Never Letting Go || CS

Chapter 24: Captured

Hook woke up from his usual nightmares. He sat bolt upright and let out a yell. His breathing was heavy and he had beads of sweat on his forehead and bare chest. He stared at the wall blankly, trying to control his breathing. He didn't notice Emma stirring beside him.

She sat up and saw Killian staring at the wall. The moonlight illuminated the room just enough so she could see him. She touched his shoulder lightly, snapping him out of his trance. "Hey, it's alright, I'm here." Emma said softly. Killian's breathing evened out a little as he turned and engulfed Emma in a hug. He clung onto her and buried his face in her bare shoulder. She gladly returned the hug, tracing small circles on his back in a comforting way.

It pained her to see him so vulnerable. "Do you wanna talk about it?" She mumbled after a while. He nodded and pulled back. "There's a lot of things that I've avoided telling you, and for that, I'm sorry. It's not because I don't trust you, it's just really hard for me." Killian explained. Emma couldn't help but notice how fragile and vulnerable he looked at this point. "I get it, it's alright. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." She told him.

"But I want to." Emma nodded for him to continue. He explained to her how he and his brother were in the Navy together when Killian was only young. They were sent on a mission by their king to retrieve a plant called Dreamshade. The king promised it had great healing powers, so they'd never lose another man at sea again, consequently turning the tides on the ongoing war. The plant could only be found in one place; Neverland. Their ship was fitted with a sail made from Pegasus' feathers, allowing the ship to fly, and enter the realm of Neverland.

Once they were on the island, they met a young boy who greeted them. They asked him if he'd seen the plant, but he told the brothers that this was not a healing plant, but the exact opposite. It was a deadly poison, with no cure for its symptoms. The infected would have until the poison reached his heart. Liam, Killian's brother, did not heed the warnings of the boy, but Killian took them more seriously, trying to persuade his brother that the boy might just be right. Once they had found the plant, to prove a point to his brother, Liam cut his arm with one of the thorns from the Dreamshade. At first, it did nothing, but Liam grew sick and the young boy appeared to Killian once more, advising him on how he may save his brother, but warned him of a price, although he did not specify what the price was. The cure was the water from the spring that kept the island young and full of magic.

It did indeed cure Liam of his illness, and both brothers thought they were alright. Until as soon as their ship reached the realm of the Enchanted forest, Liam's symptoms returned and he died in Killian's arms. From that day on, he blamed the royals for his brother's demise, and swore to never be weighed down by rules and regulations. That was the day Killian became a pirate.

Emma listened to his tale intently, with a look of sadness for him. she couldn't bare the thought of all the pain he'd been through alone all these years. "Thankyou for opening up to me, and I'm sorry about your brother." Emma said sadly. "Your nightmare, is it your brother's death repeating in your mind?" She asked. "Yes it is. Thankyou for listening to me. It helped a lot." Killian said. He really meant it. Having someone to share his feelings with was an amazing thing to have. He had kept his thoughts to himself all these years, and sharing it with Emma felt like a huge weight being lifted off of his chest.

"I love you so much, Swan." Killian said as he hugged her once more. " I love you too." She said back softly.

"Come on, I've kept you up long enough, let's get some sleep." He told her, and so they lay down once more and snuggle into each other. Killian felt like the luckiest man alive, Emma was just too perfect for words and he still could not believe that he had her all to himself.

For the fist time in a long time, Killian had a good sleep, without any nightmares. Even when Milah was around, she could not cure his restless nights, not like Emma did.