Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT.

Summary: Emma had never met someone as infuriating as the captain of the Jolly Roger in her 28 years of being a talented thief. When he requires her help to find a dagger to "skin" the Dark One as he likes to say, what she's really agreeing to is late night fights, breaking her walls, falling in love, oh, and winning the war with her parents she knew nothing about. Emma Swan doesn't know what she should be mad about. How about that coin purse he tried to steal that started this whole thing….

Warnings: This is AU. There is no Curse. Hook returns to the Enchanted Forest from Neverland when Emma is 28. Emma is still an orphan. Reasons being that I prefer her to have that lost boy/lost girl connection with Hook. Henry does exist and will be explained for as the story progresses.

A/N: *shuffles around with ears deflated*…. So, school was over like almost two weeks ago but I had many life altering things happen that I couldn't write as I would have liked D: But I'm back, and back up on my feet!

Thank you for your responses! All the reviews and follows make me a happy bunny ^_^

I received a very detailed review for my last chapter and I felt that I should clear a few things up!:

I knew that I was toeing a very dangerous line with how I handled their situation. It was questionable, with a bit of OOC, with one step forward for Hook and Emma, and then two steps back. I was aware and did it on purpose. Please remember that I have stated that my version of Hook IS a bit different and darker that OUAT, he's a bloody, bitter pirate and only knows so many effective ways to handle tough women. That being said, Emma is also a very confused woman at the end of that chapter. She wants to open up because of his positive actions but she's reminded time and time again he's a pirate who goes against her ideals, so she is unsure of which way to go. Also, please note that I am having roughly 40 chapters… I can't write 40 chapters of love and fluff x_X This is a slow build story, and I need them to trip and fall over themselves and their mistakes with one another.

Now that that's over, Thank you Wildmagelette for your insightful review ^_^, you only have maybe 1 or 2 Chapters (More likely 1) of Ross and Rachel moments XD

LOVE YOU ALL AND MOVING ON! ENJOY AND REVIEW :D

Emma closed her eyes and rolled her head farther back into the little crevice she found under the stairs by the quarter deck. She was fortunate enough to don herself in her brown hunting leathers to forcing her to blend into the wood of the deck. The shadows, pale sky, and deep blue sea were blissfully exhausting her and the cool air that cocooned her made her feel sluggish. It was comfortable in ways she never found comfort in them before.

Her current hiding spot was found on accident. She noticed something glitter between the boards when she walked around aimlessly, having avoid their captain again. She moved aside the heavy barrels that blocked the tiny nook before pulling out the false boards. When she reached down and dug around she exposed several gold coins. Unable to help herself, she pocketed them before replacing the boards. They clearly weren't the captain's, he had his own hiding spots within his quarters—not that it mattered who they belonged to really. They were Emma's now.

No one witnessed her thievery, nor her entrance to the small secret place. She noticed that the crew would never busy themselves with what lied beneath the steps. Not the deck swabber who climbed the stairs or Mr. Smee who walked past her to enter his cabin, muttering hotly under his breath. After making herself comfortable, she pulled the barrels back into place. They might not notice a change, but if Hook were to walk back above deck…

Emma's eyes opened slowly.

"You need but to ask."

She pulled her knees tighter to her chest. She listened to the creaking of the ship, the lapping of the waves against the hull to calm her frantically beating heart and disoriented mind. It wasn't as active as the forests but it was better than anything. She pulled the brown hat she found further down, hoping it was successful in covering her blonde tresses that like to shine golden under the sun's maddening light.

Ever since… She showed a bit of herself to him, when he showered her with faith and strength, when he had her against the wall kissing her as if she was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted…She had been on the run on the infuriatingly small boat.

Yes. She hid from him. She was hiding from him. He had scared the daylights out of her. What happened in his quarters… It wasn't him outright taking advantage of her… she had seen several morally questionable men in the taverns, she knew when he was. It was something… else. Something she couldn't put a finger on.

Emma squirmed and bit her tongue. Gods be damned he felt right. There was no other word to describe what she felt when he told her to let go, when he kissed her without a second wasted. How winded she felt. A stronger part of her was telling her to run, run far and fast, nothing good would come of it. Another part of her wanted to tell him her darkest secrets. No one had as much faith in her as he had seemed to hold for her.

