Disclaimer: I don't own OUaT nor do I profit from this.
Killian was quiet as Emma's family commiserated over her disappearance. They'd searched everywhere for her—inside the town lines.
She could leave Storybrooke, disappear to just beyond the lines where they couldn't follow her, where they were forced to leave her alone.
Except for him. He could follow her.
While Snow and Charming were busy trying to reconcile with each other over what they'd done today, Killian caught Elsa's eye. He inclined his head towards the door, and slowly strode out.
Elsa followed him, a confused look on her face. Killian didn't speak until they were just outside the apartment building, where the royals couldn't hear them. It was dark outside, a chill breeze in the air.
Killian looked down the street, seeing the forest in the distance. It would be so easy for her to disappear into there, drive just past the town line.
"What are you doing?" Elsa demanded, crossing her arms. "We can't find her."
He shook his head. "He can't find her," he said, pointing upstairs to where David was. "But he can't go outside the town lines."
Elsa frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Have you heard about the curse holding us here?" Killian asked, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head. "Well, when the Enchanted Forest was cursed here, all of its citizens were restricted to moving about within the town line of Storybrooke. You cross over, you lose your memories again and go back to who you were cursed—forever."
"What's your point?" Elsa asked, a bit of comprehension beginning to dawn on her face.
Killian smiled. "Emma can leave the town lines. If I didn't want to be followed, that's where I'd go. Where no one could follow."
The confused expression was back on Elsa's face. "We still can't find her then. We can't leave."
He shook his head. "I wasn't cursed here. I came here on my own. I can find her—I've done it before."
Elsa nodded, looking down at her hands. She flexed her fingers, and Killian watched as little cold breezes blew around them. She closed her fists, looking back up at Killian. "What do you need me for?"
Killian took a deep breath. This was the part where he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, though of course he'd never admit it to anyone, least of all Emma.
"You have magic," Killian said. "I need magic to find her."
Elsa shook her head. "I don't know—"
"Any sort of spell. I don't need it to lead me there, I just need it to point me in the right direction, and I will find her," Killian said, realizing that the last bit sounded like what Prince Charming and Snow White always said about each other. "We used magic to find the Snow Queen."
"But that came from Rumplestiltskin," Elsa objected. "Killian, I can't control this. I don't know how to cast a spell."
Killian stepped forward until he was right in front of Elsa. Her eyes were blue, just as bright blue as her dress that sparkled faintly in the moonlight. He wanted them to be green, to have Emma's fire in them, not Elsa's ice.
"All you have to do is believe. Think of Emma right now, alone and frightened and rejected. She needs your help, Elsa. You're the only one who understands what she is going through right now. I need to go after her and make her understand that we still love her, that we aren't rejecting her. Close your eyes, and think of your sister," Killian instructed, just talking on a whim. His voice was low, serious. "Just tell your magic to find her. Send a snow breeze towards her or something."
Elsa nodded, taking a step back from Killian. She took a deep breath, raising her hands in front of her. She cupped them, and Killian watched her brow furrow in concentration. Snowflakes began to swirl in the middle of her hands, condensing until they formed a large icy snowflake hovering in midair. It solidified into a snowflake shaped ice crystal, sinking down to rest flat on her hand.
Elsa let out a shaky breath, turning to Killian. He frowned as Elsa put the snowflake in his hand. It wasn't cold, but rather felt like glass.
"Think of Emma and think of your love for her," Elsa said, sounding exhausted. Her face looked weary. "It should lead you to her."
Killian closed his eyes, thinking of Emma. He thought of her rare smiles, her laugh, the way her blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders and her eyes lit up with passion. He thought of when she had threatened Pan to return her son, and when she had finally accepted herself as a lost girl. He thought of when he had held her in the Sheriff's office, when she had let him in to her walls and let him see her past.
He felt a glowing warmth in his palm, and looked down to see the ice crystal spinning in his hand. Suddenly it stopped, quivering, pointing towards the forest.
Killian nodded, turning to Elsa. She gave him a tired smile, and turned back to go up to the apartment.
He looked down at the direction the snowflake gave him, and set off, strolling down the street as he cupped it gingerly in his good hand.
He must have walked for an hour. He quickly hit end of the houses, moving through the forest. When he was moving through the dark of the forest, the snowflake glowed, giving off enough light for him to see his way. He silently thanked Elsa for her magic. Given the direction he was heading in now, he wouldn't have been able to find Emma just by walking around. He could feel when he crossed the town line, a shiver running through his body, and his lips curled up in a faint smile as he realized he had been right about her leaving Storybrooke.
