Killian looked up at the sound of the door opening, a smile brightening his features when it was Emma who walked through, followed by Snow.
Her first glance is to him on the couch to her right and he can't help the flutter in his chest when their gazes meet as she steps toward him. She remains standing near the arm of the sofa as she watches her parents embrace.
"How's Regina?" David asked them, wrapping an arm around his wife.
"Is she alright?" continued Zelena.
"She…" Emma started, her head tilting in an expression of disbelief. "She used the serum."
"The Evil Queen is no longer," Snow added, a smile crossing her lips as she looked up at David. It was easy to see the peace in the couple's eyes at the realization that their long-fought foe wouldn't be able to threaten them again.
"No longer?" Killian interjected, his brow raised. "As in…"
"Regina crushed her heart. She's gone," Emma stated softly. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed his hand clench into a fist at her words, his eyes avoiding hers.
Zelena's voice shifted her attention away from him. "Where's my sister now?" she asked, her face displaying a mixture of emotions.
"She's still up on the roof. I think she's still digesting what just happened," Emma told her. Her face softened at their latest ally. "Maybe go talk to her?"
Zelena nodded, stepping past them and out the door.
"Wish I could say the same for my other half," Jekyll chimed in, "but I suppose I should count my blessings of escape. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I shall retire. Seems like splitting yourself into two takes it out of you," he quipped, earning a chuckle from the others.
"Right," said David, glancing back to his daughter. "Emma, we didn't think you'd mind if we spent the night and drove in the morning? We found a few sleeping bags in Neal's closet."
"No," she shook her head, her shoulders slumping at the reminder of her own exhaustion. "I don't think I have another seven-hour drive in me anyway." Feeling his eyes on her, she looked at Killian and found no sign of his tension from moments before. His soft gaze held a silent question and suddenly she wanted out of the soon-to-be very crowded apartment.
Palm down, she held her hand out to him. "I want to show you something."
For the city that never slept, it seemed oddly quiet that night. Emma and Killian walked hand-in-hand down the illuminated street, the diluted noises of conversation and the shutting of car doors hovering around them. They moved together, their bodies perfectly in tune with the other as they side-stepped the few bustling strangers moving past them.
The few times Killian's attention left her, she would turn her head to see what had captured his gaze. She smiled at his youthful grin as his eyes trailed up the towering buildings, at the wonder shining in them as he took in the unfamiliar sights. For a man who had traveled to many a realm in his long life, there were views still to discover and she felt a pull in her heart to show him more of her world in their days ahead.
"Where are you taking me, love?" He queried, his eyes finding hers once again as his shoulder bumped playfully into hers.
She nodded in front of them as they came upon the square they had all gathered in that afternoon, the fountain-turned-portal that had reunited their family at its center. The plaza was empty now, with only a few people milling about in the late hour. She led Killian towards the fountain, sitting down when they reached the curved edge.
Taking his place beside her, he followed her gaze to the trickling falls of water coming from the center of the structure, the pool lit up from below and casting a calmness into the air. He looked back at her, noticing the brightness in her eyes, and the way the corners of her lips turned upwards with ease.
He leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her cheek. Her face turned toward his, their noses bumping as their foreheads met. "What was that for?" She asked, a shy smile on her lips.
He shrugged, running his tongue across his lip. "I wanted to."
She hummed before returning the favor to his lips, their grins soon getting in the way as their hearts reveled in the quiet moment.
He pulled back, grinning when she huffed her disapproval. "So why'd you bring me here, Swan?" he asked, taking one of her hands in his.
She brought her legs up to sit criss-cross, her body shifting to face him. She ran her thumb over his knuckles in thought. "When Henry and I were in New York, I used to take him to this spot when something was bothering him." She shrugged, "After everything I just…," she trailed off and met his gaze, a sad smile quirking her lips. "I just want to be with you right now."
He squeezed her hand, nodding in understanding as he braved the appearance of his hook to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "As do I," he told her. The metal of his hook brushed her cheek delicately as his eyes searched hers. "What's troubling you, love?"
"I didn't come here for me," she replied. At his puzzled expression, she continued. "Why did you tense up when I told you about what Regina did?"
A breath left his lips as he reached up with his hook to scratch behind his ear. "You caught that, aye?"
"You're something of an open-book," she teased.
He chuckled at his words from long ago, his heart warming at the image his mind recalled of them atop of that beanstalk, the woman in the memory vastly different than the one who sat before him. He sighed, finding interest in the multitude of coins below the surface of the water and the way the light caught them just so. "I questioned the ease at which she was able to separate herself. It reminded me of who I used to be and how much I wish I could forget that part of myself and it's just not that simple."
