ECHO CAVE CONFESSIONS.

PROMPT: By Anonymous - "Hook reveals a secret he has in the Echo Caves that has to do with Regina. As they sail back to Storybrooke, Regina lets some of her jealousy at what she thinks is Emma and Hooks relationship slip. Ending is your choice. Hooked Queen is my OTP though."

Regina rolled her eyes at the scene before her. Hook and Emma in a tight embrace. Never being one to see the bigger picture, Regina missed the muttered words of thanks between the pair and the look of discomfort on Emma's face. In the Echo Caves, Hook had confessed his undying love for the Queen… She, however, was not there to hear it.

"Thanks for helping us find Henry. You really didn't have to do that." Emma smiled, pulling out of the hug she'd been sharing with the flirtatious pirate. Her hand rested on his arm reassuringly. "You deserve to be happy." She continued. Hook took the blonde's hand in his own and nodded with understanding. "You never know until you try, I suppose. I just fear that she may reject me." He confessed with a sad shrug. "Regina needs someone to love her… She deserves to be happy too, even if she is a royal pain." Emma grinned, causing a laugh to escape them both.

Regina scoffed at their actions, unable to hear their words. She looked away from the pair, annoyance etched on her dark face as she imitated Emma's gigging to herself. She knew that it probably looked childish, but she didn't really care in that moment. After everything that had happened, Regina still sat alone on the ship because nobody wanted to be with her and it did bother her, more than she wanted to admit. With a huff and a sigh, she rushed to her feet and stormed past Emma and Hook, slamming the cabin door as she went to her rooms.

Ten minutes passed before a tuneful knock echoed around her cabin. "Go away." She barked harshly, wiping the cold tears from her cheeks in frustration. The visitor clearly ignored her orders and pushed open the heavy wooden door. "I said, go away!" Regina snapped, hiding her face under her quilt. She sniffed quietly to herself and prayed that her intruder would leave her be.

"I heard you, love. Chose to ignore the request." Hook smirked, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "Just like everyone else then. No change there." She muttered quietly, her voice muffled by the sheets. With a gentle tug, Hook attempted to pull the covers away. She was stronger than he suspected. "Hey, c'mon." He chuckled, pulling the sheets with more force. She in turn did the same, stopping him from seeing her face. They went at it for a while, him trying to pull the blankets away from her, Regina trying to keep her face hidden. Hook even tried tickling her which momentarily worked, until she almost hit him in the groin with her foot. "Please… just leave, Hook." She whimpered when he finally seemed to weaken.

Surprisingly, she felt him rise from her bed. "Okay. I'll see you later." He nodded, moving over to the door to open it once again. He then, however, sneakily shut it and lay on the floor, silently crawling back over to her bed. He wasn't about to let her win. They'd spent years trying to one up the other. Regina should know that Hook would never give up that quickly or easily. She was naive and too desperate for comfort at the moment, so this clouded her better judgement.

With a sigh of relief, Regina pulled the covers away from herself and ran a hand through her hair. Just as she was about to let more tears fall, a pair of large hands grabbed hold of her and pulled her into a tight hug, causing her to gasp. "What are you doing?!" She practically yelled, struggling against the figure. "Never thought you'd fall for that one, your majesty." He beamed, earning himself another push from her.

"You're impossible." Regina muttered with annoyance, giving him a glare. She didn't want to be anywhere near Hook at the moment. He made her feel so unimportant. They'd never hinted to each other at wanting anything more than friendship, but she still felt like they had some sort of connection that would prevent him from straying to other women. "What have I done now?" He asked with a smirk, thinking her to be playing on her sexy-angry look.

"If you don't know, then you have some serious problems." Regina grumbled, turning her back to him. She looked out the small window to see the waves lapping at the side of the boat. They'd be leaving for home soon. Storybrooke. "Honestly, love… I have no idea what you're referring to." He chuckled, daringly leaning forward to place a slow kiss to the junction between her neck and shoulder. That had been a bad move. Regina shot up and turned to face him with anger in her eyes. "I'm not an object for you to just use whenever you feel like it! Maybe Miss Swan is, but I'm not. If you want to mess around with someone, go and do it with her. You'll have better luck since she's got more feelings than I do. I stopped feeling a long time ago." She snapped, moving to stand in front of the window. Hook watched the way her shoulders dropped with the large sigh she'd been holding.

Delicately, he stood up too, moving towards the window. "That may be all well and good, my Queen, but it is not Emma Swan I desire. I'd rather be with the woman I've fallen completely and madly in love with. The woman I think of before I go to sleep at night, who I think of the second I wake up. The woman who's voice quickens my heart. The woman who understands me and my decisions completely. I'd like to be with the woman, who is practically perfect for me in every way, even if she does get jealous sometimes when I'm talking to a hot blonde." He smiled, lifted her chin with his hook to make her look at his face. Hook had picked up on the envy she had the minute she'd rushed down to her cabin. "I know how alone you feel. I know that you regret certain things that you've done and I know how empty your heart is. I understand, love. We're the same, you and I." He nodded, keeping his eyes at the same level as hers.

There was silence for the longest time. Regina appeared to be thinking over his words, carefully trying to think of a satisfying reply. He was expecting a slap around the face or a hateful sentence filled with anger and unrequited affection.

"For the record… I wasn't jealous." She smirked after a few moments, looking into his deep colored eyes. "Of course you weren't, love." He smirked back, sharing the look of longing that lay in her own eyes, before pulling her closer to kiss her lovingly.

As Regina ran her fingers through his soft hair and returned the gentle, yet passionate kiss, she knew that this trip had given her something she'd always longed for: Love and a fresh start. Neverland had been the beginning and she prayed that this feeling she had, as Hook ran a hand over the flesh on her back, would never die or grow old.

A/N: Praying that this was okay, my lovely! Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! This prompt was so wonderful! The story itself was written rather quickly though, so if there are any mistakes just let me know and I'll get them changed! Thanking you muchly!