Title: If only falling was calculated…

Summary: -Emma glanced back at him, her eyes softening, "Because you loved her."- Gaining the love of a princess isn't easy, but neither is earning the love of a pirate. (Starts before "In the name of the brother.")

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairings: Emma/Hook, With a healthy dose of Daddy Charming :)

AU: Things deviate a little, because—well, just because really, but main plot things are still included, but they may not necessarily happen the in the same order/the same way as they happened in the show.

~O~

"So, you made it to Storybrooke." Emma took great pleasure in watching Hook jump, his eyes darting around the deck of his ship before he finally spotted her; perched comfortably on the top step of the stairs leading up to the ships wheel. She twirled a pair of handcuffs around her fingers, making sure Hook had no illusions as to her presence on his ship.

"Swan..."

"I found Archie." He winced at her tone. Good. "You let us think he was dead."

"I had no idea he was so important to you, love." He smirked, attempting to lighten the mood.

"You let my son think he was dead." Emma wasn't having any of it. Her son had been put through losing a dear friend, for nothing. Her son had had to attend a funeral, for nothing. Her son had cried himself to sleep, for nothing. Emma was furious.

"Come now lass, I didn't know who he was-"

Emma shook her head. "Don't. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not- okay, I knew who he was, Cora told me…" His hands were raised, placating, it only served to further aggravate her.

"Cora!"

"But I didn't know he was important to your son…"

"Cora did this? You're still working with her?"

He shot her a look. "I didn't really have a choice in the matter, now did I, pet?"

"You always have a choice."

"Nice words sweetheart, but I chose you. Then you left me up that blasted bean-"

"No," She cut him off, practically leaping to her feet as her anger bubbled closer to the surface. "We saw through your disguise. Or don't you remember, Killian Jones, the blacksmith. You didn't chose me, you just didn't want to be left behind-"

"Look what good that did me." Hook to a step forward, his hand lowering from their defensive position. Emma noticed Hook attempt to subtly reach for his sword and she watched as confusion danced across his features as he realised his sword wasn't strapped to his side, before realisation settled in its place. He'd left his sword on the ship, below in his quarters- she'd checked; he'd most likely felt it wasn't necessary to carry around on his sneaky trips into town. Instead, Emma was certain all he had on him was the little knife peeking out of his boot and his hook. "You left me behind anyway."

"And I was right. You outright admitted your quest for revenge on Rumplestiltskin when we first found out who you really were."

"Then why bother with pretence. Why take me along only to betray me…"

Emma slowly moved down the staircase, running her hand lightly over the smooth wood of the banister. The cold breeze tasseled her hair and tugged at her coat, but she didn't feel the cold. Fury barely contained, simmered beneath her skin, warming her from the inside. The insufferable pirate still hadn't clued in to exactly how pissed off she was right now, because if he had, he wouldn't be throwing pathetic accusations at her attempting to turn the tables in his favour.

"Betray you. I betrayed you?" She felt her hands tremble. "Since you've been in Storybrooke you've kidnapped and threatened an innocent man. Threatened Belle- Don't deny it, I saw you leave the library; lost you when you took to the rooftops though… it's what made me come down here to take a look. And the shawl you tried to tuck into your pocket when you realised I was here- let me guess, it belonged to Mr Gold?"

Emma watched as he searched for something to say, only to realise she'd see through any and all of his lies, so he remained silent.

"You really want to know why I left you up that beanstalk? It's because I didn't trust you, your original quest for revenge could have been anything, but then I realised he took someone from you. A woman, someone you loved." Emma reached the bottom of the staircase and stopped, staring at him, daring him to say something- anything. "I knew – that just like the people in the village- you wouldn't let anyone stand in your way- wouldn't let innocent people, like Archie, like Belle, like my son, stand in your way. So no, I was not going to help you get to Storybrooke, I was not going to let you anywhere near the people I care about."

"Ah, Miss Swan," He sneered bitterly. "The foolish hero, naïve and…"

"Give me the shawl, Hook." She said finally, interrupting whatever else he'd planned to say. She had no patience left with which to hear it. She held her hand out, palm upwards, fingers loosely curled. The handcuffs in her other hand clinked quietly.

