No More Pirates (Book Two)

Chapter 9 - This Is It

Aboard the Jolly Roger...

Elizabeth trades her leather outfit for something a bit more suitable for a girl's day. She pulls on an elegantly decorated bodice, one with gleaming jewels and bright silver buttons on top of intricate black silk. The corset fits snuggly to her slim midsection and frames her neckline perfectly. On the bottom, she wears tight fitting leather trousers and black boots that lace up to the knee. To top it off, she pulls on a long, black coat decorated with blood red embroidery. Her golden sword lies at her side.

"This is it." She grins. "He will finally be mine once again."

She slips the vile of Dreamshade into her bodice.

The Sheriff's Station...

"You sure you can handle this?" Emma asks.

"Of course! Besides, what crisis could possibly occur in the few hours you're gone?"

Emma giggles as she hands her badge to Killian.

"Please just try not to kill her," Killian pleads.

Emma winks at him. "No promises."

The Pawn Shop...

"Crocodile?"

Belle emerges from the back room. "Uh, yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Rump--"

"Me,"

Rumplestiltskin comes from the back, buttoning the top buttons on his shirt.

"Where you two...?" Elizabeth observes. "Oh, gross."

"Belle, please give us a moment." He tells her. Belle nods and heads back through the curtain, face red.

"Do you have it?" Elizabeth demands.

"That I do."

She approaches the counter.

"Will it work?"

"Of course. But only if you uphold your end of the deal."

Elizabeth grins. "Oh, I will. In fact, today, is girl's day." She winks at him.

"Excellent." The Dark One waves a hand over the counter and a vile of purple glowing liquid appears.

Elizabeth takes it and puts it in her pocket. "Thank you, Crocodile. When all goes as planned, we will be gone by tonight."

Without a look back, she confidently saunters out of the pawn shop.

The Enchanted Forest; A Century Ago...

"You sure you can do this?"

"Hook. Relax. Trust me, I can do this."

Elizabeth saunters to the table where her target sits, playing a game with dice. She leans over the table in front of him, making sure her cleavage is in his line of sight.

"Whatcha playin'?" She asks seductively.

The captain watches her nervously as she forces drink after drink after drink down the man's throat.

Finally, she feels that he is drunk enough to carry out her plan. She glances at her captain and then back at the man. "What do you say we get out of this place and you show me your ship?" Elizabeth runs her delicate fingers down the man's leg.

He grumbles in approval. In attempting to stand from the table, he almost falls, and has to use Elizabeth to steady him.

The captain rolls his eyes in her direction. Following the plan, Elizabeth leads the pirate out of the tavern and into a dark and empty alley. Before she can talk herself out of it, she kisses him. His breath reeks of stale rum and fish. His dirty beard scratches her skin, but she doesn't relent. She must carry out her plan.

She runs her hands all over his body, searching. Her hands stick with his sweat, but finally she finds it. Just then, the filthy pirate grabs roughly onto her backside.

In response, she bites now hard on his bottom lip, causing him to yell in pain. Elizabeth tastes blood.

Before the man can figure out what she is doing, Elizabeth tears the satchel from the his shoulder and strikes him between the legs with her knee. He screams even louder this time before collapsing to his knees.

With the satchel in her hand and a grin on her face, she stands over him confidently.

"What do you think you're doing, wench!?"

She leans down to put her mouth next to his ear. She whispers, "Showing you what happens when you steal from Captain Hook."

With one kick to the face, the pirate falls over, unconscious.

"You can come out now!" Elizabeth yells into the darkness.

"You did it!" Hook's familiar voice exclaims. A few seconds later, his figure appears out of the shadows.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" Elizabeth asks, holding up the satchel to him.

Hool takes it eagerly. Inside, lies a sextant. Elizabeth immediately recognises it as the one she saw on Hook's desk that first night. Beautiful gold decorated with constellations that even she had never seen.

"You are bloody brilliant," he whispers.

"I know." She agrees.

"How about a drink?" Hook smiles flirtatiously.

"I thought you'd never ask,"