Hooked

“Henry is only a few hours from here, he’s still with Greg and Tamara,” Emma said, a frown of concern evident on her face. “We only came back because we’re not exactly sure what we’re up against.”

“What do you mean?” Killian asked, stepping forward. They were all gathered in the bunk area, standing in a loose circle as they tried to figure everything out. Ariel was sitting on her own bed though, just listening.

“We were not able to approach Henry,” Regina said, crossing her arms. “There seemed to be some sort of shield around them. Gold and I tried to break through it, but this is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered.”

“There was also… some sort of presence with them,” Emma spoke up again. “The best I can describe it as is some sort of shadow.”

Ariel’s head whipped quickly to look at Killian.

“What?” Emma said, looking between the two. “Do you know something?”

Hesitantly, Killian told the short version of the story of Peter Pan, sharing just what kind of monster he was.

Emma sat heavily on one of the beds and placed her hands to her face, exhaling loudly. Mary Margaret sat next to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her daughter.

“There’s got to be something that we can do,” she said, glancing around at their group hoping someone would reveal the answer. “There’s got to be some way to stop all of this.”

“If there is, I haven’t heard of it yet,” Killian said.

“This is definitely some dark magic,” Gold said, stepping slightly closer to the pirate. “You say a fairy is behind this Peter Pan’s madness?”

“Pan’s madness is all his own,” Killian said. “The fairy just provides the means for its growth.”

“Why would a fairy get involved in such dark magic?” Snow questioned, concern shown clearly on her face.

“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Killian answered.

---

The plan was simple—they would all go together to where Henry was with Greg, Tamara and Peter Pan’s shadow was. They did not know how they were going to get Henry just yet, but they could at least stay some distance away from the small group until an opportunity arose for them to get closer or whenever they managed to get some answers that would be useful to their mission.

They all decided that it would be best to head out as soon as the sun started to rise in the morning. According to the group who had found Henry, they did not look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. They passed the time preparing and packing things they would need on their quest.

It wasn’t until late that they decided they were ready and should try and get some sleep before they left. It wasn’t certain when they would get to sleep next. There was no telling how things would go once they were nearer to Henry’s location.

It seemed no one was able to fall asleep that evening, but Ariel was the only one to give up easily, crawling out of her bunk and leaving the crowded room. She went out on deck of the ship and enjoyed the feeling of the cool breeze blowing across her overheated skin. The bunk area seemed to get stuffy easily, especially when there were so many people in there.

She leaned against the rail at the edge of the ship, staring out at the open sea. Even here, just seeing the water relaxed her. Maybe when all of this was over, she could learn how to swim with her legs and she could find that love she had once held so strongly for the ocean.

And then suddenly she was thinking about the almost-kiss she had shared with Killian just hours ago. Her lips tingled at the thought, remembering how his lips had just barely touched hers. She shivered lightly, wondering where her loathing and fear of this man had gone. How quickly things had seemed to change between the two.

She glanced at the door of his cabin, wondering if he was thinking of her.

Bravely, she made her way to that very door and hesitated a moment before slowly opening the door. She entered the dark room, her eyes quickly adjusting until she could see that Killian was asleep in his bed. Despite even his own sleeping problems, he managed to doze off.

Faint moonlight managed to make its way through the small porthole above his bed, barely managing to illuminate his calm face. Ariel smiled at how peaceful and innocent he looked.

She surprised herself when she began climbing into his bed, laying down beside him and watching his face. She wasn’t surprised, however, when suddenly Killian’s eyes were fluttering open to stare into her own eyes.

“Ariel?” he questioned quietly. “What are you doing?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she answered just as quietly. Tentatively, she reached a hand up and ran her fingers through his dark hair before settling on the back of his neck. Before he could make some suggestive comment that she was sure was forming quickly in his mind, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Killian didn’t hesitate, his left arm wrapping around her waist, the side of his hook pressing into her lower back and pushing her gently closer to him. The kiss was soft and slow, growing increasingly frantic until suddenly Ariel gasped and pulled away as she felt a sharp pain. Her hand rubbed her lower back where Killian’s hook had accidentally jabbed her painfully.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured, carefully unscrewing his hook before leaning over her to drop it carefully onto the floor.

“It’s fine,” she said. “I don’t think I’m bleeding.”

They both settled back onto the bed, Ariel drawing closer to Killian once again while his arm found its place around her waist. She leaned in to kiss him once more before pulling away and snuggling her head close to his chest.

She easily fell into a dreamless and comfortable sleep, and when Killian shook her awake in the early hours of the morning, she felt well rested for once.