Lots of follows after only one hour! I thank you all!

Please do comment and review. I love those too! Feedback gives me new ideas! And thanks so much! It seems this ditty has actually expanded into a three (maybe four) chapter tale instead of just two… Can't get enough of that captain gone rock n' roll bad boy! BTW, he actually smokes here, so just warning you there…

Devlin sat in the dressing room, which was somewhat akin to a cave with little lighting, a hole that looked more like an old busted salad bowl than a toilet, and more than a few spiders scattered along the ceiling. He rolled his eyes around, cigarette lit and smoking as it hung from his lips and held his left ear closer to the pegs of his Fender Telecaster as he tuned it. The dressing room may have been dank, but the house was full, the pay would be good plenty of people were holding their mobiles up to record them, The Jolly Rogers, perform. If they made it to Youtube, that would be IT!

He knew they were good, he and his loyal crew. And these people were like family to him: Especially his drummer and close friend, John "Mr. Smee" Doren. The bass and lead guitarrists were named Lucas Thorne, aka Daggerball and Blake "Deadweight" McKeen, respectively. The whole band took to their monikers in all seriousness; while Devlin couldn't really play his guitar if he attached a hook to his left hand, he certainly enticed the audience regarding his character by dressing in full pirate attire: Black leather all over, eyeliner and tattoos… and a black leather tricorne hat with a blood-red feather which he would eventually shed and toss at a particular girl in the audience… the one who would very likely wind up in the "Captain's Quarters", getting some quality "pirate time".

He chuckled as he held his guitar up. "Done."

Mr. Smee tightened the tuner on his snare drum. "You got the set list, Cap'n?"

Devlin closed his eyes and grinned. "I got it…" he reached down into his crotch and pulled out the wrinkled paper from his groin. "…right here, mate."

Mr. Smee sneered. "You disgusting filth…"

Dagerball and Deadweight McKeen laughed together with their Captain. "Not at all, mate… just thought tonight's show needed some extra balls, that's all…"

That got a steady laugh from all of them.

"So, Dev..." Bassist Daggerball chirped as he lit a cigarette. "…heard Gold had to bail you out this morning… Heard you got arrested again, mate…"

"By… a woman!" Deadweight added as he pulled out a magnificent White Penguin Gretch Guitar from its case. "What's the matter there, Dev? Cat caught your balls?"

"Oh, sounds kinky…" Mr. Smee smiled.

"Got cuffed, mate?" Daggerball asked again. "Was she hot?"

Devlin huffed and removed what was left of his cigarette stub, tossing it with a flick of his fingers at Daggerball, who stood wailing to the bathroom. He then turned to Deadweight with a sarcastic, smirking sneer. "Why, wouldn't you just love to know…?" He turned over to Mr. Smee. "Mate, where's the Alligator now?"

Like magic, Mr. Gold seemed to be standing by the door. "I don't see why you keep naming me like that, Devlin." He spoke coldly as he entered the room, under the heavy gaze of all the band members. "I am, after all, making you a star…"

"I call you that because you are a cold-blooded, two faced bastard with a heart of bloody stone and a greedy, gaping gob!" Devlin stood up and faced him. "You're making us stars, yeh, charming, except we get paid peanuts for it while you get to live in the lap of luxury from what WE make playing gigs!"

"Come now, Devlin…" Gold grinned coldly. "You do owe me that favor…"

"I owe you nothing." Killian sneered. "She died. That was all there was to it. She fucking died…"

"After an agonizingly sad heart disease, Devlin, I know of it." Gold sighed. "But I still paid the massive hospital bill that you couldn't even dream of paying for with your meagerly waged job at the docks. And given the nature of circumstances, I'd say I was more than generous, especially since she was MY WIFE!" He took a step closer to Devlin's face. "You hear me out here, dearie: You want to make it? You will make it. You will be the next best thing since the Rolling Stones. But I'm telling you now: Won't be free. Finish off what you owe me… and then you'll start seeing some decent money rolling in. If you can hold that long or if you don't drown yourself in rum and beer before then, Devlin Kragen…" He left a tight fisted Devlin standing by himself as he paced around the room. "And you lot should really get ready. All is set. House is full, security has rolled in… oh and Dev…'" He turned to look at the handsome vocalist. "Your guests are here… or guest. You'd better see to it that she's left alone; tough crowd out there and the woman's dressed in pink spandex."

