Disclaimer: I own nothing. Those evil-genius-bastards Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis do.

"Thanks for taking him." Emma said to Hook. She couldn't believe that he would do this for her. Take care of Henry; give him good stories about his father. Prove to Henry that Neal really and truly was a hero. However, when she thought about it long and hard (not that she would), she shouldn't be surprised. She had heard him in the Echo Cave. She remembered. She knew he had meant what he said, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to rescue Neal. He was, dare she say it, in love with her. And he really wasn't hiding it. But he hadn't said it again. And she wanted him to. Really badly.

She shouldn't be thinking like this. Neal was barely in the ground. They had the wicked witch on their tails. Rumpelstiltskin was being controlled, for God's sake. But she couldn't help it. He was here, like he always was. He came back to save her, he became a hero for her. And she just wanted to tell him just how much that had meant to her. But Emma Swan had never been good with words. So she held back. But Neal, she realized (not for the first time), Neal she had lost over a decade ago. As much as she loved him once upon a time, he had only left a world of darkness and a void in her heart in his wake. But he had given her his blessing (not that she needed it), told her to move on, to find Tallahassee, to love again. And she had been thinking...would it really be so bad to move on with the dashing pirate in front of her? The one who loved her more than anyone had ever loved her in her life? She was definitely considering it. So she told him thanks, because the last time she did, he tricked her into a kiss. But little did he know, she had wanted him to kiss her then. Just like she wanted him now.

She stared at him with a desperate look in her eye-one that mirrored the look he always had on when around her-until he replied.

"There's more Bae in your boy than you realize. He needs to know about his father, Emma. You can't just take him back to New York when this is over, and pretend like none of this is real." He replied.

Emma looked away. She was hurt. Hurt that he had said such a thing, but even more hurt because he was right. She had been thinking that. But if he would just give her a reason to stay...she would.

She was silent for a moment, the hurt apparent on her usually self-assured face. She was turned away from him though, so it was likely he hadn't noticed. Quickly, she composed herself, the hardened, emotionless mask that had taken her years to perfect, slid into place with ease. She turned back towards him.

"Thanks again." She said, a tight-lipped smile plastered on her face. Try as hard as she might to conceal it, there was a longing in her eyes, if only for a moment.

He didn't notice.

She turned away from him and walked back into her room.

He stood outside of her door for a moment, contemplating following her in and just...taking her. Letting her know just how much he loved her. Telling her everything.

But he didn't.

He turned and walked over to where he was staying, across the hall. He walked into his room and thought about when he brought Emma and Henry back to Storybrooke.

"Well," she said. "I have to get a room for me and Henry to stay at. I'm going to go to Granny's." She turned and looked at him. "Will you watch Henry for a little while longer? I need to clue Granny in on everything, so she doesn't slip up and freak him out."

"Of course," he said. He stared into her eyes.

Uncomfortable, she shifted nervously on her feet. "Ok, I'll be right back." She turned to go. "Wait," she said as she whirled around. He looked at her expectantly. "Where are you going to stay at? Obviously your ship isn't here right? Or else you would've come back on that, instead of in my bug."

"You're right," he answered her. "It's not here. I didn't bring it."She could tell he wasn't being completely honest with her, but seeing as he had rescued them, she decided not to press it.

"So you have nowhere to stay," she summarized. It wasn't a question. "Alright, when I come back for Henry, just go to Granny right after me and stay there. She won't give you any trouble."

He smirked at her. "Mmmm," he said, taking slow steps toward her, until he was hovering over her standing body. "Want to keep me close, darling? Make sure I stay away from any of the unruly women of Storybrooke?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Hook. You wish."

"I remember how jealous you got when you thought TinkerBell and I had, well...you know." He waggled his eyebrows at her, that smug look firmly in place on his face.

Emma sighed. "I wasn't jealous. I don't care who you waste your time with, Hook." She lied. "It's not any of my business, anyways."

He grew suddenly serious. "Well, you know," he drawled, his mouth inches from hers. "I only have eyes for you."

Emma stared back at him, completely befuddled for a moment. Her eyes darted down to his lips. "Whatever." She shot back. She took a step away from him. "Do you want a room or not?" She asked.

Unfazed by her sharpness, he said "Only if it's near yours, love."

"You just never give up, do you?" She replied, apparently annoyed. But he knew better. He saw the ghost of a smile grace her lips, if only for a moment.

"I already told you," he said. He moved close to her again and whispered in her ear, "I love a challenge."

She sighed. "I'll be right back."

She came back about twenty minutes later, with two sets of keys in her hand. He was leaning against her car, somehow managing to make it look like he was posing for a photoshoot. 'How does he do that?' Emma thought. She shook her head.

He noticed her the second she got close.

"Hey," she said, as she walked up in front of him. "How's Henry? Did he wake up?"

"He's fine," he told her, noting her worried look. "He didn't stir at all. Heavy sleeper, this one." He joked.

She smiled. "Here," she said, handing him a set of keys. "These are for your room, where you'll stay. It's right across the hall from ours." She added.

He smirked again, and looked in her eyes intensely. "Thank you, Emma." He whispered, bending down slightly so their faces were level with each other.

"What, no quip?" She answered.

"Why, would you like one?" He countered, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

She rolled her eyes. "No," she said simply. "Good night, Hook."

"Good night, Emma."

He smiled at the thought. He walked over to his bed and sat down on it. He didn't want to think about Emma leaving, once all of this was done. He'd just gotten her back, after all. He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out his rum. Smiling at the bottle, he popped the top off with his mouth. He downed half the bottle. He told her once he'd win her heart, and he would win it. No matter the cost. Whatever it took, he'd make her see just how amazing she was to him. He'd get her to stay. At that thought, he laid down on the bed, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

hey guys! First chapter, pretty intense, huh? Lmao..Nope, not really. Cute, though? Yep, I thought so, too. The mature smuttiness WILL happen, quite soon, too, so don't fret.

Musical inspiration for the first chapter "Goodnight Goodnight" by Maroon Five, obviously. Also, "Just Give Me A Reason" by P!nk, for like, the whole fic, and "Begin Again" by Taylor Swift. Don't ask, I love my Tay-Tay. Lmao.

I'll update soon!

P.S. reviews are HIGHLY appreciated. They are like chocolate, and I, am a chocolate-whore. Yes, yes.

Favorites and follows are appreciated as well, thank you. *giggles and skips away*