Chapter Text
Most of them had made it safely off the Jolly Roger before the attack. A strange rumbling sound stopped Regina in her tracks as she was preparing to disembark. The sound of rushing water grew louder and louder, the deck shaking violently. Everything was chaos, David pulled Mary Margaret to him as Hook shouted 'Look out!' and Emma watched helplessly as a huge geyser rose up next to the ship with a very pissed off looking mermaid sitting on top. She was clutching a large seashell and thrust it out towards them. The shell shone brightly, blinding them all momentarily and before any of them could react, the mermaid was gone, disappearing as quickly as she'd appeared. Hook ran to the side of the ship to look for her, but all that was left of her was a ripple in the water.
Emma walked over to Henry. 'Are you okay?' she asked. Tried to ask. She opened her mouth, formed the words but no sound came out. Henry, Regina and Neal all tried to speak but they'd been silenced too. Emma looked over at her parents and they shook their heads at her, their faces reflecting the shock Emma felt. When she looked at Hook it didn't take much skill in lipreading to know what he'd tried to say.
Bloody hell
*******
Gold wasn't much help. He'd been one of the first to leave the ship so was spared from the attack, smug voice still intact. He said he couldn't help and if Neal hadn't been a victim of the mermaid's spell too Emma would have assumed that Gold simply didn't want to help.
'I'm afraid Miss Swan you'll have to find the mermaid, or more accurately, her shell to restore your voices. Nothing I can do to help.'
Belle frowned at him before Neal pushed his way to stand in front of Gold, his face like thunder. Gold seemed to deflate under his son's glare.
'I may have something in my shop that can help, I had an enchanted net amongst my things in the Enchanted Forest. It had the power to collect items from other realms. If it made it over in the curse, it'll be somewhere in my shop. Might take me a while to find it.'
'I'll help too. If we can't find the net I can do some research about the spell. Maybe find a counter spell?' Belle offered. Emma smiled and nodded at her, thankful for any help. Emma rounded up everyone and with a combination of exaggerated mouthing and terrible mime, told everyone to meet her at her parents loft in two hours. She had some errands to run.
*******
Hook was the last to arrive, rum already in hand and eyebrow raised at the piles of notepads and pens on the table. Emma had just finished writing something on a card, placing it on top of a large pile of cards before flexing her sore hand with ink stained fingers. Emma gestured for everyone to sit. Hook was tempted to sit next to her but sat in the chair he was nearest to, which happened to be opposite Emma. Regina took the seat next to Hook and Neal sat at the end between her and Henry. Mary Margaret and David came over with drinks and Hook was surprised when one was placed in front of him with a nod from David. Hook took a tentative sip as Snow sat at the head of the table, David standing beside her. Hook grimaced at the taste of the milky coffee but took polite sips, oddly touched that David had made him a drink.
Emma handed everyone a notepad and pen and flicked to the first page of her pad, holding it up so everyone could read it.
I'm going to create a whatsapp group so we can all communicate but for now paper & pens will do.
Everyone read the message and nodded except for Hook who just looked confused.
Neal knocked on the table to get everyone's attention, holding up his pad.
why can't we just do that now?
Because I have to teach Hook how to use a phone
Neal frowned as he watched Hook smile tentatively at Emma.
Snow knocked on the table.
Regina don't you know the spell to fix this? Is this not the same spell you used on Ariel?
Emma forgetting herself, mouthed, The Little Mermaid? She's real too?
Regina scowled, writing in an elegant hand; at this stage Emma you should save us all the time and assume every fairy tale character is real. It's a similar spell but it's not the same. It'll take a while to figure it out. I can try to replicate it using the spell I used on Ariel as a template but it would be easier if this person's father would find that net.
Neal knocked on the table, pointing his pad at Regina. I have a name
The mayor shrugged at him, contempt writ large on her face. Emma could feel a migraine coming on and her eyes drifted over to Hook. He was engrossed in whatever he was writing, his tongue sticking out slightly in concentration that Emma couldn’t help but find adorable. David followed her eyeline and looked down at Hook's page, huffing angrily. Hook looked up at the sound and realising all eyes were on him he grinned sheepishly. Intrigued, Emma leaned over the table to see what he'd been writing.
Seriously?