Devlin's dour expression softened as The Alligator left the tiny room. He ran his hand through his hair and he huffed. "I swear that man will be the death of me…"

"Or you will be his!" Smee added joyfully.

Daggerball stood and placed a hand on Dev's shoulder. "Go on, mate… you did what you could. There was no way you could have afforded all those bills…"

"She died, anyway; it doesn't fucking matter now… " Devlin huffed as he looked at his friends. "But he could have financed her operation; he just wouldn't. I'd would much rather be in debt for the rest of my life and never make it to LA or anywhere out of this bloody fuck-hole if Milah had had her transplant… if she were here, with me." He looked at his tattoo and ran a hand over it. "My only real fan…"

"And what about "pretty" out there in the pink dress?" Smee did a funny eyebrow dance. "You didn't even know if she'd show up and here she is."

That idea immediately gave Devlin something to smile about. "Oh yeah! She did show up, didn't she?! I wouldn't have believed me in a million years if I'd told myself she'd come!"

"Who is this pink-dressed girl, anyway?" Deadweight exhaled cigarette smoke. "Will she be getting the tricorne and make it to the Cap's quarters this evening?"

They all giggled.

"No…" He shook his head. "But if I'm lucky, I'll wind up in her quarters… again." He winked at his friend.

They all remained silent, until Daggerball broke the silence. "No way…"

With that uncanny cockiness that was enviable, Devlin straightened his head. "I asked two girls over tonight and I reckon one of them would never wear pink. The other, however, did. So… I can assure that it is safe to assume that my guest of honor this evening is none other than this town's very own Sheriff Swan…." He looked into Deadweight's eyes and smiled. "And now you'll be bloody jealous that I got busted by a woman, mate. In regards to your earlier query, the answer is a rotund YES. She IS bloody gorgeous. Mind you don't get a throbber in your pants…" he placed his guitar strap over his shoulder and held his hand out. "All right, mates… Are we ready?"

They all placed their hands on top of Devlin's and after his mark, they all sang in unison: "Yoho, yoho, a rockstar's life for me! We're players and rockers and ne'er do well cads, drink up me hearties, yo ho, and still we are loved by our moms and our fans, drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" After their salute, they strode out of the dressing room and waited for the mark. Five, four, three, two, one…

Lights went out; crowd started yelling, screaming and pushing and Emma had to make sure she was as detached from the mayhem as possible. Who were these guys, Metallica?

"Welcome aboard, me hearties!" Came a voice from the dark. "Get ready to set sail, mates…THERE'S BUMPY SEAS AHEAD!" And the crowd lost it when the sound of an electric guitar chord filled the air.

She knew the accent well and the shadow of a grin ghosted its way to her lips as she saw him, wearing a leather vest and an impeccably white, frilled shirt over black jeans. He paced to the front of the stage and tried to make eye contact with her. As soon as they did, Emma felt a sudden shock going up her spine. Growing up an orphan and being handed over from one foster home to another had toughened her up through life; like many "tough" people, she did enjoy a little rock n' roll and had lied through her teeth when she had stated that she didn't enjoy "undiscernible noise". She had to get the guy under control somehow, right? All the same, it was inevitable to feel his own electric energy flood her own as he plunged into the first song of their set.

As soon as he zeroed on her, Devlin smiled ,still singing into his microphone. He sang quite well too. He continuously sent a prying eye over at Emma who looked mesmerized. While she wasn't there as a groupie or anything even remotely close to it, she had to admit that The Jolly Rogers were indeed pretty good… and the Captain was one heck of a front man! He had uncanny sex appeal that was easy to see even as a local drunk. He looked every bit the pirate AND the Rock Star and was actually incredibly talented as a performer.

Suffice to say, Emma had a good time watching their show. Too good for her own comfort.

