Chapter Title: The Killing Hour

Title: lessons

AUTHOR: obisgirl
Rating: nc-17
Characters: Killian/Emma

Summary: Fairytale land – AU. Emma is a princess on the verge of becoming a woman but wants more out of life than what her parents can give her, so she makes a wish to be swept away which translates into being kidnapped and sold at a slave auction to one Captain Killian Jones.

A/N: The Evil Queen's curse never happened.

Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time characters are property of Disney and Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis. This fanfic is for pure entertainment.

There's no warning before the storm hits, tossing The Jolly Roger back and forth. Killian's up on deck, ordering his men to secure the masts and anything else they might need, strong winds whipping them about, showers blowing from every direction. Killian's sailed through storms before but this one is different; he can barely see in front of them, the compass in his palm is his only guide.

He swings the ship about, trying to avoid an oncoming tidal wave that just misses them, but it doesn't look any better up ahead. These are treacherous waters and would prefer to whether the storm on dry land where it's safe for his crew but they are no where near dry land.

His heart almost stops when he notices Emma coming up on deck, to see how bad things are. He can't believe that she would risk her own safety and yells out to her to go back down below.

It doesn't do any good though, as she struggles to stand up right, walking towards him. Killian growls, not wanting to leave the wheel but thankfully, Starkey's nearby. He shoves the man in front of the wheel, ordering him to keep the ship steady while Killian heads towards Emma. The deck's more than a bit slippery due to the rain but he needs to get to Emma and make sure she's safe.

He reaches her and grabs her arm, pulling her aside.

"What the bloody Hell are you doing up here?! Don't you realize that we're in the middle of a very big thunderstorm?" he yells at her.

"I was worried," she shouts back.

"Go back to your room; it's safer down below," he orders. "And stay there until this passes!"

"Killian, I'm scared!" she cries back, tugging at his sleeve. "I'm scared for you!"

He shakes his head. She knew the danger coming up to see him but she still did, because she's scared for his safety. It's comforting that someone cares about him but she shouldn't take such risks in a dangerous storm.

"Thank you but you shouldn't take such risks now!" he reasons, "Please Emma, go back to your room. I'd feel better knowing that you're safe, love,"

Emma stares at him for a moment before turning around, leaving him.

As soon as she's gone, Killian walks back to the wheel and takes over, silently praying to keep his ship and crew safe from the storm.

But Killian feels it in his bones, this is no ordinary storm. There's darker powers at work here. He doesn't believe in magic or religion but there is definitely unnatural about this storm. The timing of it is particularly curious, since he recently decided to return Emma to her kingdom.

The skies this morning were so blue and serene, not an angry cloud on the horizon until they set sail.

The storm reeks of evil but Killian can't think of that now; he needs to focus on safely navigating through it.

Emma can't relax, feeling the ship rock over uneasy waters. She's confident in Killian's abilities in sailing through the storm but that doesn't stop her from worrying about him. Emma huddles in a corner on her bed and closes her eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly, a calming technique her father taught her when she was younger.

She tries to remember happier times at home with her parents. She remembers the countless balls and parties, going on until early morning, dancing and laughing. Emma hates corsets but surprisingly after dancing a few rounds, she remembers not minding them so much. As much as she hates that part of her life, it's a lot simpler. She has very few worries as princess while her parents govern their people, making sure that they have everything they need.

Emma remembers, if she ever needed an escape or a moment to breath, she would run to the dwarves cabin and spend a day there, playing games with them. They are after all, her godfathers.

Her family isn't like others. Her father is Prince Charming, her mother is Snow White, her godmother is a wolf and they all look out for her, but Emma also remembers how she hates being treated like a porcelain doll.

Killian at least, treats her like an equal and a person, most of the time.

And despite him telling her that he would prefer it if she weren't there, Emma knows that he cares about her. The moment on deck when she came to see him, seeing that worried look in his stunning blue eyes, concern for her safety proved it.

A tiny smile tugs at her lips, knowing that he does care for her after all.

Killian wishes that he could focus better; he's wet and he can't see any better than ten minutes ago but all he can think of is Emma. She's a bad distraction, especially in a time like this when saving his ship and his crew is more important but he can't get her out of his head.

He knows that she's probably okay, riding out the storm in her bunk and wishes he could be there beside her, making sure that she's comfortable and has everything that she needs but he's needed here too. He's the Captain and it's his responsibility to make sure his crew gets through the storm alright.

