entitled; come and save me (chase the crazy out of my head)
summary; "Do you still love her?" He looked over at her, a dark brow quirked upwards as he answered, "At times I think I still do. But I've found my thoughts are slowly being overtaken by someone else as of late."
rating; k+
disclaimer; i own nothing more than the little plot bunnies running through my head.
notes; i said in my last story that i've never written emma, and as some of you pointed out, it showed in the way she was a little out of character. so, i'm trying again. and again. and again. until i get it right. practice makes perfect after all, right? also, this fic is based loosely on one of the gifsets i made on tumblr. if you wanna check it out, the link to my tumblr is on my profile, and you can just check the hook x ariel tag.

come and save me (chase the crazy out of my head)

.

listen, listen
i would take a whisper if that's all you had to give
but it isn't, isn't
you could come and save me and try to chase the crazy right out of my head

- echo ; jason walker

"I've loved you all this time! Watched your heart ache for the woman that was taken from you, watched you fall in love with that blasted siren and hoping, praying, wishing that you'd one day realize that I was the one for you, but now… Now you're choosing her? She can barely even tolerate you!"

Emma stood with wide eyes a few feet away from the shouting, her back pressed up against one of the ship's rickety pillars in hopes that she wouldn't be seen.

She'd been walking around aimlessly, looking through every nook and cranny that was the Jolly Roger in the middle of the night due to lack of sleep when she'd stumbled upon the ship's captain and the tiny blonde pixie that seemed to have it out for her, and hid behind the first thing she spotted.

"You haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Emma heard him say, and she could already imagine the perfectly stoic mask on his face.

"Don't you dare play stupid with me!" Emma winced at the pixie's shriek, "I've known you long enough. Do you think I don't see the way you look at her when she's not looking? I'd have to be blind, Killian!"

Emma risked a glance, peering carefully past the thick wooden pillar just in time to catch Hook step towards the petite girl, his bright eyes narrowed into the harshest glare she'd seen since Regina.

"You're over-stepping your boundaries, Tinkerbell." he hissed.

"Well," the blonde pixie started, shooting him a glare of her own, "It wouldn't be the first time, would it? Maybe this time you'll listen and realize that I'm the one who's always here for you when she leaves you behind like your siren whore-"

Emma heard the hard slam before she saw it; she damn near popped out and intervened, eyes wide at the possibility that he might actually strike the blonde pixie - and with his hooked hand no less - but she held onto her self-control long enough to realize that he hadn't touched her.

Frightened her, yes, but his hook was lodged into the wooden walls of the ship. His eyes were dark and threatening and Emma swore she'd be terrified if she was in the small girl's place.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight." he ground out, eyes flashing dangerously and the girl stared up at him for a moment, eyes brimming with tears before she took off, leaving the man seething in silence.

At that moment, Emma felt foolish, and rude; she'd been intruding on something that was none of her business. Just as she was turning to leave, however, Hook's gruff voice rang in her ears.

"You can stop hiding now, Miss Swan."

Emma tensed, freezing in place before slowly turning and stepping into his line of vision, "How did you know I was there?"

A wry grin slipped onto his lips, "For an authority figure, you aren't as stealthy as you think. Or as silent."

Emma scrunched up her nose at his words, thin brows furrowing, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say I was easily able to figure out your reactions to everything that happened." he answered, offering her a smirk before turning to lean on the railing of the ship.

"I was not that loud." Emma protested, stomping over to stand next to him a frown gracing her lips, "Why didn't she hear me?"

"Tinkerbell's never cared much for anyone but herself." he murmured, not pulling his gaze from the dark waters, "If she thought you were listening, she'd do well to make her sentiments well-known through her dialogue." He finally turned to her, his smirk returning to his lips, "She doesn't like you very much."

Emma scowled, "Yeah, I got that."

"Heh." he shook his head, "Women."

Emma was tempted to ask him what he could possibly mean by that, but she was sure that would bring about nothing but another argument between them, and that was the last thing she needed in the middle of the night, suffering from fricken insomnia.

"Who was she?" she blurted, before she could really stop herself.

Hook turned to her, brows furrowed in confusion at Emma's question, "Who?"

"The siren, she mentioned… A siren is a… Mermaid, right?" Emma saw him tense and found herself wondering if she should have just kept her mouth shut.

He stayed silent for quite some time, and Emma pondered telling him to forget it, or just apologizing for being so nosy, but he caught her off guard when he actually answered.

