A/N: Thanks for all the support for this story - I love writing it!

One note: This is set in an AU, no curse universe. Because of this, Emma's character has missed a lot of the development that happened in the actual series. Thus, in this story, she is less independent and sure of herself, but still just as impulsive. Hopefully that explains why I'm writing her slightly differently.

To one guest reviewer: I am not trying to foist the guilt for the situation onto anyone in particular. Both Emma and her parents didn't deal with it well, and that's what I'm trying to portray. Hopefully that clears things up a bit for you!

Enjoy =).

The wind was strong, filling the sails and sending the Jolly Roger skipping across the ocean. Hook's long coat flew out behind him as he stood on deck, gazing out in front of them towards their destination. The island that the woman wanted to reach wasn't far away; already, it was visible as a greenish smudge on the horizon.
The setting sun was starting to paint the clear sky in vibrant pinks and light purples. Hook judged that they were already about halfway through their journey and that they should arrive by sundown the next day.

"I have extra if you want some more."

Hook glanced over to see Lady Emma standing a step behind him, holding a plate of...well, she called it 'dinner' but it didn't resemble any food that he had ever tasted before. He had choked down his portion in front of the crew without comment and they had followed his example, but it was evident to all that the woman could not cook.

"I couldn't eat another bite," he lied with a perfectly straight face. "But thank you."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "It's awful, isn't it?"

Biting back a laugh, Hook nodded. "Aye, lass. Truly awful."

She laughed as well, apparently not taking offense at his honesty. "They never taught me to cook in pr...er, lady lessons. It's a skill that I never thought I would need." A couple steps put her beside him, staring out at the horizon as well, her shoulder just barely brushing against him as the ship swayed in the waves.

"Then what did they teach you?" Hook teased, extremely conscious of how close she was to him and how the setting sun highlighted her face. Every bit of contact made him wish for just a little more, though he knew that he couldn't have it. "Sewing?"

Emma sniffed, acting offended. However, he could see the humour in her eyes as she responded, "Embroidery, actually."

"Useful skill."

"You never know when you'll be in a situation that calls for embroidery skills."

"That comes up often?"

Emma let out another laugh. "I wish," she finally admitted with a rueful smile. "Honestly, I wish someone had taught me basic things, like fencing or cooking."

"Me too," Hook muttered under his breath. He narrowly avoided her playful punch at her comment.

They settled into a companionable silence for a couple moments. The pirate captain took the time to really examine his passenger. She was beautiful, he verified his earlier opinion. Trusting and innocent, but with a core of strength and bravery that impressed him. Were he a woman, he would not have hired a pirate ship crewed by raucous men to take him anywhere. That took guts, and he respected her for it.

The earlier scene in the galley was burnt into his mind, constantly replaying itself over and over. With Emma by his side, her blonde hair glowing in the light of the setting sun, it was easy to understand why he had given into the temptation to touch her, to brush a lock of hair behind her ear in an uncharacteristically tender gesture. But the strong physical attraction coupled with the easy banter flowing between them made him feel like he hadn't felt since...well, since Milah. And those feelings scared him.

"It's beautiful out here," Emma sighed, startling him out of his thoughts. "So peaceful." There was obvious longing in her voice.

"That it is, lass." Hook's voice was thick from thoughts of his lost true love.

"I wish…" she bit her lip and trailed off, looking down.

Before he thought it through, Hook put one hand under her chin and tilted her face up so that he could gaze into her eyes. "Wish what?" he prompted gently. She was so close, so kissable. It was taking all of Hook's self-control to not take advantage of the moment.

"That I was born to a freer life," she breathed, but he could tell that her thoughts were no longer on what she was saying. She was just as intent on him as he was on her. She started to lean forward and he groaned mentally. No amount of self-control in the world could stop him from accepting such an obvious invitation. Her eyes fluttered closed as his hand moved to the back of her neck, pulling her in faster, impatient to have her lips touch his. Finally, he brushed her lips very gently, savouring the explosion of sensation coursing through him at the briefest of touches. He felt her sigh and step into him. He lowered his mouth and was about to capture hers in a real kiss, when he heard, "Captain!"

One of his hands tightened into a fist at the sound of Smee's voice, breaking the moment. Emma pulled away immediately, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry," she gasped, touching her fingers to her lips. "I shouldn't…"

Hook was already shaking his head. "Don't...don't apologize." The kiss had been amazing, even though it barely even qualified as a real kiss. And now, it was going to be even harder to keep his hands off her, now that he knew what it felt like to kiss her.

Without another word, Emma turned and walked fast enough that she was practically running down the steps leading to her room below deck.

Hook closed his eyes, throttling Smee in his mind, the feel of Emma's lips still clear in his memory.

"Captain, over here!"

With another groan, Hook went to go see what his infuriating crew wanted.

…

The cabin door slammed behind her. What was she thinking? The obvious answer was that she wasn't thinking. A princess did not kiss a pirate. She didn't remember learning anything about proper behaviour in this situation, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Her tutors probably had never imagined that she would be a passenger on a pirate ship and that the pirate captain would be ridiculously charismatic and handsome.

Emma hid her face in her hands, feeling the flush on her face. And the worst part was that she had kissed him, not the other way around. He had merely reciprocated. She couldn't even lie to herself and say that he was taking advantage of her.

Her lips still tingled from the feeling of his brushing hers so incredibly gently, awakening feelings that she didn't know she had. Feelings that, now there, just made her want to run back to him, to kiss him again.

Emma groaned again. What would her parents think? Her father, especially, would not be impressed with her choices. That thought of her parents made guilt rise up again - she had tried to avoid thinking about her family that she had run away from. Her brothers probably wouldn't be missing her too much, but her parents were probably frantic by now. However, now that she had had a taste of adventure, she didn't know if she could return to a boring life at the palace, full of endless formalities.

A wave of dizziness overtook her all of a sudden, cutting of her train of thought. She immediately lay down before she passed out, and sleep claimed her almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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