Hooks only hand curled around the ends of the shawl, protruding from the sizable pocket in his coat. "He killed her you know, right in front of me. I watched her die, as he ripped her heart from her chest and crushed it between his fingers."

"And I'm sorry, I really am…" And she was. Emma knew what it was like to have someone die in her arms, someone she cared about. But she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone you loved, actually loved, and who loved you in return die in front of you. But that didn't mean killing was okay. Two wrongs didn't make a right. "But I can't let you kill Mr Gold…And I may not have known Milah, but I don't think she would have wanted you to waste your life chasing after him trying to off him."

"Don't. You know nothing about her."

Emma swallowed, this Hook was nothing like the talkative flirt who'd climbed the beanstalk with her, this Hook was bitter and angry and Emma wondered how she could have possibly missed it, the broken man beneath the charming exterior. "Then tell me I'm wrong."

Hook didn't say anything- couldn't say anything. Emma lowered her hand and approached him cautiously. He didn't say anything when she gently turned him around, nor did he say anything when she snapped the handcuffs around his wrists, or even when she noticed the problem with that idea and unclicked the cuff from the wrist which held the hook and re-snapped it just above his elbow, tight enough that he couldn't wriggle it off.

Her anger had all but dissipated as she turned him back to face her, the outward appearance of a pirate, with the sad blue eyes of a man. It seemed, for the moment, that all the fight had left him, years of anger- directed at Rumplestiltskin, fading into the background as the pain of losing Milah once again rose to the surface.

"Perhaps," She said carefully, unsure what to say, what was there to say, because he'd lost someone… Someone he'd loved, and she couldn't imagine what that felt like. "Storybrooke… could be a new start…"

"I have nothing left. Nothing." He said quietly, not even bothering to look at her.

"Then maybe it's time to start looking."

~O~

He'd gotten out. Only hours after she'd locked him up, she'd returned from a coffee break to see the door swung open on its hinges. Emma had grabbed her keys about to drive right back down to the docks when the phone rang.

And now- now she was perched on the edge of his hospital bed, watching him sleep, wracked with guilt because she hadn't stopped him. What, had she honestly thought one blunt conversation, in which she brutally stabbed at his emotions, was going to stop his quest for revenge? He'd been after Rumplestiltskin for years- years. She was an idiot to think he'd give up so easily.

And look where it had gotten him, three fractured ribs, and a hell of a lot of bruising. Contrary to the cliché, Hook didn't look peaceful while he slept, he just looked normal- granted there was considerably less sass, and the break from come-on's and innuendo's was welcome. She was, however, relieved that the med's he'd been given would keep him out cold a little while longer. It meant she had a few extra moments to herself to just think.

Emma cast a fleeting glance at the door to the private room. A hell of a shit storm was kicking off just outside, and it would be far easier to deal with if she didn't have Hook antagonising everyone the minute he opened his mouth. Wearily she got to her feet, mentally preparing herself to leave the quiet sanctuary of the little room. Hooks steady breathing gave her pause.

Well, she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. It was with smug satisfaction that Emma handcuffed the wrist closest to her to the hospital bed. It didn't matter that he had three fractured ribs and so obviously wasn't going anywhere; the handcuffs were more of a statement anyway.

~O~

"He hurt Belle."

"I know." Emma continued to jab furiously at the buttons on the vending machine. Beep. This item is not available. Jab. Beep. This item is- Jab. Beeeeep. "Argh, I can see the M&M's." She kicked the bottom of the vending machine.

"Emma."

Emma took a deep breath, and peevishly jabbed in a different set of numbers. Beep. "Stupid hospital vending machines…" She pressed the refund button, giving up entirely on her quest for chocolate. It clearly wasn't mean't to be.

"He-"

"I know, David. I know." She interrupted flatly, collecting the change and turning to face the man who had turned out to be her father.

"Then why are you protecting him?" David asked, and she had to commend his effort to appear neutral, but she could see the suspicion behind his eyes. Damn it, Mary Margaret what have you been saying to him?

