Emma fiddled with the keys in her coat pocket, not lifting her eyes from the floor of the elevator. She was hyper aware of the man standing next to her but couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. Not yet. Not after what happened earlier.
She swallowed the liquid and a strange burst of energy pulsed through her. A fog lifted from her mind as a wave of memories bombarded her.
"Hook?" she said, disoriented as she recognized him. His mouth broke into an enormous smile.
"Welcome back, Swan."
She flung her arms around him, hugging him tight, breathing in his now familiar scent. His hand cupped the back of her head, cradling it gently, holding her close, as he whispered her name over and over into her hair.
Henry wasn't going to believe this…
At the thought of Henry, reality struck hard, stabbing her in the chest and conflicting with ten years of false memories. She'd abandoned Henry; she hadn't watched him grow up. She'd been alone up until a little over a year ago.
Memories - fake memories - of the past eleven years hit her like a punch in the gut. The second grade production where he'd played a tree; that never happened. The countless baseball games she sat through were made up by the woman who'd actually raised him.
Her eyes burned as she thought about all the skinned knees she hadn't really been there to kiss and bandage, all the nightmares she hadn't actually been there to dispel, even all the sleepless nights when Henry was a baby, getting up every few hours with nobody to help her, alone and scared; even that being made-up hurt like a betrayal.
How was she ever going to tell Henry she'd given him up - that ten years of their life was a lie? He would be devastated. Her guilt over not choosing Henry transformed into white-hot rage at the person who'd destroyed their happiness.
She pushed Hook away and slapped him right across the face. Hard.
"We were happy!" She screamed at him, hoping her anger would keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. It didn't. "We had a life here! Why would you take that from us?!"
"Emma…" he held a hand out towards her. If her world hadn't been caving in around her she would have laughed at his almost comically horrified expression.
"Why wouldn't you just leave us alone!?" His face crumpled but Emma paid it no mind, so consumed by her own pain. "I wish you'd never come!"
She hadn't meant it, of course - she would rather know the truth than live a lie - and she'd apologized several times since then. But it was out there now and, from the look of things, she had hurt Hook with her outburst.
The ding of the bell startled her into motion and she strode through the doors, muttering, "This way," knowing he would follow. She walked all the way to her door without a backwards glance. Fumbling to pull her keys from her pocket - and having no luck - she swore under her breath and dropped her head, resting her forehead against the door.
He approached her and leaned against the doorframe, facing her. "I know I've given you a great deal to handle, Swan…"
Please, you couldn't handle it.
Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it…
She groaned as the memory of their first kiss flashed through her mind. "It's fine," she said, shaking her head to try to forget the feel of his lips on hers, and went back to fighting with the keys in her pocket. He watched her silently as she finally freed them and, with shaking hands, turned the key in the lock and swung the door open.
She tossed her keys onto the table by the door, removed her coat, and draped it over the back of one of the chairs at the dining room table. Holding onto the chair, she took several deep breaths before she turned to face the pirate, still waiting at the door.
"Well, did you come all this way to stand in my doorway?"
He toed the threshold with his boot but didn't enter the apartment and she realized the words came out harsher than she meant them. In all honesty, she was glad to see him – too glad – and her heart did funny things when she remembered what had happened when he first came to her door.
She crossed the room back to Hook.
He held her gaze and spoke softly. "I have thought of you every day, love, but trust me, the last thing I wanted to do was cause you pain."
She started to extend her hand, to touch him, wanting to apologize again, to erase her harsh words, but she pulled it back quickly, instead stepping away from him. "Come on, we can talk in here."
He gave her a hesitant smile and walked past her into the apartment, over to the table, and turned to face her, but instead his gaze stopped before it met hers and his mouth opened in unmistakable shock.
"Where did you get that?" he said, jutting his chin towards the wall. "And why the bloody hell is it on your wall?"
She walked over to join him and when she saw what he was looking at her jaw slacked as well. "I…" she began but shook her head. "I don't know." He raised an eyebrow and she continued quickly, "I mean, I remember it being there, and seeing it every day, but I never realized what it was until right now." She shook her head again to clear the haze preventing her from remembering where she bought the oversized manacle and chain that, until this moment, seemed completely normal hanging in her dining room.
Was this what it had been like for all of Storybrooke for twenty-eight years? She honestly couldn't remember where it came from and now, knowing what it was, she couldn't figure out how it could possibly have ended up on her wall.
Hook's chuckle startled her. "The Queen has quite the perverse sense of humor." He walked over to where the chains hung from the wall and ran his hand over them. "Not what I would have chosen to give you as a souvenir of our time together, but I suppose it is better than nothing."
"So what would you have given me, Hook?" Emma said, her manner teasing.
He slowly turned to face her again, regarding her with a tender expression. "There's nothing I wouldn't have given you, love," he said, his voice nearly a whisper.
His words took her breath away, but still she had to focus on what was important.
"The only thing I want is to make sure my family is safe."
"You will," he assured her. "You're quite adept at rescuing your family.."
She held his gaze until her nerves overcame her. "I could use a drink while you tell me more about this new danger that all of the Enchanted Forest needs the savior for." She went to the cabinet and took out two tumblers and a bottle of Bacardi left over from her birthday. Filling the glasses halfway, she gave one to Hook, then motioned to him to follow her to the living room.
