This ship is taking over my life, I've never shipped anything before this and then these two come along and now I can't stop writing about it - god help me.

...

Emma didn't get sick often, 99% of the time she spent in perfect health, but the 1% where she somehow managed to get sick - she really got sick. "Lock the door - quarantine, one day marathon, for the love of god call a doctor" sick. So when Emma felt the beginnings of a fever starting into the afternoon she knew it was only going to get worse. She made the appropriate arrangements, sent Henry to Snow and David's place for the night and had David take Sheriff duty for the remainder of the day.

"You sure you're ok?" Snow asked, calling to check in as Emma filled a jug up with cold water.

"Yeah I've done this song and dance a few times," Emma reassured her. It was nice to have someone around who cared, who wanted to help you out but Emma had been on her own for a very long time, it was very… hard to ask for help. Besides she knew what she needed to do; she was already starting to get chills, never a good sign - she was in for a long night.

"I'll call you tomorrow ok?" she said, trying to keep her teeth from chattering audibly.

"Ok, call me if you need anything," Snow said, sounding a bit worried. Emma hung up and went to gather up as many blankets as she could find and piled them into the bathroom before going back and changing into some old yoga pants and a blue tank top. Her muscles had begun to ache and she groaned as she marched herself into the bathroom, she was so not looking forward to this - but the sooner it took hold the sooner she could be done with it for however long. She wrapped herself in the warmth of the blankets with her jug of water by her side and waited.

It hadn't taken long to hit like her like a brick wall, two hours in she was drenched in sweat, going from being too cold to boiling hot what felt like every ten minutes; Her entire body was aching as she grit her teeth and tried to hold herself together. Two hours later it got worse, she barely had the strength to lift the cup to her lips to drink, let alone lift the jug to pour herself more water. Most of the time when she got ill it was fits of nausea, headaches, coughing, but only mild fevers.

She'd never had a fever hit this hard - maybe she should have let Snow come over. Unfortunately as time wore on the less likely it seemed she would have the strength to correct that mistake. Emma knew she was in trouble when she didn't have the strength to crawl out of the blankets again as she felt the heat of the fever hit again. She was falling in and out of consciousness, she didn't know how long she went on like that. She must have been hallucinating too because she thought she heard thunder in her house, or maybe gun shots...

Bang, bang, bang.

Bang, bang, bang.

Knock, knock, knock.

She heard a voice, she wasn't entirely sure what it was saying but it was talking to her, she was just too tired to ask what it wanted. Was that the door opening? Emma heard the thud of boots on the bathroom tile, sounding hollow as if from very far away. Only when she felt a cool hand press against her forehead did she realize her eyes were closed. She began prying her sweet drenched eyelids open to see who was in her apartment but she couldn't make out who it was - her vision blurry.

"Emma, can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked. She closed her eyes again, the effort to keep them open just too difficult, she'd answer him in a minute… just one minute…

Hook liked to go by Emma's work and annoy her - it was one of the highlights of his day. He'd saunter in, see her roll her eyes as soon as she saw him or try to ignore him at first, then try so very desperately to not smile when he began his systematic 'd wear her down eventually, she couldn't resist forever.

But he did so appreciate that she tried - the hunt was always sweeter than the kill.

Well, he though smirking, depending on what you're hunting.

Though he did welcome the challenge, he thought as he walked through the sheriff department's front door, he did wish the Swan girl would be… slightly less obstreperous.

"Ready to admit how much you want me yet?" He asked, his signature 'charm birds from their nests' smile in place as he rounded the corner.

"Funny, you don't look like my wife," Charming replied coolly from behind Emma's desk, wearing her badge. Hook froze staring at Charming while the smile vanished off his face. Then he resumed his favourite occupation as smartass to surpass the outstanding levels of awkward in the room.

"Yes well you don't look at all like Emma, so I suppose were both destined to be disappointed," Hook replied, walking further into the office, looking for his favourite blonde.

"She's not here today," Charming told him sternly, glaring. Hook didn't like that, she was here everyday; sure he ambushed her all over this little town but she was almost always here.

"I see that, so where is she?" Hook asked. Charming laughed.

"Yeah, cause you're the first person I'd enlighten about my daughter's whereabouts." Hook narrowed his eyes at Charming - overprotective fathers were the bane of his existence.

"Well you could tell me or I'll just go find her anyways," he shrugged.

"Or I could throw you in a cell, cause acting sheriff has its privileges," Charming smiled.

"Oh don't go daddy warrior prince on me David," Hook tutted, "It doesn't sit well on a man of your age."

"That hurts coming from the crypt keeper of Neverland," Charming retorted. Hmm, David being a pain in the ass was somehow less… well, charming than it was when Emma did it.

"Fine, she can't be that hard to track down," Hook said, "I always find her." Charming appeared to choke on the coffee he'd been taking a sip of as Hook turned heel obliviously, intent on finding his little blonde firecracker.

"… she's at home sick," Charming said just before Hook was out of sight.

Hook paused, frowning.

Sick? Emma didn't seem the type to let a flu bug stop her from doing her job. Hook resumed walking, feeling strangely… put out.

At first he figured he'd leave her alone just this once, Swan was irritable enough when healthy if she was anymore hostile when feeling under the weather than he'd probably have to run from the apartment, dodging projectiles. Then for some reason he thought that would actually prove to be down right hilarious and made his way to her apartment. Hook knocked on the door, keeping quiet at first - figuring she might not open the door if she heard his voice. He didn't hear anyone moving inside the apartment so he knocked again louder.

Still nothing.

"I know you're in there Swan," Hook called through the door, smirking. He'd seen her yellow little vehicle parked out front, she was in there alright.