Halfway through the show, he stopped and spoke to the crowd. "Cheers, mates, the lot of you, you're all a great crowd and the most dastardly ravishing crew any handsome-faced, hot blooded buccaneer Captain could ever ask for!" More cheers. "As you know…" He started to speak and the crowd softened. "… us pirates, we sail the world's oceans… and during nights of solitude, we sit atop the deck and are guided by the stars… beautiful aren't they? The stars in the sky… But we do get lonely… A pirate's life is the sea, but sometimes, we long and yearn for a little light." He turned to Emma. "And as luck would have it, a wanderlust star somehow found itself on board our ship this night." he held his hand out and the spotlight shone on her. She looked stunning, a little less rock and roll than the rest of the crowd in her pink spandex outfit that favored her very blessed, curved lines, her hair in cascades of gold framing her face. The crowd of rockers whistled, cheered and some did shout profanities at her, unaware that she was actually the town's sheriff. Not that she gave a damn; she'd lived through far more intense situations and heard far worse. She shocked herself by reaching out for his hand. He crouched on the floor beside her and continued speaking into the microphone he held in his other hand. "I became her prisoner… I put up no fight…." He smiled. The Captain then stood back up, with a satisfied, knowing grin, and placed the mic back on its stand. "Therefore and in view of the fact that stars in the sky don't often grace pirates with their beauty, I would hence like to dedicate this next song to this particular one… who graced my ship and me crew this night!" He turned his face to her and smiled a million dollar smile. "Darling Swan… this one's for you."

And… wink. Again.

She laughed and nodded as she found a way to sit back down, resisting the teenage urge to jump around his neck and kiss him hard. She thought about mass hysteria and attributed her sudden desire to the psychological effects of crowd insanity as she sat back down.

As they launched into a ballad (about stars, of course), she tried to reason with herself. Why was she even there? Henry was with his adoptive mom who, by the way, was very harshly disputing his custody against her, and if she found out that her boy's bio mom was fooling around with some pirate-clad rock star, she'd have every element in her hand to contend full custody and maybe even get a restricting order against her. She only hoped that no one she knew would have seen her holding his hand. Gold probably had, but then again, Gold was somewhat of a dark and mysterious ally against Regina, so she wasn't worried. All the same, she wondered and checked the nearest emergency exits in case the occasion required her to sprint like hell.

As the show wound down, so did Emma's resilience to the night life. The Jolly Rogers and their crazy Captain Hook finished their set with a bang that included the captain suddenly removing his shirt and throwing it into the crowd, where a melee of people tore it to shreds in seconds. It was fun for Emma to see Storybrooke's younger generation blowing off a little steam, American style.

But she was still pretty sure he had to be from England. No American could wield such a cool accent for as long as he did.

After the show, Emma gathered her things and went outside before anyone could even begin to look at her and identify her as the Sheriff. She was lucky Devlin hadn't said her name, but then he did look like a smart guy who obviously knew Rock N' Roll is not necessarily a cop's best friend, and vice versa. She rapidly threw her jacket into the back of her yellow VW Beetle and ran to the wheel like she was on some sort of emergency duty. She sped away in time to see a somewhat stunned and confused (and delightfully shirtless) Devlin Kragen push past the crowds in pursuit of her, stopping only when she was at a safe enough distance. She saw him from her rearview mirror, his brow furrowed and saddened as she drove away. The thought that it was very likely that she would never see him again made her sort of… sad.

She sort of felt then and there like there was something else… almost as if this hadn't been the first time she had ever run from someone.

As she pulled over at Granny's, she leaned into the back of her head rest and huffed. "Ok, that was exhilarating!" She huffed, and left the car for a cup of tea, or a hot double cappuccino with heaps of cinnamon.

One look at her and Ruby's eyebrows reached the ceiling. "Well well…" She chuckled. "Rock n' Roll night?"

"Don't know what the hell got into me…" She shook her head and sat by the bar. "And where the hell were you? I thought you were going to go with me."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, we didn't really agree on anything and besides, "she pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes. "Granny got on my case again. No problem. I got a kiss from him!" Emma nodded and huffed and leaned both arms on the bar before hiding her face into them. Ruby frowned. "Wow… are you ok? What happened?"

After three seconds, Emma looked up into Ruby's eyes. "I was going to ask for coffee, but… given my state, I think some vodka on the rocks will suit me better."

Ruby sighed. "Ok, coming right up."