Finally, the snowflake dimmed, and Killian could see the yellow carriage Emma called her Bug. It was parked on top of a ridge, and he realized it was overlooking Storybrooke. Lights littered the horizon, the clock tower higher and brighter than them all. The ocean glittered in the background, lit by the moon. It was a beautiful place, if it weren't for the reason Emma had retreated here.
He clasped his hand around the snowflake, moving to the right side of the car. He opened the door, Emma looking over in surprise.
He slid into the seat and closed the door, settling himself down. He didn't say anything, just sat there and observed the view.
Emma leaned away from him, pressing against the far door.
"What are you doing, Killian?" she muttered, looking away from him. He glanced at her, seeing her fists clench in her lap. "You shouldn't be here." Her voice was rough, as if she'd been crying and was trying to control it.
Killian gave a soft smile at the name. If she was calling him Killian and not Hook, she wasn't truly upset he was here. Hook meant she was shutting him out.
"You forgot I can cross the town line," he said cheerily, looking back at Storybrooke. "Lovely spot you picked, lass."
Emma shook her head. "You have to leave. I don't know if…" she trailed off.
Killian turned to look at her. She was sitting, nearly curled up in a ball, trying to get as far away from him as she possibly could. He reached out to take her hand, but she tried to move away again. He pulled it back, waiting for her.
"Emma," he said softly. She didn't respond, just buried her head a little deeper. His heart hurt, seeing her so broken and frightened. "Emma, love, look at me," he said a bit more forcefully.
She looked up, and his breath caught in his throat. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and he could see wet tear trails down her face.
Something broke inside Killian, to see her this damaged. He'd never seen Emma cry like that before, and to know that they had caused it only made his pain even worse. She was flinching away from him, terrified, and so closed off. The look of pure terror as the light post had hit David had nearly frightened him to see that on her face.
He wanted to stab the Snow Queen with his hook, to cause her pain and misery, to make his Emma feel better. She had done this.
"I couldn't stand it if I hurt you, Killian," she croaked, her voice raw with emotion. "I'm dangerous."
"If you think I'll believe that for even one second," Killian said, his voice dead serious, "Then you, love, are as deluded as that Snow Queen."
He wished he hadn't brought her up. She flinched at the name, and Killian sighed. He was doing this wrong. He needed to show Emma that she was good and beautiful, that he accepted her for who she was.
Killian got out of the car, closing his door and walking around to hers. She watched him with a guarded expression, shying away from the door as he opened it.
"Get out," Killian ordered, his voice rough.
She waited a heartbeat, and then slowly got out of the door. Killian's heart ached to see her obeying an order like that. She was broken, to listen that complacently.
She stood in front of him, backing up a few steps, staring at him. Her hair was mussed, her eyes red, her lip trembling, and her arms crossed.
He still thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Killian closed the door so there was nothing in between them. The two of them faced off, looking at each other.
He opened his arms, gesturing for her to come closer. "Come here, love."
Emma shook her head, backing up a step. "I might hurt you," she said, shaking her head again.
"Emma, my love, I have faced off against Rumplestiltskin and lost my hand. I have spent three hundred years with that demon named Peter Pan, and I have worked for Cora. I have been cursed by Zolena and nearly drowned by the Dark One. Nothing you can do with your magic, nothing, will ever scare me," Killian swore, taking a step forward. He watched her carefully. "Emma Swan, I will not give up on you. I will always be here for you, and I will always be waiting. I will take you however you are, magic and all." He took another step forward, moving closer. She wasn't moving towards him, but at least she wasn't moving away from him.
"Your magic is a part of you, Emma," he said vehemently. "I would not have you giving it up for anything. Think of how much good you've done with that magic. You've broken curses, you've saved your family and the Enchanted Forest. You defeated that snow monster. You've rescued a woman from death. You've saved me."
Another step and he would be there. She didn't move, still clenching her arms tight around her, looking down forlornly. She looked so small, and Killian faltered at how pitiful she looked. It was so wrong.
"Emma, I've tried to wait for you. I've tried to be patient, to give you your space and time," Killian said, his voice growing rougher with emotion. "But I need to tell you something, because you need to hear it right now. I can't wait anymore for you to be ready. You may not know how you feel about us, but I love you, Emma Swan. I love you, and will not only accept, but love everything about you, because that's what love is."
He was right there, and he wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened as he touched her, but he wrapped his left arm around her waist and cradled the back of her head with his right hand.
He'd told her. He had tried to wait as long as he could, because he knew she was more closed off with her emotions than he was. But he couldn't wait any longer. She needed those words tonight, whether she realized it or not.
