The Princess and The Pirate

Distractions

He couldn't bloody sleep. Not that he'd expected too anyway. Especially considering what day tomorrow marked. 

But he'd hoped. He'd hoped that he'd be able to sleep through today and tomorrow and maybe even the day after that too, drunk on rum and wallowing in self-pity and hatred. 

Hatred for that bloody crocodile that had taken everything from him. Taken his Milah from him. Because Rumplestiltskin had zero right to his wife, no, his ex-wife. 

Milah loved him. Milah had chosen to run away with him. Milah had wanted to grow old with him. Or at least that was the plan. His dream. 

The one thing he wanted more than anything. And he would give anything, do anything just to be able to live the life he was supposed to live with her. 

He missed her so bloody much. But he would make the Dark One pay for destroying that dream. In return, he would destroy the Dark One. Though that seemed pretty impossible as he seemed unkillable. Well at least that's what he had thought. 

He now knew, after a trip to Neverland and a run in with the Dark One's own son, that there was a dagger that could kill him. But where was it? How could he get his hands on it? 

He desperately needed information. But to get that, he needed money. 

Which is why he currently had a fierce, very angry princess/saviour trapped on his ship. The plan had been to treat her like a prisoner till he could get her off his hands, but well, his plans don't ever seem to work out. 

Because now there was a problem. He liked her. And not in that way! Sure he was definitely attracted to her and god, that kiss but she would never, ever compare to Milah, the true love of his life. 

There was nobody else that he could love or spend his life with, not like he'd planned too with her. But there was this....unspoken thing between him and Emma. 

God, he felt ridiculous. He probably sounded it too. They'd only known each other for a couple of weeks, for god's sake! But he just couldn't help it! He couldn't deny the...the...the truth. 

There was a connection. An understanding. And he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. The thought of any harm coming her way, especially at his own hand, made his stomach lurch and his blood run cold. 

And he liked her company, so much so that he sought it out quite often, and spirit and humour and laughter. And he liked that she understood him in a way no one else ever had before. 

Yes he'd loved Milah but she had looked up to him too much. He hadn't been able to talk about his parents and brother to her! 

But he could with Emma. It was almost like they were equals. A team working together and slowly inching towards friendship.

 And that's probably what led him to this position in the first place. Because even though he was awake now, he had been asleep. Well at least till about twenty minutes ago. He'd had a dream. Well it was actually more of a nightmare.

 A confusing, messy nightmare that was now making him sit up and question everything. It had started off innocent enough. He had entered into Emma's cabin to help her do up her corset once more, with thoughts of their kiss swirling in his mind. 

And god, she looked angelic with her blonde, golden locks swept to one side, showing off her pale, tempting, kissable neck. 

God, he wanted he so much. It was the only thought occupying his brain. She turned her head and flicked her eyes upwards to him, green meeting blue, and it felt like fireworks were erupting in his stomach as she brushed her lips with her teeth.