"I'm not protecting him," She said moving off down the corridor towards the seating area. She felt David fall into step beside her. "I'm just keeping him out of the way until everything calms down."

David's hand caught her arm. "Emma, what's wrong?"

She turned to face him. "Nothing." And with anyone else that would have worked, but Emma was quickly beginning to see that David was every bit as perceptive as she was, but also held more tact than her mother. While Mary Margaret meant well, she pushed… and Emma just wasn't ready for a parental figure to push into her business yet. Or ever, she was a grown woman, and she was finally getting a chance to know them, to learn just who her parents were, but their absence from most of her life was still there… still relevant. She'd been used to looking after herself, and just because she finally found her parent's doesn't mean she has to tell them every little thing about her life. Some things were still personal and private.

And the look in David's eyes said it all. It said he knew something was up- and it also said that he would except her answer of 'nothing', even though he didn't believe it. He wouldn't push her for answers. Damn it. That just made it all the more complicated, because now she felt guilty for not talking to him.

The concern, clear and unhidden in his gaze, coupled with the knowledge that he wouldn't pressure her into talking made her crave a childhood where she had grown up with her parents. With Mary Margaret, meaning well but at times slightly over baring and David-

She could picture herself talking to him about silly childish troubles, like worrying that her friends didn't really like her, or that she was struggling in school. She could see him listening, quiet and thoughtful before carefully explaining his thoughts on the matter, while always encouraging her to do what she felt was best. Then later, when she was tucked comfortably in bed, mind soothed by her fathers' guidance, he would head back downstairs and placate Mary Margaret with what they'd talked about, ensuring that her mother remained in the loop, without going into detail and breaking her trust.

"Okay, fine. Maybe I'm protecting him a little." She admitted, turning to face him in the middle of the corridor.

His eyes widened briefly, she supposed he hadn't thought she'd actually admit it, "Why?" He removed his hand from her arm, dropping it to his side.

"It's not as black and white as 'He hurt Belle'," Emma said, running a hand through her hair. "I mean yes, if this were a normal town I'd most likely be locking Hook up awaiting a hearing in which he'd probably go to jail for something like ten years."

"What do you mean if this was a normal town?"

"Well it's not is it? Things keep happening, people get hurt, or killed, or kidnapped … or hit by a car, and there is nothing I can do to stop it happening again. I talked to Smee earlier; he said Gold pushed him over the town line to test the potion Gold developed. What if it hadn't worked, what if Smee had forgotten who he was?"

David remained quiet, simply watching her.

"Exactly, nothing would have happened. Gold would have just gone back to perfecting his stupid little potion and then he would have shoved someone else over the line to test it. There aren't clear laws here, hell Gold tried to kill Regina—that's what caused me and Mary Margaret to get stuck over there anyway."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that two men have some sort of stupid feud between them; and that Belle was caught in the cross fire. Whenever anyone in the whole town has a feud with someone else, an innocent bystander is usually the one to suffer. Regina brought you all over here—created this stupid curse—because of something that went down with Mary Margaret… Feuds from your stupid fairytale world have carried over and I can't take sides because I don't know the whole story. I don't know what started any of it, so yes. I am protecting Hook from Gold, but I am also protecting Gold from Hook…" She sighed.

She took a moment to restructure her argument before continuing. "I can't punish anyone, for any of it, as Sherriff. Not Hook, not Gold, not Regina, not even Cora if I found her, because none of you seem to conform to the rules I've lived by all my life—the cells in the station aren't exactly lifelong imprisonment material, and I can't exactly hand fairy talk characters over to the state… so nothing I do is ever going to be enough to stop it from happening again. I can't fight against magic, David." Emma's voice broke slightly as she finally trailed off, and damn it she hadn't meant to go off on such a tangent, especially not in front of her father.

"You blame yourself." Stupid perceptive David, of course he saw through everything she said, and saw what she hadn't said.

She sighed. "I had him locked up David, locked up down in the station. I took a coffee break. Hook got out. What happened to Belle, it's on me." Then she turned and walked away, leaving David confused and alone in the hospital corridor.

