Clara knew she should have been surprised when she saw the black leather clad pirate walking in her direction on campus, idiotic grin on his face – as though he'd located something he'd lost and was pleased to have found it – and she gathered her books and tried desperately to cram them into her bag. She had to study; she had exams, and she didn't have time for this foolishness because Nina was texting her as well. Something about meeting her at the café for coffee.

Of course, she wasn't surprised; she was frustrated.

"Fancy meeting you here," Killian offered as he came to a stop in front of her, bending to lift the last of her books into her hand so she could hold it tightly to her chest. "Was hoping I'd get the chance to apologize, putting you on the spot the way I had last night when you were obviously consoling your friend."

Her mouth opened and then shut because she hadn't been expecting an apology. She'd been expecting another witty come-on, or a snappy bit of innuendo. "Apology accepted," she managed.

He looked down at her books and then up at the building, "Schooling? For women?"

"Schooling for all," Clara corrected.

With a nod, he offered, "Commendable."

"Are you daft?"

Smiling, he tilted his head, "Daft?"

"Silly? Stupid? Slow?"

"Acquainted with the term, dear – why should I be daft?"

"Because you…" she started, then shook her head, "Apology accepted and good day."

Turning towards the café, phone in her free hand, ready to dial her friend, Clara listened as his footsteps followed and when she glanced at him, he smiled and coyly told her, "Shouldn't you apologize to me now?"

"For what?"

He gestured back, "Daft? Not actually a compliment, lass."

"You're freaking me out, d'you know that?"

He stopped. "Now that term I'm not familiar with," he allowed, brow coming together in a confused knot and Clara glanced at him, her steps slowing.

She stared a moment, then asked, "Where are you from?"

"London," he smiled.

"Good, not far from home," she told him on a nod.

He shrugged, grin returning before admitting, "Been gone a while though."

"Where'd you gone?" Clara asked curiously.

"Neverland."

"HA!" Clara laughed a second time, loudly, and she took a step away from him, pointing a moment and then asking, "Is this a trick. Some sort of joke? Someone trying to take the mickey out of me? Because you're not really a pirate; there's no such place as Neverland."

Moving closer to her, he breathed in her face, "Would you like to see my ship?"

"Is that some sort of metaphor?" She spat back.

"Metaphor?" He questioned.

"Your ship?"

"My ship," he repeated.

Clara considered him and then asked, "The Jolly Roger?"

He smiled, this time in surprise. "You know my ship."

Reaching down, Clara took his hands and raised them and then dropped them away, "Missing a hook, aren't you?"

"Why would I have a hook?" He asked, shaking his head, perplexed.

She gestured at him, "Captain… pilots… nevermind."

"Neverland," he corrected.

"No," she pointed, "You're either pulling a prank, or you're insane and either way, I don't have the time, nor the patience, for it."

Clara moved quickly now, fingers pushing against buttons, but he pulled the phone from her hand and glanced at it questioningly as she stopped and watched him. "Saw a young man prancing about with something like this yesterday – how are these gadgets useful."

"It's a phone," Clara told him slowly.

"And what is the purpose of a phone?" He asked brightly, "Come on, last question, Clara."

Biting her lip, she gave him an awkward smile before raising her palm and she waited until he dropped the item into her hand before telling him quietly, "Fine, playing along – a phone is a means of communication."

"Means of communication with whom."

"With whomever you'd like, so long as you have the number – and sometimes even if you don't."

"Don't follow," he pointed, "You communicate via that."

"Yes," she laughed. Because maybe this was amusing and whoever had played the prank, well, they'd picked the perfect man for the job. And then Nina's voice called out from the red device in her hand and she watched Killian's eyes widen as he snatched it away again.

"Hello? Clara, hello, tell me I'm not crazy because I could swear I'm hearing that pirate's voice from the pub which means we actually saw a pirate guy at the pub and I wasn't just that drunk."

"Hello!" Killian bellowed and Clara plucked the phone away from him, hanging up on her friend and then hissing at the phone. "Does it bite? Is it dangerous?" He asked, hand instantly pulling the sword from its sheath and aiming it at Clara and she winced when she heard several other students in the vicinity begin to scream.

"Put that away," she hissed before turning and giving the crowd an anxious laugh, "Just a play, rehearsing, drama major," she pointed. "Put. It. Away!"

He was hesitant, watching her pocket the item before putting his sword back behind the cover of his long coat and Clara watched him as he turned to look around, studying the students who were slowly going back to their games. "Sorry for the…" he dropped a hand to his sword. "It struck me as witchcraft," he pointed to her pocket.

Clara nodded slowly and then asked, "You're really not from around here, are you."

"Not from around this time, pet," he corrected.

Pushing her last book into her bag before adjusting it on her shoulder, Clara swallowed hard against the stupid question she was about to ask and the stupid decision she had just made and she shot, "Where's your ship?"