A/N: Hey Team!
So, this is a little more Killian past, and a lot of Tink/Hook/Ella interactions.
Hope you guys enjoy! Let me know what you think! Thank you for the follows/favourites/reviews! xx
Broken
14 Years Ago
"Tink! Where are you going! Come back! TINK!"
But the fairy ran, without saying another word to the pirate. Within a few steps she had shrunk to her original size and escaped the Fairy Stronghold without so much as a word of goodbye. And Killian Jones watched her retreating figure until he could no longer see her. Yes, he feared for her emotional state, but the fairy was strong; she would take care of herself.
Killian ran his hands through his hair in frustration before making his way back to his ship. Smee was waiting by the long boat to carry them back out to open water.
"Tinkerbell, Captain?"
"She's not coming back Smee," he sighed, before taking one last look at the peninsula and heading back to the Jolly Roger.
Present Day
At first Ella didn't realise what she was seeing.
"I'm sorry," she stammered quickly, backing out of the room and closing the door behind her. Her heart was beating rapidly; whatever she had expected to find when she went searching for Hook in his cabin, it had not been that. She'd thought Hook would be alone…not have Tinkerbell on her knees in front of him.
Ella breathed heavily as she leant on the closed doors. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she muttered to herself in anger, "You fool."
Meanwhile, the moment Hook had spotted the door open, and seen a glimpse of those purple eyes, his body had frozen. Bloody hell, he hadn't locked the door. Well of course I hadn't, he berated himself. God knows what goes on in Tink's mind. This was no anywhere near planned. In fact it had only been five seconds earlier when he and Tink had been arguing about how she managed to get caught. And Tink thought she knew how to shut him up.
She hadn't completely undone his pants yet, and for that he was grateful, because she was an insatiable fairy and once she started, she didn't stop. And in all honesty, he didn't want her. So the moment Ella shut the door, he pushed Tink's shoulders back, retying what she'd managed to get undone and moved away.
"I don't understand what your fucking problem is Hook," Tinkerbell was grumbling as she sank onto the rug, crossing her legs angrily. "If you want Pan's girl so much why don't you just take her. Unless you-"
"No," he replied harshly.
Tink was looking up at him strangely trying to catch his eye, but Hook refused to look at her. "I know you Hook," Tinkerbell continued. "You haven't cared this much since-"
Hook raised a warning eyebrow at her and she groaned in frustration, rocking onto her back and then back to a sitting position. Tink couldn't believe he still wasn't over Milah. It had been ten years.
And it haunted him still.
13 Years Ago
He wrapped his arms around the woman before him, nuzzling his face into her luscious dark hair as she breathed in the smell of the sea air.
"Where are we setting sail to Milah?" Killian murmured.
"Anywhere," she said, spinning around to wrap her own arms around his neck. "Far away from here Killian. Just take me away."
"Oh my Milah," he smiled, surprising even himself when he called her his, "You're going to make one fine pirate."
Present Day
"Hypothetically Tink," Hook began, pacing across his floor, obviously trying to get something off his brain that had been there a while. "If you were with a girl, but she was in love with one of your best mates, who may or may not still be alive, would you tell her about his status, or continue to let her hope."
"Ella's in love with one of your mates?" Tink's brow furrowed in confusion. "Does she love Pan or something? Did you two become friends at some point? Was this before or after he tortured you?"
He waved away her questions with his hook. "Hypothetically, he's possibly in the Enchanted Forest."
"Just stop with the fucking hypothetical case," Tink ordered. "Who's the guy?"
"Shang."
"Shang?" Tinkerbell gasped loudly. "As in Li Shang. Captain Li Shang. The one who was taken to Bahnen Nain."
"Shh!" Hook tried to tone down Tink's rapid volume change. He glanced at the door. "That happened after she was brought here. She doesn't know."
"I can't believe you haven't told her yet," Tinkerbell practically hissed. "Shang ended up in Bahnen Nain, and there's only one place you go from there. "
"To your death," Hook sighed lowly.
Ella's body fell limply to the ground as she slid down the door to the deck. Salty tears flew from her eyes as she heard every word that passed between the pirate and the fairy. And her hope, all the drive she had, began to crumble.
12 Years Ago
"Jones!"
"Tinkerbell?" Killian sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he said the girl's name in shock. If there was one person he was not expecting to see, it was her.
"War's broken out in Shayan again."
Milah began to stir next to him at the sound of another's voice. He ran his hand over her arm soothingly and she stilled, falling back to sleep. Tink's eyebrow raised, "So this is Rumplestiltkin's wife?"
Killian motioned for Tink to throw him his pants that were decidedly closer to her feet than his, and a second later he was dragging them on under the sheet. Decently dressed, he found a shirt and threw it on, walking barefoot with Tinkerbell out onto the deck.
"Have you been keeping tabs on me Tink?"
"Of course not," the fairy waved her hand before shrugging, "Well maybe. But there isn't much else to do when you're apparently the last of your own fucking people."
Killian almost flinched when he heard the cursing out of Tink's mouth. Yes, he'd heard it before. In bed, almost two years ago, but never with so much violent carelessness. Tink had changed; a lot.