Captain Hook was *doodling*. He'd spent the meeting drawing little sail boats with tiny stick figures in them. One of the stick figures even had a hook. Emma raised her eyebrow at him as he dropped the pen, rubbing a spot behind his ear bashfully.
Henry was pretty sure this was the weirdest thing that had happened to him and maybe it was because he'd escaped the horrors of Neverland only that day but he was finding this all more entertaining than he probably should.
Emma knocked on the table.
Regina do you think you could try to replicate the spell? Or find a way to bring the shell to Storybrooke? No offence Neal, but I don't trust your dad to be in a rush to help us.
Neal was sulking and just shrugged. He didn't trust his dad much either. He nodded his acquiescence when Emma asked if he could go to Gold's shop and help the search.
Ok, Regina's going to work on the spell, Neal's going to Gold's. The rest of us I suggest hitting the library tomorrow for research, Belle's offered to help. Neal, if you could give me your number I'll get the group set up.
Neal waved a hand and Emma looked at him questioningly. She was never very good at Charades. Neal sighed and wrote on his pad I never changed my number
Emma grimaced. Did he really think she'd kept his number? She floundered, not wanting to embarrass him in front of everyone. Neal read the look on her face accurately and glumly wrote down his number for her, the silence in the loft suddenly deafening.
Ok thanks guys. Meeting over for now. I'll be in touch. Hook, you stay here.
The pirate grinned, not believing his luck. Neal didn't look pleased but softened when Henry asked if he could help him at Gold's in the morning.
As David helped Mary Margaret clear up after everyone had left and Henry had gone to bed, Emma moved to sit next to Hook, pulling the pile of cards with her and two phones. One was hers and the other was a brand new phone she'd bought Hook that afternoon. When David had seen it earlier he looked like he desperately wanted to say something. Mary Margaret wrote a note to Emma when he'd sulked; he's moping because it's newer than his.
On the cards Emma had painstakingly written detailed instructions how to use the phone. She was expecting him to sit there drinking and only half pay attention to what she was doing but he watched everything intently and seemed to pick it up quite quickly. Once Hook had grasped the basics, she opened up a chat for them in whatsapp to practice on and the only question he'd asked was how to find the punctuation. Emma had to refrain from rolling her eyes because of course he'd worry about grammar.
Emma sent him a message - Hi Killian - and he'd smiled so sweetly at her when he saw it she had to look away, cheeks glowing red. She got him to open up the app and gestured for him to send a message back.
It was taking him a long time and Emma went to the kitchen, ostensibly to make them all a drink but mainly so that she could get herself under control. It was next to impossible to show him how to use the phone without touching his arm or his hand and it was driving her crazy each time his arm brushed hers. Mary Margaret had resumed her seat and was trying and failing to see what he was typing. As Emma put his cocoa down in front of him, he looked up with a proud grin. Emma's phone on the table lit up.
Dearest Emma,
You look beautiful today.
Yours affectionately, Killian.
Emma was overwhelmed with a feeling of pride that he'd managed to send her a message without help and a strange delight at what he'd written. Since leaving the Jolly Roger she'd been so busy organising everything she still hadn't showered and was wearing the same outfit she'd had in Neverland. Her face was bear of makeup and her hair was a tangled mess. Hook saying she looked beautiful when she felt so grimy made her feel warm all over.
The knock on the table made them both jump. David held up his pad. Your cocoa's getting cold! He was glaring at Hook but the pirate looked so pleased with himself the glare had no effect. Emma busied herself with creating the group and missed her mother's contemplative look.
*****
Hook
Dearest Emma,
You look radiant today.
Yours affectionately, Killian.
Regina
Does the pirate know we can all see that?
David
Hook, it's not a letter. You don't have to sign your name.
Hook
Dear Dave,
Duly noted.
Yours respectfully, Captain Jones.
David
Since when have you ever been respectful? And stop signing your name, it's annoying.
Hook, I think you meant to send that to our personal chat. 😊
Neal
What personal chat??
Hook is typing...
Emma was glad that Neal was at Gold's with Henry. The library was already feeling tense with her parents and Hook huddled around one table. The silence seemed to make it feel all the more uncomfortable, the only noise was coming from David's heavy angry-breathing and aggressive page-turning. Emma had noticed Hook stealing glances at her from time to time and she had to bite down on her smiles.
