Chapter 14

The Dangers of the Sea

As soon as he spots the ship pursuing them, Killian steps toward the helm and into the persona of a real captain. He barks orders at Emma and Elsa without sparing the time to properly beg favors of two powerful royals.

Emma isn't sure she can handle taking orders from anyone, even Killian.

Elsa used the opportunity to further agitate her, taunting her whether she obeyed his commands or not.

"If you know what to do to outrun that ship, your majesty, go right ahead," he snaps.

"Why don't we just blow them out of the water?" She asks, crossing her arms. "Then we won't have to rush anywhere."

Emma rolls her eyes. "And have the entire Navy on our tails?" She asks. "You know better than anyone that they track large magical occurrences."

Elsa sighs in annoyance. "And who's fault is it that they're eve hunting us?"

Emma didn't even bother to reply.

"Now if that's settled," Killian starts. "The Queen Anne's Revenge is second in speed to one ship and one ship alone." He points to the deck. "None other than the Jewel of the Realm. But that only helps if we move at maximum speed. If we don't pick up the pace, we will be caught, and we will have to fight to the death, with or without magic. So please, just do as I ask."

The way he sounds is shocking, but somehow right. Emma knows that this is who the real Killian was always suppose be. He is in his element, and even though he looks concerned by the oncoming danger, he exudes in control.

She isn't sure she can handle that either. Every fiber in her body screams at her to reach up, grab him by the collar, and kiss him senseless.

Emma has to work overtime to keep herself in check.

The change in Killian is apparent to more than just Emma. Even falls in line. He moves efficiently, telling them which sails to adjust to catch the wind and how to tie them securely. It's clear how well he knows the ship, how to work with her to coax out her best sprint, how to avoid creaky planks and difficult to wrangle ropes. He seems to just know .

Emma wonders how long he's lived aboard this ship. He mentioned his brother owned it previously, but she hadn't realized just how far beyond a deckhand's his knowledge goes.

"This isn't just a few planks and a sail, Emma," he says suddenly, in between instructions. "The Jolly Roger is my home."

Emma catches his inconsistency. "I thought this ship is the Jewel of the Realm?"

A nervous smirk appears on his face, eyes hiding a secret. "Yes, yes of course. The Jewel is my home, Emma. I know her well."

Even with the ladies' help and Killian's expertise, it still takes hours to lose sight of the enemy ship. Eventually he allows Elsa to go below deck. Actually he demands she do so, as "her bickering will only get them bloody killed." He still hasn't released his control of the helm, his hands practically white from gripping it so hard.

"Killian? Do you need anything?" Emma asks.

He keeps his eyes trained on the horizon. "I'm fine, love" he replies. "Just worried. They shouldn't have gotten that close to us. I was distracted. I'm sorry."

Emma shakes her head. "It's ok. We're almost home, and then you can let me take care of things, all right? I'm much better at staying safe on land."

He freezes, still not taking his gaze off the horizon. "Really Swan? You…you want me to come with you?"

Is he kidding? Of course! He's risked so much for her, and she doesn't want to lose him, lose this chance at…whatever this is.

"Only if you want to," she promises, mindful of their recent conversation about her controlling him. "I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do."

He gives a small smile.

"I do enough of that for the both of us." She says.

He laughs darkly, head bobbing in exhaustion. She watches him tap his leg rhythmically, an indication, she's learned by now, of how done in he is.

"Sleep on it, Jones," she replies. Her pointed gaze shifts to his leg, making him quit his nervous motion. "Seriously, you've been moving all day," she reminds him, and yesterday had been hard enough. "How about I keep the ship steady while you take a nap?" She places a hand on top of one of his where it grips the helm. They're warm from the sun.

Killian shakes his head, pulling his hand out from under hers, sliding it lower on the wheel, still holding on for dear life. "I'm fine, Swan," he insists.

That is an obvious lie, and he knows he's not fooling her. "I really don't want to sleep right now," he adds. A sprinkle of truth to go with the lie.

Emma doesn't need to be all-powerful to understand that logic.

"Scared, sailor?" she challenges, "about what you're going to see when you close your eyes?" Emma wants to take it back the second she says it. Perhaps it's harder to change from her usual ways than she thought...

"If you drop the subject of sleep, I'll trade you., question for question, Swan." He winks flirtatiously as he adds, "after all, you seem awfully curious about my past."

Emma nods with a smirk, licking her lips and wondering what she should ask first. This is a rare opportunity to get some answers, about Liam, about his knowledge of the ship, about everything.

But one subject has Emma more curious than all the rest.

"You were in love once, correct?"

Killian nods. "And you?"

Emma nods as well. "It was with Milah, right?"

Another nod. "What was the name of your love?" he counters.

Emma falters. It shouldn't be a hard question, yet somehow it is. "When I knew him, his name was Neal," she admits quietly. Thinking about him makes her feel rotten, and dirty and downright ugly. "I later learned he had another name, but I never liked it." She's killed people for mere sport, but the way things ended with Neal…that haunts her even more. It's one of her biggest regrets, yet she wouldn't undo her time with him even if she could.

She looks at Killian's tattoo peeking out from his sleeve and picks her next words carefully. She needs to focus on getting answers from him, not on delving into her own past hurts.

Let's make him squirm, a dark voice within her sneers, but she fights it.

"What did you love about her?"

He relaxes his hold on the wheel a bit, breath hitching slightly, before he tightens his grip once more.

"She was beautiful . I know a lot of people call their loves beautiful just because, but Milah, she was a queen. She left men stumbling over themselves in her wake," he says with a smile, eyes closed. "She was also kind, unbelievably kind. People would come to her with their problems, and Milah would do what she could to help. She would do anything to help," he continues.