As the young girl left to fix her drink, Emma looked at her own hands; she was haunted by his eyes' very particular shade of blue… like a deep, deep ocean. "Ugh, get a grip…" She whispered to herself before heading to a table to wait for her drink. She then went on to text her roommate who was so frail and delicate she'd probably have a heart attack if she knew Emma had gone to a hard rock show. While she did, she could hear people coming in and out of the restaurant, bells clinging as they opened the door to the diner.

"You exuded like a bat out of hell!"

That accent… again…

She shot her eyes up to see a still dashing Devlin in his rock and roll getup, and as much as she hated to admit it, she felt weak in the knees.

She sneered at him. "Wait… did you just… follow me?"

"That, I did." He sighed and sat, uninvited but perfectly welcome. "I was rather hoping I could pitch for that drink after the show, but you flew out of there like your life depended on it." He clasped his hands together. "And given that the lads and I had only just performed our best ballad just for you, I think it was rather unpleasant on your part to leave without saying as much as a little "thank you", there, Swan."

She chuckled. "I don't owe it to you, buddy."

"The name is Devlin, and what is it with you and your attitude?" he grinned. "I'm not such a bad person, you know…"

"You were in jail this morning!"

"Aye… and it's been the best morning I've had in years!" He grinned.

Ruby delivered Emma's drink. "Here…" she placed it on the table and turned… did a double take… and gasped again. "Oh god! Oh, my god!"

Devlin ran his eyes down Ruby's body and stopped for a little while longer around her legs, grinning and biting his tongue, before looking back up to her face. "Hello again, darling!"

"Oh brother…." Emma huffed and shook her head while Ruby went on and on about how much she adored his music and how she hadn't shown up because of work and how she wished she had his talents and how lucky his girlfriend must be. At that last part, Devlin's smile faded and Emma's interest was slightly peaked. She had always been good at understanding people, but this guy was intriguing. While he did have some of that sass he had displayed earlier, he was far more atoned now. Must have been the booze.

"RUBY!" Came Granny's voice from the back of the diner. "Get to work and stop flirting with the customers!"

The beautiful young woman rolled her eyes and shot eye-daggers over at her grandmother. "I am NOT flirting, Granny! This is Captain Hook!"

"Oh, that lout on the poster on your wall? All the more! Just serve him and get over here!"

"I'll have what she's having…" He whispered at her. "…and pay no mind. Old timers don't get it." He winked at her and she was nearly undone as she walked away to get his drink.

"So…" He turned back at Emma with a grin. "Let me guess; you are plotting to say you left swiftly since you must be up early, because you are… one very responsible sheriff, and that, of course, implies you don't want to be seen prancing with anyone the likes of… well, me." She remained silent, staring into his eyes, not so much because she had no answer, but rather because she knew that if she spoke back, this could eventually turn into a decent talk, and that scared the life out of her. He chuckled. "Oh, no answer? Well, most men would take your silence as off-putting, but…" he raised his eyebrow. "I love a challenge."

"I'm not challenging you."

"Of course not, Swan; you are something of an open book."

"Am I?"

"Oh aye, quite indeed." He furrowed his brow and spoke softly. "Say, you are very responsible of your day job and want to be seen as clean cut sheriff of this town, because you have an appearance to maintain… someone to impress, to keep a clean slate… I'd say, you're fighting for someone you love, though I don't see any of the typical evidence of an infatuated woman besotted by romantic love, so I can safely assume… you yearn for a child. Your child. You are in a custody battle, or something of a similar nature."

Emma stared at him wide-eyed. She thought that her ability to see through a person was hers and hers alone; either that, or Gold had blabbed to his protégé. "How the hell…?"

"Told you…" He leaned back on the seat. "Open book." Just then Ruby brought his drink and he stopped her. "Cheers, darling… you think you could bring the bottle over?"

With a sigh, Ruby looked to make sure Granny was in the back, before speaking. "Only if you sign your autograph on me."

"My pleasure…" He smiled and produced a sharpie pen out of nowhere. "So, where do you want it?"

"Right here!" Ruby grinned, showing the fleshier upper part of her left breast. "Just do it quick, before she comes back and takes the shotgun out on you…"

"Point taken, lass..." he stood up and haphazardly signed his name on her breast before Emma's shocked stare. "There you go." He grinned and placed the sharpie back in his pocket.

