DISCLAIMER: "Once Upon A Time" is copyrighted to ABC and Disney-ABC Domestic Television. I retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

AUTHOR: Katrina

TIMELINE: Modern AU.

PAIRING: Killian Jones/Emma Swan.

SYNOPSIS: A night of unexpected passion leads to something infinitely more precious between two friends who don't realise the hidden depths of affection each has for the other.

GENRE: Romance/Angst and a little bit of Christmas fluffiness...eventually.

JUST TONIGHT

Killian Jones switched on a table lamp then sat down heavily on the edge of his bed and let out a long, drawn out sigh.

Liam was dead.

Even now, a little over a week after the event it still hadn't sunk in properly. He still couldn't believe that he'd never see his brother's face or hear one of his ridiculous anecdotes ever again.

It was all so surreal.

One minute they'd been discussing what take out to get, the next his eyes had rolled back in his head and he'd fallen down in a crumpled heap at Killian's feet.

Undetected heart defect the doctors had said. Oh, they'd used fancier jargon than that obviously, but it amounted to the same thing.

Liam was still gone.

He shrugged off his black suit jacket then reached up and loosened his tie. With a couple of tugs he pulled the constricting fabric from his throat and tossed it onto a nearby chair before undoing the first couple of buttons on his crisp white shirt.

Finally he felt as though he could breathe again.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he let out another heavy sigh. It was the times that he momentarily forgot that got to him the most, like when the phone would ring and just for a split second he'd expect it to be him...but then he'd remember that it couldn't be.

Or he'd read something in the newspaper and file it away to tell Liam later...only there was no later. Not any more.

His whole life Liam had been the one constant. Their mother had died when he was a baby and their father had abandoned them as soon as Liam had been old enough to get a job. He'd never known one and the disappearance of the other had in no way prepared him for the devastating feeling of loss that he was desperately trying to navigate now.

His brother's funeral had been earlier that day and he'd managed to hold it together for the most part. Now, though, he could feel the weight of his unhappiness bearing down upon him.

The wake had been hard. Liam's friends and work colleague's had each been determined to share their last memory of his brother with him. By the time people had started to leave his forced polite smile had felt more like a grimace and, bad manners or not, he'd come to the sanctuary of his room to get a much needed respite from the stragglers for a few minutes.

The ball of emotion that had been his constant companion all day was getting harder to choke down. His aching throat burned with the effort of holding his grief at bay but he was determined not to give in to it.

Not until he was alone.

Then he would mourn his brother in peace.

There came a soft knock at the door and he drew in a deep breath as he prepared himself to go back out. No doubt someone was ready to leave and they wanted to pass on their condolences one more time. He was just reaching for his jacket when the door opened to reveal a woman with long blonde hair and a sad smile standing there.

"I just wanted to let you know that everyone's gone," she told him softly as she entered his bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"How the bloody hell did you manage that, Swan?" he asked, his cultured English accent sounding a little rougher than normal as he fought to keep his voice even.

"Oh, you know me, I can be quite persuasive when I put my mind to it," she replied as she walked over to the bed and sat down next to him.

Close, but never too close.

"One of the requisites of being the Sheriff of our fair town no doubt," he countered with a hint of a smile.

"And your friend," she rejoined softly as she gazed at him in concern, "How are you doing?"

"Bloody awful, love," he admitted ruefully as he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "but better for having you to myself for a little while."

She rolled her green eyes as he expected she would and he wondered what she'd do if she realised just how much he actually meant it.

Run away as fast as she could most likely. It was what she did when emotions were involved. Especially one's such as he secretly harboured.

For five long years ever since he and Liam had moved to Storybrooke from England he'd been in love the woman sitting next to him. Completely and irrevocably. There wasn't and never would be anyone else for him.

Unfortunately, the price for such depth of feeling was the knowledge that she'd never feel the same in return. It was small comfort that it wasn't just him. It was common knowledge amongst the townsfolk there that Emma Swan didn't trust any man with her affections.

A terrible betrayal at the end of a previous relationship with a man called Neal had been one she'd vowed never to forget nor give another man the chance to repeat...and to this day she'd resolutely kept to her word.

Having been burned at a young age himself after a dalliance with a married woman that didn't end well, he understood her need to protect herself. He understood a lot about her actually. Could easily see through her walls to the lonely yet caring and amazing woman she was underneath. But from that understanding came the knowledge that it was useless to push her for anything more than she was willing to give. So, he'd offered the hand of friendship instead and after a time, to his delight, she'd taken it.

"When are you leaving for your book tour?" she asked snapping him out of his reverie.

"In a couple of days," he replied unenthusiastically.

Weeks of living out of hotels while promoting his latest piece of fiction wasn't appealing at all. As it was only his second book, however, he knew it was something that needed to be done. He couldn't rest on the laurels of his first novel even if it had been a surprise best seller. His swashbuckling tale of a nefarious pirate who'd loved and lost had appealed to both men and women alike and his editor had promptly secured a further four book deal with him.