"But she wasn't happy, not truly. She had the heart of an adventurer. She wanted to explore the world, help it, change it for the better." He stops suddenly, looking at Emma, knowing he's said enough to answer her question, but he keeps talking anyway. "I fell for her almost instantly."

Emma smiles, liking seeing him reminisce about happy memories. She expected she'd feel jealousy over them, over the way his eyes shine for the thought of another woman, but she doesn't. All she feels is contentment to watch him recall a time before the pain.

"How did you meet your past love?" he asks Emma, flipping the spotlight back to her.

Fair is fair, Emma supposes. "I was lost. I was in a strange world, and he found me, took me under his wing. He understood me somehow, understood the hatred I felt in my heart," she admits. Emma knows that her love for Neal was never as pure as Killian's had been for Milah. Hers was fueled by hate and vengeance. It had been toxic, but wonderful. She needed the toxicity at that point in her life. Their relationship hadn't been perfect, but there had been good in it. It eventually taught her how to get her way, how to control rather than be controlled.

"I loved him, in the twisted sort of way that I could love, can love." After all, Dark Ones don't love. They can fake it, can use it, can wield it like a dagger or a sword. But pure, selfless love, the kind that makes you stronger, the kind worth bettering yourself to keep? That isn't in the cards for her, won't ever be.

Emma is lost in her thoughts for a moment, and then Killian's lips are on hers, pulling her into the here and now with a gentle kiss, one hand guiding her head to his, the other resting on her waist almost possessively, protectively. It's a gesture of comfort, but no less passionate for it.,

"Why are you taking us back to the past? Bringing up memories of past loves?" he asks once they part.

"You're the one who won't sleep," she deflects.

"That doesn't answer my question," he reminds her.

Emma sighs. Technically, it's her turn to ask one, but she lets it go. "I want to be sure. I want you to remember how you felt before, to know if this…this connection between us, this chemistry, means something, if you actually care for me, or if it's lust, if you just want me or –" Emma is rambling. The mighty, terrible Dark One is rambling.

"Swan," he stops her, thank goodness. "Oh Emma, I care. Of course I care, probably more than I should. You've opened up my heart in a way no one, not even Milah, ever has," he admits softly, voice breaking on his past lover's name. "I can't explain it. I don't know how."

He closes his eyes for a moment before returning her gaze. "Emma, I –" He's forcibly cut off when the ship lurches violently. He stumbles backwards, and Emma grabs the railing to steady herself.

"What was that?!" she almost shouts.

"I don't know Swan, but I intend to find out," he declares, reaching for the spyglass tucked into his coat pocket. "Damn it," he curses. "Look at the waves, Swan."

The rippling water has become choppy out of nowhere, picking up whitecaps despite the cloudless sky. Wave after wave slams into the ship's hull, each one making it lurch.

"It's the beginnings of a storm, love," Killian says tightly. "I took us this way because the difficult current would deter other ships from following us, but with the storm as well…" His eyes cloud with doubt.

"Can't I just push it away?" Emma asks. "It should be simple enough." She waves her hand, a swirl of wind cupped between her delicate fingers. It would draw some attention, but it was better than being torn apart.

"You can't!" Elsa shouts, charging onto the deck. "It's a magical storm. Arendelle's Rock Trolls conjure them to vanquish the kingdom's enemies – something that you've made us into! If you use magic on it, you'll only make it angry!"

Emma sees the guilt flash across Killian's face. She draws Elsa's attention back to her so she won't notice. "And you weren't one before? They blame you for killing your sister! Maybe they finally decided to get rid of you!"

Elsa doesn't take the bait. "Please. They always knew I had the kingdom's best interest at heart, even while I was on my little freezing spree," she replies, approaching Emma and jabbing her in the chest. "But you! You've doomed us all!" She has to scream the last part to be heard over a roar of thunder. The sky is turning grey and fast.

"Swan –" Killian starts.

Emma cuts him off. The last thing she needs is the sailor's guilty conscious getting them in even more trouble with Elsa.

"Not now," Emma barks, sending him a warning look. "Can we outrun the storm?"

Killian shakes his head. "I'm…not experienced enough for that. If I had been captaining the ship for the last decade, then maybe." He grins nervously "But I think I can get us through it relatively unharmed."

Elsa glares at Killian with cold fury, and maybe a little fear. "No ship can survive this storm," she challenges. "Especially with your subpar skills, mate. " Icicles are forming on the deck in her wake.

Killian narrows his eyes. "I've lasted through many a storm before, love ," he retorts. "It wasn't even that difficult, your highness ." Of course, those were natural storms. Here's hoping that the Jewel's enchanted wood is enough to give it a fighting chance against a magical one.

They stare each other down. It's not a logical argument, since hoping to survive the tempest is their only option, but neither one is willing to back down anyway. The staring contest becomes a moot point too when a blast of wind tosses the ship and knocks them both off their feet.

Stalemate broken, Killian down to business. "Emma, I need you to lower the main sail, or it'll rip in this wind," he orders. "Elsa, get the jib down."

Emma hurries to follow his the with magically-charged strength. Elsa follows suit.

Despite the cacophony of the rain and wind and waves, Emma hears a new sound cutting through it all. Screaming, low, desperate screaming. Emma turns to find Killian. He has one hand pressed against his head, the other remaining firmly on the wheel. He looks fine. He has to be fine.

Screaming. More screaming.

Henry?

Something roars in her ear. Disoriented, she loses her footing on the slippery deck. Her back slams into something hard. Then everything is cold, cold and wet.

Emma kicks her feet frantically even though she's not sure which way is up. Then a jarring blow to the head, and everything goes dark.

Now Beta read by the brilliant notoriouscs

~Luna