Emma ended up doing what she knew worked best for her since she was little.

She jumped corners when he came near, avoided the main deck if she could help it. Even her cabin wasn't always safe. Sometimes he came down to collect Henry, giving her a heated stare every time. She hadn't a clue if it was to rouse desire out of her or he was upset with her for refusing to acknowledge him. Of course, he knew she was avoiding him.

That fateful night, she snuck out of his cabin not long after he left to regain her composure. That made it thrice she ran from his suffocating territory where even the air smelled and tasted like him. She was losing this stupid game he was playing with her, and she didn't approve at all.

Emma's fingers slipped under the hat to scratch her head and held her breath when she heard footfalls approach her hideout. They stopped at the top of the stairs before descending, taking their precious time with each step. She looked up from the brim of her hat, becoming aware of any possible shadows she casted—which was very little as the sun was now behind her.

The boots stopped just at her current eye level. She didn't recognize them to be the tall black boots of the captain so she relaxed a fraction. They tapped a few times quickly before shifting weight and taking a seat upon the stairs. Emma frowned and rolled her eyes. Of fucking course.

"Miss Swan," she snorted a laugh, "What ever are you doing under there?"

A small smile bled onto her face as she leaned back to look at the brown eyes of Jameson. "You won't reveal me, will you?"

He shook his head and looked out, trying to not bring attention to the scene of him speaking to a woman hiding under the stairs. "I shan't if you wish it."

They stayed in a comfortable silence. So comfortable that Emma's legs stretched out as far as they could and she slumped against the boards her back rested on. Every now and then, he dusted invisible lint from his clothes and barked orders to wandering crew members.

"How are your wounds?" he questioned, appearing so lax near her with his back to the banister of the stairs and his legs bent with his feet on their own steps.

"Well enough that I can move. I'm careful not to reopen anything." Jameson nodded and flashed a quick smile at her.

"That's pleasing to hear."

He was using patience against her. She was almost positive that Jameson was aware of the cautious dance she was engaging Hook in, as any bright pirate close to their captain would notice. He sat and watched the seas, watched the gulls and the crew running the ship. Jameson's patience was a powerful thing.

"How did you find me?" she asked, tipping the hat back to cool her sweaty forehead.

"Any man who knows the ship like the back of his hand would be able to find you."

"Does that include the captain?" Jameson laughed and shook his head at her, no doubt, foolish question.

"Once he climbs above deck, he would find you within the first couple of glances. Although you are currently covered by shadows he, your disturbance easier to spot for the two of us."

She let out a sigh and looked towards Mr. Smee's door who had walked past her twice and said not a word. "Like I said, those who know the ship."

"Mr. Smee has—"

Jameson slapped his knee and laughed a bit more. "Mr. Smee wasn't here when this ship was built and ran by the Jones' brothers. Even after three hundred years, if a lost boy scampered aboard and hid, Smee wouldn't find him." Emma giggled.

"How are you Miss Swan?"

"Perfectly fine," she chirped a little higher than she meant to.

He took a peek at her between the dark wooden steps and she almost ducked her head like a lying child would. "It's no use lying to me Miss Swan. I've seen you run from the captain's quarters at least three times. And each time, I can only presume that he had done something unworthy of a gentleman."

Emma's head rolled back and she let out a half-hearted bark of a laugh. "Oh good lord, I thought I was the only one who noticed that Hook can be the most uncouth man."

Jameson nodded, and she heard the creak of the boards above her. She almost thought her hideout was found by yet another pirate, but when she looked for the source of the sound, she witnessed Jameson digging the heel of his boot in the step. "Not a fan of his antics, I take it?"

The pirate shook his head, with an angered smirk on his lips. "I will not speak ill of my captain."

He was perhaps the most loyal of pirates she had ever met. If her theories of Hook once being a militant were accurate, Jameson was one as well. The man before her just never fell as hard as his captain, becoming an anchor of sorts for the man Hook once was. Whoever and whatever he was. Emma leaned forward and placed a hand on his elbow. He continued to shake his head, staring off at the sea.

