From the Mouths of Babes
Family/Friendship
K+
Summary: Conversations between Henry and everyone's favorite pirate captain. Post-Neverland. CaptainSwan.

Author's Note: Just some little post-Neverland drabbles I had floating in my head uniting the men in Emma's life.

Gratitude

He hovers in the corner, trying to blend into the wall. However, one-handed pirates are uncommon in this realm, and any attempt to remain inconspicuous is futile.

He takes a pull from the bottle David handed him when he arrived. It seems to be some kind of ale. He would have preferred rum, but is grateful to have something to keep his hands (or rather hand) busy.

If he had his way, he would not be here at all.

After they cured David, he wanted to be as far from the Crocodile's shop as he could get. He wanted nothing more than to be aboard his ship, drowning out the events of the day with his trusty flask.

A certain blonde savior blocking the path to the docks had derailed his plans.

"Come on, Hook. It's been a long day. We're all headed to Granny's to get a bite to eat."

It was more than just a 'bite to eat'. The whole bloody town was here, eager to herald the return of the royal family.

Still, he stayed. He stayed because she had asked him to, and damn him if he could refuse his Swan anything.

Bloody lovesick git.

He had been to this tavern once before.

His first time here, the townsfolk were faced with the possible destruction of all they held near and dear. A pirate in their midst had been the least of their concerns. Now, with the return of Henry, the fall of Pan, and the curing of their prince behind them, he is an object of scorn once more.

He has been on the receiving end of many a glare this night. It seems Emma was not the only one to have heard of him in this realm. At one time, he would have taken pride in his infamy. He had spent years cultivating his reputation as Hook. The easiest way to abate mutiny was through fear. But his week in Neverland had worn him down, leaving him feeling less like the pirate captain of legend and more like the wretched old seadog he is.

He is surrounded by reunions.

The Darling children are congregated with Neal towards the back of the room, together again after nearly a century apart.

The Crocodile is seated at a table along the wall, his lady curled next to him, their heads bent close together.

The royal family is gathered across the room from his post, surrounded by friends and well-wishers. Swan looks as uncomfortable as he feels in these surroundings, but she has stayed firmly at her parent's side all night.

For a while, Tink had kept him company, but soon realized his attention kept drifting to another blonde in the room. She was now seated amongst the dwarves telling one of her more off-color stories and, if the hiccupping was any indication, a little worse for drink.

Overhearing the end of her bawdy tale, he hides his smirk by taking another sip from his own bottle.

He had valued Tink in Neverland. She was a fellow outsider in their ragtag band of rescuers. A link to his past, anchoring him in the upheaval his life had taken since offering his ship and services.

She is far from an outsider now, seated amongst the citizens of Storybrooke, reeling in her seat with peals of laughter. The little sprite's won the hearts of this town in minutes, no pixie dust required.

He, on the other hand, is nothing but an interloper on their happy endings.

Finishing his drink in one, he sets the bottle on a nearby windowsill. Interest in him seems to have staved off somewhat. If he moves quickly, he might be able to leave without drawing too much attention.

He begins his exit, edging along the wall towards the door, when he feels a tug on the sleeve of his good hand.

And there he is. Henry. The very object of their mission to Neverland.

He has spent remarkably little time with the boy. Too little to warrant abandoning 300 years of revenge and a lifetime of self-preservation.

"You're here for Emma."

The prince's words echo in his head. And they are mostly true. He would venture to hell and back for that woman. But still, secreted away in his cold black heart he knows there is more to it than that.

The lad is smiling up at him. This is the closest he's ever been to her son. But it is not Emma he sees in this boy. The dark eyes, the crooked grin, the impish tilt of the head…Bae is everywhere in the boy's face.

"Thank you, for helping save me, Captain."

And there's his mother in him. No preamble. Earnest. Direct. Unnerving. That's all Emma Swan.

"I was happy to be of assistance, lad." He shrugs, offering the boy a tentative smile.

Then the lad does the most maddeningly incomprehensible thing of all.

Henry hugs the pirate.

Killian Jones had received few hugs in his lifetime, and fewer still since becoming Hook. He is uncertain how to respond, but that is of no matter. Just as quickly as the lad's arms have encircled his middle, he is gone, bounding off to settle on a seat next to Regina.

Hook stands frozen by the door.

This display of open affection from the lad has left him shaken in a way none of the perils they faced in Neverland had.

He feels more eyes on him, but turns to meet the only pair that matters.

It is clear that Emma has witnessed the exchange between her son and the pirate from across the room. Her expression is as guarded as ever, but there's something different in her eyes, something soft and broken that he's not quite ready to face.

He gives her a stiff nod, before making a hasty exit.

He leans his head back against the wall of the alley nearby. Taking a deep breath, filling his lungs with cold air, he concentrates on making the ground below him stop spinning.

Gratitude from this family always seems to have a way of setting him off keel.