The Jolly Swan Surprise.

[itsapirateslife]

Ever since he'd started putting the finishing touches on his boat, Hook had been planning this party. When he realized it would line up perfectly with a certain someone's birthday, the plan was immediately modified.

The food he'd arranged from a local cafe was fairly simple, cut up fruit and vegetables with a variety of different sandwiches and meat pies, as well as some modern snacks like potato chips and the curly fries from the boardwalk. To drink, there was a juice and sodas as well as a fully stocked bar, all courtesy of funds from Hook's new job...not that he'd told anyone he'd gotten a job. It wasn't like there was any piracy to be had in Darrow and he would rather not have to put Emma in the position of having to arrest him.

He'd conspired with Henry, Charming and the others from their realm to make this a surprise for Emma. Some of the food was sitting on the table on deck but must of it was in the galley by the bar. In the center of the table under the deck was a cake made by Henry surrounded by cupcakes (There were some apple tarts, donated by Regina, but that had mysteries disappeared. Overboard. It's what the queen got for trying to clean his boat. It was perfectly clean thank you very much).

Hook had made sure to invite has many of both of their friends as possible and had them all gather on deck at the time Henry was supposed to bring Emma to the docks. There was a drape covering the name on the back of the boat. He was dressed in his pirate best, with his red waist coat and hook polished to a shine as he stood on the dock, two glasses of champagne perched next to him on a post.

[backdated to October 23rd. The boat looks like this yacht though the furnishings inside are much more rustic and only half the cabins have beds, the others are storage. The plumbing and electricity do work, but there are no TVs or anything by way of modern convenience outside of the galley.]

Comments

[gloriouscurse]

She'd done some mingling, especially once Robin arrived, but here she was again, hanging back.

"I'm fine," she said automatically, and very nearly declared that she hated boats, but considering Emma's boyfriend the Pirate had gone through so much trouble, she decided against it.

"These...family gatherings. I'm still not used to them." The most recent one in Storybrooke, when Regina had still been Madam Mayor to Henry, she'd been quiet as well. She did manage a smile at Emma, though.

"Happy birthday."

[storybrooke_savior]

"If it helps, I'm not either," Emma replied with a shrug and a wry smile. Parties weren't exactly common in the group homes. Some of them had tried to do a little something for birthdays, Christmases and the like, but it hadn't been much, and it certainly hadn't felt like family.

Her smile warmed. "Thanks," she replied sincerely. "And...thanks for coming. This is...this is nice." She still felt a little odd about it, being in the spotlight at all, but it was a reminder that people loved her, people cared, she had friends and family now. "I guess I should've known Henry wasn't gonna let me get away with ignoring my birthday this year."

[gloriouscurse]

"Henry was asking me what we'd be doing long before your birthday. He wanted this to be special. I think he managed to do a good job," Regina smiled softly. They had a good child, a thoughtful child who worked with others to make sure his family felt well loved.

"This ship is no Granny's. But it'll do, I suppose. The Jolly Swan? That's nice and...official sounding," she commented with a bit of an eyebrow arch.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma smiled, touched to hear Henry had been thinking of her. They really couldn't have asked for a better kid. "He made me breakfast," she added with a soft laugh. "The pancakes were a little...stiff, and the coffee needed a lot of cream and sugar, but it was so sweet."

She started to remark upon the sad shape the boat had apparently been in when Hook...acquired it, that he'd put a lot of work into it, that she'd helped out on occasion and had seen for herself how drastically different it was compared to now--but the comment threw her off. Because she had all kinds of feelings about the damn name herself that were hard to sort through. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, genuinely asking, not accusing or angry.

[gloriouscurse]

"I do think he likes spoiling us," Regina noted. At Emma's question though, one of Regina's eyebrows shot up.

"You do know that ship names are typically very significant, don't you? Named after loves and mothers. And since I'm assuming he isn't looking for a mother, well." She gave a little shrug. "I think it's safe to say he's fond of you at the very least."

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma had not, in fact, been made aware that it was that significant of a thing. "I'm--it--we're not--we're just dating, a little," she tried to insist. "You make it sound like it's a marriage proposal."

...It wasn't, though, right? Right?!

[gloriouscurse]

"I'm not saying it's that serious. But it's a statement, for sure. One everyone is now enjoying," she said with a twitch of her lips, attempting to hide a smirk.

"And just think, this version of Hook hasn't gone traipsing all over New York to bring you home, and he's already got it bad."

[storybrooke_savior]

It was definitely a statement, and one her son had been present for, which meant that Emma was going to have to stop dragging her heels and have an actual conversation about...things.

"Right, anyway," Emma muttered, clearing her throat and shifting the subject. "I made sure there were plenty of lifejackets on board, in case Henry wanted to learn how to sail. He, uh...sort of expressed an interest, back in Storybrooke, before he got his memories back," she explained, half-statement, half-question.

[gloriouscurse]

"He did?" He'd never said anything to her, but then again, she couldn't expect him to tell her everything. "I'm sure there's plenty of...fun things he could learn from Hook."

Regina was trying, really, to not make a statement, but Hook and her son, well, she wasn't sure. "He's not going to develop a habit for sneaking rum and playing poker, is he?"

[storybrooke_savior]

"Come on, you don't actually have so little faith in our son, do you?" Emma drawled, rolling her eyes. Probably not the best time to admit that Hook had already taught him to play (and cheat) at dice. But Killian knew better than to push it, if only because it would piss Emma off royally if her son got into too much trouble.

[gloriouscurse]

"Oh, I do. That doesn't mean he won't be an average kid who thinks anything that has to do with piracy is 'cool.' Weren't you ever fascinated with anything that seemed a little dangerous when you were his age?"

Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma. "I'm not saying he would do anything wrong, I'm saying the ideas don't need to be planted."

[storybrooke_savior]

"If I hadn't, Henry would've never been born," Emma pointed out wryly. "Look, I get where the concerns coming from, but I trust our son. And I trust Killian."

And that, as far as Emma was concerned, was that.

[gloriouscurse]

"And I trust you," Regina said with emphasis. That hadn't come easily, but it was there now. So yes, that was that.

"I hope you like your present. It's hard to figure out what to get for the other mother of your son," she mused with a wry smirk. "Good alcohol has to be appropriate."

[storybrooke_savior]

It was still a little surprising, but Emma would have hope that by this point Regina would have realized she wouldn't let anyone around their son if she thought for a moment they'd hurt him in any way.

"Good alcohol is always appropriate," she agreed with an amused smile of her own. "Especially for the parents of teenagers."

[gloriouscurse]

"I do feel like I've been drinking more wine since he officially exited the 'pre-teen' stage," Regina said with a wry smile. "I think we have a son who is very much both of us, and I can't decide if that makes me more worried or less."

[storybrooke_savior]

"I could probably horrify you with stories of my own teenage antics, but I'll spare you," Emma quipped. Of course, she hadn't had people in her life that loved her, like Henry had. Hadn't had a home, safety, security, all of that. It didn't guarantee that Henry would be a perfect child, of course, Emma would've actually been a bit sad if he never got into any trouble. But still, it made a huge difference.

[gloriouscurse]

"Please do," Regina smirked in return. Though, she hadn't been an angel. Had Cora not been so severe in her punishments, Regina would have attempted to get away with quite a bit more. But the evidence of her attempt at rebellion once was on her upper lip.

"He'll be a teenager, he'll do things we don't approve of. But he has a good heart, and a good head on his shoulders. I think we'll get through it just fine."