His crew needs him more than Emma does right now. They are his priority.

He sighs, swinging the wheel about from east to west, putting the compass away. He'll worry about getting Emma back to her kingdom later.

"The storm's not letting up," Starkey reasons, "She's a powerful one, Captain. The work of the devil!"

Devil!

Killian searches for that damn bird and finally spots it, sitting comfortably on one of the masts closest to him.

Bloody witch! He curses.

This was her doing all along.

"Stop this Mariana! You will not stop me from doing the right thing. I'm taking Emma back to her family! Our deal is off!" he screams at the bird.

The crow stares back at him, cocking its head to one side.

"I'm not killing her! She doesn't deserve that fate!" he continues.

The bird simply stares at him and he orders Starkey to check up on Emma. The man is reluctant to leave his side but he hurries away, running down below. Killian glares at the blackbird, challenging it to fight back. After a moment, the crow flies towards him, swooping overhead; Killian ducks and turns around, blinking his eyes as the bird magically transforms into her.

"Stop this mother," he growls.

"We had a deal son," Mariana retorts, stalking closer to him. "She dies and we run away with the money,"

"I won't kill her," Killian reasons, his hand drifting over the sword at his side. Mariana knows exactly what he's planning and removes the sword herself, throwing it into the nearest mast using magic.

She smiles wickedly at him. "Really? You're going to kill your own mother to protect a spoiled princess?" she taunts. "She's a princess, one of many in this world. Trust me, she will not be missed,"

"Why does it matter so much that she die anyway?" he asks, "She hasn't done anything,"

Mariana shrugs, still smiling. "Long ago, her family altered history; a dark curse was supposed to befall our land eighteen years ago but it was never enacted, creating an alternate future for all of us," she explains.

Killian frowns. "What does that have to do with Emma?"

"Everything," she seethes, "Killing her will fill the void of what should have been,"

"I will not let you kill her mother," he reasons, suddenly questioning if this woman is even his real mother. "Who are you really devil?"

"It's not appropriate to refer to your mother as that," she says, "It's downright disrespectful, Killian,"

Before he can lunge at her though, she wraps him to a post using magic and winks at him before disappearing. He calls to Smee and the small man runs to his side, quickly untying him. Killian removes his sword and rushes below, barging into Emma's room as Mariana appears in front of him, holding out her hand, an invisible force grabbing Emma by the neck, choking her.

Emma struggles to free herself, kicking her feet and looks to Killian. He notices Starkey knocked unconscious and looks to his mother or whoever. This woman, devil, spirit isn't his mother. This is not the woman who raised him.

Killian raises his sword and jabs it into her stomach, piercing her and releasing Emma from her grasp. The witch turns around, staring blankly at him as her face ripples, morphing into another. Emma and Killian stare in wonder as the witch reveals herself. The face isn't anyone he recognizes but she turns to Emma and Killian can see the color drain from her face as Mariana collapses and vanishes, leaving only her cloak behind.

The ship steadies itself and Killian stares at Emma before running over to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Who was it?" he whispers.

But Emma doesn't want to say, too scared to even breathe the name but thankful that she's alive.

Killian runs a hand through her hair, staring into her hazel eyes, wanting to stay in this moment forever until he

hears Starkey regain consciousness.

The man stands up slowly, looks at Emma and his captain before quietly leaving them alone. Killian looks back at Emma, feeling her whole body still trembling and he holds her closer, rocking her and whispering that she's safe. But the tension isn't leaving anytime soon and she starts crying.

Killian wipes away a tear and kisses another, willing her to stop crying.

"I'm here with you now, love," he whispers, "You're safe in my arms, Emma,"

She looks up at him, bracing his neck and Killian's eyes drift down to her lips. He runs a hand through her hair, to help calm her nerves and his own and time seems to stand still. Killian bends down and dips his head, kissing her sweetly.

Emma moans softly in his mouth and stops trembling. "Please stay with me," she whispers between kisses.

"I want to," he says, "but I'm needed on deck. Mariana or whoever she was, caused a lot of damage,"

Emma shivers in his arms and he pulls her close. He wants to ask again who she was but doesn't want to upset her. Killian kisses her forehead before moving away from her, standing. He doesn't want to leave her while she's still fragile but he has a responsibility to his crew.

"I'll be back soon," he promises, leaving her.

tbc