"A woman. I met her, in Neverland." he explained, his eyes softening a bit as he spoke, "She was washed ashore, trapped in netting and ill. I rescued her."

"Oh." Emma blinked, wondering why the thought of him saving someone that wasn't her made her feel this horrible pit in her stomach.

"She came back for me." he continued, "Looked for me a good while, and had somehow managed to get herself a nice pair of legs in the process. That, I later learned, had come with the price in the form of her voice." He turned to look at Emma, his expression containing some unreadable emotion she couldn't identify for the life of her. "Siren's don't do well without their voices, you know. They sing and when they don't, it costs them."

Emma had a vague image of the red-haired Disney princess she'd watched repeatedly as a child and had to fight the uneasy laugh that threatened to leave her lips.

"She sailed with me for some time, and we managed to get her voice back," He inhaled deeply, letting his eyes fall shut as he spoke, "But like all good things, it had to end. Her heart belonged to the sea, and it called to her more and more the longer she kept away, until finally she couldn't stay away any longer and she left me. In the middle of the night, thinking I was sleeping, she walked out of my quarters, and when morning came, she was nowhere to be found."

Emma didn't exactly know how to respond to that; she'd seen nothing but snark and arrogance from this man from the moment that they first met. He was one of many men she'd come across and often detested, but something had drawn her in initially. Even then, though, she'd never imagined this man capable of actually loving someone, and before she could stop herself, she breathed out, "You loved her…. Really loved her."

Hook turned to her then, eyes narrowed into a glare she'd seen only moments ago, and muttered darkly, "You're treading in dangerous water, Miss Swan."

A shiver ran up her spine at his tone of voice and Emma found herself fighting the urge to take a step back; there was no way she was going to let this man think he intimidated her in the slightest. "Is that why Tinkerbell hates her?"

She could see his fingers curl into fists from the corner of her eyes, but she never tore her gaze from his.

"It is." he seethed, quickly turning his attention back to the water.

"Do you…" Emma paused, hesitating for a few seconds, "Do you still love her?"

She hated the way her hope for a particular answer seeped into her words; she had walls. Solid, sturdy, brick walls that were damn near impossible to penetrate, but here she was, watching the bricks fall away one by one as she held a conversation with this man.

He looked over at her, a dark brow quirked upwards as he answered, "At times I think I still do. But I've found my thoughts are slowly being overtaken by someone else as of late."

It was Emma's turn to quirk a brow at his words, "Oh?"

The corner of his lips twitched before they curled into a crooked smirk, "I did say Tink didn't like you very much."

Emma felt her cheeks grow hot and she quickly turned her attention to the night sky, "So was she right?"

"About what? You barely tolerating me? Because after this little conversation I'd say she was a bit off, wouldn't you?"

Emma could practically hear the smirk she knew had made its way back to his lips, but refused to look in his direction, "Haha, you're hilarious."

"Over three hundred years walking, I'd have to have some sort of sense of humor, don't you think?" he mused, tapping his chin with his index finger just as Emma turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"Three hundred years!?" she nearly shrieked, unconsciously taking a step towards the pirate captain, "Tell me you're joking."

"Not even a little." Hook answered, smirk ever present on his lips. "Neverland. The place drives you a bit insane - filled to the brim with annoying idiots, I tell you - but a little insanity is worth never aging, don't you think?"

Emma scoffed at that, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest, "Only you."

"Oh, I doubt I'm the only one with that thought process." he snickered, probably only saying so to get her to say something snarky in return; she'd gotten far too used to his love of their little wars of words.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Alright, Hook, I think I've had enough of your insanity for the night." she paused, yawning and stretching a bit before continuing, "But I've got to try and rid myself of this crazy insomnia before daybreak."

Emma turned, not wanting to wait for some stupid reply or other when he called out, "She was right."

Emma froze once more, mind racing back to her earlier question and without turning back she asked, "What?"

"Tinkerbell. She was right." he repeated, "I am choosing you."

Emma felt her heart start pounding in her chest, the sound so loud she was sure he would hear it. Biting her lip, she struggled for something to say, but what could she possibly say to something like that? Even though, she'd been the one who'd asked, her mind was drawing a blank.

Thankfully she was spared, "I'm off as well then… Goodnight, Emma."

Something in Emma's stomach fluttered at the sound of her name actually leaving her lips and she couldn't help turning back with a small smile, "Goodnight, Killian."

He grinned at her, nodding once before turning and heading in the direction of his quarters, leaving her to make her way back to her own room, thinking that maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

[end.]