Finding Home With You

Chapter 1

To say that Killian Jones was impressed by the skills the young lad had displayed, would be an understatement. In all his years, Killian had never known as much about a ship as this Henry lad, and the boy couldn't be but 15. Younger, perhaps, but not being accustomed to the company of children made Killian an amateur in his age estimation.

And yet, the most surprising thing of all was that this Henry lad seemed to think Killian had taught him to sail.

I had a great teacher....you.

Killian wished he was worthy of the pride and adoration that shone in the lad's eyes when he said those words. Wished he had taught the lad to sail. Wished he knew how to sail himself. But all he knew was how to swab the deck.

Not anymore, he had thought, tightening the rigging of the main sail with some difficulty. Now I know a thing or two, myself. What the lad's taught me.

The thought lifted his spirits a bit. Brought back a bit of courage and pride that he previously thought had been driven completely out of him in his years sailing under Black Beard's authority. He had glanced over at the lad, who was tending to the ship with great care and confidence, and smiled. The first genuine smile in years.

But then the boy suggested "taking out" the black night. And Killian was once again reminded of just how little of a man he was.

At least Henry's idea had saved him the embarrassment of backing down from yet another fight. Coward that he was, he was more than willing to go with any other plan than fighting.

Now here he stands, waiting for the boy to return with his mother, this Emma lass. He has to fight down a rising blush when the thought of rescuing a beautiful damsel in distress takes him by surprise. Instead of thinking of the woman about to descend the stairs, he tries to think about the lad's confusing words when they had tricked the guard.

What in the world is a Wookie?

And then a body's crashing into his and he instinctively grabs onto her waist to catch her. And he's gazing into the most beautiful set of green eyes he's ever seen. His mind seems to go blank and there's nothing but this stunning woman and the surprise that's so apparent on her face. Then it changes. And she's grinning like she's finally seen the sun for the first time in years.

But she's looking right at him.

He can't help the smile that overcomes his face. She's too stunning, and too close. He blushes and looks down, away from the stranger's eyes that have him completely enamored in mere seconds. That's when he realizes just how close they are, that he's still holding onto her from when she crashed into him.

And he doesn't want to pull away. He loves the way she clings to him. The way their bodies seem to fit together. The way her presence causes his heart to race and his breath to quicken, like a bloody fish out of water. But in a delightfully pleasant way.

"Killian, this is my mom, Emma Swan. Mom, Killian," Henry's voice pulls him towards the surface, but he's still drowning in her eyes.

He tries to pull himself together and act like a gentleman. "Um, uh yeah. Pleasure," he manages to get out in a gruff voice. He's embarrassed, to say the least, but he's encouraged by the twinkle she gets in her eyes.

He pulls away from her slightly, putting a little distance between them, and extends his good hand. She shakes it, but does so with a peculiar look on her face.

"Yeah. Right. We need to...get going." He's not entirely certain, but it seems as though she's just as reluctant to release his hand as he is hers. But she does so nonetheless. "We've got a wedding to stop."