Treasure

Chapter 17

"Princess Emma, It's Smee!" He said, knocking on her door.

"How many times have I told you, it's just Emma." She laughed, opening the door with a smile.

"Well, when you call me Smee instead of Mr. Smee then maybe I'll stop calling you Princess Emma." He responded, setting their breakfast down on her bed.

"You didn't want to go on land?" Emma asked, changing the topic as they began to eat.

"Oh no, I rather stay here and keep you company!" Smee responded joyfully.

"You know I'll be fine here on my own... I know you like walking the shops." The princess responded, knowing how rare their time was on land.

"Oh don't worry about it. You've been to one store you've been to them all. Besides, I know the captain would prefer I stay with you." He responded, honestly.

"Oh... I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to babysit me..." The princess responded, guilt taking over.

"Nonsense! I offered to stay on board because I wanted to, not because I was ordered to." Smee responded, trying to raise her spirits.

"So how is the captain?" Emma asked, trying to change the topic discreetly.

"Well, he misses you... we all do." Mr. Smee answered.

"Please, he's probably still mad at me... I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was. " Emma responded, pushing her meal aside, no longer hungry.

"He never was? None of us are ma'am." The first mate responded confused.

"But he raised his voice at me... he's never done that." She said in a sad tone.

"You and I both know that's just how he gets when he's upset. There isn't one person on this ship he hasn't yelled at." He responded not knowing what else to say.

Emma didn't say anything else, sure Killian was known to lose his temper but never at her. He was always so gentle and patient with her. She missed the way he would play with her hair as they laid in his small bed and the way he would pull her closer in his sleep. She always found it amusing how he, the most fearsome pirate, loved to be cuddled and be kissed. She saw a side of him not even the crew got to see. She saw the man behind the pirate exterior. Everyone feared Captain Jones but very few people actually knew Killian Jones, and she thought she did. That was until he snapped at her, something not even she thought he would do.

"Well, I should head back up and mop the deck." Mr. smee said, interrupting her thoughts as he gathered their dishes.

"Oh yes, of course. Would you like some help?" Emma asked.

"Oh no ma'am, we both know the captain wouldn't like that." He responded with a chuckle as he stood up.

"Yeah... he would probably just yell at me again..." She responded in a soft sad tone.

"If I may make a suggestion... just talk to him. Not everything is as it seems." He said before he left the room, leaving Emma in her thoughts.

What could that mean? It seemed so simple. She didn't listen, him and his crew got hurt, he was mad. If roles were reversed she would probably be mad too. It hurt her to think of Killian and how he could be mad at her... Emma let irrational thoughts consume her mind of how he was on land, probably in the tavern with another woman. Deep down she knew that wasn't true, he was most definitely attending to his men and stocking up on needed supplies.

Emma laid her head on her pillow and curled up under her covers, she got little sleep in the last couple of days. Even though she was physically exhausted, her mind was racing. All her thoughts were of Killian. Did he miss her as much as she missed him? Was he able to sleep without her or did he spend his nights wide awake like her? Would he stay with her once they got back to Misthaven? And for the first time in a couple of days she found herself finally thinking of home. Emma clutched her swan necklace that always hung around her neck in her hand. Swan. The nickname he gave her, the reminder her parents gave her. One object held so much meaning.

She finally let her thoughts go to her parents. She missed them more than anything in this moment. If they were here they would be at her side, laying in bed with her, giving her words of hope. Her mother would insist she talk to Killian and work things out, something she knew she needed to do. Her father would be threatening to have a painful talk with Killian, holding his fist up, no doubt trying to make her laugh. She wanted a love like theirs, one that always seemed so perfect. She never saw them fight, nor raise their voices at one another. She's sure they did, just never in front of her or anyone else.

Emma's eyes were now closed and she was ready for sleep to take over. Her last thoughts were the ones of when she was a small girl, obsessed with the idea of a fairytale kind of love. She would often ask her father how he knew her mother was the one. Charming would respond by saying that when they were apart he felt something was missing, that he felt more at home with Snow than he did in his actual home. That's how Emma felt about Killian... he was her home. She then realized home is a place you miss when you leave, and she missed Killian more than she missed her parents or Misthaven...