In my Once Upon A Time fanfic, ADRIFT, Killian Jones is hit with a brutal curse that sends him back to a time when he made a life-changing decision – and it forces him to choose the other path.
We meet a Killian Jones who sailed away from a crumbling Storybrooke in Season 2, leaving Emma behind to die – or so he thought until she appears on his ship a year later to tell him that reality didn’t happen that way. Can Emma convince Killian to become the man he was destined to be? And can they take on Pan and Zelena in a new game, with even greater stakes?
In this scene, it’s the morning after a very drunk Killian made a visit to Emma’s bedside. And he’s learning that it didn’t work out the way he’d planned . . .
Killian pulled himself up the stairs, squinting in discomfort as the sunlight hit his eyes, sending a spear of pain directly into his brain. He ran his tongue across his fuzzy teeth as he walked across and mounted the stairs to the wheel deck.
“Good morning,” Emma called out, trying hard not to smile at how badly he was squinting. “Sunshine a bit much for you?”
He put his hand over his eyes, shading them. “A bit.”
“Does your head hurt?”
He nodded, but that hurt his head and he stopped. “Not just my head, but my face. Did I fall?”
“Yeah, but onto the bed. The face hurts because I punched you,” she reminded him.
He closed his eyes. “Ah, yes. I’d forgotten that.” He touched his jaw, probing lightly.
“Are you telling me you don’t remember last night?” she asked, stepping away from the wheel.
“Oh, I remember most of it,” he replied, rubbing his temple. “We played Liar’s Dice, you hit me in the face, and then…well, I gather I imbibed a rather ridiculous amount of rum.”
“Yeah,” Emma said, nodding. “Ridiculous is a good word.”
“And how did I end up in the crew cabin?”
She gave him a look. “You really don’t remember?”
He raised his brows, shaking his head. Emma’s face fell, but she quickly regrouped.
“You came looking for me but you ended up passing out.”
Hook’s face was properly chagrined. “Apologies, Swan. A gentleman should never visit his drunken state upon a lady.”
“You were harmless.” She turned back to the wheel, and he stepped over to her, touching her arm lightly.
“Really . . . I’m sorry. Damn, but I’ve apologized more in the last two days than I have in a lifetime.” He grimaced. “You’ve had quite the sobering effect on my character, I must say.”
Emma gave him a smirk. “Hold still,” she said, reaching up and putting her fingers to his temple. She concentrated a moment, and a purple glow began to show beneath her fingertips. Hook let out a sigh.
“Better?” she asked.
“Much. Where the devil did you learn to do that?” He opened his eyes wider now that the hangover was gone. His hand went up to rub the side of his face. “You could take care of my bruised jaw, while you’re at it.”
“No, that one you can keep,” she said, smartly. “As a reminder.”
He moved in a little closer. “Would that be a reminder that you haven’t paid your debt?”
“What?”
“You lost the game. I believe we had a wager…?” He gave her a very knowing grin, tapping a finger to his lips. It evoked such a strong memory, she very nearly gave him what he was looking for.
“You collected last night,” she reminded him. “Too bad you don’t remember.”
He looked taken aback. “Really?”
She smiled with faux sympathy. “Really.”
“Freely given, as specified?”
She held his gaze. “Freely given. At least, until you passed out halfway through.”
He gave her a devilish look. “I only have your word on that, you know. Perhaps you’d better do it again so that there’s no question as to its having been done.”
“Nice try,” she smirked.
You can find ADRIFT at Fanfiction.net or on Archive of Our Own (AO3).
Britt DeLaney 