Ruby took one quick look and suddenly grabbed Devlin by his coat lapel, gave him a huge, smacking kiss and ran back. Devlin looked pleased but far from surprised as he sat back down. "Ah, where were we? Oh yes… open… book."

Emma sneered and huffed. "Really? You make a living this way?"

He held both hands up in the air. "It's all part of the job. I can't help it if women find me irresistible, love."

She saw another tattoo over his left arm: A massive hook that reached his wrist. "So, that's so you don't have to chop your hand off?"

"Rather." He smiled as he looked at it. "Suits me name, don't you think?"

"You are definitely not from around here." She shook her head. "Come on, fess up: Where are you from? London? Liverpool? Australia? What!?"

He chuckled. "None, dear. Like I said, I am from Storybrooke, like everyone else… except you. So if anyone is a stranger here, it's you. Go on…" He leaned his arms on the table. "Just where did you hail from, Swan?"

"Boston." Shit. Had she just answered him? Why would she do that?

"I see…" he leaned back. "You must realize not many come to Storybrooke… in fact, I don't recall ever seeing any new faces here… or seeing any OLD faces depart, either." He bit his lower lip. "I'll leave one day…"

"I would have thought you'd take your little pirate combo to LA, or New York. Get a record deal. "

He grinned. "Are we that good, Swan?"

She huffed and felt an unavoidable grin line her lips. "It wasn't too bad…"

"Ah…" he smiled fully and once again, her knees rattled. "So I take it that that "undiscernible noise" you so loathe is actually more pleasant to your ears than what pride will allow you to admit, then."

"You were in jail, Devlin. I wasn't supposed to fraternize."

"Well, I'm not in jail now, so…"

"YOU WASH THAT DAMN THING OFF!" Came shouting from the kitchen. Both Devlin and Emma turned sharp looks over in the direction of the mayhem and found Granny stampeding out of the kitchen and through the diner in their direction… in his. "All right there, buddy, did you sign your name on my granddaughter's breast?"

"Granny!" Came ruby's plea from the kitchen. "I asked for it! Leave him alone!"

Devlin stood up with a charming but profoundly cynical grin. "Well, love, no need to be jealous… Should I sign yours? I mean, parchment is parchment, even saggy and wrinkled… I'll sign."

Emma gasped. Ruby gasped. Granny gasped… and slapped him hard.

"Bloody hell..." he huffed under his breath as he touched his lip.

"How dare you!" The old woman shouted at him. "You no-good lout! Get the hell out if my diner!"

He looked at the woman from under his brow and huffed. "Fine." He gnarled through his teeth. " Not half enough action around here, anyway…" He turned to look at Emma, who now seemed more shocked and surprised than upset, and he stormed out.

"Grimy bastard…" Granny shook her head and headed back to the kitchen. "Now about you, young lady! You scrub that thing off or I'll do it for you with oven cleaner!"

Emma looked in the direction he had left. Finally, he was out of her hair. Finally. Good thing!

So she stood up and hated her legs for taking her in the direction he had just left. "Devlin!" She shouted, finding him as he saddled himself on his motorbike.

He looked at her and then looked down. "Swan…"

"Where are you going?" she shook her head.

"Home." He grinned at her. "I only wanted a drink with you and all I got was a runaway date and a brash old lady smacking me right in the clock. Not my idea of a pleasant evening."

"I can see that… Look…" she huffed. "You're right. You were right back inside. I have a son. He's eleven and… well…"

Helmet in his hands, he raised an eyebrow at her, expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, let's just say it's not your everyday custody battle."

Devlin chuckled. "The father must be quite a proper prick, I reckon…"

"The father?" She frowned, confused. "Oh, no, he's long gone; he doesn't even know he had a son."

Devlin stared at her, confused. "I'm afraid I don't follow then, Sheriff… Who else would you be battling for custody of your boy against, if not the father?"

Emma was usually never this open, not to anyone, ever. But he had certain… something that somehow elicited her every thought to the very tip of her tongue. All the more, he seemed to relish on it. While he maintained his pose and attitude, the jerk she had busted earlier on was nowhere in sight.

