*Editing* Sailing The Seas (Once Upon A Time Colin O'Donoghue FanFiction)

August 2nd, 2018, Part One

It was getting close to lunchtime and we were still washing dishes. After the first hour, I had discovered first how many dishes Hook and his crew had created over time, and next how painfully slow we both were at cleaning them. We both hadn't had much experience, and us continuously talking didn't help much either. We had been laughing a lot, making light conversation, and it didn't feel like I was a prisoner anymore. I was beginning to feel comfortable here, and I was learning a lot. Hook had begun telling me about his crew. They were lifelong friends, going into battle together and always being there when they needed each other. They were like a tight knit family of hooligans, it was kind of admirable. 

Next, he started telling me about his family. His father abandoned him and his older brother, and sold them to a mean Captain. It's where Hook developed his cunning ways. Eventually, his brother died, leaving Hook all alone and scared. He then further became the ruthless pirate people think of him today.

After hearing Hook's backstory, my heart felt for him. He had struggled so much, it wasn't his fault he turned to the pirate lifestyle. I turned to look at him. His face had grown sad and his eyelids drooped. A tiny tear was barely visible as it snuck out of his eye and ran down his face. Drying off my hand, I did the same thing he had done to me earlier. I wiped away his tear, and he shuddered, moving back quickly and looking frightened.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" I asked, my voice soft but scared.

Hook sighed. "No, you did nothing wrong, that was actually kind of you. I just can't do this again." 

"Do what?"

"This. I can't form a bond again. I did once, and it turned out rotten in the end." He snapped.

"I'm really sorry, Hook. I didn't know." I apologized.

"No, don't be sorry. You're right. You didn't know, you had no way of knowing."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He hesitated, but when he inhaled sharply, I knew something was about to come out.

"Look, I don't like getting close to people, so feel lucky that you've gotten this much out of me. It was a while back, right before my brother died. I trusted someone, but it went downhill pretty fast. I thought it was love at first sight. As it turns out, the only thing she had eyes for was my money. She seduced me, gathered up the majority of my fortune and took off. I saw then that she never truly loved me, and was only using me to get what she wanted."

I was shocked. I didn't know there could be someone so cruel. This woman was so cruel as to steal from a pirate. And so cruel as to break his heart.

I dipped my hand back in the water and found Hook's. Squeezing it lightly, I smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Hook. Nobody deserves that. Whoever this lady was, she was a horrible human being who didn't deserve you. Trust me when I say that it'll be okay."

He sniffled a little. "And if it's not?"

"I'll be here for you. It's not like I can really go anywhere." I teased, poking him in the shoulder with a soapy finger.

"Thank you, Bethany." 

"Don't worry about it. Now, let's get the rest of these dishes done up, shall we?" I suggested.

"Let's do it." Hook replied with a small smile.

I was happy I could cheer him up in a way it seemed no other person could. It was nice to see his smile, and some of his personality. He had been broken, and it seemed as if he still was. I knew I needed to be gentle with him, so I was going to be. If I wanted this to go anywhere, I knew I would have to go slow. Things like this happen on their own, at a natural pace.