"It's not like you to hide from me love," he goaded, waiting for her to storm to the front door and fling it open, to resolutely tell him she wasn't hiding from him, she could often be baited like that if done correctly - his blonde firecracker wasn't one to turn down challenges.

Not a peep.

It was here that Hook's smile began to falter on his face a little. This was very much un-like her, at the very least she'd have told him to go away through the door - rudely. Sleeping perhaps? He knocked louder.

"Swan?" he called loudly. Silence answered him.

"Emma!" he called even louder, a slight note of unease in his voice now. There was no way she wouldn't of heard him this time.

Hook frowned, not even thinking twice as he tried the handle and found it turned easily. She should be more careful about locking her doors he thought as he let himself in. The apartment was very spacious, rustic in a quaint way as he walked in and closed the door behind him. He noticed immediately the bathroom light was on. What had been a niggling feeling of unease in his stomach grew somewhat more intense.

"Emma?" he said, all light hearted humour evaporated from his voice as he rounded the corner to peer in. There she sat on the floor, wrapped in blankets with her eyes closed, her hair plastered to her face with sweat, skin flushed and body limp. Hook cursed under his breath, kneeling by her side in record speed. He pressed his hand against her forehead to confirm what he could already see, she was burning up; he could feel the heat rolling off her before he even touched her. Her eyes opened, glazed as she looked at him, seeming as if she wasn't entirely sure who he was.

"Emma, can you hear me?" Hook asked, lifting her chin, looking into her eyes. She just closed her eyes again.

"No, don't sleep Emm,a" he said dropping her chin gently and giving her a shake. She didn't respond and he began using his hook to open up the blankets and pry her out of them. It was as if someone had dumped a bucket of water on her, blankets and clothing soaked. He cursed again - very bad, why had she not called anyone?

Stubborn damn woman.

"Open your eyes sweet heart, look at me," he said, giving her a few gentle taps on her cheek. Her eyes remained closed; He needed to drop her temperature down, he'd seen fevers like this before and knew the damage that could be wrought on the body if left to its own devices. He looked around trying to figure out what to do and saw the bath tub. He could work this damn thing he thought, getting up to start the process of filling it - Ruby had shown him how.

First he had to plug it right? He looked down at the drain and frowned - where was the little silver top thing you pushed down? This was just a damn drain, was it broken? He looked around the edges of the tub until he saw it, a rubber stopper, excellent.

He put the stopper in the drain - now, blue was for cold right?

He turned the knob making it gurgle loudly before it started to fill the bath, he tested it with his hand and nodded to himself as the cold water numbed his fingers. He looked back when he heard Emma whimper over the running water. It was a sound that cut through him rather unexpectedly as she sit there propped against the wall; her eyes fluttering behind her lids and her brow pinched together as if she were have a rather unpleasant dream she was trying to escape.

He'd never seen her look so… vulnerable.

He went and knelt by her again and slid a few strands of her sweat drenched hair from her face.

"S'alright love, shhh," he cooed. She relaxed at his touch and seemed to calm as he smoothed her hair back and stroked his thumb across her cheek.

"You're gonna be alright lass," he assured her quietly, she turned her head into his touch and Hook couldn't help the upturning at the corner of his lips. It was short lived as the contact only reminded him how un-well she truly was - the heat rolled off her so intensely it was like standing in front of a well tended fire. Hook looked back to the tub, the water was going to need to be colder to break this devil.

He left the bathroom and went to her ice box, which he was to understand didn't have ice in it most of the time, cooled by other means (magic?) but he was hopeful. He smiled triumphantly as he spotted a bag of ice cubes. It was a small bag but he was sure it would do the job as he strode back to the bathroom, ripping the plastic bag open with his teeth and pouring it into the water. He shut off the valve when the tub was half full, the ice clinking against the porcelain. He relieved her of her socks and worked her out of her sweat pants so she was down to her panties and her thin tank top before removing his hook and placing it on the edge of the sink.

"You know this is not how I envisioned the first time getting you out of your pants would be like," Hook said to her, "You'll have to forgive me for that," he apologized. Though she was by no means awake or aware she wasn't entirely asleep either. He heard her mutter something along the lines of "prick" and couldn't help but smile, that was more like his girl.

"Alright Emma," he said, speaking to her semi-conscious form as he wrangled her the rest of the way out of the blankets and scooped her into his arms, stump hand under her knees.

"You're really not going to like this part," he told her conversationally as her head rested comfortably against his shoulder.

"Consider it the consequences of obstinacy," he smirked.

Hook lowered her into the ice bath. Emma's eyes shot open as she gasped for air at the sheer shock of the freezing water. Instinctively she tried to crawl out but Hook held her in as she splashed somewhat pathetically to escape, careful to keep her head above water.

"Easy love - easy, I know its unpleasant," he said while she struggled, shivering violently, "but necessary."

She stopped trying to get out after another minute and seemed to actually realize he was there, looking at him and blinking with a somewhat perplexed look, as if trying to figure out if he was actually there.

"Hello there," he smiled, relieved to see the blue of her eyes at last, even if it was only a glimpse as she blinked slowly.

" … why's yer skin perple?" she slurred, sounding a touch drunk, voice weak.

"Why's confetti erywhere?" Emma asked wearily, eyes hazily sweeping the bathroom. Hook didn't know exactly what confetti was but he was certain there was none of it in the bathroom whatsoever. He examined her with a raised eyebrow, as she rolled her head away from him. He reached out and gently took her chin to turn her back to look at him again and saw how cloudy her gaze was.

"Emma love, I believe you're fever drunk."

...

I wish I knew how to quit you Captain Swan! (not really)