4."Do you…well…I mean…I could give you a massage?"

Captain Swan, season 3a divergence

It was quiet, so quiet in the night. Henry was asleep in one of the bunks; Neal had taken him there at some point in the evening so he could also lie down. They all have gone to rest, some on deck, some on the crew's quarters. Emma felt restless, even if the tiredness had crept to her bones. She walked to the deck, and without even thinking, her eyes drifted to the helm, expecting to see him there, a strong tall force guiding them home.

He wasn't and it threw her off guard. A lost boy was manning the helm, looking out at the horizon. He must have retired to his cabin for the night. Her feet took her below deck of its own accord, reaching the door of his cabin. It was slightly ajar and she could see him sitting on a chair, leaning down on his desk, a tumbler of rum in his hand. His coat and his vest were hanging in another chair, he was only wearing his black shirt and leather pants. He looked exhausted: his face held no smug mask, leaving only tiredness and loneliness.

She knocked on his door, bringing him out of his daze. He gave her a small smile. "Swan, is everything ok?" He asked politely.

"You were not at the helm, I – I was…" She trailed off as she entered his cabin and looked at his mesmerizing blue eyes.

"Aye. We are set on a good course, the wind is on our favor, and everything was in order, so I left one of the lost boys to man the helm for a few hours and retired to my chambers." He confirmed.

"You look tired." She gave him a sad smile.

"I didn't get much rest these past few days. None of us did." He said as he cracked his head to one side, stretching his neck.

Her hand reached for his neck, carefully caressing it, her fingers pressing against the tension she could feel in here. He sighed deeply.

"Your muscles are tense." She said.

"Many hours at the helm can do that, love." He replied, his voice strained. "I'll be fine after a few hours of rest."

"Do you want…? I- I could give you a massage." She offered nervously. "You know—to help ease some of the tension." She said and she prepared herself for the innuendo that was surely coming.

But he just looked at her confused "You need to rest as well, Swan. I don't want to be a bother."

"I- I want to." She said. "Let me…" She pleaded and he nodded, swallowing hard.

He turned around and sat backwards on the chair, so his chest was against the back of the chair and his back was in view. Emma slowly moved her hands to his waist, grabbing his shirt and pulling it over his head, exposing his upper body to her.

He had several scars crossing his back, marks of the years lived. The skin had different colors and textures, almost like a living map of his life. It was beautiful. She traced the line of a scar with her fingertips and he shivered at her touch.

She slowly started to work the tension off of him, starting at his neck and shoulders, but moving later to his shoulder blades and his lower back. She could hear his sighs, his groans, his subtle moans and they were nesting deep within her, making her body almost react in tune with his. At some point, she sat down on the small remainder space of the chair, her chest almost pressing against his back as she slowly caressed his shoulder blades and shoulders. Her arms circled his waist and she embraced his from behind, pressing her lips on the space between his shoulder blades. She felt him tense immediately.

"I –I think I'm done." She whispered as she stood up.

He turned around and sat rightly on the chair in the blink of an eye, his back resting against the back of the chair. And in one swift motion, he grabbed her wrists with his hook and hand and pulled her to him, so she was sitting in his lap, her chest facing his. He pressed his lips hungrily against hers, nibbling her bottom lip and when she responded to his kiss, he groaned and pressed his hand and hook on her hips, bringing her closer to him.

He kissed her shamelessly, his mouth plundering hers. When he finally broke the kiss, he looked at her, his breath ragged, panting heavily.

"Swan…" Was all he was able to say before she dove into him, pressing her lips against his and holding him tightly against her. She heard him groan at the back of his throat as he slowly stood up, tangling her legs around his waist. He continued to kiss her as he walked them towards the wall, pressing her softly against it. His hand and hook were supporting her as he moved to kiss her neck, her collarbone and she gasped and moaned at the effect his lips were having on her skin.

He stopped abruptly, disentangling her legs from his waist and carefully helping her stand on her own two feet. It took her a moment to regain her balance and when she lifted her head, she met his blue eyes, looking at her with confusion and agony.

He pulled away a little, giving himself some space. "What is this, Emma?" He asked and she could see how his eyes were half closed, as he was trying to prepare himself for the upcoming push back. "Swan, I – I can't…" He started but she cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips.