"I won't fault you. You're a good man, and friend," She smiled even though she knew he wouldn't see it. "You're captain is very…compulsive and I just don't know how to handle it…"

She felt the man's body stiffen under her fingers and almost flinched as a dark look fell over his face.

"Did he harm you, Miss Swan?"

Emma contemplated over the events that happened a few nights ago. She wanted to listen to Hook, wanted to trust him. But he wasn't ready to let go of Milah, or his revenge. Part of her couldn't fault him, 300 years did things to a person, she was certain although she had no experience herself. It was his act, his show, of making her see what he wanted to do to her. Holding her up against a wall and ravish her until she caved under his warm body. She felt a blush crept up her throat, normally, she never let a man get anywhere that far, and she tried to fight with every fiber she had in her body. It was like she was under a spell, perhaps he had slipped something in her drink, to make her flustered, scatter-brained, and to bend to his will.

Hook was harsh and jagged, but not that foolish. Their deal would have been nullified and she would have run off herself once they set foot on land. Have him find his bloody dagger on his own.

Before the more obscene events had taken place, she felt her walls slipping. He cared for her when she was out cold, he had that odd look on his face when he allowed Henry to sleep with her, he was fun to mess with, he claimed she stole his black and bloody heart. She wasn't sure how take all of that. Breathing didn't help, she couldn't think of anything but weak answers to fight him. She couldn't even snap her walls back into place. His infuriating, yet charming, character had seeped under her skin and drove her mad. She suddenly wanted to let him in—because in the middle of all those damning kisses, she felt him. He could've gone farther, so much farther, but she felt him fighting himself, like he was there resting inside her body right next to her soul.

It was such an odd speculation that to this day, she still couldn't figure out how to classify it.

"No, Jameson…"

"You stalled." His boot dug deeper. "That boy is losing his damned mind. Taking wenches and loose, wanton women are a pirate's way, yes even I have fallen to their lucid lips, but you Miss Swan—" He seethed and pushed a hand through his hair.

"Jameson!" she hissed, "He didn't hurt me. He just… scared me…"

She recalled the events of that night to him, skirting over the details that weren't necessary for their mutual friend to know. He was still Hook's second mate.

After a few breaths from her story, Jameson looked at her from over his shoulder. "Miss Swan, if I may be blunt?"

Emma gave him a laugh, "I would love it if you would. Your loyalty is so deep I would think that you never disapprove of Hook's decisions."

"His decisions as a captain are never something I need to question. As a man? Sometimes. I questioned him when he brought Milah aboard, when she was still married to another man and a mother to a young boy. I questioned him with his methods of interrogating young women who had something of value to him. I most certainly questioned him when yours and your boy's safety was in jeopardy."

Jameson sighed and nodded at her, "if your tales are true, I would encourage you to distant yourself Miss Swan." Emma bit the corner of her lip and let her hand fall from his arm to her lap. "Killian is unsure of what he wants—indecisive. And from my experience, a captain without a clear head is bound to cause plentiful damage to those around him.

"I shan't lie to you, during your unconsciousness, Killian had shown more interest in you than I thought was necessary for him to show to a woman who is an 'end to his revenge'. I had thought," Jameson barked a soft laugh, "finally, Milah's spirit and memory can be put to rest. But if he still hunts for his revenge, he will never let her go."

Emma nodded her head, feeling a small part of her hiss at the sting she felt. Quickly, she shoved aside the feeling. What Jameson had spoken was true, although it hurt the part of her she exposed, and she felt her walls reforming their foundations. She almost laughed. Stupid, stupid Emma.

Let go.

She bowed her head and shook her head.

"However, I feel that, although his path ahead is indistinct, his intentions for you are quite clear to me, if they are not yet so for you. It's unfortunate, that the bulk of his passion resides in his revenge, but once that is within his grasps, his attentions will turn entirely to you."

Emma looked up past the brim of her hat to Jameson who held her with his brown eyes full of understanding, so similar to Robin's blue eyes during her darker years.

