Next chapter! For those of you Captain Swan shippers out there who may be reading this, the interaction between Hook and Emma was my first indication that I was a CS shipper without even realizing it. I didn't plan on the two of them seeing each other at all, and then he literally ran into her, and that led me to join the tag on Tumblr, and the rest is history. So that was a tiny little detour from the story, but this was a big moment for me personally, and so I really have a personal attachment to this short little chapter. I hope you enjoy it!
Hook had just left Gold's shop, still fuming from their encounter as he ran over the details in his head and still came up with no explanation for what he saw whenever he looked at the girl. She haunted him every day since he'd first laid eyes on her, since he'd watched her slide down that tunnel into darkness. He'd wondered how the ghost of Milah could have come back to haunt him without any prior warning. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely noticed when he knocked into someone else on the street, nearly knocking them to the ground. When he finally snapped back to reality, he instinctively reached out to balance the person only to find Emma Swan looking both startled and angry.
"What the hell are you doing here? And what the hell was that about?" she asked, her widened eyes narrowing into thin slits as she cast a dark glare at him.
"Sorry, Love. I don't have time for explanations," he said, voice low, and continued in his path down the street. However, Emma seized him by the arm, not forcing him to turn back to face her but just stopping him in his tracks.
"If you're going to stay here, you're going to abide by the law, and if the sheriff stops you for questioning, I would make the very strong suggestion that you stop and explain," she said. Hook, frustration growing, turned on his heels to face her, his entire body frozen the second that his face came within inches of hers. Their eyes locked for a moment before Emma took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised in silent consideration and frustration as she waited for an explanation. Hook considered his words before his eyes lit up with sudden realization.
"Rumplestiltskin's daughter…what do you know about her?" he asked, hoping that this immediate and unexplainable understanding that the two had established could lead her to see the desperation that he was fighting so hard against.
"Not much. Your rampage is about her?" she asked curiously, any semblance of anger disappearing with her obvious need to know more about this girl as well.
"She looks…never mind," he interrupted himself, knowing that he had already revealed too much. This quest was his and his alone…just as the last 300 years had been and would continue to be. "I'm handling it." Emma looked up at him, her expression softening while remaining strong in the same moment.
"If Mr. Gold is up to something, maybe I can help you. But you have to trust me," she said in a low voice, as if the Crocodile had ears throughout the town.
"Like you trusted me up on the beanstalk?" he snapped, regretting his words the moment they'd left his lips. He could see the momentary flash of hurt cross her face before her mask snapped firmly back into place.
"That was different, and you know it. I was trying to protect my family," she replied as the anger that constantly boiled inside him reached the top and he leaned in closer to her, his expression dark.
"At least you have a family to protect," he growled, but rather than rage, he could hear an unexpected, hidden sadness reveal itself. Knowing that Emma could sense it, too, he left her no chance at a response as he turned and stormed away.