Heart of the Sea

Chapter 7 - A Wager

When she got back, Liliana was sitting there on the floor, legs crossed, arms threaded through the bars, whistling a tune. "Hullo love," she greeted shortly before continuing.

"You gonna whistle the whole time?" Emma asked, throwing her keys on her desk.

Lili shrugged. "Don't have much else t'do." She lay down with a groan. "I've already counted my bruises, 'ow many bricks're in the walls, an' I started countin' the dots on the ceilin', but I gave up ahfter um....three hundred an' forty-two."

"I thought pirates couldn't count."

She sat up on her elbows, offended at the notion. "Of course I can bloody count!! I'm not an idiot! Pirates are the best at numbers! Y'know how many bloody calculations we 'ave t'do? If we're setting sail, we 'ave t'chart a course, then we 'ave t'figure out 'ow many days it'll take t'get there, then 'ow much food we need for 'ow many people an' days it'll take, then we figure out the best price f'said food, an' we pay up, if we figure on paying at all. We also 'ave t'count how much money we plunder, an' of course, how many prisoners we take, if we take any, an' Cap'n has to divvy up the loot according to wotever percentage he decides. Cap'n's are always the best at math. Yeah, I can bloody count...Just cahn't read," she added under her breath.

"Alright alright, kid. Sorry I asked." She paused. "So how many bricks're in the walls?"

Lili grinned at the ceiling. "I don't remember." She whistled a few more notes before sitting up, slapping her knees. "So how'd it go?"

"Got a trial set up for tomorrow; Gold's gonna be your lawyer."

"My wot?"

"Tell you what you should and shouldn't say, speak on your behalf."

Lili snorted. "Now that's what y'call ironic, lass. I'd be surprised if he didn't advocate f'me to get the bloody death sentence."

Emma shot her a look.

"I'm serious! You think he doesn't automatically hate me becos I'm the child of his former wife an' his current nemesis, both of which have hated him and he's hated for bloody centuries?"

"I think he's not as bad as he used to be and you should try to see how he's changed."

Lili shook her head. "Change. That man hasn't changed. Still crafty and..and malicious and powerful and a coward and a few other choice words I won't say."

Emma rolled her eyes. So dramatic, just like her dad. "Honestly, he's not that bad anymore. Should probably still watch your back around him, but it's not like he's gonna kill you on sight."

"If you say so." Lili got up and paced slowly around the cell to burn off energy.

"I get that you don't like him because of everything that happened with him and your dad, but do you have any other reasons?" Emma was curious, as Lili seemed to hate Gold as much as Killian did.

"Any other reasons? Well let's see. He murdered my mother, traumatized me, basically ruined my chahnce of having the family I dreamed of since I was a child, traumatized my father and captain, broke his heart, basically sent us to Neverland where I was traumatized even more for three hundred bloody years, not to mention his damned spawn Baelfire," she spat, on a roll before she realized she was talking about someone Emma had cared about. "Shit, I'm sorry, lass. I-I didn't mean to, um.." she sighed. "To...offend you like that. I..f'got who I was talking to."

"It's okay," Emma nodded graciously. (She'd hated him too for a while.) "Why'd you hate 'im?"

Lili sighed, sinking back down to the floor, back to the wall. "It's a long story," she said finally, waving her hand.

"I've got the time," Emma offered, but the door opened and shut, Killian walking in with his usual swagger.

"Well look who it is," Lili called.

"Settled in, lass?" he asked before brushing a kiss over Emma's cheek.

"Quite, thanks. Your Swan here's quite the hostess."

"His Swan?" Emma questioned, a little amused.

"You gonna deny it?" Lili asked, smirking a little.

"Mmm, no," Emma murmured, smiling up at Killian.

"Are you anyone's, lass?" Killian asked, curious.

Lili snorted. "Not in the slightest. I am my own, from now until eternity. No man gets the beautiful wonder that is me."

"Quite a declaration there," Emma commented, linking hands with Killian.

"And I intend to stick to it."

"You'd be surprised, lass."

"Oh would I?" she asked, eyebrow quirking.

"Someday a handsome lad may come along and suddenly you'll begin to question whether you really fancy being alone f'the rest of your life."

"I highly doubt it." (Whoever he is would be better off without me.)

"Fine then. I'll make a bet wi' you. I bet that you will fall in love in one year, as in, one year from now, that you will be in love."

"I'll take that bet. What exactly shall we owe each other?" she asked, getting up, intrigued by the captain's offer.

"Oooh, just a little statement, I think. I believe it would be enough payment from the both of us. If I win, you must go to Granny's Diner at noon and announce that I am right, and you were wrong. If you win, I shall announce that I was wrong and you were right."

She smirked, liking it. Pride was a very important currency in the world of piracy. "We've got ourselves a bet then, Captain. A year to the day." She stuck her hand out of the bars.

"A year to the day." He shook her hand.

Lili noticed the incredulous look on Emma's face. "It's a matter of ego, lass."

"That's enough for you guys?"

"Oh absolutely," she purred. "If I win, the great Captain Hook shall admit to the town that I was right and he was wrong."

"And if I win, I shall have the satisfaction of knowing my daughter's in love and that the oh-so-terrible Sharkie was wrong."

Lili pulled a face, nearly gagging. In love. "Y'see, that's even worse f'me, lass. Falling in love. I'm known f'being as cold as they come, and if word spreads 'round that Sharkie's gone soft, well. There goes me reputation."

"Word on the waterways's Captain Hook'd gone soft" echoed in Killian's mind, the words scorning and accusing. He couldn't give less of a damn about what people thought now. He had Emma. Her approval was all he needed. He pitied Lili, for thinking a reputation was all that mattered.

(Perhaps it was all she had.)

(He pitied her even more.)