The water was freezing, but Emma didn't care. She paddled harder, cutting through the choppy sea as she struggled to reach him. Finally, she was able to catch a glint of sunlight coming off of his hook, reflecting underneath the water. Taking in a deep breath, she dove below the surface and reached out for him, straining every muscle in her body to be able to grasp his hand. Finally, she had it. Leaning backwards and pulling with all of her might, she raised him to the surface. Killian was still, unbreathing.

"You gotta stop doing this to me," she groaned as she pulled him towards the rope ladder. Swimming while she held onto him was even more difficult because of the additional weight, but she was managing.

"Emma!" David shouted from on deck. He climbed down the rope ladder and leaned back, extending a hand to his daughter. "Give him to me!"

She made a quick shift to reach for the ladder. Her hand slipped and both her body and Killian's slipped beneath the surface for a moment. Wading her way back up, she managed to grab and hold tight to the wooden rung and pull, closing her eyes as she lifted the dead weight of her boyfriend's body up towards her father.

"Got him!" David grasped the leather-clad pirate and lifted him up onto the deck, where Belle assisted in pulling him onto the planks. Emma hung breathlessly to the ladder for a moment to try and regain some feeling within her wobbly arms. With added determination, she climbed up the ladder and knelt next to Killian. She leaned down and listened to his chest, then looked down at him, pushing his dark hair back from his damp forehead.

"Come back," she whispered before leaning down to press her lips against his, breathing air into his lungs. She pressed down on his chest, hands folded together as she pumped his heart to get it started. Leaning down once more, she breathed into his mouth. "Please…" she whimpered after the next set of compressions, tears falling down her cheeks amidst the salty seawater.

With a gasp, Killian turned onto his side and coughed the ocean water from his lungs, spitting it onto the deck of the ship. Emma patted his back hard to assist, her heart leaping into her throat.

"Oh God, thank you," she sighed, her hands roaming the back of his head and neck, stroking his skin with care.

David and Belle visibly relaxed, turning to hug one another in relief.

Looking up from the deck, she pointed off towards the shore. "Go find Ursula. I've got him. We have to stop her."

David and Belle nodded together, taking off down the gangplank and jogging up the dock. Looking back to Killian, Emma brushed his hair from his face. "You've got to stop drowning on me."

He chuckled hoarsely and nodded, pulling up one knee to his chest and sitting up. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, burying his face in her wet hair. "I'm sorry, love."

Closing her eyes, she leaned into him and ran her fingers through his hair. "Come on," she said, standing slowly and pulling him to his feet. She took his hand, lacing their fingers together as she led him below decks. Inside his quarters on the Jolly Roger, Emma released her grip on him to move towards the wood-burning stove in the corner. She stuffed a couple of pieces of wood inside and snapped her fingers, the wood igniting instantly.

"S-some party trick, Swan," he teased with a shiver, moving towards her. He took a seat upon the settee, pulling at his sodden jacket.

Moving back towards Killian, Emma helped him with the jacket and smiled softly. "Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes." She unbuttoned his vest and placed it carefully alongside the jacket on a nearby table, then moved to take off his shirt. Killian let his arms fall down to his sides as she undressed him, just watching her.

She pushed the clinging blue shirt from his shoulders, careful to avoid his hook as she removed it from his body. Hanging the shirt up near the stove, she turned back to him. She offered up a slight smile. "I'll…go if you want to…um, dry off."

He chuckled softly and stood, moving towards her. "I think you're forgetting that you're soaked as well."

"I'll be fine," she laughed, reaching back to push some of her wet hair back from her face.

When he reached her, he slid his hand around her waist, pulling her close. Looking into her eyes, he lovingly stroked her hip with his thumb. "Thank you for saving me, Emma. Again."

"I told you I can't lose you," she whispered in return, leaning her forehead against his, her eyes closing.

"You're right. You usually are," he smiled. "It's why I love you."

Opening her eyes, she leaned her neck back just enough to look at him, raising a hand to cup his scruffy cheek. "I love you too, Killian."

Moving forward, he pressed his lips to hers, despite the cold of her wet shirt against his bare chest. Sliding his hand below her shirt, he lifted it up, breaking the kiss only to pull the shirt over her head and toss it to the side. The feeling of the soft skin of her bare stomach was electric.

Emma leaned into the kiss, allowing him to strip her shirt away. She parted her lips, dragging her tongue slowly along his lower lip, his whiskers barely tickling her. They both smiled in the embrace. Emma's fingers dragged slowly down over Killian's chest, her fingers drinking in the softness of his chest hair. Once she reached his belt, she began unbuckling it slowly, tugging just enough to free the belt from its buckle and slide it open.

