In a day filled with everyone acting like an evil twin Emma thinks that maybe she should have expected it. Should have expected some dark version of Killian to replace the man she was coming to love. But somehow it was still a surprise to see him standing at the end of the street a sword in his hand a strange yellow light fading away at his feet.
His back is turned and Emma approaches quietly hoping to catch him off guard. She hefts the sword in her own hand, still not comfortable with a blade but with the town running amok using a gun was out of the question. She wishes again that the Ice Bitch hadn't siphoned away her magic. She can tell the moment he senses her; his back straightening slightly. He turns and Emma attacks, not giving him a chance to prepare.
The metal clangs as Killian parries her blow. Emma draws back to strike again and it's only then that she sees his face. His eyes glisten and she sees anguish in the set of his jaw and lowered eyebrows. This is not like the others. The spell has affected him differently. The realization makes her hesitate and he uses her distraction to raise his own sword. Emma blocks it but just barely.
"Swan!" he speaks through clenched teeth as if the very act pains him. "Run!"
Emma knows she won't run. Won't let him loose to do things he will surely regret when he comes back to himself.
She gives him a wry smile through their blades. "What's a matter? Afraid of a re-match?"
And he almost smiles back, before his face settles into a deep frown.
"This isn't a bloody game woman! Get out of here!" He pushes her away and turns ducking to retrieve something in the middle of the street.
"Oh no you don't" Emma says under breath as she runs towards him again. He steps aside at the last minute and her momentum brings her stumbling past him.
"Fight me Pirate!" she yells as she recovers; embarrassment unleashing her anger.
He straightens leaving the weird metal box on the ground.
"This isn't the Enchanted Forest, love. I can't let you win this time." he speaks through gritted teeth even as he positions his body for attack.
"You didn't let me win!" Emma protests. And this time she is sure his lips turn up, if only for a second.
He swings his sword, landing a crushing blow. He turns Emma's parry against her and her sword flies out of her hand. She can't help the look of frustrated astonishment that flashes on her face.
"You were saying?" he asks and Emma sees a twitch in his eyebrow. The spell was definitely working differently on him. Everyone else had turned into dark and twisted versions of themselves. But Killian seemed to be acting against his will. As if the real Killian is somewhere in there, fighting to come to the surface.
He closes the distance between them, bringing his blade to her throat. Emma uses the proximity against him. Stepping hard on his foot and throwing her weight into his chest. They tumble to the concrete, his body softening the impact for her. The sword trapped uselessly between their bodies.
Emma grins down at him triumphantly. "I was saying that you didn't let me win."
He doesn't smile back, doesn't break into laughter, or make a snide remark. His eyes, still filled with some unknown pain, flick to her lips. And that's all it takes for Emma to close the distance between them.
His lips don't respond immediately and Emma almost pulls away. But then something seems to snap and he is kissing her back, hungrily. His left arm wraps around her pushing their bodies even closer. The push of his lips and sweep of his tongue are desperate, like a dying man. It's that thought that makes Emma pull back. His eyes are closed but when he speaks he sounds like himself.
"My heart. The crocodile has my heart. He…" but the rest of his sentence is cut off by his jaw locking closed.
Emma tries to process what is happening. The difference in Killian is not the same spell that has changed the whole town. It is heart magic and somehow Gold is responsible. But the man's control on Killian is not complete, he can fight it, she has seen him fight it.
Killian shifts and suddenly his body rolls trapping her underneath him. She clings to his collar and attempts to bring his lips down on hers. Trying to recreate the moment when the real Killian broke through. But he resists, his back and neck muscles straining away from her as his hook comes slowly to her neck. She guesses Gold has commanded him not to kiss her and to kill her. Fear pumps through her and desperately she tries another tactic. She shimmies underneath him, rolling her hips up into his.
"You have me on my back. Aren't there more enjoyable activities we could do?" The combination of physical contact and her quip work; a smile ghosts across his face and he stops pulling away. Emma seizes the opportunity and brings his lips crashing to hers.
Emma kisses him with abandon, trying to keep Gold's control at bay. She knows Killian has the same idea and he doesn't hold back. Emma pulls her hand out from between them, searching the ground around them for the strange object that was in the street. Her hands wrap around it just as Killian's body stiffens and he pulls away again. This time she sees tears in his eyes.
"Emma." he whispers even as his hook rises "I love-"
Emma brings the object crashing down on his head, knocking him unconscious. He collapses on her and she breathes a sigh of relief. She brushes a lock of hair out of his now peaceful face.
"I know. " she whispers.
o_o
:-:
i_i
Authors Notes: This was a tumblr drabble that got a bit out of hand. Did you laugh? It was supposed to make you laugh... Get rid of some of this angst!