unfortunately, as with all corsets, the laces were in the back, and could not be tied without help. Fuming, she opened the door of the hold and stormed back into Hook's study. Ignoring his mocking look, she turned around. "Would you please tie this?" she asked through her teeth, humiliated at asking for help.

Hook watched the girl, her shoulders shaking with fury. She was much like him, whether she cared to admit the fact or not. He stepped up behind her, smiling wickedly.

"Of course, my dear..." he whispered in her ear as he bent down, but was stopped by a knife at his throat.

Mary held the knife tightly. "Put your hand, or hook, where it doesn't belong, and I'll cut off something else," she warned, pointing the knife to his groin meaningfully.

"Not a hand, nor hook." He swallowed nervously as she pulled the knife away. A little too much like him. Instead of dwelling on the fact that she had a knife, he bent to his task. Even though he was much more skilled at removing them, he managed to pull the strings of the corset quite tight, enjoying her small gasps of pain she gave every time he pulled the laces with his hook. He was careful not to cut her; he had perfected his control of the hook over the years. As he knelt down to attempt to tie it off, Mary turned to him, alarmed. "Oh, don't worry; I'm not going to try anything... I have to tie it off."

Mary's breath caught in her throat as she felt Hook's breath on the bottom of her back. He used his teeth to tie the corset strings, though Mary suspected he was taking just a little too long on purpose. When he moved back, she stepped as far away from him as possible.

"Thank you," Mary said shortly, pulling the dress over her head. He watched her put the dress on, and, on an impulse, put his arms around her waist. As he'd predicted, she reached for the knife she'd hidden in her bodice, only to be stopped by his hook at her throat. Keeping his hook at her throat, the captain moved closer, pushing her into the wall gently. He moved his hand up to her face, caressing her skin gently. He bent his head down slightly, taking in the scent of her. She trembled slightly at the feel of his breath on her; he was making her lose control, and she wasn't sure if she cared.

"Stop..." she said weakly as he kissed her shoulder. Hook laughed softly, tilting her head back with the claw, forcing her to look at him.

"Do you really want me to?" he asked, brushing her lips with his. Mary swallowed hard, her green eyes full of conflict. Did she? She knew he should, but that was another question.

"Is this how you seduce women? Put that cursed claw to their throats and-" She stopped as he turned her to face him, sandwiching her between the wall and his body. He bent his head down, his lips getting closer and closer to hers...

"Perhaps..." he whispered as he backed away from her, leaving her confused and shaken. He smiled; things were going perfectly. He would tease her, draw it out until she begged him to... but he shouldn't predict what she would do in any situation. He'd caught her off guard on this occasion, but he couldn't be sure he would again. Smiling to himself, he took off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Mary asked from behind him as he took off his shirt. He began loosening the harness and unbuckled the straps holding it together. It fell from his arm, revealing the useless stump that was his wrist. His arm and shoulders were red from the leather, but Mary was too preoccupied with the muscles that lined this handsome man's lean frame. She noticed that he had a crest of some kind tattooed on his right arm, and his last name in gothic letters on his left.

"The harness is very uncomfortable, as you can tell," he said as he turned to her, smirking as he saw her turning away.

"I should see about getting a room. I certainly don't intend to sleep with the crew." Mary looked over at the captain, not as nervously because the hook was missing, but another kind of nervousness filled her. She tried her best to ignore the contours of his body, but she couldn't. The attraction was undeniable, but she'd never submit to any man, not even James Hook.

"There's a room adjoining this one if you wish to use it." He pointed to a door across the room. "That one is mine," he said as he gestured to a door behind him. The rooms were linked by the study and were across the hallway from each other. Hook's smirk got wider as she looked at him, astonished. The spell he'd begun to weave on her was broken as the information registered in her mind.

"Why you swine! How dare you even suggest-!" Hook's smile faded as she marched toward him angrily, extended her palm and slapped him across the face. He touched his hand to his stinging cheek and looked at her angrily. He caught her hand as she tried to slap him again, and when he began talking, his voice was not an angry yell as she expected, but a growl.

"I should feed you to the crocodile! I'm trying to help you!" Both their eyes were blazing with intense anger, frightening by any standards. Mary pulled her hand from his and stormed toward her door.

"Fine!" she yelled back at him, opening the door and slamming it shut behind her.

When she was gone, he hit the desk violently, before moving to the window. He had given his word, and intended to keep it, no matter how difficult the promise would be, but a man could only stand so much! He desired her, that was true, and he had planned on seduction, but now? After their conversation, if one could call it that, he feared he wouldn't be getting anything from her except another slap across the face. As he sat at the desk, he had one thought: Envy not Hook.

Mary stormed to the bed, glaring at the door that connected her room and the captain's. She should have killed him for suggesting that their rooms be so close... And yet, he had given her a room of her own. It wasn't as though he had suggested that they share a room... not that she would have minded- Mary shook her head and stopped herself before she could go down that road. But who was she fooling? She was attracted to him, and that was that. Curse his good intentions!

Meanwhile, the captain busied himself in the hold. Mary was far too dangerous to leave angry, especially with the current living arrangements. He shuddered as he recalled her previous threat, knowing that she wouldn't hesitate to follow through on that. Captain Hook was not a man used to changing his routine for any living thing (the crocodile being another matter entirely), but drastic times called for drastic measures. He wasn't planning on dieing anytime soon, but it was hard enough to keep himself civil, but for her? He would need a miracle.

I have to admit, I like this version better... I really hadn't thought of how he would tie off the corset, and it lead into the semi-romantic scene quite well.