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

[princehonorable]

David's missed far too many of Emma's birthdays and as much as he wants to try and make it up to her, he knows he can't stuff twenty-eight years of missed birthdays into the few that have happened since, no matter how much he wants to. He's not even sure what to get her and he really wishes Snow were here so that he could lean on his wife for help.

In the end, he'd bought Emma a few assorted things -- some gift cards for the auto repair place for her bug, along with a dice keychain for her keys. There was some time at the gun range, and because he couldn't exactly help it, he'd picked up a book from the used bookstores of old fairytales and fables. It wasn't their book, but it was something. Really, he just wants to spend the time with her, because after so long away, he understands that there's a lot to make up.

[gloriouscurse]

The only reason Regina would have ever set foot on a boat with the pirate and anyone in the Charming family again was if Henry were in mortal danger. And so, the fact that she was here was a feat in and of itself and only proved the fact that she and Emma’s relationship was mending. Perhaps completely mended, Regina wasn’t sure, but they got along and that was enough for her, for now. And so, she was here with a present. Two, actually: a bottle of scotch aged fifty years that she’d purchased straight from her source, and a decanter. She had a bet going with herself, that Emma wouldn’t even know what a decanter was, though perhaps she’d be surprised. Regina wouldn’t mind if she was.

She was, however, slightly annoyed that her turnovers wound up overboard. She had no idea what the pirate had against hygiene, and so another batch was magicked up and placed back on the table where she could keep an eye on them. For her part, Regina mostly stayed out of the way. She let everyone else mingle and carry conversations, keeping to herself. Mostly because she still wasn’t used to being included in family events.

[thiefwithhonor]

Though Robin still had ways to go in terms of truly getting to know Emma, he had been glad to be invited to celebrate her birthday. It seemed only appropriate that everyone from their world stuck together in this strange place, and besides, she had always been very kind to his son and he.

Roland had even spent most of the morning drawing her a picture as a gift - a picture of Emma and Henry in a sunny field smiling, which was drawn as well as any drawing a young boy could put together. His own gift was a bit simpler - he did not know what she liked and did not want to give her something she didn't, after all. After a discussion with a friendly cashier, he settled on what she called a 'gift card' to a diner in town that reminded him of Granny's - someplace for her to eat, perhaps with Henry, which he put in a card that he was told was customary to put gifts of that nature in.

He left his own card with the rest of the gifts, but Roland insisted on keeping his until he could give it to her himself. For the moment, though, his son's attention was on the boat itself. His little fingers curled around the railing as he peered down at the water with wide eyes, still clutching the picture in his free hand.

"Careful not to get too close to the edge," Robin warned, staying close just in case.

His son was going to be a handful for the day, he could already tell.

[wanttobeahero]

Henry was sort of getting interested in cooking and baking. Not because he wanted to do it all the time - he was a teenage boy, after all - but sometimes if his moms were working and he was tired of burgers or just a peanut butter sandwich, he wanted a few of the basics down. And everyone should be able to whip up a cake. Truthfully, he'd just grabbed a box mix, added two eggs and some oil and popped it in the oven, it wasn't a big deal, and it was only a little lopsided since he'd had the idea to try and make it two-layered.

This morning had been really nice, just him and his mom, and he'd given her a coffee mug he'd made just for her. The pottery thing was fun, not lame or dull at all, especially when he could make stuff for people. Easy gift ideas.

Getting her out of the apartment wasn't too hard, he'd just told her he wanted to hang out with her at the boardwalk, which naturally led them in the general area of the docks. The look on her face when everyone surprised her was what he'd been looking forward to the most, and he grinned at her, hugging her. "Happy Birthday, mom."

In addition to the coffee mug, he had another wrapped present for her, a photo book he'd made, with pictures of just the two of them. He'd been taking as many selfies as possible in Darrow, lots of pictures with the two of them, and he whipped up a scrapbook of sorts, with a cover photo that was his favorite. Moms liked that kind of thing, right?

He would mingle with everyone else once they were actually on the boat, and keep a very close eye on things with his mom and Hook since...he did this for his mom? Wow.