Emma smoothed his clenched jaw with her fingertips as she listened. When he said nothing further, she responded with, "Regina told me today that she's constantly at war with her instincts, between the choice of good and evil. That hasn't been the case with you–you've always wanted to make the right choice."
He shook his head, his eyes fleeing upwards and to the side to escape her gaze. "You didn't know the man I was, Swan." He swallowed, his voice coming out thick and measured. "You've heard stories and about my experiences; it is something else entirely to see the ruthlessness, the desperation of a man running on command and possession–"
Emma cut him off. "You have proven yourself to be a hero time after time." She removed her hand from his and placed it over his heart, her eyes wide in their attempt to convey. "But if you were to use the serum on yourself right now, I would love the two men in front of me equally."
Killian stared at her, her words laced with such certainty and conviction they wiped his mind of the thoughts threatening to take hold–the ones he'd allowed free reign for centuries. Captain Hook had strutted about, his flair nothing but a mask to cover him thinking himself a man not worthy of love, happiness, or faith. "Emma," he breathed. "I…" His usual eloquence was lost as he marveled at the woman sitting in front of him, at her capacity to love so unconditionally his lungs fought to take breath.
"I brought you here to tell you something Henry told me." She wrapped her other fingers around the curve of his hook, her eyes flickering to the fountain beside them before returning to him. "We would make wishes when we came here, and he said after noticing I was lonely, he wished for our family to be together again and a couple days later, you knocked on our door."
His expression softened, cheeks rising in a humble grin as his gaze fell downward at the hand still around his hook.
"My point is–if you hadn't sought your revenge and gone to Neverland," she continued, "we might have never met and if there's anything I learned today, it's that belief runs this world." She moved her hand from his heart to his cheek, her jade eyes staring into his ocean-blues. "So I believe you took that path for a reason–which was for me to find you."
A beat passed before he rushed forward and kissed her, pouring every ounce of love threatening to burst from his heart into her. He felt her arms around sling around his neck as she pulled him closer, neither of them caring about their surroundings as they sought each other.
They pulled away, joyful smiles and happy giggles shared between only them.
"I just remembered something," Emma said, a smile lacing her tone.
"What's that, Swan?" he grinned.
"Gold's suite is empty."
She slid the key she had made earlier into the slot, the little green light granting them access into the room. After flicking on the lights in the front hallway, she stepped through the left archway, her body beginning to buzz as soon as it heard the click of the door being shut behind her.
She paused to take in the view from the small bedroom. The entire right wall was made of glass, showcasing the bright cityscape outside with the moon filtering in between the buildings.
She smiled when moments later a hand touched her shoulder from behind. His fingers quickly moved to the collar of her jacket, the tip of his hook doing the same on the other side. The exposed skin of her neck tingled as lips replaced leather, her head tilting in response as her armor fell delicately off her shoulders and onto the floor.
He kept his movements slow, hand brushing, lips skimming in a gesture of care, of love, of want. One last kiss at the neck of her sweater and she turned in his arms, an easy smile on her face when she met his eyes. Her fingers slipped under the lapels of his own jacket and pushed back until it slid off his shoulders, taking care when it went over his hook.
They took turns, hands roaming as they unbuttoned, untucked and unzipped, eyes sneaking glances as they found something new to discover with each new patch of skin. Killian stood in his black boxer-briefs as he guided a still pants-clad Emma backward towards the bed, nudging her to sit on the edge. He knelt before her and undid the buckle wrapped around the top of her boot, slipping it down and off her foot before attending to the other.
He rose up and leaned over her, eyes locking on hers as he dipped his fingers under the waistband of the pants that perfectly hugged her curves and tugged them down. He kissed the laced edge of her panties, grinning against the fabric when he heard her breathing quicken. Closing his eyes, his lips followed the trail of skin her pants left behind, kissing from her thighs to the arch of her foot in a moment of devotion.
The last of her battle clothes shed, she watched him crawl back up, resting on his elbows as he straddled her thighs. The navy of her bra beckoned him, the dark color perfectly contrasting her creamy skin, and he was helpless against the urge to touch, to kiss the skin just below her breasts before retreating down. Her stomach rose against the swirl of his tongue as it swiped underneath her belly button. He stopped at the edge of her hip and something in her gaze held him still when he glanced up.
Her blonde curls fell across her shoulders as she sat up. The moon had reached its peak, its glow highlighting the white of his skin and the blue of his eyes. The moment stilled as she lost herself in his lust-filled gaze and her words broke the contented silence for the first time. "Just you tonight," she whispered, bringing a hand to his cheek, a gesture of longing and of reassurance.
