She had left him sleeping, pressing a soft kiss against his forehead and laying a hand against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart under her palm, before slipping quietly off his bed at Granny's and into the hallway of the inn. Having been reunited with his heart after… god, Emma didn't even know how long her pirate had been existing in that state, there had been no time for explanations between crises, the latest of which being the consolation of a distraught Regina and an even more desolate Belle… Killian had succumbed to the exhaustion of the past weeks, and Emma, with a promise to wake him once she was done checking up on the rest if the town, had taken the keys to his room and left him to sleep off the lingering effects of his time as Gold's puppet.

Now, hours later, she paused outside his door, pulling the key from her pocket and listening for any signs of movement from within his room. Henry was with Regina for the night – after the events of the day, even Emma was forced to conclude that Henry really ought to be with Regina now – and her parents back at the loft with Neal, with a promise that she would meet them for breakfast the next morning. Turning the doorknob, Emma slid into Killian's room.

It was dark, save for the light from the town square that came spilling in through the window. Emma shrugged her shoulders out of her leather jacket, tossing it onto the nearby armchair that held Hook's. Said pirate was lying across the bed with his back to her, curled on one side with his namesake, gleaming silver in the dim light, resting alongside his brace on the bedside table. As she made her way across the room, moving as quietly as she could in her boots he shifted, rolling so that his face turned up towards the ceiling and fell into the light's cast.

Up close, Emma could see the dark shadows that had grown under his eyes, and she wondered for the umpteenth time that evening how she could have missed the fact that there was something horribly wrong with Hook. Hindsight's 20/20, she thought, her brow furrowing at the frown that lingered on Killian's face, even in sleep. As she watched, he let out a quiet whimper, his right hand sliding up his chest and falling over his heart; his fingers clenched and his jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth, a quiet groan slipping from between his lips.

Emma seated herself gingerly on the edge of the bed, stretching out her own hand so it rested over Killian's, watching the tension ease from his hand at her touch. "Killian," she called quietly, sliding her hand from his and up his torso and neck, lingering on his jaw before reaching up to brush back the dark hair that had fallen into his face. "Hook, wake up."

His eyelids fluttered, and slowly blinked open. Azure eyes met her own and his lips softened into a smile, the slight quirking of his lips that he reserved for her alone – though Henry had been known to coax this honest grin out of the pirate a time or two. "Swan," he breathed, and as she moved to pull her hand away from his skin he reached up and caught her fingers with his own, lacing them together and bringing them to rest over his heart. "How fare the denizens of this town tonight?"

"They're fine," she murmured, relishing in the thrum of his heart beneath their joined hands. "A little shaken up, but… fine."

"And the Crocodile's wife?" Though he still cringed at the mention of his nemesis, there was genuine concern in his eyes with the mention of Belle, whose company he'd rather came to enjoy in week's past, her taste in men notwithstanding.

"She's… coping with it all, I guess. Ruby's with her, they're staying at her apartment for the foreseeable future." Anticipating his next question, Emma ran a thumb over the back of his hand. "She sent Gold over the town line."

Hook was silent, and she felt the tremble in his hand and watched him work his jaw silently as he struggled for something to say. "I'll have… I should… I ought to speak to her, thank her-"

"Give it a few days," Emma cautioned, and he blinked slowly in agreement. "She's been through a lot, she needs time before…" She paused, and searched his face carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"Right as rain, love." He smiled again, only this one didn't reach his eyes. He moved as if to sit up, but she slid her hand out of his and placed it flat against his chest, pushing him back down onto the bed.

"I'm furious with you, you know that?"

"Aye." His gaze lowered, and he passed a hand over his face, scrubbing at his jaw with a fierce nervousness she had seldom seen on him before. "I gather you have every right to be."

"You made me a promise, Hook, and you damn well nearly broke it." She didn't raise her voice to shout at him, and she could tell from the way his face fell that he felt more guilt t the disappointment in her tone than he would have if she'd shouted at him. Good, Emma thought, and her brow furrowed. "And what's more, you've been lying to me." He opened his mouth to protest, sitting up against the weight of her hand, but she cut him off. "Not about your heart, Hook, I know how that works. You couldn't have told me even if you wanted to. You've been lying for weeks, about Gold, your hand… Why?"

"I just…" He faltered, shuffling backwards so that her hand fell from his chest onto his lap. "I wanted to be whole for our date, for you… I made a bloody stupid mistake when I thought I had the upper hand, for once, against the damn Crocodile. I blackmailed him and he manipulated me, and I lied to you about it, Emma. I wanted to change, to be a better man, but…" He laughed, and the sound was self-deprecating. "I'm still a pirate, love. Still a villain." His jaw clenched and he turned his face towards the wall again, away from her. "You should go, Swan. Before I ruin you, too."

Emma blinked, surprised to find tears had begun to gather in her eyes during his tirade. She was still furious with him, and frustrated and worried sick, but in that moment… "You idiot!" His head whipped back towards her, eyes wide with confusion. "You complete and utter ass! Did you really think I cared about whether you had a hook or a hand? You thought it would matter to me enough to lie about it? To blackmail Rumplestiltskin, of all people?"

"It mattered to me!" His eyes flashed with fury and his gripped the stump of his left arm tightly. "Because for one night, Emma, I was able to be with you as you deserve, to hold you with both hands, and while it may have cost me everything, I don't regret that for one moment! You deserve…" He paused for breath, the same self-deprecating laugh falling from his lips again, "Gods, you deserve everything, love. Certainly you deserve more than me. I just wanted… to be more, for you."

"And what about what I want?" When he didn't answer, Emma stood, before clambering up onto the bed to straddle his thighs. "Killian-"

He met her gaze with such tentative hope in his eyes, mingled with self-loathing extending to depths that Emma had severely underestimated before tonight, and Emma leaned in to press her lips against his. For a brief, heart-shattering moment he was still, before he surged forward with the same fervor that had gripped him earlier that night, when she placed his heart back into his chest, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth, nipping and soothing the burn away with his tongue even as he wound his felt arm around her to pull her closer, his right hand fisting into her hair. She wound her arms around his neck, tilting her head and deepening the kiss, pulling him as close to flush against her chest as she was able.

The kiss stuttered and Killian withdrew, hand shaking as he brought it around her neck to rest his thumb on her chin, tilting her head to press a soft kiss to her mouth. Her one hand found his jaw, caressing his face as he leaned into it; the other fell to his chest and the constant, rapid beat of his heart. "What I want," she whispered as their breaths mingled, "is you. All of you." She felt rather than say his answering grin, crooked on his face.

"As you wish."

She curled up against him as Killian lay down on the bed once more, her hand resting on his heart and her head against the should of the arm he held curled around her, his hand rubbing soothingly over her arm. He pressed his mouth against the top of her head before shifting so his cheek rested against her scalp, his breath teasing a loose strand that had fallen over her forehead. "I'm still mad at you," she promised him, and he laughed, the sound carefree for the first time all evening.

"Aye, love, and I'd wager you'll find plenty to shout at me about come tomorrow." She nodded into his chest, and she felt the rumble of his chuckle as it reverberated through his chest. 'Sleep, Swan. I promise to still be here in the morning."

They still had much to talk about – his hand, his deal, Rumplestiltkin's plans – and much to deal with in the coming days, but for the moment, Emma Swan was content. Her family was safe, her pirate was out of danger and by her side once more, and she had his promise that he would still be there tomorrow, and the next day, and every day to come.

He was.