[infamousdelsin]

Delsin would never miss Emma's birthday. She's the closest thing he has to family here, so as soon as he's heard the news, he knows he's in. He's even got a present for her, tucked in his hoodie pocket. He hopes she likes it, anyway. He looks around, eager to meet the rest of her family and friends here in Darrow.

He's impressed by the ship. That's something he . . . hadn't expected to see, and he laughs a little. "Shit, that thing is gorgeous."

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma really would've thought she'd be harder to surprise than this, yet somehow she never saw it coming. She had to hand it to Henry, Killian, and her family: they done good. Pulled the wool right over her eyes.

She'd stared in mute shock when everyone on the boat shouted Surprise!, and might have taken a step back if Henry's arm hadn't been at her back (probably anticipating just that reaction; he knew her pretty well, after all). Stunned surprise gave way to a big smile, if a touch shy (she'd never been very good at being the center of attention) as she wrapped Henry up in a tight hug.

As she let Henry pull her on board, she accepted all the hugs and smiles and Happy Birthdays offered, thanked everyone until she felt like she was a babbling broken record. It was actually hard not to get a little teary. For a girl who was used to her birthdays passing my unremarked, this was a lot of fuss, and it was a little overwhelming.

[ooc: I'll tag Emma around to everyone that's tagged in so far, but for Hook and for anyone that wants her and might tag in later, here's Emma. :D]

[likeaplanet]

I could've easily left the girls at home, but they were pretty adamant about seeing a real live pirate ship. So, after getting promises from them that they'll be on their best behavior, I've brought them along, and for now, I'm keeping an eye on them while they run around the deck, hopefully not getting into too much trouble.

I don't know Emma well enough to have gotten an invite for her birthday, but Hook's one of the best friends I've got, so he knows he can't get away with launching this thing without me. I haven't spent a lotta time on boats, so here's hopin' I'm not one of those assholes who gets seasick or whatever.

[[Talk to Neil or run into the twins while they explore the boat.]]

[storybrooke_savior]

"Hey dad." With a cupcake in each hand, Emma walked up beside David and held one of the two iced confections out to him. "It's kind of a tradition," she explained, smiling to herself as she started gently dislodging the paper wrapper from around the cake. "I guess this year it's gonna be a shared tradition."

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma wasn't touching to turnovers. It was silly, and she knew it was silly, but apples were pretty much forever ruined for her, so unless some of them were peach, she was passing.

She didn't say that out loud, of course, though she was tempted. This was too nice of a day to ruin by snarking at Regina. "Hey," she said instead. "You okay? You don't really look like you're having fun."

[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."

[gloriouscurse]

As Regina watched Roland interact with Henry, she took the opportunity to bring Robin a drink before kissing him softly.

"I thought at one point that I would never step foot on a ship again. Which was probably very, very foolish," she smirked, taking a sip of her own beverage.

[storybrooke_savior]

"Hey guys!" Grinning as she walked up, Emma waved at Robin, then knelt down next to Roland and ruffled his hair. "What do you think of the boat, little man? Pretty cool, huh?"

She looked up at Robin, keeping a hand resting lightly on Roland's shoulder, just in case. "There's some life jackets, if you want to put him in one." Emma had insisted on it, on the chance that Henry decided to take an interest in learning to sail. Safety first.

[storybrooke_savior]

Emma had loved the coffee mug. Not just because it was adorable and her son had made it, but because he knew her too well and it was huge and could quite possibly hold most of a pot of coffee. But the pictures, documenting all their little adventures so far, was possibly even better. As soon as she'd unwrapped it, Emma had found a place to sit and go through it page by page. It made her chuckle, made her a little misty-eyed in places, and when Henry's mingling brought him nearby she reached for his hand and tugged him into the seat with her so she could hug him again.

"I still can't believe you pulled this one over on me," she laughed, kissing the top of his head. "I'm oddly proud. And slightly scared."

[storybrooke_savior]

"Dels, hey!" Setting her plate loaded with food aside, Emma got up and wrapped her surrogate little brother up in a tight hug. "I didn't know you were coming! Of course I didn't even know there was a thing to be coming to, but I'm glad you made it."