Slowly, gingerly, he felt her relax. She still kept her arms wrapped up, but she leaned her head against his shoulder. He stroked her hair, holding her closely. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, just holding her in his arms.
Then she moved, burying her face in his neck and moving her arms to hold him tightly. She clutched at him as if he was a lifeline, her face buried against him. Then her body shook with silent sobs, and he felt tears hit his chest.
Killian bowed his head to press his cheek against her head, and he closed his eyes. Emotions surged through him, emotions he hadn't felt in a long time. Emotions he'd never truly felt and understood.
He'd loved Milah. But that had been fire and passion, born out of mutual love for life and pleasure. She'd been fierce, and he'd been a pirate. That had been a different lifetime.
Standing here, holding Emma, this was truly love. This was comforting her, to reassure her that he would always be there. He meant it when he said he would wait for her. He'd waited three hundred years to get revenge for Milah. But he would wait a thousand just to hold his Emma one more time. It made him the happiest man alive to see her happy because of something he did, and it broke him to see her broken like this.
Her sobs gradually subsided, and she took a shaky breath against him. She pulled back, stepping out of Killian's embrace and turning away. Emma took a deep breath, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. He watched her back, waiting.
"How did you find me?" she asked, voice trembling.
"Elsa. She gave me a magic snowflake," Killian explained.
Emma let out a strangled laugh, her body shaking once. "A magic snowflake?"
"That's what it looked like."
Emma took another deep breath, and she looked a bit more relaxed. She turned to face Killian, and he smiled to see that she looked a bit more normal. Her face was serious as she studied him.
"Why?"
Killian stepped forward, needing to touch her again in a physical reassurance that he meant every word he said, that he did truly accept and love her and she didn't frighten him. She didn't. Seeing her like that made him want to help her, to figure out what was going on with her magic, to make everything in her world better.
He reached up and cupped her jaw with his hand. He felt a slight shiver go through Emma at the touch, and he couldn't resist a little smirk at how he affected her.
"Your family loves you, Emma. They were startled today, but when they went home your mother and father were besides themselves with how they handled it. They wanted to change. They love you, and they accept you, magic and all. They just need a bit more time to get used to it," Killian assured her.
Her eyes met his, and she was waiting for more. She needed to hear about him.
"And I meant what I said, love," Killian whispered. He stepped forward so his body was an inch away from hers, and he could feel the tension between them. He wanted to close that gap. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek, drawing back. "I love you. I will wait as long as you need, but you need to know that I will always be here for you, and I will always accept you. Your magic doesn't scare me. I love it for making you Emma Swan, the woman I am in love with."
It felt amazing to say that. He'd waited much too long, held those emotions in check, but finally he could make her understand the depth of his emotion for her.
Emma's hands reached up, threading behind his neck and holding him there. Still holding his eyes, she leaned forward slowly until her lips finally touched his.
Emma kissed him, and he kissed her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.
The kiss started out gentle, tender, full of the emotion that Killian had just proclaimed and Emma needed to express. They moved slowly, taking the time to learn each other in the kiss.
But then it grew more heated, their passion winning out, and her mouth moved more insistently against his, demanding. He met her heady emotion, kissing her back roughly until they had to break apart for air, foreheads resting against each other.
"Bloody hell, woman, if that's how you kiss, I can't wait to see what you're like in bed," Killian murmured.
Emma gave a small laugh, and it made his heart soar. "There's the innuendo I was waiting for."
Killian dipped in and gave her another swift kiss on her lips. "How are you, love?"
She took a shaky breath, moving closer to rest her head against his shoulder again. "Better."
He held her a bit longer, letting her breathing calm down until she sounded more normal. "What now, Swan?"
"Why do you call me Swan?" she asked, almost absently, fingers tracing patterns on the back of his neck. "You were calling me Emma all earlier tonight."
He reached down and kissed her cheek. He spoke against her skin, his lips moving. "Because when you're Emma, you belong to everyone. You needed to be reminded that you were Emma, not a monster."
He reached up, cradling her head and stroking her hair. "But when you're Swan, you're all mine," he breathed, pressing his lips into her cheek again.
Emma took a deep breath, and he didn't hear any shakiness to it. She had her confidence back, and that was how she steeled herself.
Emma pulled back, looking Killian directly in the eyes. She reached up, running her hand along his cheek. She cupped his jaw like he'd done to her moments ago, still staring into his eyes.
"And you're all mine, pirate," she whispered.
It wasn't a declaration of love. He'd poured his heart out to her earlier. She hadn't said it back to him, hadn't said she loved him. She'd hardly said anything to him.
But to hear her claim him like that, to say that she was his, was enough. That was all he needed.
As long as he had his Emma back, everything else could wait.