(miss me?)
emma overboard! again, operation kraken will resume after i finish up this 2 (maybe 3) parter oneshot...posting this now, broken up into segments, because i haven't given you guys a oneshot in a while and this is as far as i have time to get today.
set 3x01
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It starts with a ripple.
A little flicker under the water, the rise and gentle pop of a bubble as it breaks to the surface.
The captain's eyes narrow, unconsciously tightening his grip on the rope at the railing.
"Hook!"
And like that, any worry about the little ripple is quickly abandoned as he turns to face the owner of the voice. The tension in his face dissolves into a smirk as Emma glowers across the deck towards him, waving a handful of pale muslin fabric out in front of her.
She is furious, but to him she is glowing, her hair catching the sun and the wind, lifting and dancing along her shoulders as if carried by pixies. Emma stops in front of him, eyes ablaze, and distantly, he notes her father lurking not far behind, regarding them carefully.
David lingers at the end of the railing, where he pretends not to be listening. Emma flourishes her hand in front of him. "What the hell is this?"
Hook pauses, eying the offending object dubiously. "Mm, in our land we call that a shirt, darling," he quips, raising a challenging eyebrow.
They both take a step forward without realizing it.
"Is this your idea of a joke?"
He grins cheekily. "Oh, love, my idea of a joke is far more—"
Emma silences him with a flash of her hand. "Damnit, Hook. What is this?"
His expression turns oddly serious. "As I said, it's only a shirt, lass," he snaps, stifling a sigh. "I thought it might suit you. It's hotter here in Neverland than your Storybrooke."
She swallows, suddenly uncomfortable. Emma scans his eyes, looking for the lie, but his face remains impassive. She finds herself asking the question she's afraid to know the answer to. "Then what did you mean in the note—"
Splash! Emma cuts off abruptly, her neck snapping around so fast Hook hears it crack. The two of them rush to the railing, where David can be seen swimming full force towards a nearby alcove of rocks.
"Dad!" Emma bellows, but David swims on, faster, were it possible, his voice lost in the wind as he cries something that sounds an awful lot like "snow". Hook goes rigid as a slow, lulling song is carried up and over the Jolly's sails.
"Sirens," Hook hisses as he and Emma exchange wide-eyed glances.
"Go get my mom," Emma says firmly. Before Hook can blink, she is stepping back from the side of the Jolly—and which he far too late realizes is a running start. A moment later, Emma Swan is leaping overboard after her father.
"No!" He screams over the railing, his hook driving into the wood so roughly it splinters underneath him. Bloody, stupid, infuriating woman. If the sirens don't kill her, I will.
He has no time to think, only time to act, so he quickly rushes across the deck and throws open the brig's door. "Snow White!" He yells below deck, knowing he needs the fighter Snow White, not meek Mary Margaret.
By the time the dark-haired woman clambers up the stairs, Hook is already back at the railing, weaving a sling of rope down over the edge of the ship. Looking around for her family, who she'd known to be up deck, it doesn't take long for Mary Margaret to put two and two together. She rushes to Hook's side, paling when she makes out Emma's gleaming blonde hair amongst the rough Neverland waves.
"What happened?" Mary Margaret shouts, taking the rope from Hook and helping him weave it over the edge.
"Sirens," Hook spits back, both their eyes on the water. "Emma jumped in after your husband, after they presumably lured him out." A shock of pride and fear ripples over her face before being replaced by concentration, glancing out at the sea.
"We have to do something!" Mary Margaret shoots him a terse, determined look, and for a moment, all Hook sees is the resemblance of Emma. His heart gives an uncomfortable pang.
"This is as close as the Jolly can get to the rocks, lass," Hook yells over the wind, "the best we can do is reel them in as soon as they're within distance!" The two share a heated, pained look, knowing it stings both of them to remain on deck, to feel so helpless.
Emma reaches the rocks and her father, who lies on his knees, looking up at a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Mary Margaret from a distance. Just as the woman steps closer, Emma pulls herself up onto the rock. In one swift movement, she kicks and sweeps the legs of the woman—nay, the siren, who falls backwards as Emma whips a knife from her boot, pressing it against the siren's throat.
Keeping her elbow low against the siren's neck, Emma throws David a look over her shoulder. She shouts something, and Hook strains to hear it, but they're too far out. David seems dumbstruck, unwilling to budge.
Emma maneuvers herself and the siren into a standing position, the knife still withdrawn, and then promptly shoves the siren off the other side of the rock. Hook nearly laughs despite himself. The blonde grabs hold of her father's arm and tugs him back into the water, who seems to be resisting and trying to swim back towards the rock.
Mary Margaret's voice has gone hoarse from shouting, white-knuckling the ship's railing. Regina, curious, has surfaced from below deck as well, but sensing the severity, she strides over quickly, her back straight.
Emma strains with her father's weight, but the current is in her favor, and she is able to pull him back towards the ship. When she's close enough, she grabs the rope and cinches it around David's waist, waving up to signal they're ready. David thrashes, now free of Emma's grip, and tries to swim backwards, towards the rocks.
Hook and Mary Margaret struggle with the weight, burdened by the choppy waves. "Regina, please, help!" Mary Margaret cries, grunting. Hesitation and annoyance flicker clear across the queen's face before she wordlessly grabs hold of the rope, heaving alongside with her enemy.
With the third set of hands, David is quickly pulled up over the side of the ship. Mary Margaret makes quick work of the rope, throwing it back over to Hook, who has already returned to the railing. His eyes are wide and searching for Emma, but she's lost amongst the suddenly much wilder, almost angrier, waves.
"No," David murmurs groggily, trying to stand, "I have to go back, I have to find Sno—" Slap!
Both the queen and the pirate whip around to see Mary Margaret clock David with the open palm of her hand. "Wake up," She says firmly, but gently. Taking the opportunity from his stunned pause, she relays him a kiss. After a pause, the two melt into each other, lost in their lips.
Regina audibly groans.
"Where's Emma?" David says suddenly, jumping upright. "She…she was right behind me…"
The thump of Hook's leather coat hitting the floor is the only response. He dives overboard without a word, making almost no noise as he hits the water.
He breaks for air, gasping as he swivels in the sea, desperately searching for Emma. A scream and a slip of golden hair flash in his peripherals. He turns to see her tangled with…herself? Two identical Emma Swan's scratch at each other's throat, kicking and bobbing along the choppy water.
Bleeding pixies, he thinks, dimly noting that if he wasn't so terrified for her life, he might be turned on.
"Help!" One of the Emma's screams just before she sinks below the water.
"Hook!" Cries the other, struggling to stay afloat. The first Emma resurfaces, and immediately lunges back into the fight.
His eyes dart between the two. Wordlessly, he makes his decision.
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reviews always encourage a faster update! the shared drink, a mysterious note, and a rumple confrontation are coming up next. ;)