"You may leave his affections, distance yourself, and the captain, if he is in his right mind, would let go of his thirst, to chase after you and right his wrongs. But if not, he will lose one of the greater treasures he had ever come into proximities with."

Emma frowned. "I'm not some object, Jameson."

"Not all treasure is gold and silver, Milady," Jameson tipped his head and she watched his whole form relax.

Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. What made her so special in the eyes of these men? She was a nobody, a thief who could be just as indecisive as the captain of the Jolly Roger. She had a son she placed before everyone, and she foolishly went along with this journey because of it, not thoroughly thinking of the consequences of her decisions.

"You're a passionate woman, Miss Swan. I mean no offense when I say you and the captain are very similar. Killian uses his charm and wit to keep everyone on the sidelines while you bluntly tell anyone to shove off. However, will Killian being far older—" Emma gave a very unlady-like snort, "—He knows that hiding will only hurt him more. It's why he tries to drag you out from your hovel, Killian had never met his match, until he met you. He doesn't want another fervent human being to fall under the jaws of the past."

"As far as I can tell, he's still pretty deep in his past."

Jameson shrugged and stood to stretch his bones. "His revenge is his way of trying to remove himself from it."

Oh…she supposed that made sense. There was only so many ways to get revenge on the Dark One, who clearly kept you alive to suffer. But…then again… wasn't thirsting for revenge also a way of suffering?

"Now," He placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side watching her smile and laugh under his gaze. "What ever caused you to think that was a decent hiding spot?"

"I didn't… I spotted…uhm…" the gold in her pocket suddenly felt heavy. He gave a hearty laugh.

"Even a thief can't resist the sight of shiny, gold coins?"

"Oh god, are these yours?"

"Rest assured Miss Swan, I have my own quarters to hide my possessions. Mullins will tear through the crew to find his stolen gold. Best remove yourself from there before anyone hints to the bloke what your deft fingers have done."

Hook rubbed his temples, feeling a bloody fucking migraine seep past his defenses. They were idly floating tonight. With the anchor casted, he called the Jolly Roger's enchantment and ghosted his ship in a fog—and it was draining him as he was asking a lot from his ship—to keep hidden from prying eyes. No point in scaring the sentinels of Port Royal during the middle of the night. He had his sails changed from black to white, hoping to appear as simple sailors or merchants to the spyglasses of the guards. He had made the decisions after receiving word from a stolen homing bird(the poor thing looked beat, barely able to hold itself right on the spindles of the helm) that the Evil Queen was shifting in her slumber. The Charmings were strengthening their security.

And if that bloody mermaid was close to the royals, as he was no doubt sure from the last message she dared to write to Henry, she had given the Charmings the red flag that their daughter was approaching fast on a pirate ship.

That's where all the fun would begin.

Hook nodded to the Mullins in the crow's nest and made his way to his quarters to retire for the night.

He had been restless the past few nights. Feeling, if not a bit ashamed of his actions towards his wounded Swan, then utterly confused at his actions. He had no idea what came over him. All he knew was that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted any other woman. She had fought against him at first, and he meant to cease his teasing, Swan was the last woman he wanted to take advantage of. Tease her into coming on to him, perhaps. But then she was oh so bare to him, as delectable as he had imagined, and then she kissed back, so feverishly, that he had thrown everything from his mind, wanting her and only her.

It had taken all of his willpower to pull away from her, and just like the thief she was, she stole another kiss that almost made him forget that he was captain. Like a coward, he fled behind his charming smile and left her with a strain on his body.

She avoided him, and he didn't fault her, but he wanted to right things, as much as it annoyed him. Why should he right a small hiccup that could possibly ruin his chances of happiness? He was a bloody pirate. If he wanted it he took it.

And he wanted Emma Swan.

When he opened the door of his quarters, he saw Swan perched in his chair, legs propped up, and looking very much like the pirate he found hiding under her skin. What a pleasant gift from the gods. He couldn't shake off the sarcastic tone in his head.

"Oh?" he smirked at her while noticing the contemplative look on her face before she was aware of his arrival. "Come to take advantage of my offer, Swan?"