Neal
You have a personal chat with Hook?
Regina
Can we all stay on topic if it's not too much trouble?
Hook
Dearest Emma,
My sincerest apologies. But you do look lovely.
Yours affectionately, Killian.
David
Dear Hook,
Stop flirting with my daughter.
Yours angrily, David.
Neal
You don't even have a personal chat with me. The father of your child!
Regina
For crying out loud! Argue with each other on your own time.
Mary Margaret
Regina's right, we need to focus on getting hold of the shell.
Regina
I can't believe I'm agreeing with Snow White...
Ok, could everyone give a progress report?
They weren't having much luck. Despite Belle's help, they hadn't found anything in the huge pile of books they'd been working through. Neal had spent hours with Henry at Gold's shop but were yet to find the enchanted net that Gold indicated might help them retrieve the shell and although Regina had enlisted Tinker Bell's help they'd not found a way to replicate the spell either.
They were adapting to being silent. David and Mary Margaret struggled the least, especially when communicating with each other. They were so in sync that they hardly needed to write messages for one another. The others muddled through; Regina's method of raising an imperious eyebrow and general scowling was particularly effective. Emma had to keep reminding Hook to charge his phone and she'd taken to carrying hers with her everywhere, charging his phone for him when they met up for research. He would often accidentally send messages meant for Emma to the whole group though thankfully he hadn't sent anything too flirtatious. Emma didn't want to have to talk David down from punching the pirate if he even hinted at jabbing her with his sword. Hook's messages were surprisingly respectful, sending Emma a message every morning along the lines of;
Dearest Emma,
I trust you slept well?
Yours affectionately, Killian.
And once, after a week of still being silent and yet another night of tossing and turning, Emma messaged back Not really and half expected him to reply with something like, 'thoughts of me keeping you awake?' but he surprised her.
Dearest Emma,
I am grieved to hear that. Is there anything I can do? Perhaps discussing what's bothering you might help?
Yours affectionately, Killian.
And she opened up. She told him about her worries, how long it was all taking and they were still at square one. How disappointing she was as the saviour. How her mother kept dropping not so subtle hints suggesting Emma should spend more time with Neal and how she didn't want to spend more time with Neal and was that bad?
He'd reassured her in the way he always did. Telling her they would succeed, how could they not with Emma leading them? How she had taken the time to show him how to use "what is app" when she didn't have to. How no one was disappointed in her and that the only thing she was lacking in was confidence in her abilities. How her mother was just wanting her to be happy and she shouldn't feel bad for how she felt. Emma found herself messaging Hook a lot more after that. And for Hook's part, he kept his innuendos to a minimum, his messages thoughtful and sweet leaving Emma to idly wonder if this was "courting". It took him forever to type a single message but Emma hoped he didn't pay attention to David's pleas to stop writing them like letters. They felt like little love letters and Emma couldn't stop the smile bloom on her face every time she got one.
Despite Hook's reassuring messages, the lack of progress was starting to get to Emma. Her parents seemed to cope fine with it all and Henry was being a trooper as always but Emma was finding it hard. She'd always dealt with her problems in logical and practical ways and had no idea how to fix this and was feeling the weight of the saviour title bearing down on her more and more the longer they were silenced. So it didn't help when Neal messaged Emma asking her to lunch at Granny's. What were they going to do, stare at each other in silence? Mary Margaret caught Emma frowning at her phone and asked her what was the matter. Emma showed her the message and her mother beamed. That's wonderful Emma! You owe it to yourself to be happy. Emma hid the grimace. Her mother was smiling at her like Christmas had come early so Emma bit back the sigh and told Neal she'd meet him there in an hour. Get it over and done with.
*****
The silence wasn't exactly comfortable, but broken up by eating it was manageable. Neal was scrawling messages on napkins and old crumbled receipts retrieved from his pockets. In another life Emma would have found it endearing. He was trying. It was...fine. The intervening years hadn't changed Neal all that much, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when he smiled. He was still funny and charming but it didn't have the same effect on Emma it had years before. Neal hadn't changed, but Emma had. She still loved him and she probably always would but she knew she wasn't in love with him anymore. She was contemplating why she didn't feel more sad about that when he pushed a napkin towards her.