His hand slid slowly up her back, causing her to arch slightly against him. He smiled and turned his head to the side, leaning in to kiss along the side of her bare neck, lovingly worshipping her beautiful skin. With a flick of his fingers, he released the clasp on her bra and trailed his kisses along her collarbone. Emma tipped her head back, closing her eyes. She jumped only for a brief moment as the cold steel of his hook gently touched her arm, pulling her bra away to drop to the floor.

"Sorry, love. I can take it off if you'd like," he whispered against her skin, his beard scratching along her chest.

Shaking her head, Emma bit down hard on her lower lip. "No, leave it." The warmth between her thighs grew stronger as her nipples rubbed against his chest, becoming taut and sensitive to the tickle of his chest hair. Goosebumps raised on her skin and she shivered softly.

Sliding his hooked arm behind her knees, Killian picked Emma up off of her feet in one smooth motion. He carried her closer to the wood stove and knelt, lying her carefully down atop a faded, plush ornamental rug. As she laid down on her back, she glanced up at her beautiful pirate, his body glistening in the warm glow of the stove.

He shifted slightly on his knees, eyes drinking in the beautiful curves and peaks of her body. His hand reached out, brushing a palm over her left breast, feeling the hard pebble of her nipple against his grasp. The moan which escaped from Emma's lips only encouraged him. Leaning down, his lips brushed over the lines of her stomach, down over her navel. Balancing on his left arm, he knelt down between her legs, unbuttoning and unzipping the fly of her jeans. With a move of his hook, he sat up just long enough to peel the wet denim from her legs, then allowed himself to fall gently down over her, his lips crashing against hers.

Pulling him close, her arms slid up around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair as she kissed him hard, lips parting to accept his wanton tongue. Her legs slid around his waist, hips lifting from the floor. She ground her hips slowly against him, rubbing her still-covered sex against the growing bulge in his pants. His hand slid down to her backside, gripping it firmly as he ground back against her, moaning into her mouth.

With a twist of her hips, Emma broke the kiss and flipped Killian onto his side, then pressed him onto his back, her palms against his shoulders. She sat up, pushing her hair back from her face with a smirk, straddling his lap.

"Now, now…play fair, love," he chuckled, eyes wandering lustfully over her svelte figure.

"Aye aye, captain," she grinned, scooting herself backwards. She made quick work of his pants, hand sliding up his barely-covered thigh. Leaning down, her lips found his abdomen, kissing gently around the waistband of his boxer shorts. She could feel the way his stomach flexed at her kisses; an involuntary reaction of excitement. Sliding her fingers into the waistband, she toyed with it just for a second, moving her digits slowly back and forth beneath it.

Laughing softly, he reached up with his right hand, caressing Emma's cheek with his fingertips, smiling at her. She was lovelier in that moment than she had ever been – not because of what she was doing, but because of the flush in her cheeks and the twinkle in her pale green eyes, surrounded by lush, dark lashes.

With a tug, Emma pulled the boxer briefs down over the muscular 'v' of his hips. He aided her task by lifting his hips ever-so-slightly from the floor. Having completely stripped her lover, Emma took in the sight of him. His body was immaculate, taut with muscle and perfectly carpeted with a blanket of dark hair. His thick erection laid firmly against his stomach, the length of it surprisingly grand. Reaching forward, Emma grasped Killian's warm length in her hand and gripped it tightly, stroking it end to end.

Killian's lips parted and he released a long moan, his head falling back against the floor. He bit down on his lip, hand grasping at Emma's thigh, hook digging into the carpet below.

"Easy," he warned, lifting his head again from the floor to watch the beautiful spectacle before him. "You'll finish me off before..."

Grinning, Emma leaned down, her lips puckered slightly. She glanced up into Killian's eyes as she placed a gentle kiss just atop the head of his member, teasing him with playful anticipation, "Before what?"

Pushing himself with his left arm, he sat up, pulling her fully onto his lap and pressing her mostly-nude body against his. He turned her, laying her down on the floor once more in another twist of their flirtatious struggle for dominance. She giggled softly and laid back as he grasped the waistband of her sheer panties, pulling them from her long, silky legs.

"Gods, Swan," he whispered, tossing the panties aside. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Emma blushed, biting at her lower lip. She took in a deep breath and prepared to speak, but before she could manage to do so, he disappeared below her field of vision, parting her legs. The first of his thick fingers to slide into her made her gasp, and she let her head fall back, lips parted in a silent moan.

He slid his finger cautiously back and forth for a moment, lubricating it with the gorgeous wetness from her sex. Leaning down, his tongue flickered out at the sensitive bud just above his finger. The cry which escaped his lover's lips was all the more enticing for him to continue to taste her. He slid a second finger inside of her body, not merely teasing her this time, but completely wrapping his lips around her clit, tongue massaging it slowly as he sucked at it. He curled his fingers upwards in a 'come hither' motion, coaxing her body to release more of its sensual fluid around his hand.

