I've been watching Once Upon a Time for less than a month now. This weekend I basically watched from mid-series 1 to where the series is now. I love it. When I first started watching I was thinking, "I don't have a couple in this show that I ship – at least not very strongly." I love Snow/Charming but not very strongly. I thought it was nice.

And then Hook came in the series.

I am so shipping Hook and Emma right now. The writers better make them happen. I will be so gutted if Neal and Emma are made the main couple in this series. I WANT CAPTAIN SWAN.

This is the first fanfic I've written about Hook and Emma. Please let me know if you think I've got them in character.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters

The Ship, the Stars and I

"Well it seems like it's my lucky day."

Oh crap. Emma closes her eyes and curses herself for not thinking of a better spot to hide. She thought the docks would be safe, especially so late in the evening. The sound of the ocean has always relaxed her, but right now it doesn't seem to be working. It's probably got something to do with the pirate leering at her. If he thinks he's being subtle as he glances at her breasts then he's delusional.

"Go away Hook," she says without a pause. "I'm not in the mood for the stink of fish right now."

"You just need to get used to it love," he says. He comes beside her sinks down, his thighs pressed closed to hers. Automatically she scoots away, but Hook is too fast and slings his arm across her shoulders.

"Let go me Hook," she snaps.

She looks as fierce and demented as a shark and Hook instantly moves his arm away. "No harm meant love," he says. "Is something bothering you?"

Emma feels the tension build up in her shoulders. "I just want some damn peace and quiet. You would think in a small town like this you'd be able to find some." She stares down at her shoes, her feet hanging above the waves.

Hook raises an eyebrow. "You want peace and quiet in a town with an evil witch queen, seven stupid dwarfs, a miniature giant, and a werewolf among other things? Forgive me for saying this but your dreaming if you think you can have a happy ending."

Emma raises her gaze, her eyes dark. "What about you?"

He raises his eyebrow. "What about me?"

"Do you want a happy ending?"

Hook looks out onto the sea. The smell of salt relaxes him. For the longest time even the ship hasn't felt like much of a home anymore. In his darkest hours he often thought he was homeless, a person that had no one. But he was wrong. His home has always been the sea, so much so that he swears his blood has salt in it. He's survived so much, but he thinks that if he was dragged too far away from the sea it would really kill her.

"I don't believe in happy endings," he tells her. "You can only get happy moments."

Emma turns away from him, already sick of him. She debates about leaving, and even goes so far as to place her hands on the ground to push herself up when Hook moves his face close to hers. She turns her head towards him while moving her neck sharply back from him. She thinks he's going to try and kiss her (she thanks God that she took self-defence classes) but instead his mouth goes to her ear. "Here, let me prove it. Why did the one-handed man cross the road?"

"I don't know," she says, and she doesn't know why she's even playing along.

He allows his grin to come slowly, like waves ebbing towards the beach. "To get to the second hand shop."

He hadn't found it funny at the time. Regina had told it him it and he had wanted to shove her down a flight of stairs (before, back in their world, anyone who made one-hand jokes would wake up on the floor – and that's if they were lucky). But it's almost worth it to see the smile light up on her face and a small giggle to emit from her mouth. Pretty soon she's laughing harder, her head thrown back, looking up at the sky –

- and then he realises that the tears coming from her eyes aren't from laughing, and when her faces ducks down it's screwed up. Her mouth opens and she sobs like a child. Without thinking Hook pulls her into him. With his hook hand round her back (he knew he had a spare. Mr Smee had hidden it under the floorboards years ago) he stroked her hair with his other hand. She folds into him as if she's been with him her whole life and she cries.

He lets her.

They sit on the docks for what feels like hours. Finally, finally, her crying slows and she gently slips off to sleep. Hook watches her face carefully as it relaxes, and the tension around her eyes disappears. She falls into slumber and Hook doesn't have the heart to wake her.

He thinks maybe he could stay like this all night.

xXx

Slowly her senses return to her.

The sound of the waves is what returns to her first. The ocean is the most soothing noise in the world and when she couldn't sleep she'd sometimes search for relaxing sounds on her iPod to calm her down. She doesn't want to open her eyes, but an annoying tweeting noise startles her. She pushes herself from the covers.

She's in an impossibly tiny cabin. The walls are shelves and there's nothing in the room except for the bed – and a few bottles of alcohol perched on the nearest shelf. Of course. She's with Hook.

She shoves the alcohol smelling covers off her and stands. Hook's placed her phone on one of the shelves, and when she checks it she sees several missed phone calls and messages from her parents and Neal. She's never had people who worry about her and the sudden anxiety is disconcerting. But then she checks the time and instantly understands. It nearly four in the morning. She's been out all night.

