I'm starting to think there is no hope for me, but you guys don't seem to mind so what the hell? lol, enjoy.

...

Hook grabbed a cloth that lay on the floor next to him and soaked it in the cold water, squeezing it out as she spoke.

"C-cold," she said, teeth chattering.

"I know, I know," Hook said, dabbing her face down with the wet cloth, "we have to break the fever love."

"Are we… in the ocean?" Emma murmured, looking down at a few ice cubes in her line of sight.

"A very far way from it I'm afraid" Hook chuckled, putting the cloth down so he could carefully pour some water from the jug he found by the blankets into a cup on the floor. Carefully picking it up he tried to press it to Emma's lips. She turned her head away from the cup, lifting a shaky arm to clumsily push his hand away.

"No rum Hook," she mumbled. Well at least she knew it was him.

"I assure you m'lady," He said, using his stump to move her obstructing hand out of the way, "when you finally come for a drink with me it won't involve me pouring rum down your throat." He tilt the cup against her lips, which he was glad to see she drank, though somewhat slowly.

"I'm sure you'll be able to handle that all on your own," he smirked.


She continued to babble nonsense every so often while Hook remained to watch over her and make sure her head stayed above water, answering her sometimes nonsensical queries with nonsensical answers.

"Should I clean the confetti up?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure the pink trolls will do it" Hook replied.

"Ok" Emma said, as if that made perfect sense.

"What are those?" she inquired a few minutes later, squinting at the other end of the tub.

"Those would be your feet Swan."

"I have feet?!" Even though the situation was still somewhat serious Hook couldn't help bust out laughing at that one. At one point she looked at him and the haze seemed to retreat just enough to restore a moment of clarity to her.

"Killian?" she said softly, sounding surprised.

"There you are Swan," Hook greeted, somewhat relieved.

"What are you…" she trailed off, looking around her in confusion.

"Doing here?" he finished for her, "Seeing to it this fever doesn't get the best of you - only I am allowed to do that."

"M'fine Hook," she told him, trying to get enough air to put some strength behind the words and failing. She tried to get out of the tub and found she could barely sit herself up. Hook watched the attempt dryly.

"Hmm, clearly," Hook said sarcastically.

She held out her arm, "my phone. I'll call someone."

"When you already have such a dashing doctor?" Hook said feigning a look of shock,

"Now I know you're not thinking clearly."

"Famous Captain Hook playing nurse?" she asked sounding amused, a weak smile on her face as she closed her eyes.

"Hurt the rep a bit won't it?" she asked, sounding tired but still holding that edge of laughter in her voice.

"I won't tell if you don't love." She didn't respond and for a second he thought she'd fallen asleep again. But a minute later she opened her eyes once more and he could see the haze had returned in full force.

"Why's it snowing?" she asked, looking at the roof.

"Oh yeah, right as rain Swan," Hook said shaking his head; It would be the only coherent conversation they would have that night.


He tried to get her to drink more but was having trouble convincing her now that her clarity of mind had fled.

"Come on love, just a few sips," he tried to coerce, attempting to press the cup to her lips again only to have her turn her head away as she'd been doing every time he tried.

"M'gonna drown," she mumbled.

"No you're not love, you need to drink," Hook said somewhat exasperatedly. She was still too hot, sweating even in the ice bath - he needed to find a way to keep her hydrated or things would get worse. Emma reached up and traced her fingers along the stump of his wrist while he was trying to think of a way to get her to drink, abruptly putting his thoughts on hold.

"There's a piece of you missing," she said, looking at where his hand should have been as he slowly dabbed the sweat from her brow with the cold wet cloth.

"Only need one hand, two's a luxury really," he told her, watching her fingers trace small circles on his wrist. Though having his hand back would make getting her to drink considerably easier-

She moved her hand from his wrist and pressed it against his chest over his heart, freezing him in place instantly.

"Meant here," she said, sounding as if she was barely able to muster enough strength to make the words above a whisper, eyes only half open. For the very first time since he'd met her Hook couldn't think of anything to say. At a complete loss of words as her hand pressed against his heart and sent an almost electrical current through him, making it thud loudly under her gentle fevered touch.

"For someone so delirious you sure do see clearly love," he told her quietly.

"How is it you do that?" he asked aloud, though not really to her, he didn't think she'd answer. Which was why he was so surprised when her hand moved, grabbing his wrist gently and putting it over her own heart.

"Missing some too," she sighed, letting her eyes fully close. She was breathing as if that little effort had been the equivalent of sprinting. For a long time Hook just stared at Emma as she seemed to fade out of consciousness. Her fingers slipped from around his wrist and back into the tub, leaving his hand still above her heart. Her chest rose and fell as her heart beat just as rapidly under his finger tips.

"Too right lass," he said, "too right." Reluctantly he pulled his hand back after a minute of her shivering in her fevered sleep and shook her shoulder to wake her again.

"Come on love, still need you to drink."

"M'gonna drown," she told him again, shaking her head lethargically.

"Damnit Swan you're not going to bloody drown!"


After finally convincing her she would indeed not drown if she drank some water and a few creative threats -

"I'll call Snow Emma, damnit I'll do it"

"Don't, shellbee mad!"

- he finally got a least a few cups into her which was enough for him. Only his blonde firecracker could be such a pain in the ass in this state. It kind of startled him when he realized he'd just thought of her as his. She wasn't; well, not yet anyways.

"Not nearly that far in the game yet are we love?" he said to her, unscrewing the cap of his flask and taking a swig of rum.

"What are we playing?" she asked with a little confusion as she lifted her chin off her chest to blink at him.

"Hearts," Hook answered with a sly smile.

"No good at hearts - can we play checkers?" Hook started laughing again.

" 'fraid you'll lose?" she challenged, trying to sit up slowly in the bath. Hook gently pushed her back down, it was almost pathetic how little effort it took.

"I never lose, especially when the stakes are something I desire," he told her

"What're we playin for?"

"I told you love," he said, pressing the cold cloth to her brow once more, "hearts."

...

short I know, forgive me? :) have a good one guys!