The Pirate Expedition

Part 5

The next day Emma woke up to a head ache. Her sleep was restless, she tossed and turned all night thinking about what she had done. How could I let that happen?! She scolded herself. She didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. She wanted to just lie there and not get up until she was returned to her kingdom and family. She couldn't even be excited about her return knowing that she was going to be used against her people and have no choice in the matter.

She wasn't sure if Hook had come back to bed that night or not, but he definitely wasn't there now. Her wrist was not tied to the storage chest that night which was one improvement. Of course being off the ship entirely and making her way home would have been a marvelous improvement compared to that.

She had really messed up.

Just then Hook barged through the door. Her heart leapt out of her chest. She hadn't heard his footsteps like she normally did. He threw his coat on the chair at the desk, and sighed heavily.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Emma piped up. He turned to her and had a look that showed he didn't realize she was there. Where else would she be?

"No, we sailed all night, and I wanted to make sure that the imbiciles that are my crew didn't steer us into traitorous waters," he grunted as he laid on his bed.

"Yet you're trusting them now?" she asked.

"It's midday and calm waters, if they run us into anything at this time of day they'll walk the bloody plank," he told her coolly, and shifted to be under the blankets. Silence fell upon them. Emma assumed Hook was drifting to sleep and didn't want to wake him so she just laid in the makeshift bed and stared at the ceiling. See Emma, he forgot about the kiss. Why can't you? She fought with herself. He was probably so sleep deprived and hungover that he didn't remember it. She just wished she was in the same situation.

What Emma didn't know was that Hook's brain was wracked with thoughts that were keeping him wide awake as well. What, more like who, was keeping him awake was laying down on the other end of the room. Emma.

It seemed absurd for him to be thinking about it still. They were both drunk and she was his prisoner, well more of a stow away at this point he supposed. She was also a princess. Her kidnapping and ransom money was going to pay his crew for years possibly. He wasn't going to screw that up for himself and his whole crew just because she happened to be growing on him. She wasn't Milah, and no one could replace her in his mind. But he knew deep down it wasn't about replacing Milah, it was about filling the void her death left him with. Emma was the first woman he had met since Milah that stood up to him, that battled for what she wanted, and he admired that. It scared him to think he had someone with the potential to unravel him harbored on his ship.

It was just a drunk kiss. I'm making it to be something it wasn't. He thought to himself as he finally started to drift to sleep.

~ ~ ~

Emma stayed laying on the ground for some time before decided to wonder onto the deck. She wasn't restrained at the moment, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity to get some fresh air away from everything and everyone, especially Hook.

She kept her steps light and made it out of the room, just as she closed the door behind herself Smee strolled along.

"Princess, how'd you sleep? It's almost 3 in the afternoon, I hope well,"

"Yes, thank you," she lied. It was sleep, but her mind didn't rest, and it wouldn't until she got off this blasted ship. She could barely look at Smee remembering her failed plan with him. She should have spotted his ride of die loyalty earlier and planned another way out. She'd had options, and now she had none at all. The thought made her queasy, and she raced over to the side of the ship.