There was no mistaking that Emma was completely enveloped in a fog of ecstasy. She grasped at the carpet, fingernails digging hard into the ancient fibers. Her back arched slightly from the floor as she moaned loudly, gasping for air. Her breasts rose and fell in the warm glow of the stove, her breathing increasing with every lap of his glorious tongue. When he removed his hand from within her folds, she whimpered with a feeling of loss. Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she watched him, his body anxiously awaiting at full attention.

"Make love to me, Killian," she whispered, reaching up with one hand to slide around the back of his neck. He gave into her coaxing, his lips once again finding hers. With much more of a gentle touch than she ever would have imagined, Killian shifted his hips between her legs and guided the head of his length just inside her entrance. She felt him take in a deep breath and release it, eyelashes fluttering ever-so-slightly with pleasure. Breaking the kiss, Emma rocked her hips a fraction of an inch to coax him forward and he opened his eyes, glancing down into hers with a look of loving sincerity. He pressed his forehead against hers and moved his hips forward, sliding his length slowly inside of her.

Emma moaned long and low, her body stretching to accommodate the size of him. She noticed the way he paused to allow her to adjust, and her hands stroked his shoulders calmly as she took in deep breaths, nodding carefully against his head as she felt the slight ache in her pelvis subside.

He shifted his knees against the floor a little, his hand scooping up underneath her ass and lifting her closer to him. He could feel every inch of her beautiful void, slick and hot with want. Pulling slightly backward, he began a gentle rhythm of his hips, rocking first into her, and then back out.

Emma held her pirate close, sliding her arms around his neck, her fingernails raking at the base of his hairline, down his spine. Her hips lifted to press against his, her arousal built with every time he pressed deep inside of her, the nest of hair at the base of his cock rubbing against the sensitive pearl of her sex.

"Killian," she moaned as he buried his face against her neck, leaving slow, wet kisses against her skin. He lavished her body with attention, kneading her backside with his hand as he increased the pace of his movements slightly, grinding deeper inside of her as he thrust his hips.

She gasped as his member bottomed her out, pressing against her inmost walls. Her fingernails dug slightly into his skin, leaving red scratches around his shoulders. "Oh…" she whimpered against his ear, taking his earlobe in between her lips, the cold metal of the stud within clacking against her teeth as she bit down slightly.

He groaned, pressing harder into her and shifting again. He came fully to his knees, removing himself from her depths for a moment to pull her body slightly more towards him. Grasping her left leg, he slung it over his shoulder and once more (but much more quickly than before) buried himself into her warmth. "Emma," he grunted, hand reaching for her perfect breast. He squeezed it, his palm rubbing her hard nipple as he thrust into her.

"So…deep…" Emma cried out softly, arching her back and pressing her palms hard into the floor. "Harder!"

Her wish was his command as he moved his hand to grasp at her hip, pulling her leg harder into his chest. He thrust deep inside of her, the tight wetness of her sex enveloping him completely over and over again. Sweat formed upon his brow as he moaned, closing his eyes and trying his best to hold back, to bring her to her edge faster than he would reach his own.

Her breath coming in small gasps now, Emma scratched hard at the carpet beneath her hands, holding her breath for the very last second before a massive orgasm wracked her entire body, spilling her over an edge she had not felt in many years. She cried out loudly, an almost inhuman sound echoing off the wooded walls of the ship's cabin. Her walls squeezed tightly in a succinct rhythm around Killian's thick member as she continued to gasp for breath between her cries of glorious pleasure.

Killian savored the look upon her face and the feeling of the way her body reacted to him as she came. He allowed himself to hold back for just a few more strokes before he gave in to his release, his cock tightening even more as he spilled himself within her. He gasped for breath, rocking his hips slower and slower as each of them allowed their climaxes to subside. Letting her leg fall back down to the floor, he climbed up over her and leaned down to kiss her with dry lips, parched from panting. Pulling back, he licked his lips and then kissed her again, his hand roaming her body slowly.

"Wow," she whispered, eyes closed, body pulsing with pleasure. She breathed deeply, her hands almost shaking from the intense surge. Reaching up, she rested her hands upon his cheeks and looked up into his eyes. "You're more than I ever could have asked for."

He smirked slightly and gave her a couple of sweet, timid kisses, continuing to catch his breath between them. "I know." He turned to his side and laid beside her, pulling her onto her side with his left arm. He stroked her back slowly, the leather bands on his hook's mount rasping slightly against her skin.

Emma turned onto her side at his gesture, wrapping a leg up around his and sliding her hand into the delicate curls of his chest hair. She toyed with it slowly as she rested her head upon his shoulder, just listening to his breath and the crackling of the fire beside them. Despite the war raging around them, she could not have felt more at peace.