I'm going to go ahead and apologize now for the shortness of this chapter. It took me forever to get out and I could keep writing but I'm sort of stuck at the moment. I thought I'd go ahead and post a shorter chapter, then wait a few more days to make it longer. I'm sort of in a hurry right now so I didn't go over it as much as I liked, so forgive any typos or grammar mistakes I might have missed. I try to catch them, but sometimes I type faster than my brain. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try my best to get another one up soon!
Enjoy!
Mags
Chapter 14
She scowled right back. "Shut up, Hook."
"I will not shut up…when do I ever shut up?" He shifted his head so that their cheeks were grazing each other. "I told you not to bring your gun…didn't I tell you?"
"Oh well, excuse the hell out of me for wanting to protect myself," she said angrily in his ear. "I wasn't planning on being tied up with you upside down in a tree…"
"And I wasn't expecting saving your ass from the Blind Crimson," he shot back as he tried not to think about how incredible she felt pressed up against him. "That's the point, Emma…you don't know what to expect here…anything can happen."
"Obviously," she said dryly as she couldn't stop the shiver that coursed through her body when his warm breath brushed her ear when he talked. "We've been through quite adventure since we've arrived here."
"Emma…"
She closed her eyes. "I don't want to fight with you, Hook."
"Since when, darling?"
"Since now…when all the blood is rushing to my head and I feel like I'm going to pass out at any moment."
"Aye…I feel a bit woozy myself."
"We need to figure out how to get out of this mess," she said as she began turning her head to see if there was anything that would help.
Hook chuckled. "Trust me, Swan…there's nothing to do, but wait…hopefully the Lost Boys find us first…this is their contraption after all."
Emma turned back to Hook so suddenly that their noses bumped. She as tilted her head back as far as she could although it didn't do much good…his face was so close she could her reflection in his insanely blue eyes. "How do you know?"
"Because…I designed it."
Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what?"
"I designed it," he repeated as he glanced down to see if he could spot anyone coming. "Ages ago." He looked back at her and grinned. "Quite flattered they're still using it."
Her eyes narrowed. "So, if you think about it…this is all your fault?"
"My fault?" he balked. "How in the bloody hell is this my fault?"
"If you hadn't designed this…this…contraption…all those years ago…we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we?"
Hook snorted out a laugh. "Seriously? You're seriously going to blame the ten-year old boy that cleverly invented this thing of beauty?"
"Are you really giving yourself a complement right now?" she asked with a scowl. "Because I just might have to hurt you…as soon as we get out of this mess of course."
"You are being ridiculous, Swan…insanely ridiculous…however," he added when she started to interrupt. "It happens I agree with you…this is my fault, but not for the reason you mentioned…I shouldn't have let you lead…not even for a second."
"Now who's being ridiculous?"
"I would have spotted it," he explained. "Because I designed it, I would have seen it coming a mile away, but…I was distracted…still a bit shaky after you almost…" He sighed as he closed his eyes. "I saw the trap a second too late, Swan…I tried to get to you in time, push you out of the way, but…ended up getting ups both instead."
Emma sighed as she let herself relax against him and nuzzled her head until their cheeks were pressed against each other. "It's not your fault…it was stupid of me to blame you in the first place, I'm just…scared…that's all. I'm so sick of being scared all the damn time."
"You've certainly been through a lot," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her waist and then smiled gently when she did the same.
"More than you know," she murmured. "Of course…it hasn't even been a year since Henry showed up at my door…nothing compared to three hundred years of what you've been through."
He let out a deep sigh. "It certainly didn't feel like three hundred years…especially when I was in Neverland…you lose track of time…forget who you are if you're not careful."
"And how did you remember?"
"Shortly after she died, I drew a portrait of her…while she was still fresh in my mind…it didn't do her justice of course, but it was decent enough I suppose. I didn't want to forget her or why I was in Neverland…so I looked at her portrait every morning and every night."
She moved one of her hands gently on his back in a subtle comforting gesture. "You still miss her."
"Aye…I'll always miss her…but it's way past time for me to move on."
"Easier said than done."
"I suppose," he said with a shrug. "In all honesty, I think I started moving on without realizing I was moving on…if that makes sense."
"It does…would you do things differently? If you could go back…would you have done things differently, knowing what you know now?"
"No."
Emma was taken back by the quickness of his answer. "No? You wouldn't do anything different?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Why not?"
"You know why, Emma."
Her heart hitched slightly in her chest. "No, I don't," she whispered.
"You do…but I'll tell it anyway. If I had done anything differently I might not be where I am today…and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
"You mean, you want to be hanging upside down in a tree?" she teased, hoping to lighten the mood.
Hook chuckled softly in her ear. "Always the smartass…why do I like that about you?"
"Part of my charm."
"One of them at least…and it's you," he finally added after a moment of silence. "I never would have met you…that's why I wouldn't do things differently."
She lifted her hands and grabbed both sides of his face, leaning back so she could look at him. "I abandoned you on that beanstalk."
"You had trust issues...sure, it took me awhile to get over it…seeing as I locked you in a cell afterwards…but I'm over it now."
"I knocked you out cold in a sword fight."
"Excuse me," he said slightly offended. "I let you win…I thought we already established that?"
"I chained you to your bed after you were hurt."
"True…but you also hid me from Gold to keep me safe…don't think that I didn't notice that little detail, because I did…even if you did steal my hook."
"Hook, I…"
"Just stop it, will you? There's no need for it…it's just like you told me in that diner, Emma…we understand each other…you offered me to be a part of something and even though I struggled over some things at first…I took it…I wanted to be a part of something again…to have more adventures with you like we did on that beanstalk…so there's no need to go on and on…I'm exactly where I want to be, Emma…with you…so just…shut the bloody hell up and deal with it."
She lifted a brow. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, woman."
"Don't call me woman," she warned as she moved a hand down his back.
"I'll call you whatever I…" He suddenly flinched and then dropped his jaw as he stared at her in total shock. "Did you just pinch my…?"
He never got the last word out because after a loud thwack that echoed down below…they suddenly began to plummet towards the earth.