~O~

A few days later Emma sat awkwardly by Hooks bed, she didn't really want to be here, but this was the best way of preventing Gold from finishing the job. Also other than the steady whirl of the machines, the room was silent. Ironically this—Hooks hospital room—was the most peaceful place in Storybrooke at the moment; outside these four walls was a complete shit storm and Emma wasn't quite sure how to deal with any of it yet.

A croaky voice interrupted the quiet, "She would have wanted him dead, you know."

Emma glanced up from the doctor's notes detailing Hooks injury. His eyes looked clear and focused; briefly she wondered how long he'd been awake. "What?"

"Milah, she would have wanted Rumplestiltskin dead." He continued, easing himself up slightly on the bed so he could properly look at her.

Emma only looked at him in confusion. "Well yeah, he killed her; of course she'd want him dead." She wondered just what pills the pirate was on, because this seemed a step beyond merely spouting the obvious.

"You said she wouldn't." Huh?

"What?"

"Back on my ship, you said she wouldn't want him dead." Oh…

Instantly Emma shook her head, "No, I said she wouldn't want you wasting your life trying to kill him."

"But-"

Again she shook her head, cutting him off. "There is a difference, you've just been chasing him so long, you haven't had a chance to look in the mirror and realise what exactly it's done to you."

He laughed, humourlessly, "I wasn't exactly a knight in shining armour before-"

She found herself watching him shrewdly, gnawing at her bottom lip, unsure about how to explain that she knew he wasn't truly the bad guy he seemed determined to make himself out to be. Up the beanstalk she'd felt it, the connection, the kinship… and maybe she was being naïve, perhaps she just didn't want to acknowledge the villainous part of him because what would that say about her. There was a connection between them, as much as she tried to deny it, as much as she wished it wasn't there… it was. So if he really was a bad guy, then maybe, just maybe, there was also a darker part to her heart than she realised.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought. She was the first to stand up and declare her imperfections, god knows she possesses an almost countless number, but she's not a bad person—and neither is Hook. He isn't, she could tell, and maybe it was time to start trusting her instincts again, because every fibre of her being screamed at her to fix this—fix him.

"Maybe not, but you weren't a cold blooded killer either."

"How would you know?"

Emma glanced back at him, her eyes softening, "Because you loved her."

~O~

Maybe she was fooling herself, perhaps, no matter what she did—or tried to do, it just wasn't possible to stop people in Storybrooke from suffering at the hands of those with magic. Or, and this was the more likely option, she just wasn't good enough—wasn't strong enough to keep them safe.

An angry wailing pierced the drowning silence of her room.

Her alarm blared angrily off to her left, she groaned glancing over at the time, well that was an awful nights' sleep. It continued to make a god awful noise for a few moments longer, as Emma summoned the necessary energy to reach out and smack the thing. The room tumbled into silence, yet Emma couldn't find the motivation to get up. It's not like it would actually make a difference—

Aside from Storybrooke's issues, a certain roguish pirate weighed heavily on her mind. Their last conversation had ended awkwardly; "because you loved her." God, what had possessed her to say that? He'd just stared at her, his expression shocked. Then, he'd switched from shocked to calculating—still staring mind—but hadn't uttered another word for the further hour she'd remained hidden in his room. It was disconcerting to say the least, and Emma, in a true flee-when-things-get-difficult fashion, had decided to avoid Hook until she's made up her mind with exactly what she wanted to do about him. Obviously, his quest for revenge was a cause for concern, and she was wholeheartedly against his plans to murder Mr Gold. So she needed to stop that somehow….

But another part of her wanted, almost desperately to help him, not in harming Rumplestilskin, god no, but in a way she'd wished someone had helped her… and that was terrifying.

She shook the thoughts from her head. She'd barely slept; her restless mind had woken her around three, and she'd not managed to get back to sleep. She glanced at the clock again. She really didn't want to get up. She was exhausted; mentally more than physically….

You know what? That was it… Emma Swan was taking the day off. David would no doubt be down at the station anyway, so she didn't feel too guilty… Storybrooke would still have their Prince Charming looking after them—but Emma was in no mood to deal with supernatural crap today, nope she was going to stay firmly tucked up in bed.

