Chapter Title: Much Needed Answers

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.

Killian can't believe when he steps foot on deck, looking up at the clear blue sky and feeling the sunlight bathing him that a horrible storm almost tore his ship apart and killed the woman he loves. Dark magic, he realizes, walking cautiously to survey the minimal damage. As soon as he locks eyes with Smee, the man runs over to him and removes his red hat.

"The storm seems to have passed, Captain," he says.

"Damage?"

"Not much," Smee reports, "which is odd for such a severe storm,"

Killian doesn't comment on it but it doesn't make him feel any less tense. "Casualties?" he asks.

"None sir," Starkey volunteers, still pressing a hand to his head. "but I suggest we sail to safer waters, in case the storm returns,"

"That won't be necessary," he reasons and both men stare blankly at him. Were they even talking about the same storm? "How far are we from Princess Emma's kingdom?"

Starkey shrugs. "I don't know Captain but we shouldn't be that far," he says.

"As soon as you get your bearings together, let me know," he commands, taking his leave of them.

Killian can't get back to Emma soon enough, locking the door behind him as he enters her quarters and runs into her arms, embracing her. She's stopped crying and isn't shaking anymore but she's grateful to be with him. He sighs, lying down with her.

"She's not coming back," Emma says suddenly and he looks worriedly at her.

"Emma, who was she?" he inquires.

Emma really doesn't want to say but he knows the obvious; she was not his mother and knew more about events that happened eighteen years earlier that concerned Emma's family.

Killian sighs and strokes her hair. "Emma, please, if you know anything, I need to know," he pleads. "That woman...she almost destroyed my ship and killed you,"

Emma turns away from him, too scared or embarrassed to look him in the eye. There are some dark secrets in her family's past, stories that she believed were only stories. "I've always known the story of how my parents met and fell in love, the trials that they had to go through fighting King George and her," she says.

"Who?"

"The Evil Queen Regina," Emma continues, "She was so determined to make my mother suffer because she blamed her for the death of her true love. There was an epic battle to stop Regina and take back the kingdom

from King George. My parents won and my mother and Regina met one last time where it all started,"

"My mother pleaded with her to stop the insanity and give up this battle," Emma explains, "Regina had lost and needed to accept that by continuing her attack on my mother, it wasn't going to bring back her true love back and it wouldn't have been what he wanted for her,"

"Regina removed a poisonous apple from her person, which was intended for my mother but she ate it instead, placing herself under a sleeping curse for all eternity," Emma finishes. "My mother and father took back the kingdom with ease and peace spread throughout the land,"

Killian studies her intently, shocked by this hidden dark history. "Was that Regina?" he wonders.

"No, it wasn't Regina," Emma reaffirms, "it was someone else close to her but she's gone now; she can't hurt us,"

"No, she can't," he whispers, hugging her again still very troubled.

Killian remembers his mother approaching him months ago with a plan for riches: kidnap a princess, (specifically Emma) and bargain with her parents for her release.

The plan seemed simple enough; Killian treasures gold and what having gold can afford him but never thought by agreeing to her plan it would create a ripple effect beyond his control.

Mariana, whoever she really was – was definitely not his mother and Killian feels like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. But then again, if he hadn't agreed to her plot, he never would have met the beautiful creature in front of him.

"Emma, how do you know all of this?" he wonders.

"Stories, whispers," she says. "I don't really remember,"

Killian doesn't believe in destiny but suddenly, he's curious about what his life and Emma's life could have been.

And there's one man who would can answer both of their questions: the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin.

tbc