Dark One's Daughter *Book Three*

The Jolly Roger

After the eventful showdown in the town, I returned to my apartment alone as Bae had stayed to talk with Emma for a while. I immediately collapsed into my bed but there was still an aching in my chest from where my heart had been taken so I decided to heat up a hot water bottle.

As I waited for the water to boil, I laid my head into my arms and shut my eyes for a while, listening to the soft sound of the water bubbling. A few minutes later it was ready so I poured it into the hot water bottle and returned to my room with the intention of going straight to sleep.

The only problem was someone was already sitting on my bed. Jones was sat on the edge of my bed, looking out of the window. When he heard me pause at the doorway, he turned around to look at me, concern in his eyes.

"I heard what happened. Swan told me when I dropped Henry off," Jones said, getting to his feet.

"Oh, yeah? How was he?" I asked, walking over to the seat in the corner of my room and collapsing into it.

"He was fine. I think he had a good time," Jones answered. "But you're changing the subject."

"What can I say? I just wanted to know how my nephew is," I shrugged.

"Amie..." Jones trailed off, walking over, and crouching down in front of me. "Talk to me."

"And say what?" I challenged. "Say that I was a naïve idiot to think that my father could fight the power of the dagger for his only daughter? Say that I thought we would be able to defeat the witch when Regina showed her who was boss?" I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "We were foolish to think we could defeat her so easily."

"At least you now know how powerful she is," Jones said.

"Since when were you an optimist?" I laughed weakly.

"I'm not," Jones smiled back. "Not usually anyway. I just thought you needed to hear something positive."

"Well, thank you for trying," I said.

Jones just smiled back before he sat down onto the floor rather than crouching down as he had been. He leant up against the wall and shut his eyes, a look of peace on his face.

"Do you really sleep that bad on the Jolly Roger?" I asked.

"Not usually," Jones answered but I noticed a strange, almost sad, look in his eyes.

"You turned it down last time, but I will try again and extend the invitation. You can stay here if you want," I offered, but then I remembered that Bae was currently preoccupying the spare room. Shit!

"I thought you'd already got a roommate," Jones said as if he were reading my mind.

"Bae just needs a place till he gets back on his feet," I told him.

"So where would I be staying if I accepted the offer?" Jones asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"I didn't think it through," I answered awkwardly, clearing my throat, and getting to my feet.

"Is that so?" Jones smirked, getting to his feet, and taking a step closer.

"Yep," I answered, but couldn't help the flush that rose to my cheeks as he ran a finger over it.

"You're a really bad liar," Jones whispered in my ear.

"That is a matter of opinion," I said.

"Of course it is," Jones replied, his breath now covering my lips as his eyes met mine.

I could see that he was about to close the distance when I heard the front door open. Jones went to say something but I raised a finger to his lips to silence him. We were silent for a moment but then I realised that Bae's footsteps were getting closer to us.