"I gave him up…" she sighed. "I had a son… in prison. You were right about me… on all accounts. I do have a record. I hijacked cars and robbed empty houses when I was young. I fell in love, stupidly. He set me up, I took the fall, got busted and… had my baby in jail. I was only eighteen, I couldn't be a mother, not one that would make a decent life for a child, anyway so…." her eyes welled up. "I gave him up for adoption. It was a few months ago when he sort of ran away from home and came knocking at my door." She smiled. "I swear, that night? It was my birthday and… I had wished that for once, I wouldn't have to spend it by myself…"

Great… she had just spilled the beans of her deepest secret to practically a stranger. And she felt ok with it. Something was definitely weird here.

"And…" he nodded. "Someone in Storybrooke took the boy in. I see now…" He smiled. "You have a good story there… But why is the custody tough? The boy obviously loves you, since he looked for you… and found you."

Emma swallowed. "He was adopted by Regina Mills."

His smile evaporated and his eyes widened. "The mayor?" He whistled in shock. "You're right. She's tougher than a bag of cats, that one. She's got it in for me, most of the times Sheriff Graham arrested me was at her bidding."

"Yeah, you do seem like the sort of guy who would get under her skin." She sighed.

They both remained in silence, until he broke it, speaking nothing like he had seconds ago. His voice was husky and understanding. "Well, you've done nothing wrong, love. You just happened to do your job and then went to blow off some steam, is all." He nodded. "We all deserve to, every now and then."

She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"So, should I give you a ride?" He grinned quietly.

How she wanted to get on the back of that Harley and speed off into the night with him! But the reality of maybe losing Henry was something she could not risk. "No, I have… That's my car." She tilted her head to the VW Beetle parked one block ahead.

He looked at it and sighed. "Well, that's quite the vessel you captain there, Swan. Per chance, I'll see you again when the dust around you settles; last thing you need right now is Regina Mills finding out you're sharing shots with… a pirate, such as I." He side-grinned sadly as he put his helmet on. "All the same, I still believe that doing jail time with you as my jailor has been by far the most exciting part of my life. If ever you wish to see me again, all you have to do is ask Mr. Gold… or follow the fliers on Main. Till then, I bid you a good evening… Lady Swan."

He sped off into the night and Emma followed the red back light with her eyes until it disappeared around the curve… and hated not having even had as much as a peck on her cheek. She sighed and grinned softly. "Per chance…" She chuckled. "Jesus, why the hell do you talk like that?"

She turned and went to her car and drove home. It was late and Mary Margaret was already snoring ever so softly in her bed. Emma was grateful; she really didn't want to be giving any explanations, let alone let anyone know she had just had a date with a Pirate Rock Star.

And as she lay in her bed, the thought of that alone made her grin. "Per chance, captain…" she whispered before turning off her light and setting off the sail to her dreams.

Devlin parked his bike at the docks and unsaddled; he paced to the very edge of the pier and shoved his hands into his pockets, listening to the sound of the water as it gently hit the concrete below his feet. The ships bobbed silently and a mild drizzle started to dampen the air. He sighed and a long line of steam left his mouth and nose. He remembered his earlier days with Milah, before she had become ill… How she encouraged him, how she was there, at every show, how she helped him with song lyrics and… how her own husband had refused to pay for her operation, knowing she was going to die if she didn't have it.

Paying the hospital bills had been Gold's way of overpowering the rock n' roll runt that had attempted to take his precious wife away: He had traded his kindness for his services as manager, where he had full control of Devlin's schedules and income. By any standard, he should have at least a decent house by now. But being owned by Gold made things harsh; he squatted in an old abandoned ship, much like a real pirate, while Gold cashed in on what he earned from gigs and sales.

A tear ran down his eye as he wondered what it would be like if Milah were there. He remembered how life had left her eyes that dreadful evening, when her shriveled heart had finally let up. How in his arms she grew heavy and turned to ice. Her final words? "I love you." It still ached in his heart.

He looked at the tattoo in his forearm and touched it gently with his left hand fingers. As soon as his debts with Gold were paid, he'd get the hell out of Storybrooke and make his band a major world act. And once there, he'd be sure to economically squash Mr. Gold's little local empire to the ground, pulverize him, turn him into that distasteful, cowardly husband Milah had sought refuge from in his own arms.

Per chance… he'd take the Sheriff and her son with him.