Emma took in the man before her, with raven colored hair and eyes the color of the bluest waters in Neverland. He was handsome for sure, but she had learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving. Glancing down she was shocked when saw that he had a gleaming silver hook where his left hand should be; how she missed that when she saved him she didn't know. In that moment she knew exactly who he was. Despite not interacting with many of the inhabitants of the island, she had heard of the band of pirates who had taken up occupancy in the nearby cove.
"You're Captain Hook," she stated.
Killian smirked slightly at the sound of his new moniker. The Lost Boys had taken to calling him that, afraid of the sharp appendage. "Ah! So you've heard of me?"
"Well, you have made quite a name for yourself since your arrival, or so I've heard," she said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Killian raised a curious eyebrow at her. "How so, love?" he asked.
Emma propped her elbow on the rocky shelf and rested her head on her palm. "Oh, you know. There's new occupants in Neverland, and their grown-ups... and pirates. One would have thought Pan's head might explode with the news."
Killian looked at her skeptically. "And how would you know how Pan reacted?"
"I was unfortunately in the demon child's presence when one of his minions came racing in to tell him of your arrival," she said as she rolled her eyes.
"Not a fan of him I take it," he said amused.
Emma scoffed. "Hardly. He can't stand the fact that I won't fall in line like the other mermaids, and do his bidding," she explained. Suddenly, her voice hardened. "I'm not like them at all."
Killian cocked his head at her. "What exactly does that mean, love?"
Emma's eyes shifted from side to side, clearly uncomfortable with the question. She turned back to him with a frown on her face. "What were you even doing here?" she asked suspiciously.
Killian was taken aback by the sudden change of subject, but decided not to call her out on it. "I was sent to retrieve something."
"What?" she asked.
"A rare stone, small about the size of a coin and emerald in color," he informed her.
Emma's face hardened immediately. "Did Pan send you here!" she hissed at him.
Killian's eyes widened at her sudden hostility. "Um...Yes," he answered hesitantly.
The blonde mermaid narrowed her eyes at him. "You can tell him he can go to hell!" She pushed herself away from the rocky shelf. "And you can go with him. He is never going to get his hands on it," she declared before turning and disappearing back into the water.
"Emma! Wait!" he called out, confused by her reaction. When he got no response, Killian debated about what to do next. He looked toward the mouth of the cave, knowing that Pan would be waiting for news about the stone. Except, for some reason he felt an inexplicable urge to follow Emma. "Bloody hell!" he whispered to himself as he stood up and made his way down the passageway until it opened up into a vast chamber.
"Go away!" he heard Emma's voice coming from behind the large rock formation that was in the middle of the chamber.
Glancing down the pathway he saw a line of small stones sticking out of the water, leading to the rock. He made his way to them, then carefully walked across and began to climb it. Upon reaching the top, he saw Emma at the bottom, her head resting on her arms with a melancholy look on her face.
"Emma, I don't understand. What's wrong?"
Emma turned her head at the sound of his voice. "I thought I told you to leave!" she said with disdain.
Killian swung his legs over the edge and slid down to the bottom until he was sitting beside her. "What is going on, love?"
She lifted her eyes to meet his. "You really don't know?"
He shook his head. "No. All Pan told me was to come to this cave, find the stone, and bring it back to him."
Emma could tell he was being sincere. She raised herself out of the water to settle down next to him. "This is what Pan's after," she said, tilting her head back.
Killian didn't know how he had missed it. Around her neck was a black choker, and in the middle of it sat a brilliant emerald colored jewel. "My God," he gasped, his eyes widening.
She lowered her head and brought her hand up to touch the stone. "I've had it around my neck since I arrived here."
"How did it get there?" he inquired.
"I...I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders, not meeting his eyes. "All I know is that it won't come off."
Killian looked at her in shock. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I have tried everything imaginable to remove it, and nothing has worked. It's like it's permanently attached to my neck," she explained.
'"Why does Pan want it?"
Emma threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "I don't know! I just know that ever since he first saw it he's wanted it. He has sent lost boys, other mermaids, and now you after it."
"Does he know you can't remove it?" he asked. But he was already pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Pan knows everything," Emma said in a weary voice.
Killian could feel the dread inside him rising at what that meant. "So, how did he expect me to bring it to him?"
Emma scoffed. "Probably with it still attached to my head," she said with a pointed look. "He most likely thought you, being a pirate, wouldn't think twice about killing a mermaid."
Killian felt anger course through him at Pan's trickery. "Well, he is going to be very disappointed."
Emma looked at him sharply. "Pan won't be happy that you returned empty handed."
"Not if he doesn't know I found it," he told her.
Realization dawned on Emma at what exactly he meant by that. "Lying to Pan is not a good idea."
"Sod Pan! I won't be his puppet!" he said with venom in his voice. Upon seeing Emma's startled expression he calmed slightly. "Apologies love," he said, bringing his hand up to scratch behind his ear.
"You would really do that?" she asked surprised. "Why?"
Killian couldn't explain to her why he would risk Pan's wrath by lying to him about finding her and the stone. Hell, he couldn't even explain it to himself. Why did the thought of any harm coming to her send an uneasiness right through him? "Because it's the right thing to do," he said vehemently.
"How very noble of you, Captain," Emma said with a smile.
"Killian," he replies.
"What?" Emma said.
"My name is Killian." He doesn't know why he is telling Emma his real name. Memories of the last person to utter his name made is heart clench, but for some reason it felt right.
"Killian," Emma said softly. "It's nice to meet you."
He reached over and grasped her hand, bringing it up to lips."You as well, my lady." He then placed a kiss upon the back of it.
She giggled and slapped her tail against the water. "My, you are quite the charmer."
"I prefer the term gentleman," Killian said winking at her before his playful manner disappeared and he grew serious. "I should head back."
Emma tensed. "Are you going to be okay, Killian?"
It had been a long time since anyone had cared about his well being and Killian didn't know how to feel about it. "Of course, love! I'm Captain Hook, and if there's one thing I'm good at it's surviving," he said cheekily.
Emma reached out to place her hand on his cheek. "Please be careful, Killian. Pan is treacherous. Don't underestimate him."
Killian saw the fearful look in her eyes and immediately sobered. "Aye. I promise," he said, taking her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
Emma nodded her head in acceptance and offered, "I'll help you get back to shore." She nodded again, this time towards the entrance of the chamber. "I'll go make sure nothing is lurking in the water," she said slipping into the water.
They made their way back to the mouth of the cave where Killian joined her in the water. Together they swam toward the shore until Emma could go no further. When Killian reached the shore he turned back toward the water to see Emma, where they held each other's gaze for a long moment until the blonde mermaid raised her hand in farewell then turned and disappeared back into the water. Killian donned his boots and coat, and started to make his way back through the jungle, on his way to face Pan.