She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Defensive movements.

He slammed the door behind him, keeping his heated gaze on the woman who felt like strutting around his room, his ship, as if she owned it

"We need to talk."

Hook sighed and approached her. He noticed her hands clench her arms tighter, and that frown that marred her gorgeous features was set in. Her walls were back. He clucked his tongue. What was he going to have to do now… bleed to death?

"Normally, when I hear those words, I'm inclined to prepare myself for an earful," He gave her a smug smile and reached for his flask. Might as well drink to mellow out his nerves to fight.

"Could you not drink?"

"You're asking an awful lot from me, Swan." She huffed and her nibble knees bent in a way that he appreciated. "If I don't drink, I just might strangle you."

Emma's glare hardened at his threat. "I'd like to see you try, captain."

He smirked, "well I've got a few shackles and loose ropes lying about. Do you really want to try testing me, darling?"

Her hands flew up in surrender, "No. I really want to talk." She indicated to the chair across from her and waited.

He observed her, his hand hooking his buckle. "I prefer to stand, Swan."

"Sit, or I go back on our deal."

Well…shit.

His tongue prodded his cheek. She was bluffing. Trying to come out dominate in this situation. Swan wasn't that dishonorable.

She is a royal, even if she doesn't know it.

And he had his healthy share of royals being dishonorable.

He inhaled deeply and tried to rear the heat of his temper. If she did? How fucking dare she….

"Swan, I find it laughable that you still manage to forget how things work on my ship."

"We're docking tomorrow," she said with her head still held high like the bloody princess she was, "I could just up and leave."

She wanted to. She really, truly wanted to, but he saw the waver in her gaze as he held her with his, forcing her to swallow her bluff even though she had yet to say anything. The smallest details that went against her hard armor were what made her such an open book to him, and Hook paid attention to a lot of details. They were what made up the whole. When her finger twitched he almost smirked.

"No, you won't. You're too honorable for that." Swan's lips went white as she pursed them to a vanishing point.

"What's this about, Swan?"

"You have a choice."

"Oh?"

They stared on, waiting for the other to back down. Now that he had thrown her threat out the window, they were at a stalemate. Unless of course he threw in a threat of his own, but he had a feeling that he was treading on very thin ice. The last thing he needed was for them to fight, and with Swan being properly trained, he was certain there would be blood.

Swan sighed and looked at something other than him. He felt a smug smile begin to touch the corner of his lips. With a brief shake of her head she clarified for him. "Me or your revenge."

The boards creaked louder than they should have beneath his feet. He snorted before outright laughing at her statement. She jests! Surely!

"What in blazes gave you the idea that I was in such a predicament?"

"It takes two to waltz, Hook, and right now, I'm not enjoying this dance you've brought me into."

He leaned forward over his desk, he saw the determination in her eyes and almost laughed again. "To have you, I must have my revenge first. I will not rest until Rumplestiltskin is dead."

"No, to have me, you need to decide what's more important."

Important? He bit back a snide remark that would no doubt worsen the tension.

"I can assure you, Swan," he hissed low at her, feeling that tic in his jaw that always makes itself known when she is present, "I can have both."

Swan's legs fell to the floor, her dragon hide boots loud and clear. Her hands splayed across the desk and she leaned forward as well but kept a healthy distance between the two of them. "No, you can't. I'm not going to sit and wait for you to handle your revenge. Who knows how much longer it'll be before you have that man's hide."

"With your help, not very long." She was gorgeous when she met him with the same fire he possessed. It made him want to yank her closer for a much needed kiss, but with the way things were going he highly doubted that Swan would be as willing this time. She had her wits about her, and she clearly didn't appear appreciative of their last encounter.

"I can't help a man who can't let things go. The end of that road of your revenge is just that, an end. Not a beginning."

"As I've said before, we'll find out when I get there."

"Hook!" her frustration bled onto her skin, but she shook her head, her blonde locks slipping over her shoulders. She inhaled and edged a little closer. "I don't wait for a men who don't know what they wants. Understand, we're both daft. I'm not ready to let go of Neal yet, and with you wanting your revenge, you can't let go of Milah. If I've truly stolen your bloody, black heart take it back. It'll save us from the superfluous heartache."

