A/N: So this is just a little fic I put together, inspired by an ask/prompt I received on Tumblr which was basically: "Imagine they're in Neverland and they encounter a really horrible and terrifying beast and almost die and Emma thinks Hook dies but then she sees him a few yards away and she sprints to him with tears all in her eyes and an expression of fear, happiness, relief, and surprise and launches herself into his arms and they hold each other so tight like if they let go the world will end." It's not nearly as long as I was planning, but enjoy! Rated T to be safe.

Numb.

That was all Emma felt as she painfully opened her eyes, squinting as they met the bright sunlight.

When Hook suggested that he and Emma split up from her parents to continue their search for Henry deep in the forest that cluttered the land, she didn't anticipate it would end up like it did.

Hook had briefly spoken of notorious creatures that were rumored to live high up in the trees of Neverland, known to kill anything that crossed their path. He had assured her that the myth stated the creatures were nocturnal, only hunting at night, and they would have nothing to fear; clearly he was entirely wrong. Not an hour into their search for her lost son they encountered one of the horrid beasts; it was a mix between a bear and a wild cat, large enough to trample anything in its sight, and its roar still echoed in her ears.

Emma propped herself upright with the frame of her elbow, ignoring the quivering pain in her arms as she did. Her eyes were blinking rapidly; fear beginning to take over her thoughts as she eyed the scene around her.

It almost looked like a war zone; the creature had taken out most of the trees in the area. Branches lay strewn across the floor of the forest, broken and flattened to the core. She tried to pull her memories back, her head throbbing, willing herself to remember what happened. Dimly the scene began to play out in her mind, fuzzy at first, everything piecing together. She remembered the two of them running in a full out sprint, dodging their way through the woods, the terror slowly setting in that they wouldn't be able to out run the beast. She could make out the memory of Hook grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind him, drawing his sword before he was thrown to the right of her. Before she could help him she met a similar fate and everything from then began to blur as she recalled the beast stalking towards Hook…

And then the panic set in.

Hook.

Hastily she pulled herself to her feet, her eyes darting around the cluttered and chaotic ground around her, hoping, needing to find him. She could feel her cheeks starting to burn as nothing caught her eye, there was no movement anywhere and the unnerving silence began to flood her ears. But as soon as she felt her body going limp, beginning to give up, she saw him. He was lying in a crumpled heap yards from her, his body sitting eerily lifeless.

No.

Emma began running towards him, feeling like she was being pulled down as panic flooded her body, the worst outcome imaginable now clouding all of her other thoughts. Fear caused her eyes to fill with tears, her body trembling in pain, her hands shaking uncontrollably. She neared him, incessantly calling for him, her voice wavering the closer she got and he didn't react. She didn't stop the hot tears falling down her cheeks, throwing all control of her emotions to hell.

He cannot be dead.

A cry of relief escaped her lips as his fragile figure finally began to shift, slowly turning to face her. Emma immediately threw caution to the wind and quickened her pace, throwing her arms tightly around his neck as soon as she reached him. She ignored the painful groan that he let out and allowed herself to fall apart against his chest, not bothering to hold back the relieved sobs falling endlessly from her lips.

"Emma," he whispered against her ear, her name sounding like a silent prayer, his voice broken but still calmed to know she was alive. Emma tightened her grip around him, afraid if she were to let go that she would lose him; that he would be gone. Her body shivered as Hook sat himself up, carrying her weight with him and wrapped his arms around her torso. They sat silently embracing each other for what seemed like an eternity, holding each other like their lives depended on it; and in that moment Emma almost believed it did. Finally she tried to steady her breathing as she relished in the warmth his body clouded her in.

"I thought you were dead," she finally managed to choke out, her voice cracking as the last of the sentence. She almost didn't believe they both were alive, but here they were, holding one another and finding comfort in the sound of the other breathing; alive.

"I'm very much alive lass," he assured her while tightening his hold on her and burying his face against the curve of her neck, soothingly letting his fingers run through her tangled hair.

"Don't you fucking scare me like that again," she said as her voice trembled again, trying to push away the thoughts of what would have happened if he had actually died; if he had lost his life while still trying to protect her.

"Wouldn't dream of it love." Emma let out a laugh that sounded almost like a cry as the realization starting setting in that he was okay. They both were going to be okay. She loosened her grip around his neck, still leaning her body against him, knowing full well that in that moment her walls had fallen completely. Suddenly she didn't care that the feelings she tried so hard to ignore were full well showing now, the sensation of him against her and holding her, being enough to push away those thoughts; that wall.

Finally she tilted her head away, meeting his gaze and swallowing hard as she took in the look of admiration he was giving her, her stomach turning in knots. She moved her fingers up to graze the side of his face, tracing the new scars that littered his face and took a deep breath, blinking away the tears pooling in her eyes.

Maybe it was the fact that in that moment she really recognized how much she needed him in her life, how troubled she would be if he were to leave her, or the fact that she was cooling off from her adrenaline high, but before she begin to overthink the entire situation she closed the space between them, connecting their lips in a gentle kiss. It was tender, seemingly perfect, and as much as she tried she couldn't ignore the spark that electrified her core as he kissed her back. She pulled away, biting her lip as she eyed him carefully, her body flooding with relief as a smile spread across his face.

"Well it's about bloody time," he said with a chuckle, cupping her cheek and running his thumb along her jawline, causing Emma to tilt her head against the palm of his hand. "Now," he said while brushing her hair behind her ear. "Let's go find your lad." Her arms fell from around his neck as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, offering his hand down to her. And for once in her life, finally, she let her harboring trust issues fall away and laced her hand with his, silently swearing to herself she would never let go.