She grabbed the corner of her duvet and rolled around, wiggling and shifting until she felt comfortably cocooned in her blankets. So much better, there is nothing in the world that tops the feeling you get when you need to get up for something you're dreading but then, through your own design or simply the ways of the world, you realise you don't have to get up—that you can spend however long you want snuggled under the covers while the world trudges on without you. Pure and utter bliss….

~O~

"Emma! Emma?!"

Loud frantic cries burst into her content sleepy bubble, and she found her eyes blinking open in shock at the raised voices that stampeded into her apartment. A quick look at the clock informed her she'd dozed off for a few hours following her spur of the moment decision to have a pyjama day. She was surprised that she'd actually slept, she'd thought maybe she'd simply lay awake for a few hours—resting as best she could—before getting up to lounge around the apartment.

The noises continued…

Thoroughly annoyed, but realising that the loud noises weren't going to stop unless she did something, she made a sleep fueled, not quite thinking straight, oh-my-god-I-was-sleeping, noise of distaste.

"Emma?" David's entered her line of vision, "We were worried, we had no idea where you were!"

"I just stayed in bed David," She muttered sleepily, "It's what normal people do sometimes, no need to send a search party."

"This is the Sherriff that foils my every plan?"

Emma sat up in surprise, just in time to watch Captain flipping Hook limp into her bedroom. Oh of course. Of all the people to follow David into her room it had to be the one person she'd decided to avoid. Well it seemed like that plan was out the window. The universe hated her. It was then she became uncomfortably aware that she was still in her pyjamas, wrapped up in bed and no doubt cursed with bed hair. She was simply too mortified to blush.

"I told you to wait by the door." David snapped.

"Who was worried?" Questioned Emma, surely Hook hadn't been concerned? She did her best to ignore Hooks' appreciative glance and fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Her pyjamas were modest; there was nothing to feel self-conscious about. She refused to let him see she was unsettled about his presence in her bedroom and her state of undress—well she was dressed, but not like, properly dressed and urgh, she just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Me and Henry… don't worry, I sent him back off to school—Ruby agreed to make sure he actually got there. She's possibly the only person he can't give the slip. You didn't turn up for work, or for lunch…. " David trailed off.

It took a couple of seconds, a look at Hooks raised eyebrow, a glance in her direction; taking note of her pyjamas, but eventually Prince Charming's overprotective parental nature kicked in and Hook was shoved—none too gently—from her room, the pirate winced, his hand moving up to brace his still healing ribs. "We'll wait in the kitchen," David tossed over his shoulder.

The door shut with a sharp snap.

Emma groaned, feeling the delayed embarrassment begin to set in, she felt her cheeks burn and contemplated barricading her door and refusing to leave for a few weeks—or at least until she felt she could once again look both David and Hook in the eye. However, her plans for hiding away from the world were dashed when she heard David pottering around in the kitchen, no doubt attempting to give her some privacy to get dressed.

It became quite clear they weren't planning on leaving any time soon, and it seemed the only solution was to see what they wanted before she could even hope to continue her day of relaxing. Annoyed at the blatant interruption, god, didn't people knock anymore? She grabbed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom, shooting both men a glare for good measure as she left her room. Idiots.

~O~

"So," Emma began upon entering the kitchen, her hair loose and damp around her shoulders, "What was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? And why did you burst into my bedroom like there was a fire?"

"You didn't answer your phone, we were worried, especially with all that's going on with Regina—and like I said, I barely managed to convince Henry to actually go to school, the kid was worried."

"Erm, right, sorry, I probably should have let you know I wasn't coming in today." She shrugged sheepishly. "Er, so why's he here?" She glanced over at Hook, sat quite comfortably at the table, his chin propped up on his one good hand.

"About that… you see; Hook was released from Hospital today and since no one's pressing charges…" David scowled, "He wanted-"

"My Hook, or did you become so attached that you loath the mere thought of returning it." The stupid pirate grinned at her, "Don't fret love, you're welcome to help me polish it whenever the need arises."

Emma merely rolled her eyes, "It's down at the station."