Shit.

The ship's a bit of a maze and it takes her a little while to navigate up to the top – or deck, as it should be called.

It's still dark, but the moon is out and the light bathes the deck in silver. It looks like the most beautiful ship in the world and Emma is stunned into stillness. This is the first time since finding out she's the child of Snow White and Prince Charming that she's felt like a princess.

"Finally." She turns and sees Hook leaning against the side of the ship. "I thought we'd left Sleeping Beauty behind."

Emma steps towards him. "Why didn't you wake me?" she asks.

Because to wake you would have been a crime. "Well love, if I had to choose between you asleep and you in tears, I think I know which is less effort for me."

Emma feels her face blush, and she's grateful that it's dark. His smirk shows that he feels her embarrassment. Oh yeah, I'm an open book. "Sorry about that," she mutters. She grips the side of the side, just for something to do.

"No need. I'm used to girls sobbing on my shoulder." Hook flashes a wink at her. "They're always the ones that want to get revenge on their husbands."

Emma leans backwards. "You think I'm crying over a boy?"

"Your son's father is in town isn't he?" Milah's son he adds to himself. But he won't think about that right now. "I'm assuming that's what brought out the hysterical Swan." He glances at her, and Emma thinks that might be concern in his eyes. Or maybe that's just a trick of the light. "Right?"

She shouldn't tell him. She tells herself she has no reason to be truthful with him.

Except that you left him in the giant's palace. Except that he just sat with you while you cried.

"You made me laugh," she whispers. She peeks out the corner of her eye and realises Hook is hanging off her every word. "And it felt so strange. I realised that the reason it felt weird was because it had been so long since I laughed – I mean, properly laughed. And I don't just mean when I arrived in Storybrooke, but years before. I don't think I properly laughed since I gave up Henry." For the first time she looks Hook right in the eyes and it almost hurts. "That's why I cried."

Hook inches a little closer to her. "You're tired," he murmurs.

Emma closes her eyes so the tears threatening don't fall. "It's just been so much. I love my family – I have so much more than I had before. But sometimes it feels like I have people pulling me apart, wanting bits of me-" She takes a shaky breath. "It's just so much."

All too quickly she feels Hook's hand on her elbow. It's not an intimate touch, not when he could have taken her hand, but she's surprised when it sends a sense of electricity through her body. Almost breathless she looks at him, lost for words. His eyes are staring straight at her with such determination. She's never seen someone look so fierce and so caring at once.

"If you ever need a sanctuary Emma, or an escape, or just a place to sit quietly, then you can always come here. The ship, the stars and I will be your only witnesses." He squeezes her elbow a little tighter. "It's a shame that a woman as beautiful as you doesn't laugh."

Hook once said that love had been far too rare in her life. She rolled her eyes at the time, but when she feels her heart seize up and her throat ache she knows he was right. It's not cruelty that will kill her, its kindness. "Thank you Killian," she murmurs.

Her phone emits a shrill ring and the two of them fly apart – Emma hadn't realised how close they had gotten. Hook glances at the phone in her hand. "What is that contraption Swan?" he asks. He's keeping a good distance from it but she can tell he's interested.

"A phone," she mutters. "You use it to communicate with people."

"Really?" he asks. "Is the singing some coded message?"

Emma laughs again. She sees Hook flash another grin at her but it's her mother's face flashing on her phone that holds her attention. Emma knows that she should answer it. Snow will be worried sick. This town does have two evil witches roaming round. But something makes her hang up the phone. She shoves it back in her pocket, feeling guilt beginning to weave its web in her chest.

Hook is still staring. "How do you interpret this message?" he asks.

"I'll talk you through it sometime," she says. She grins at thought of showing Hook how to use a cell phone.

Hook's face droops a little and Emma feels her body tense. "What?" she asks.

"I guess it's time for you to go now. You should get back to your son and his father." Hook holds out his hand and surprised, Emma takes it. "Promise that you will remember what I said."

She finds herself saying, "I will."

She knows he's right. Henry will be worried about her, as well as her parents and Neal. But the thought of leaving the ship and returning to the problems on dry land makes her feel tired again. She doesn't want to lose this feeling of calmness, of freedom.

Yeah, that's the reason, a traitorous voice hisses in her head.

She places both hands on the side of the ship. "I've already been out for most of the night. What's one more hour?" She keeps her voice casual, but she can't help but shoot him a glance from under her eyelashes.

He shrugs. "It's fine by me."

The two of them look at each other. With both their hands on the side of the ship, their positions are mirrored. As if synchronised, they smile shyly at each other.

Maybe there is a possibility for a happy ending after all.