She had thought all morning as to what to do. What to say. Contemplating Emma's suggestion, Elizabeth deemed it inappropriate for a reunion in front of so many people. She did not deal well with humiliation, and she knew the moment she saw him she would make a fool of herself.
But to bump into him as though it were an accident was just as ridiculous. She had finally spoken to Henry, apologizing for her behaviour. The young boy was much kinder than she remembered young boys to be when she had been his age. Henry had suggested meeting at the docks. It seemed to be Killian's favourite place, and for good reason she supposed. Henry would bring him, under the ruse of having something to show him. Well, it wasn't quite a ruse. She would be there. And as far as she knew, Henry had told Emma about his plan. How she wished she had known her mother to have that form of bond.
Elizabeth stood when she heard voices echoing against the wooden buildings. She gripped her hands in front of her, then gripped her dress, then again wrung her hands. "What am I doing?"
"I don't think I like the idea of you whisking me away to meet another woman, Henry." His voice was joking, teasing the boy. He sounded happy. The sound made her heart beat louder.
And then there he was.
He stopped when he saw her. Despite the foreign clothes, he was the same. The hook...it was shocking, and very aggressive looking. But everything else was the same. In a split second she saw it. No. He was different.
He smiled politely and took a few steps towards her. "Hello, love. The name's -"
"-Killian Jones! At your service, love." He drunkenly bowed, stumbling as someone passed by him to a table.
"Yes, everyone here knows your name, love." She stepped back away from him. "You've been telling everyone, every woman who walks through that door."
He pointed at her with a toothy grin. "Ah, but only because I was waiting for you. Come! Sit with me!"
Her better judgement told her to go home, to simply go home and rest before she had to get up and run her father's bakery. Go home, and never see this man again. But she found herself sitting down with him. She waved away the drink he offered her. "Someone has to look out for you. Who knows who will take advantage of you in your state."
"Are you offering?"
She rolled her eyes but pointed at a man across the tavern. "No, but he might."
Killian laughed and raised a glass to the man. "Get another drink in me and all bets are off." He eyed her as she sat there, looking anywhere but him. "You're nervous. Do I make you nervous?"
"Drunken men in general make me nervous."
"Afraid I'll take advantage of you, love?" When she winced he put his glass down on the table. "I've struck a nerve."
"Finish your drink and I'll help you back to your ship."
He obliged and downed the rest of the ale. "Did my brother send you to watch over me?"
"I was here before you, remember?"
Killian paused then laughed. "No. Not really."
At that she stood and offered him her arm. "Come along, Killian Jones." She braced herself when he took her arm and pulled himself up.
"Come along, Miss…" He thought for a moment and then frowned.
"Elizabeth Warren," she grunted as he fell against her, losing his balance. "And not quite strong enough. Try to keep on your feet, Killian."
She ignored the cat calls and cheers as they left the tavern. But she did notice Killian smack away a man's hand from her as they walked by. She looked up at him, but his eyes were elsewhere, slightly unfocused but looking ahead.
They continued in silence towards the docks. Few sailors were about, and the ones that were mostly ignored them. Elizabeth knew how it looked, a woman going back to a ship with a man, but something in her couldn't let him go back alone.
"Killian?"
She stopped when a tall, stocky man came down from a ship towards them. She scrambled to hang onto Killian, who lunged towards the man.
"Brother! Oh, hello! You missed a wonderful evening!" Killian was caught by the man, and he turned and pointed at Elizabeth. "She was the perfect gentlewoman. Only asked for my hand in marriage twice. I, of course, could not accept without my big brother's approval."
Elizabeth wiped off her dress, straightening herself. "You should keep an eye on him."
"I apologise, Miss. You're right. He is my responsibility."
She looked at the man and the weary look in his eyes. "He was my responsibility tonight. I was happy to do it."
The look on his face changed and he nodded, reaching into a pouch around his waist. "How much does he owe you?"
Her eyes widened and she took a step back. "He did not buy me. Perhaps your brother takes after you, assuming a woman is simply there for your pleasure. Or maybe you think so little of your brother that you assume a...night worker...is the only person who would be kind to him." She turned to go, leaving him speechless. "For the record, I'm a baker's daughter. My dowry isn't much but would still be more than his."
She glanced over her shoulder to see the man nearly carry Killian completely up onto the ship. A small smile made its way to her lips, rebelling against her better judgement. She had a feeling she would be ignoring it in the near future.
"Henry tells me you're from my time. I didn't catch your name."
There was no recognition in his eyes. Nothing of who he was before. "El...Elizabeth Warren."
Henry stepped forward, lines of confusion marking his face. "You don't recognise her?"
Killian looked at him, then back at her. "I'm sorry, love. We've met before? I...well, I didn't have the best manners when it came to women back then."
"I…" What was she to say now? Nothing could have prepared her for this. It was better to think of him as dead. "I wondered if you knew what happened to my city. You...were in port there frequently. Duncaster."
Killian nodded. "Aye, I remember the city. I.." He glanced at Henry. "When I was a servant on Captain Silver's ship. Then a few times while in the Navy. Nice port. Nice people."
But Henry stepped beside Elizabeth. "Killian, she doesn't look familiar at all?"
"It's okay, Henry," she said softly. "It was a long shot. He's lived a long life, which comes with a limited amount of space for memories." She turned to Killian and gave him a soft smile. "I was sorry to hear of Liam's passing. He was a good man." Elizabeth stepped around him but he grabbed her elbow. Against her better judgement she looked up to meet his eyes.
"You knew my brother? Who are you?"
"A baker's daughter, who took a liking to a sailor, and against her better judgement believed him when he said he loved her."
"I'm sorry if he broke your heart, love. I'm sure it wasn't easy learning of his passing. I also apologise for not knowing of you. He didn't share much with me, it seems."
"Killian…" She looked away and pulled her arm away from his gentle grip. "This was a mistake. I'm sorry, Henry. I know you wanted to help, you wanted to help me with my happy ending, but I'm a supporting character. I'm not one of the heroes in your book. I'm someone the author couldn't even be bothered to mention."
This time she didn't look back. For all he knew, he had never seen her cry and she wasn't about to change that.