[itsapirateslife]

"Well, Charming, this isn't as adventurous as the last time we sailed together but what do you think of my Jolly Swan?" Hook said as he brought over a refill for whatever Charming was drinking. The boat was just floating in the bay at the moment so Hook had time to socialize a bit and be a good host.

[itsapirateslife]

The boat was very clean, no matter her royal pain in the ass thought. And those turnovers were asking or trouble. Perhaps he could convince one of Neil's girls to accidentally send them over board again.

It as still odd, to be on friendly terms with Regina but the city seemed to have that effect. It seemed wise to keep those from ones own home together. Solidarity. And no matter what he thought of her, he hated to see anyone on the outskirts, not enjoying themselves.

He brought her a refill of her drink and moved to leaned against the wall beside her. "Enjoying yourself at all, your highness?"

[itsapirateslife]

"Ah ha! Robin, I think your son is aiming to be the newest member of my pirate crew!" Hook said as he approached the two, exaggerating his accent a bit playfully. "He seems right at him with the sea." He knelt beside Roland and ruffled his hair. "Ever been on a pirate ship, me lad?"

[itsapirateslife]

"Well, Master Henry, I thank you for supporting me in my little plan. I think we surprised your dear mother very well." Hook said as he came over and put his arm around Henry's shoulders. "I don't thinks she suspected a thing. For that, you will always be the second in command of the Jolly Swan." He truly was grateful, as he wouldn't have been able to pull this off without Henry's help. Plus, he wanted to be in the lad's good graces seeing as he was courting his mother.

[itsapirateslife]

"She is, isn't she?" Hook said as he came to stand beside the man he didn't know. He'd had to conspire with Henry to get Emma's Darrow friends here and he was glad to see some of them turn out. "She's been a lot of work but very worth it. You are a friend of Emma's yes?"

[itsapirateslife]

After Emma had gotten on board, Hook had revealed the name and had to shove off, getting the boat's engine fired up as well as the sails in place for their sail around the bay. It was a good hour at least before he set the ship adrift to float while the party commenced on it's deck and he could finally search out Emma.

When he did find her, it was thankfully in a quieter area so there was no fuss as he greeted her with a kiss and a soft, "Happy Birthday, love. I hope you enjoyed your surprise."

[itsapirateslife]

"Neil! I'm glad you could join us and bring two lovely ladies as your dates." Hook clapped Neil on the back as he offered him a refill on his drink before kneeling down on level with the girls. "Now lasses, I hear you wanted to see a proper pirate ship. Care to help me sail her a bit?" He had innocent things for them to do, like turning the wheel and hoisting a needless sail, but he thought it might entertain them.

[pontmercyfriend]

Marius doesn't realize that the boat party doubles as a birthday party until he arrives on the boat itself.

"Well, at least I brought something," he says, glancing down at the bottle of rum he'd purchased from his own work for the occasion. One of the most sought after brands in their stock, he spent a pretty penny on it as a gift for Hook, for the stock on his own ship.

He smiles at the various foods displayed around the ship, though he really doesn't know anyone else there. Still. He's here for Hook, and so he sets off looking for the pirate.

[princehonorable]

David shifts, settling Neal down into his carrier on the ground before he stands and stares fondly at Emma, thinking that she shouldn't have had to hold this tradition. He thinks back to his own birthdays as a child and knows, more than anything, that he would've given her the world. His heart seizes to think that he hadn't been capable and he tries hard not to feel guilty.

"If we weren't on a boat and I weren't so terrible at it, I would've baked you the biggest cake. I have twenty-eight years to make up for, don't I?" He still readily accepts the cupcake with a warm smile on his lips.

[gloriouscurse]

"As a matter of fact yes, but it's not my party and I'd like to sit back a bit." She took the drink, thanking him for it before taking a sip. "This is...nice, though. Being a part of something. Having people."

Regina chanced a look up at Hook, because like their conversation about villains (that also took place on his ship), she had a feeling he'd understand what she was saying, going from loathed to...loved. At least in some capacity.

[princehonorable]

"I think that you're heading into dangerous territory with the name you've chosen," David remarks, good-natured as he lifts the new glass to Hook, "however, it's a lot better than I expected it to be. How'd you come by it, anyway?"