He moved closer, his good hand resting on the desk as he felt himself shaking with anticipation. It was slight, but it was enough to throw him off. "You caring about my well-being in all of this is the reason I can't take it back, you bloody siren."

"I don't—"

"Oh, bugger off Swan!" He shoved his maps from his desk and approached her by rounding his desk. When he got there, he found a dagger at his throat, keeping him at bay.

"Not another—"

"You'll have to kill me," he hissed, watching the strength in her become shaken. Perhaps that was a bit exaggerated, but it served its purpose, he cared somewhat of what was left of his life. "I've been wanting for revenge every bloody moment since he crushed her heart. Three hundred years, Swan. And then you come strutting about on my ship with that blasted kind heart of yours. It's kind!" She opened her mouth to cut him off but he beat her to it, launching himself forward and into the point of her dagger. "Your heart may be guarded, it may be broken, but it still works. And it's strong. You should have just left me to my devices when I was drinking myself to my grave. You should have just accepted that my revenge is my business, not yours, not for you to lip off about what it really is and yes I know what it really is. It is a suicide mission. I planned to reunite with my Milah, my happiness."

She swallowed, and he felt the pressure of her blade lessen once more, he took another step, towering over her and bringing the point back to his throat as if he needed it. "You should have never tried to fight when my father jumped aboard. Do you know what that does to a man? To spy a woman who defied his wishes because she couldn't stand that idea of others being in danger? A woman willing to fight beside said man if she could help it?"

"The hell are you talking about?!" She shoved him away from her person, her dagger falling to the floor, he watched her knuckles turn white as she clenched her fists. The air around her seemed to cackle, it felt heavy and it was practically suffocating him. Bloody hell… No good to die by a sorceress who knew absolutely nothing about herself.

He had decided long ago, that by some gods play at fate, Swan had magic about her. There were certain things that happened around her where the only explanation was magic. Like her bloodline, she was unaware of it. Otherwise, she'd be a lot more intimidating, with a better life, and perhaps safely alongside her parents. From what he had gathered in his many years, sorcerers and sorceresses were trained to magic, learning how to absorb, harness, and focus the magic in the elements surrounding them.

Then, there those who had it in them from birth. And if trained properly, could easily confound even the Dark One. But those sorcerer children were myths.

To common folk anyway. Captain Hook had sailed the seas and many other worlds, finding that many myths can be dispelled.

"Open book," he hummed. He inhaled and finally got a tight grip on the reins of his anger. Swan was delicate at this point. He had pressed too hard last time they met, it was wrecking her, and that was not what he wanted. "Swan, as infuriating as you may be, you're one hell of a woman. You're proud, honorable, and disgustingly defiant, but you're also loving and caring. Your son holds the most of your passion because he is your son, but that iceberg that I can see for miles has something deeper. Something I have difficulty crossing paths with. And your actions? They drive me bloody mad because they make me question everything I've fought for, the man I've become as of late."

He dared another step and she whirled, her back to him. She crossed her arms as her shoulders shook from the same anticipation he was feeling.

"I can't give you the man who thirsts for revenge," he whispered glancing at his feet, "It wouldn't be right."

She looked at him over her shoulder, "So stop being that man."

"Easier said than done, Milady."

She turned to face him fully and stared him down with her fiery green eyes. His suffocation had lifted, but pressure had made him feel he was shrinking to the powers that bled from her.

And like a dim-witted fool, he came to a realization: She wanted to try. Hook swallowed thickly. That changed matters.

As much as that pleased him, the small part of the good man that was left over from years of bitter piracy, felt she deserved more than a broken man bent on a suicide mission.

"Then you can keep your black heart," there was not a drop of remorse on her face.

She roughly brushed past him and he suddenly felt like he was drowning.

"I'll find us some horses," she said as she held her hand out.

The path to the royal palace was still a bit of a way. It could be clearly seen from the docks, but they didn't have time to walk. The sentinels and the clerks were already eying them warily and he didn't want to spend too much time here. He ordered Smee and Jameson to follow a trade route and plunder what they could of leisure merchant ships and promised to send a bird for them when his business was done. He'd rather the bloody royals not get their hands on the Jolly Roger.

