My first submission for @cscocktoberfest. Set at the end of 4×03. You know the scene. 😉
She’s beyond angry, storming out of the diner and past Killian as he sits at one of the outdoor tables, a drink in his hand. He raises it to her as she passes, smiles and calls out jovially, “Swan! Don’t make a man drink alone!”
She doesn’t slow down, doesn’t even look at him as he gets up to follow her, sensing her continued anger. “Not in the mood for a drink or a man,” she responds sharply. She can hear his footsteps follow her off the sidewalk.
“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you today, all right? I know you feel like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders. But at some point,” his hook snags on her arm and pulls her around towards him, “Even though we’re quite different, you’ve got to trust me.” His eyes are beseeching and she feels her annoyance flare hard and fast.
“That’s what you think this is about? That I don’t trust you?” She shouts back. He has the decency to look a little ashamed before he covers it with a raised brow and set jaw.
“Is that not what it’s about?”
“Of course I trust you.” She wants to hit him he’s being so stupid. And all of a sudden all the fight leaves her as he looks at her sadly, completely lost. He doesn’t understand, he doesn’t get it.
“Then why do you keep pulling away from me?” His voice is just as desperate as she feels.
“Because everyone I’ve ever been with is dead!” It’s hard not to explain without the anger now, but she has to hold onto something other than the stinging at the corners of her eyes. “Neal and Graham. Even Walsh. I lost everyone. I…” Her vision blurs just a little and she feels a hot tear slide down her cheek and settle at the edge of her mouth. “I can’t lose you, too,” she finishes simply, staring into his eyes and willing him to understand the rest. She can’t say it yet, she doesn’t think she’s brave enough, but she needs him to know somehow anyway.
Killian’s gaze softens as he looks at her, as her words sink in and his heart grows. Lost girl, always a lost girl. He’s determined to make sure she never feels that way again.
“Well, love, you don’t have to worry about me,” he responds with a comforting smile. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s surviving.”
The First Time
Published
cshappybeginning 