He opened his eyes and looked at her with fear and desire.

"I don't know what this is, Hook." She replied honestly, holding his stare and watching how he broke at her words. "But I know I don't want it to stop. Not yet." She confessed as she moved closer to him, standing and openly waiting for him to reach her. "I don't know how far I want to go, but I do know one thing…" She said.

"What do you know?" He asked in a whisper.

"That I want it to be with you." She whispered and looked at him with a small smile. He didn't move. For a second, he didn't move and all her fear of rejection came back rushing to her, all the ghosts of her past climbing up in her soul and she almost broke, she almost bolted towards the door and away from him.

But then he was there, his arms hugging her, holding her close to his bare chest and she could feel all of him in that very second. He pulled away so his eyes could meet hers and she saw his undying commitment to her. "Swan, we'll go as far as you'd want us to go, love. You just tell me and we'll stop." He pulled a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, smiling softly at her. "If it's too much, too soon, just tell me." She nodded and he leaned down to kiss her softly, very slow, savoring the moment.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked as he continued to kiss her slowly.

"Not yet." She replied deepening the kiss as her hands roamed on his chest, feeling his skin and his hair and it had never felt like this before in her entire life.

They moved slowly towards the bed and he took all the time in the world to just kiss her, carefully assessing her reactions and only exploring a little further after she'd assured him it was ok. At some point he discarded her shirt and marveled at the sight of her bra, smirking and teasing her while he explored her upper body.

And then he felt Emma's body stiffen and he immediately pulled away. She looked at him with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, I –I just..." But he cut her off, his lips pressing softly to hers.

"Don't apologize, love. Never apologize…" He said as he caressed her face and gave her an adoring look. "It's ok, Swan. It really is." He looked at her nervously. "Would you, perhaps, like to stay with me tonight? Would that be too much?" He asked.

She looked at him nervously and his eyes quickly looked away as he felt his cheeks starting to blush. He hadn't blushed in centuries, he recalled. And yet, here he was, like a besotted lad blushing at the thought of spending the night sleeping chastely with the lass of his dreams. "I feel like an inexperienced lad," He mumbled almost to himself, but she heard him nonetheless. And it made her tension break and she started to laugh sincerely and soon he was laughing with her. When she calmed down, she looked at him and smiled, "I feel like a teenager myself." She said as her hand caressed the scar on his cheek. "It's not like I'm a virgin. I have a son. You've met him. But this… this feels different. Somehow, I don't know why, but this feels different."

He looked at her from underneath his impossible long eyelashes and smiled. "I know exactly how you feel, Swan." He confessed and she smiled at him.

"I'd like to stay." She admitted more to herself than to him and he grinned at her. "Can I borrow your shirt?" She asked. "Jeans are very uncomfortable to sleep in." She admitted.

"You can borrow anything you want from me, love." He smiled smugly at her and she rolled her eyes. "I should be getting my sleeping clothes as well." He said and she looked at him intrigued. He got up from the bed and handed her his shirt, turning around to give her privacy to change. He went to his dresser and picked up a pair of white pants. He was changed in a second into the pants, his chest still bare. He turned around and found her on the bed, waiting for him. He climbed and lay down next to her, looking at her with a dazzled look.

"This is what you sleep in?" She asked intrigued.

"Contrary to popular belief, or your fantasies, Swan; I don't sleep naked. It's terribly drafty in this cabin and I tend to get cold when I sleep. So… yes, I do wear pants to sleep. Quite a revelation, isn't it, love?" He teased.

"Indeed it is." She admitted. "But you'll love the clothing in Storybrooke then… we have flannel pajama pants that are very warm to sleep in." She said as she snuggled to him. "You have to get a pair when we get back."

"Would you come with me to get them?" He asked intently as his eyes bore into hers.

"I'd very much like that." She confessed and he brought her closer to his arms. "Get to sleep, love. We need the rest." He leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips.

"Hook?" She said before drifting to sleep.

"Aye, Swan?" He asked, his hand caressing her arm.

"This is not a one-time thing." She admitted.

"I was hoping you'd say that."