He responded with a peck to the palm against his cheek before his body rose up to guide hers back down. He seized her parted lips as their bodies molded together, his hips coming flush with hers.
Her hands moved to the hair at the back of his neck, her fingers gripping the strands as her body flushed with the heat of his kiss. She gasped when he broke away, his breath hot against her neck as he rolled her on top of him. His lips sucked a mark on her pulse as his fingers deftly undid the clasp of her bra.
She sat up, her thighs hugging his sides as she slid the garment off her arms and tossed it to the side. His fingers gripped her hips as his pupils darkened at the sight of her breasts and her cheeks flushed under his gaze.
"So beautiful," he purred.
She brought his brace in front of her, the worn leather resting against her stomach as she knowingly unbuckled each clasp. He watched, floored by the emotions coursing through him at the sight of her caring for him. Her words returned to his mind; Emma Swan loved every part of him and always would.
As soon as she tugged the heavy brace off his wrist, he pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms to roll her onto her back once again. One arm around his neck, she brought him closer. She gasped when his length pressed against her, both of them releasing a groan as he thrust to sooth the ache. He kissed down, from her chin to her neck and finally her breast, her body keening when he sucked the peak into his mouth. She yanked him upward to capture his lips, the spark igniting between them as their skin turned hot and their breaths became pants.
"Killian," she breathed against his lips. "I need you."
His forehead against hers, he nodded and reached down to draw the last of his clothing off his hips. He shuddered when her hand wrapped around him and he quickly cast the underwear away.
His head lifted up, his hooded gaze sending a wave of heat straight to her core as she continued to stroke him slowly. He fought the urge to close his eyes at her ministrations, the green of her eyes too beautiful to miss as they sparkled with lust. He covered her hand with his own to guide himself to her. Her stare flickered down to watch him slide against her arousal, a groan escaping both their lips as hardness met heat.
Their gazes locked as he aligned himself at her entrance, her hands gripping the sheets when he began to push in. He moved up, his chest molding to hers as he sheathed himself inside her. His hair brushed her chin, his head falling forward under the sensation. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and brought him ever closer.
Her heels touched the back of his thighs and he took his cue to move, beginning to thrust gently. Her fingers gripped his shoulders, her hot pleas pressed against his neck as he moved above her. Her muscles tightened as he pulled nearly all the way out and slammed backed in, causing her to cry out. The delicious sound of skin hitting skin coated her ears as his pace quickened, building her closer and closer to the edge.
Suddenly he lifted her, shifting to hold her in his lap. The change of angle left a silent gasp on her lips as he filled her so completely she wished to never be parted with him again.
He stilled inside her, her heat coiled so tightly around him he breathed against her shoulder to ward off his impending edge. Her arms wrapped around him, hugging him to her for a moment. He smiled into her skin when he felt her kiss the tip of his ear, his cheek, his chin. It was when he felt a wet drop on his shoulder that he looked up to discover the tears in her eyes.
His hand flew to her cheek. "Emma, what's wrong? Did I–?"
She quickly shook her head, pulling his forehead to hers. "I thought I'd never see you again," she cried.
"Oh, Emma," he breathed, wrapping his arms tighter around her as he kissed her hair. His chest tightened at her words as their time apart hit him with full force; the fear, the anger, the devastation coursed through him as he thought back to when he sent her up the elevator, to a future he thought he wouldn't be apart of. "I know," he choked, his own eyes brimming with tears. "I know."
A beat passed and then she was moving, lifting herself up his length still inside her before settling back down. He hid his face in the crook of her neck, his beard scratching her throat as he helped her move on top of him. He pulled her against him, the hair on his chest tickling the peaks of her breasts as he thrust up, faster and faster until her legs began to shake.
He pulled back, catching her gaze as their chests swelled with their harsh breaths. He crashed his lips to hers, her moans nearly taking him over the edge as he brought his thumb in between them to press against her clit. "Let go, love," he whispered, slowing his movements to slide against her trembling walls. "I've got you."
His words pushed her over the edge, his name falling from her lips in a soft cry. Her muscles clenched around him as his thumb worked her through it and after one more thrust she brought him down with her.
They fell against the plush pillows, his weight on top of her as they caught their breath. He soon shifted and pulled her to his side, running his fingers through her hair when she placed her head on his chest.
"I love you, Killian," she told him softly a few minutes later, tilting her head up to look into his eyes with a sated smile.
His eyes softened as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "And I, you," he replied, giving her a soft kiss. "Now, will you make good on your promise and sleep?"
She laughed into his neck, the sound no louder than a breath. "As you wish."
They lay together as their bodies calmed, each echoing the promise of the journey ahead together as their true hearts beat as one.