"What does another war in Shayan have to do with me? I owe no allegiance to any land."
"I just thought you might want to help out a friend," Tink shrugged. "Shang's training troops before he heads to the front."
"Shang chose his Emperor over the sea," Killian answered, a little affronted. He'd never considered the idea of going to help out Shang. "Besides I've got someone to take care of."
"She'll never be yours Killian," Tink said, voicing his worst fears. "Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One. He believes you kidnapped her. He's coming for her; to bring her back to her son."
Once more, Killian felt his regrets rising to the surface. But he was a pirate; it was part of his job description to be selfish. However, there seemed to be a pile of destruction left behind him. Broken families, a dead brother…
He had to do something to redeem himself.
Present Day
Ella didn't even hear when Hook pushed open the door, his eyes widening in shock as he dropped to her side. Tears were still flowing freely down her face, soaking her shirt as he reached for her.
"Ella-"
"Get away from me," she all but hissed, nimbly getting to her feet and walking away from the pirate with all the strength she could muster. And he'd called her by name which only infuriated her more, her tears mingling of sadness and anger.
"Stop, love," Hook pleaded as he followed her. "Please."
"Why?!" Ella spun around angrily, stalking towards him heavy footed, pushing at his chest as though to provoke him. "Why would you even lead me on like this? Shang is dead. And you thought that I would just be fine with that? With going back home for no reason?" With each step she took forward, she expected him to take one back, but he wouldn't. And so she found herself glaring at him angrily, looking up at his face with pure loathing.
"I guess I shouldn't have expected any more from a pirate."
Ella turned to walk away again, but Hook wouldn't let her. He pulled her back, and no matter how much she tried to fight against him, he held her still. So she took her anger out on his verbally.
"Why don't you just go back to fucking Tink!" Ella screamed hysterically at him, trying to flail her arms out of his grip. "Because it's obvious you don't care about me."
If she wasn't so clouded by emotion, Hook's grip on her would've been easy to escape. But he wasn't letting go of her, even as she began to beat helplessly at his chest, letting tears fall down her face once more. Hook wasn't as confused about her reaction this time. With the slave band, she just hadn't known how to be happy. Now she was angry at him, but more than that, she was hurting.
So he pulled her in, no longer holding her still, but holding her tightly against him as her unstoppable tears soaked his shirt. Ella fisted her hands in the wet cloth as she cried out, her sobs wracking her body. He wasn't saying anything. Words were his enemy; instead he just stood there with Ella until she cried herself into silence, the dusk setting in quietly as she did so.
"I'm sorry," she finally mumbled into his chest, before she realised how much her salty tears would be affecting his cuts. They'd be stinging like hell. "I didn't mean to…lift up your shirt."
"A little eager there aren't we, love?" his voice was teasing, lacking the usual suggestiveness. Nevertheless he pulled up his shirt and Ella saw that whilst some of them were red, they weren't throbbing or infected.
"Sorry," she repeated again, not actually sure what she was apologising for. It just seemed habit.
Hook tilted his right hand underneath her chin familiarly, "You have nothing to apologise for, Hart. I'm sorry for keeping what I knew from you. I just didn't want you to think you didn't have a reason fro escaping Pan."
"Well I don't."
"Yes you do," Hook said intensely, "Do it for you. For your freedom. So that you can leave Neverland and grow up and have a family with whoever you want."
"Why are you like this Hook?" Ella said, the tears still not completely gone, they dwelt in her eyes, so near to flowing. But she wiped them away, adamant to get rid of the puffiness.
"I just don't want to see you hurt anymore, love."
"I'm sorry I insulted you."
"Stop apologising," he said gruffly, letting her face go as he sat down on the deck against a crate. Pulling out his flask he took a swig before motioning towards her, offering her a drink. She eyed it carefully before taking it and sitting neck to him. Taking a sip, Ella began spluttering as she tasted it.
"Why do you drink poison on a day to day basis?" she breathed once she was done choking.
"I suppose it is an acquired taste," Hook shrugged, taking it back. He put it in his pocket and sat back, his arm laid out behind her as he closed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Waiting for you to fall into my arms," he answered with a cheeky smile, peeking one of his blue eyes at her. "Is it working?"
She gave him a scrutinising glare before sensing how dark it was around her and standing up abruptly. Looking back down at Hook she asked, "Are my eyes still puffy?"
"No," Hook answered curiously, "Just purple. Why?"
"I have to go."
She crossed the deck as Hook stood up behind her. "You're getting the contract aren't you?"
Ella slowed her walking and nodded before she jumped up, grasping hold of the rigging.
"Make it the best you've ever had Hart," Hook advised as she stood atop the railing, preparing to jump. It killed him to think of her with Pan, but if it was necessary, she had to make the most of a terrible situation.
"I intend to," she shot him back a smirk, the sadness gradually leaving her eyes as, at lease for tonight, she pushed aside her own feelings. Diving into the water, she let it overcome her as she swam for shore.
"She'll never be yours, Hook," Tinkerbell said as they watched her cut through the moonlit water.
"Shut up Tink," he answered harshly, before walking back to his cabin and closing the doors sharply. The distinct sound of silence filling the ship as Ella walked into Pan's camp for the last time.