They had only been on the ship a day or two and everyone already had cabin fever. It was to be expected. Just putting the six of them in a place where no one could escape was asking for some sort of explosion. When Killian was not at the helm, he immediately shut himself in the captain's cabin to avoid Gold. However, most of the time it wasn't necessary. Gold spent most of his time locked in his own private quarters, studying maps and spells for the upcoming imminent battle. Thankfully, the Jolly Roger had space for 3 cabins in addition to the captain's cabin- otherwise they'd really have problems. The Charmings had the larger cabin along with Emma, while Regina and Gold each took the smaller ones. Emma spent most of her time on the deck for a few reasons. One, she wanted to give her parents time of privacy, just so they wouldn't try anything with her in the room. Of course, they wouldn't, but Emma just didn't want to think about it. The wide open space gave her comfort, along with the sight of the man at the helm. There was something soothing about watching Hook sail the ship, he looked so confident and relaxed at the same time. She would try to hide her glances at him, but the secret smile on his face when she stole her glances let her know that he was well aware of her actions.

On the afternoon of the second day, Emma decided she needed a rest. The nights had not been too kind to her, it was hard to sleep with thinking about Henry, so she took advantage of the feeling of heaviness to go below deck. Two days with barely any sleep on a boat was just too much. As she rounded the corner, she bumped into a solid figure.

"Swan?" Hook said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Sorry," she said sleepily. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Are you well?" Killian had a look of great concern in his eye. He knew it wasn't an easy transition to living at sea for some. He reached his arm out to steady her, which she was too tired to push away. Without noticing it, she put her hand on his and let him steady her.

"Yeah, I'm really tired. I just need to lie down in my room," Emma said, but to her surprise, Killian held up his hook to block her way.

"You might not want to do that, Swan," Killian warned. "As I passed by your quarters, I heard your bunkmates in there and it left...little to the imagination. Hence my haste as I barrelled into you." He gave her an awkward smile, but she was already rolling her eyes at her situation.

"Seriously?! Ugh, I'm so tired," Emma whined as she leaned her head on the wall, too tired to care that she wasn't holding back. She knew she sounded like a child, but all she wanted to do was crash into her pillow. Killian chuckled softly at her lowered defenses.

"I have to take my shift at the helm," Killian said. "You're welcome to use my quarters." Emma nodded in thanks and moved to walk past him. He did the same, but with the small hallway, they kept getting in each other's way. She'd shift left as he'd go right, and visa versa. In her tiredness, Emma gave up quickly, just ending up swaying and he joined her rhythm with a proud smile on his face, enjoying the dance they were doing. Emma gave him a look, as if he was doing it on purpose just to torture her, to which he responded by scooping her up in his arms. "I believe you need some assistance in your tired state, Swan."

Emma, partly too tired to fight and the other part enjoying this a bit, leaned her head on his shoulder in surrender. Her eyes were already fluttering closed as she was hit with his comforting scent. He leaned his head slightly to her forehead as he carried her, enjoying the softness and warmth of her skin. He laid her gently in his bed and pulled his blanket around her with his hook. Emma's journey to dreamland was at full speed ahead when she was at once consumed with the smell of his blankets and pillow all around her.

"Please no lines about being in your bed," Emma said weakly, her voice muffled by the fluffy blankets. Killian let out a small chuckle of amusement and softly tucked away a loose strand of hair.

"Sweet dreams, Swan," he said, patting the blankets down. Emma nodded with her eyes closed, her breathing already slowed. As Killian started towards the door, he hesitated by the doorframe and looked back to the figure in his bed. His mind danced around the idea of going back and kissing her forehead, which he had been longing to do as soon as he took her in his arms. He started to change direction when he heard an "ahem" from the corridor behind him.

"What do you think you're doing, Captain?" Gold said, looking at him with a stone cold expression. Hook's jaw tensed and he exited his cabin, closing the door behind.

"She needed a place to rest," Hook stated plainly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm needed at the helm." He moved past Gold through the thin corridors and back on the deck. Regina was taking a turn at the helm, but she looked like she had been tired of her post hours ago. She breathed a sigh of relief when Hook appeared on deck.

"It's about time!" Regina said. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry, your highness," Killian said, gesturing for her to move. Regina let go of the wheel and started towards the lower deck. Gold was standing there frozen staring at Hook, causing Regina confusion.

"What's the matter with you?" she said, her voice dripping with annoyance, yet she was intrigued to see if these two mortal enemies had forgotten about their buried hatchet so soon.

"She's still mourning my son," Gold called up to Hook, ignoring Regina completely. "Don't think you mean anything more to her then just someone who helping her with a more important quest." Regina looked between Gold and Hook. Hook stared over both of them to the horizon, avoiding all eye contact.

"Emma? Seriously?" Regina scoffed at Hook. "Oh, Captain, don't even think about it."

"So you also agree that she's too good for him," Gold said, now acknowledging her comments.

"Actually, no. I'd say between the two of them, Hook is the more dedicated one. He dedicated 300 years of his life to one cause, she's lived in countless places and only dedicated a few months to caring about her own child," Regina said. "I think he's too good for her." She gave him a wink and a seductive smile, to which he turned his gaze in the complete opposite direction of her. He was not one bit interested in any advances from Regina, but she had been making it obvious she was open to the option. Sure, Emma had left him behind to be babysat by a giant, but Regina had thrown him into a pit to be killed by Malificant. No, he was not interested in the slightest, not when he and Swan had so many moments that stirred feelings in him he once thought dormant.

Both Regina and Gold both left the deck, leaving Killian to his own thoughts. This had been his comfort ever since the curse hit- alone on his ship with the sea. He let in a slow breath, drinking in the smell of the ocean. He held onto the helm with his hook as he pulled a chain out of his satchel and held it in his hand. The chain was once attached to a dried up bean, and the pendant had once been a gold coin he pilfered from the giant's castle. After he used the bean, the coin was his only conquest from the beanstalk, and a reminder of his adventure with Swan. He fashioned the two together, creating a memory for him to hold onto. He rubbed the coin between his fingers, as he had done many times. Although he knew it wasn't possible, he felt like he had held it so much he was already wearing down the etchings. He thought about her, asleep in his room, wishing he could be next to her. What was this hold she had over him? With his new vow to move on from revenge, Emma was always at the forefront of his mind. She calmed him, brought out a new side in him, and he was interested to see where it would take them. She had walls up, his walls were only recently breaking down. Yes, it would take time, but after three hundred years, Killian Jones and patience were old friends - and he still loved a challenge.

A/N: I'm not sure yet if this is a one-shot or if I should continue. I'm still working on "Choosing Sides", but I couldn't get this scene out of my head. Let me know what you think!