"It's good that you'll have something to occupy you," Emma remarked with a small smile.

"Aye, I suppose," he muttered looking away, "Although I'm sorely tempted to cancel the whole bloody thing."

"Hey," she said, pulling her hand away from his to gently place a finger under his lightly bearded chin and coax him to look at her instead, "You and I both know that Liam wouldn't want you to do that."

He stared back at her seeing the shine of unshed tears shimmering in her eyes and felt the stinging burn of his own.

She was right. If it wasn't for Liam and the sacrifices he'd made, Killian knew he'd never have even got the first book written. His brother had even indulged him in choosing Storybrooke to live. Killian had reasoned that with a name such as that next to the sea it had to be an omen of success. Liam had laughed at his ridiculousness and called him an arse but then happily gone along with his whim. He honestly didn't know who had been more pleased when Killian had finally been published. The stupidly proud grin on Liam's face had lasted weeks and the thought that he'd not get to see that ever again suddenly hit him full force.

"Oh God, Emma," he whispered brokenly as tears slowly began to roll down his cheeks, "Why did it have to be him?"

Closing his eyes, he turned away from her as the dam on his emotions finally collapsed. He didn't want her to bear witness to his grief but he found out that she wasn't about to let him suffer alone. Almost instantly her arms were around him, drawing him against her as she mumbled a shaky, "Come here."

He tensed slightly but Emma reached up her hand and cupped the back of his head, pulling him even closer. With a soft murmur of capitulation he finally succumbed to the comfort she offered and slid his arms about her waist. Holding her tightly back, he buried his face into her neck as deep, gut wrenching sobs overtook his body.

He didn't know how long he wept...minutes, hours...but even when the worst of it had passed he remained where he was, reluctant to leave the warmth of her embrace as he began to calm. Her fingers combed through his hair, the soothing motion a balm to his shattered emotions until eventually he let out a sigh and slowly pulled back.

Now that his outpouring of grief was over, he felt more than a little self-conscious but one glance at her face had his concern turn to her. She, too, had tears running down her cheeks and he automatically reached up to brush them away with his thumb.

"Oh, love," he muttered tenderly as she tried to smile.

His gaze dropped to her mouth then before he could check himself he impulsively leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He felt a tremble go through her body then she was kissing him back with an intensity that took him by surprise and set his blood aflame.

With a little moan Emma opened her mouth and he deepened the kiss as his hand came up to tangle loosely in her hair. Far too soon for his liking, they broke apart but neither of them could seem pull away completely. Breathing heavily, he touched his forehead to hers as she clutched the open neck of his shirt.

"Stay with me tonight," he suddenly blurted out on a whisper, "Please."

He heard her breath catch then she moved back a little to look at him. He held her gaze, his own unknowingly imploring as he saw the uncertainty that shone in her eyes. She blinked once, twice, then it was gone and she slowly nodded her head.

"Just tonight," she acquiesced softly and then she was kissing him again, hard and urgent.

His heart flipped then began to pound heavily in his chest. He knew from her tone that she was telling him that this would only be a one time thing and as much as that hurt, if one night was all she was willing to give him then he was going to make damn sure that it was one they'd both never forget.

With infinite tenderness he spent the next couple of hours letting Emma Swan know how much he cared for her, how much he cherished her...loved her.

Not with words but with his body.

He made love to her slowly, taking his time to discover every single delectable inch of body as he sought to draw out her pleasure for as long as he could. Committing to memory each breathy sigh she made, each drawn out moan she uttered, each urgent call of his name as her fingers dug into his scalp to hold him place where she needed him most. Every touch, every caress was a personal declaration of his abiding affection as he pushed her over the edge twice with his talented tongue and deft hands. Finally they joined together as one and their cautious movements soon gave way to a rhythm so in synch it was as though they'd been lovers forever. The third time she reached her peak, his own cry of ecstasy briefly mingled with hers before he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily.

When he tried to move so as not to crush her, she held him tight and kissed him languidly on the lips stoking the flames of his not so dormant ardour. Kissing soon gave way to touching but it was Emma that took the lead this time. The feel of her hands and her mouth on his body drove him wild as she seemed intent on mapping every part of him in the same way he had her. The brush of her hair as she moved down his body both tickled and sent shock-waves of lust throughout his entire being at the same time. And then she was moving above him, fingernails raking through the fine hair on his chest as she threw her head back, the mixture of pleasure and pain only fuelling his desire as she pushed them both relentlessly to their release.

They peaked together then he gathered her close, pulling her back against him. He dropped a kiss on her shoulder as she laid her hand over his where it rested possessively around her waist and soon he drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

When he awoke the next morning, Emma was gone.

END CHAPTER ONE

Reviews most welcome as this is my first modern au!