"NO!"
He ran to her the moment he could, the moment he could free himself from the bindings that kept him restrained, the moment the demon's magic was diverted enough to allow him to come close to her—his Milah—to hold her as she fell to the deck of his ship.
No…
—a thought that wouldn't stop, a thought that reverberated in his mind, echoing through every fiber of his being as he saw the paleness of her skin grow more severe, saw the shaky smile she gave him, as if wanting to reassure him that all was well—when in reality, Killian knew that wasn't the case.
It would never be the case again—
"I love you."
Words that were soft spoken, whispered from Milah to him, like so many times before—but this was different, and Killian knew it; knew he'd never hear these words from these lips again past this moment—but he held to it, tried to say the words himself—
but couldn't—couldn't bring those words to his lips, even as he held her hand in those—final—moments…
as she breathed her last—
and he changed; forever.