Once Upon A Happy Beginning

Chapter Thirty-One: Captain Meets Captain

Killian

I woke early and struggled for a moment to pinpoint my location. It was my bedroom; definitely mine – but long ago. This was my room when I was a lieutenant aboard The Jewel Of The Realm. When Liam was still alive... God!

Was that all some kind of gloriously hellish dream? I started with the loss of my brother and became a pirate, golly, what a change – King's naval officer to King's privateering enemy! Then I fell in love and lost said love (and my left hand) to this creature that called himself the "Dark One" and was the husband to my dead love – that he murdered – and spent something of centuries, my, that's some ridiculous sorcery... chasing this giggling, scaled, dwarfish man through consistent trials and torment then I married his dead son's ex-girl, so my first love's daughter-in-law if the demon's son had married my wife. Bloody hell! She was a beauty though; my subconscious had taste. I died? But then I came back to life because Zeus wanted me to have my True Love? True Love – preposterous! The last thing I remember I had a kid who the gold demon stole? I shook my head – I needed the sea air.

When something was holding me down I realised it was Emma, my wife, and my entire dream had been very much true. I really had travelled to the past and boarded my own vessel under the pretence I was some foreign King Charles. Emma being his wife Queen Leia – named for the Prince Charles and Princess Leia that Emma had so hastily decided on when we crashed a royal ball (with an invitation, of course) during our last time travel fiasco. Of course, we really were pretending this under the scrutiny of my own self, past self, and... Well, the crocodile had kidnapped our newborn. Sweet, blessed Elizabeth.

I shimmied from Emma's arms and kissed her forehead before attaching my hook and making my way to the deck.

I stepped over the creaky floorboards and around the bodies of my mates as they slumbered on the restlessly resting waters. I found myself at the stern, looking port towards the great beyond, my hook strayed towards the wheel – an old friend, one dearly missed. Until I felt soft hands coaxing me away, into her body.

"Morning, love." I tell her, turning to face my greatest love. Ha! The Crocodile couldn't say that of his wife, could he? Sacrifice his lifestyle, his passion to be proud to call Belle his love? Right... yes... defeating my point.

"Morning to you too, Captain."

"Captain?" I laugh, eyebrows raising in intrigue, "Since when did you call me that?"

"I have my days."

"Old Salt, are you?" A voice says behind us. Me. Him. Killian Jones. Captain Hook.

"Hook." Emma says by way of greeting.

Something new flashes on his face. I stop. I bore that look. I flirted wearing that look. I flirted with Emma wearing that look. He's not allowed that look. Not for thirty years anyway. Before I even have time to comprehend what I'm going to do, I give myself a good left hook.

"Killian!" Emma yells, pulling me back. Then her hands fall and I look at her and see the white in her face. Killian. She called me by my name. She called me by his name.

"I'm alright!" I call to her, pulling her from her shaken trance. "He won't be! And I think he wants to live to move on from Milah, so, let's make sure he doesn't have a heart attack!"

"Heart what?" 'I' ask in utter bewilderment.

"Never mind that," I hold onto his sleeve. "We need to talk. Emma?" I face my wife, "Perhaps we should lose our disguise."

She flickers her hand and Hook's eyes fall out of his head. He stutters and stammers trying to bash the metal grasping his arm with his own.

"Who are you? What is this sorcery?"

"You know who we are, well, who he is anyway, Killian. Killian Brennan Jones." Emma says softly, green eyes blaring into his blue irises. "We really do need your help, but it's best not to lie. My name is Emma Swan-Jones, his wife. Your future. Our baby girl really was kidnapped by the Dark One at only a few days old. I'm not lying to you, Killian. Let's head into your quarters and talk, I doubt the entirety of the crew should know of your future."

"Wife? Daughter?" He looks amazed. He looks to me. "I really get there?"

"Aye, mate. You do."