I know you haven't forgiven me for what happened and I know I don't deserve it but I would really like to give us another try. I don't want to rush anything, we could take it slow? What do you think?
Emma's heart sank. She shook her head gently. He looked crushed. I'm sorry Neal. I do forgive you. And I do still care for you, just not in that way anymore. I'm not the girl I was when I was 17. I would really like to be friends though? He read it forlornly, nodding his head and attempting a smile that was more like a grimace. Feeling like the worst person in the world, Emma sat there for another minute but when he didn't write anything else she left some cash on the table and patted his shoulder awkwardly as she left.
*****
When Emma got back to the loft, Mary Margaret had already heard how the lunch had gone. Who needs a town crier when you have Leroy within shouting distance? Apparently Neal had sat there long after she'd left looking like a kicked puppy. Mary Margaret was convinced that Neal was Emma's True Love with a capital T capital L and she couldn't understand why Emma kept pushing him away. She mentioned Henry and how he would probably love to see his parents together and Emma felt so suffocated she walked straight out of the loft, heading to the docks without conscious thought.
She didn't bother to knock as she made her way into Hook's cabin. He stood to greet her and Emma suddenly felt shy. Not being able to speak became an advantage, she didn't have to explain what she was doing there. She'd stormed out of the loft feeling stressed and her feet had led her here. That's all there was to it. No need to analyse it. Oh god, what she wouldn't give for one of his quips right now. Sensing her unease, he pulled out a chair for her and got her a glass, picking something else up and carrying it in the crook of his elbow. Handing her the glass he dropped the object on the table - a pack of playing cards. Emma smiled gratefully as he filled her glass. They played for hours, the only sounds the soft creaking of the ship and the slap of the cards on the table. Watching him shuffle with one hand was vaguely hypnotic and Emma let her mind wander to what else that clever hand could do. He seemed to be a demon at Poker and Emma was pretty sure Hook was cheating but found she didn't care, she was enjoying just being in his company. When it had started to get dark, Hook lit a couple of lanterns, bathing the room in a warm glow. Emma was feeling a little buzzed from the rum and tapped the table lightly. She got out her notepad and started writing.
I met Neal for lunch today. He wants to get back together. I turned him down.
Hook looked surprised but nodded at her to continue. She took a deep breath, debating how much to reveal. Emma didn't think she'd be able to say any of this out loud, it was easier to write it when she wasn't looking into his eyes. Mary Margaret wants me to get back together with him, and I think Henry does too. I feel like I'm letting everyone down if I don't give it a chance but I don't want that. I don't want Neal. She started to shuffle the cards to give her hands something to do as she watched Hook write a reply.
You are thinking about everyone else's happiness but not your own.
Emma scribbled underneath. I'm the savior, I'm supposed to give everyone their happy endings.
He frowned. By making yourself unhappy?
Emma shrugged helplessly.
Emma, it's not selfish to seek out your own happiness and your mother, Henry, and Bae all want you to be happy. I'm sure none of them would want to cause you distress.
She looked at him thoughtfully. What if I don't know what will make me happy?
That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself, love.
She nodded to herself, pushing the cards towards him.
It's your deal. And I know you've been cheating by the way.
Hook grinned and shrugged, not the least ashamed to be caught out. Damn pirate.
Emma hadn't realised how late it was until her phone buzzed in her pocket. She'd missed several messages from David and Mary Margaret asking her where she was. She fired a quick message off to David to tell him she was fine and was just on her way home. She stood, miming to Hook that she had to go. He offered to walk her home but she shook her head. She watched the shadows dance across his face as he stood. He looked so soft in the candlelight she couldn't resist walking up to him and kissing him gently on the cheek. His shy smile in return kept her warm all the way home.
*****
Emma was meeting Regina and Tink at Regina's vault early and she didn't want to wait for Hook's morning message, knowing she wouldn't get much signal underground she sent him a quick message.
Good Morning Killian 😊
Thanks for last night. I haven't felt that relaxed in months. Do you want to do it again tonight?
Seeing Regina and Tink at the entrance of the vault, Emma pocketed her phone and left her car to meet them.
Mary Margaret
Emma, did you mean to send that to the group?
Neal
Emma what the hell??
David
Hook what the hell have you been doing with my daughter??????
Hook is typing...