He dropped a pouch of coin in her waiting fingers hoping to catch some light in her green eyes. When he received nothing he sighed and shook his head. He waved them off. "I'll gather whatever news I can of the King and Queen."

"What do we need news for?" Henry asked, trying to fix his rucksack on his shoulder. "Can't we just walk up to the castle and let them know we've arrived?"

Swan's head snapped up and she grabbed Henry's hand to lead him away. "Do as you please, Hook."

"Swan—" they had started to walk off as realization hit Hook hard in the face. She never wrote to her parents.

He cursed under his breath. He had hoped that Swan had written to them, it was part of the reason that he allowed her to have their formal letter. It wasn't important really, but it would have made things a lot easier. He could only hope that Robin had written then, but since he had no contact with the man, he had no way of being certain. She must've gotten distracted.

After the timeline replayed itself in his mind he smirked. Ah…that was when their little game had started.

Hook walked through the port, finding everyone to be humbly dressed rather than covered in fine silk and leather. Given the history he gathered of the King and Queen upon his arrival from Neverland it wasn't a huge surprise to him. Their Queen was once a bandit, and their King a simple shepherd whose twin brother was adopted and killed and he had to fill the dead twin's shoes. The people who they had met on their journeys became loyal followers. They were mainly simple people who never had a reason to bask in riches. Not to mention there was that nasty bankruptcy the kingdom was buried in when Snow White and her prince took over.

As yet another guard dressed in chainmail and white cloth passed him, Hook stood lightly on the balls of his feet, making sure that his wooden hand was in place instead of his hook(he had grown so used to the attachment that sometimes he'd forget to switch it out for the false hand when it was necessary). He spotted several on the rooftops and several more blending in the crowd of simple townsfolk with ratty cloaks and shirts effectively hiding their armor to untrained eyes. He sighed as he nonchalantly observed an apple in he picked up from a stand—it was best to dispel any questions of if he was looking for something he shouldn't be. They were waiting for their arrival.

Or the Evil Queen's, his mind reminded him.

As optimistic the idea was, it didn't change the fact that the royal guards were swarming the place and they had to tread carefully.

So far, he had overheard several conversations. None of them working in his favor. The security had tripled with guards at almost every corner. The only entrance to the palace was a written letter of admission, signed and stamped by the King and Queen themselves.

Snow White had requested an answer from Emma before she could send the admission papers for safety measures. Emma had not sent the blasted letter.

Hook cursed low.

"Something troubling you sir?" He looked over his shoulder to face an older man with bright blue eyes, covered in wrinkles. From laughter or weariness he wasn't sure.

Hook glanced at the cast shadows on the cobblestones and released a tired sigh. It was getting late, he needed to return to Emma and Henry. He waved off the villager. "Just my troublesome wife. She ran off with our son again, no doubt spoiling him."

The man sent him a charming smile and offered him a water skin. Hook nodded his thanks and took a small sip. Friendly folks in this town. "He's her boy, she should be allowed to spoil him."

When Hook tilted his head back he spied a jeweled, golden hilt of a two-handed sword hiding beneath the simple, worn brown cloak. He gulped the cool liquid slowly before returning it. The hand that took the water skin back was clothed in the finest leather of a dragon's hide and there was a bulge in on the middle finger which Hook could only conclude was a rather large jeweled ring.

There was a shift in the winds that excited him once more.

Hook's hand fell to his hip, close to his sword. The man's eyes flickered to his sword and his smile fell slightly.

"May I inquire," the man spoke clearly, all friendliness now vanished from his tone, "what a pirate seeks for in Port Royal?"

"And may I," Hook began, a smug smile on his lips, "inquire why a king dresses so similarly to his subjects?"

Both drew their blades. There was several shouts of alarm, he could hear the rushing and heavy footfalls of the guards who responded to their movement into swordplay.

"Captain Hook," the man said.

Hook's smile widened, "King David."

YAY FINALLY IN PORT ROYAL :D

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