"We need the key to your draw," said David through gritted teeth, looking as if it took all his energy not to leap over the worktop and fracture Hooks' other ribs.

"Why didn't you say so, I wouldn't have needed to—" Emma froze. Hook's.. er.. hook was in the bottom draw of her desk… but so was his scarf. She was suddenly regretting whatever it was that possessed her to keep the stupid thing. Now she couldn't simply give David the key and send them on their way, because while David may not know the significance of the dark material, Hook would, and he'd no doubt jump to conclusions. She'd only kept it because—because… well, she just had. It didn't have to mean anything! Just because she didn't throw it away, doesn't mean she's developed feelings or anything as equally absurd.

However—just to be on the safe; un-conclusion-jumped, side—it would probably be best if she handed over the hook herself, keeping her father and more importantly Hook, from awkward assumptions.

"You know what, never mind. I'm up and dressed now, I may as well head down with you. I probably still have a mountain of paperwork left anyway." She grabbed her coat and keys before making her way to the door. Neither Prince nor Pirate had moved. Impatiently she opened the door and gestured to the hallway. "…by all means, take your time, it's not like you woke me up for this or anything."

Hook smirked, sliding slowly off the stool and limping over. "Ooh, again with the authority; I like it." He grinned as he noticed the small smile she hadn't quite managed to hide. He was just such a damn flirt, like, all the time, she couldn't help but be slightly amused by his persistence.

It was all Emma could do to roll her eyes and shake her head at her father, hoping that David would understand that it wasn't worth calling Hook out on his incessant flirting.

~O~

A few days later, when Mr Gold demanded her help in locating his son, she was more than ready to go—even before he started threatening people.

She just… she just needed to get out of Storybrooke for a while. Just a few days to clear her head and—as much as she'd grown to love everyone in Storybrooke—to be around normal people for a while (baring the presence of Mr Gold).

For a few days, she could be Emma again… just Emma.

~O~

The first thing she did when she got back from New York was to check up on Hook. She purposely ignored Mary Margaret's pointed look—so what if she was making sure he hadn't gotten into any trouble while she was gone. It didn't mean anything. It didn't. She was the sheriff, it was her job.

She also needed to have a conversation with him that he wasn't going to like. His whole feud with Rumplestiltskin had suddenly gotten personal; because as much as she hated it, the man was Henry's Grandfather, and that made him family. She refused Neal's offer to come with her to Hook's ship, she left him drinking coffee with her parents—something really she wasn't at all happy about. She didn't care that they knew each other and she didn't care that maybe he could help her convince Hook not to kill Gold, she didn't want Neal anywhere near her—besides she thought it was more of a ploy to talk with her in private than to actually help.

No, she'd talk with Hook alone.

~O~

She hadn't expected to walk aboard the Jolly Roger and find the pirate in question drowning his wits in a— in several bottles of rum. The empty bottles lay empty beside him, rolling backwards and forwards with the gentle rocking of the ship. Amazingly the scene retained a peaceful quality.

"Uh, Hook. I have to um, talk to you." Hmm, she glanced at the bottle in his hand; unsure whether this conversation would be easier or harder if he was drunk?

He barely spared her a glance, "Ah, beautiful, what brings you aboard my lowly pirate ship."

She groaned inwardly, and repeated herself, this time more firmly. "We need to talk."

"That's more like it," He winked at her, "there's the Swan I know."

She couldn't summon even the faintest hint of a smile, gods, why did everything have to be so complicated? She'd barely even managed to wrap her head around Mr Gold's identity as her son's grandfather… he wasn't exactly grandparent material, what with his anger issues, manipulative tendencies and more secrets than there were stars in the sky. Hell, she still didn't trust him. And now, she was asking Hook to not only follow the warped family tree her son had accumulated, but to also understand that Gold's new status of 'family' meant any revenge plots would have to get her out of the way first.

But more than that, he needed to understand that this was different to when she arrested him a few weeks ago on his ship. That was her trying to protect the people of Storybrooke whilst trying to stay out of personal feuds. This was her declaring war- any further attempt at harming Gold would result in her actively opposing him. She wasn't sure how exactly- he'd already proven that locking him up at the station didn't work, but she would think of something. She had to keep her family safe—whether she liked them all or not.

This meant she was ending the feud between Gold and Hook—and she was ending it now.

…And maybe she was being presumptuous, but she didn't think Hook wanted to harm her any more than she wanted to harm him. Perhaps she thought it may even be enough to get him to at least consider giving up… However, a part of her was scared that she was wrong and that she didn't mean anywhere near as much to Hook as she... er… hoped? Not that she thought she meant a lot to him—nothing like that, more along the lines of meaning enough to him for Hook to not kill her should she get in his way…

She sighed, deciding that the best course of action was simply to blurt and deal with whatever came after as best she could… and started to explain.

Suffice to say, it didn't go over too well.

"…So just because he shares blood with your son, he gets a clean slate? He gets away with it? With everything…?"

She wriggled her fingers uselessly at her sides, feeling fidgety and agitated. She couldn't find the words to get Hook to understand, and she was stunned by how important it was to her for him to understand… Words didn't seem enough to express the emotions the recent trip to New York had shaken up, she swallowed awkwardly. "It's not that simple…"

"Nothing ever is." He muttered bitterly, his expression indecipherable

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked angrily, feeling like somehow it was a snipe aimed at her.

"Nothing your highness," he sneered, bringing a bottle once more to his lips.

Emma recoiled, thrown by his hostility. She'd known he wasn't going to respond well, she'd known he was going to be angry… but she'd never expected it to be thrown in her direction so fully. Foolish really on her part; chasing the ghosts of something that apparently wasn't there between them. "You've never called me that before…" She murmured quietly, silently questioning why she cared so much.

"It's who you are, isn't it? Princess to the entire kingdom, the precious child of Snow White and Prince Charming… beloved saviour to all..."

"Look I didn't ask to be a … princess or whatever; I never wanted it. Just like I never wanted to be some stupid saviour! I didn't want to sleep with Gold son… well okay, at time I did, but I didn't know he was Gold's son, not that I'd change anything if I could go back, because god, he gave me Henry… another thing that wasn't really planned… Well okay, maybe I'd change getting the watches; I should have just delivered a swift punch to his lying jaw, but—back to the point I didn't ask to be a princess, and I didn't ask to be the saviour…" She stomped closer, kicking an empty bottle out of her way. She hooked her fingers into the collar of his jacket and dragged him to his feet, ignoring his surprise, and shoved him against the mast. She leaned in close, making sure he could see her eyes, and the steel behind them. "But I did ask for a family—for my family. Every single day, for twenty eight years and I've found them."

He opened his mouth to speak but she stalled his words with a finger over his lips. She shook her head. "I'm not done."

Hook frowned but remained silent.

"I know what it's like to be alone; I know what it's like to lose family and I promise you it is a feeling my son will never learn while there is still breath in my body. Gold's is part of Henry's family now. I will not let my son lose him."

Emma stepped back, running a hand through her hair as she attempted to reign in her temper. She hadn't meant for this, she'd just wanted to talk, to try to convince him to leave Gold alone… but somehow they'd ended up arguing—Hook just had a way of getting under her skin…

Hook didn't move, he remained where she'd shoved him; slumped against the mast, his hair falling across his eyes.

Emma swallowed and briefly glanced away. Steeling herself for his response.

"Do your worse lass, I'm not giving up—I can't…" Hook raised his head, tilting his chin ever so slightly, as his arms opened wide baring his chest.

She stared at him; eyes pained. Somehow she'd known it was going to end like this, from the moment she'd met him, she'd known that at some point or another they would end up on opposite sides.

She just hadn't expected the crushing feeling in her heart when it happened. Knowing there was nothing left to say, she turned around and left his ship.

She didn't look back. Not once…

~O~

AN: So, this was me playing around a little... reverting back to my angsty roots a tad :P

It's designed to be a three part thing. Part two is partially written, but I've had a couple issues with a scene in the middle that's currently a pain in my arse. Happens every time I try and write something... I don't know why it keeps surprising me, but it does. Damn it.

Still, hopefully you didn't hate it too much :) Thanks for reading.