She sat sideways on the couch, swinging her legs up to stretch out in front of her, hoping Hook would join her but he leaned against the wall.
He took a sip of his drink, and launched into a lengthy description of the newest threat, filling in the blanks he had left earlier during his quick summary on the walk back to her apartment. When he finished, she allowed herself a long sip, taking time to formulate a reply. She glanced out the window; the sun was low in the sky.
"We can make the trip in under eight hours, without stops, but I'm not driving through the night. We'll start first thing tomorrow."
"Swan…?" he said, a hesitant waiver to his voice.
She smirked at him. "I would have thought you'd jump at the chance to spend the night with me."
He raised an eyebrow, "I figured you'd want to set out as soon as possible."
A wave of disappointment hit her at the perceived rejection. "Don't worry. I know you're a gentleman… Henry's staying at his friend's downstairs; you can sleep in his bed."
Hook nodded once and finished the last of his drink. Emma frowned. She'd expected some sort of response at her mention of the word 'bed,' an innuendo of some kind, not silent consent.
"I'll go get it ready for you..." she muttered and hurried out of the room. She'd barely crossed the threshold into Henry's bedroom before it hit her: he'd tried to revive her memories with a kiss and it hadn't worked. He had tried True Love's Kiss on her which meant he thought - or at least accepted the possibility - that she was his True Love. She staggered and leaned against the wall. Sure, he had all but said 'I love you' in the Echo Cave, but this was a whole other level of crazy.
Is it? Remember your goodbye...
Emma remembered her heart clenching when he told her he'd think of her every day, how she wanted to grab him and never let go. She'd almost begged him to come with her, not leave her as everyone else always had, but all she could choke out was one strangled word. She'd berated herself for not taking every opportunity to be with him that their short time together provided. She was almost relieved that she'd have no memory of him because that would be less painful than remembering every day.
And now he was here, standing in her living room. A man that made her feel more than she could ever remember feeling - things that both thrilled and terrified her - waited in the other room for her and she was hiding out in Henry's bedroom.
She walked back out into the main area of the apartment and found him sitting at the table, head bowed, glass in hand and bottle nearby. His coat lay draped over hers and seeing him in only his vest and shirt, sitting in front of the manacles with which she'd chained him, brought back another flood of memories.
I was hoping it'd be you...
You're something of an open book…
I think we make quite the team…
Try something new, darling; it's called trust...
You are bloody brilliant, amazing…
She wanted to know for sure.
"Why'd you kiss me, Hook?" she asked as she walked towards him.
His whole body stiffened and he scratched his neck behind his ear.
"When you came to my door, you knew I wouldn't remember you; why did you kiss me?"
She could practically see his walls shoot up as he met her gaze and his mouth curved into a half smile.
"It had been a year since I'd seen you, darling, and you looked inviting, with your hair tousled from sleep, still in your nightclothes."
The fact that he was holding back confirmed her suspicions. She sat down next to him. "So I don't look inviting right now?"
She caught a glimpse of a wicked grin before he leaned close to her to whisper in her ear. "Aye, love, you do. But every time I get near you in this bloody city you see fit to inflict bodily harm on me."
His face was so close to hers; if she just turned her head…
But she knew he was deflecting her questions because the answer upset him. After all, it's what she would do. She didn't put much stock in the whole True Love thing, but if he did - enough to try to use it to restore her memories - having it not work would have been like a great big eff you from the universe. And he didn't deserve that.
"I have something I need to tell you; it's about my parents."
He turned his head to look at her and cocked an eyebrow but didn't speak.
"I read it in Henry's book. Apparently, Snow White and Prince Charming didn't have it so easy, even before the sleeping curse. At one point, to save David's life, Mary Margaret told him she didn't love him so he'd marry who his father wanted, but she was so heartbroken she took a potion that made her forget him."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "He came for her, found her without her memories, and kissed her."
Hook dropped his head again, picked up the glass and downed the rest of the rum. His fingers closed around the neck of the bottle and she quickly covered his hand with hers. His jaw clenched, but he made no other move.
"Do you know what happened next, Hook?"
He met her eyes again and smirked, "They lived happily ever after?"
"She punched him in the face!" Emma said, raising an eyebrow. "It didn't work."
The muscles on the sides of Hook's face twitched. "Why are you telling me this, love?"
Emma thought about all he had told her, about the witch, yet another curse, and everyone relying on the savior again. She sifted through her memories of him; at her side when she needed him, always believing in her, saving her father, helping her save her son…
That kiss…
And now, here with her still; crossing realms to find her, telling her he'd give her anything.
She made her decision. Wrenching the bottle from his hand, she placed it on the other side of her, out of his reach, and glared at him.
"Because, love," she emphasized the word in a poor imitation of his accent. Then, because she couldn't give voice to everything she felt; because she wanted to show him how much his actions - no, how much he - meant to her, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her, crushing her mouth against his and nearly knocking them both off their chairs.
If she shocked him he caught up quickly, groaning into her mouth and tilting his head to deepen the kiss. The feel of his mouth, the way he tugged on her lower lip as he pulled away briefly to catch his breath before diving back in, his tongue tangling with hers, was both familiar and exciting. The feelings resulting from their kiss in Neverland had shocked her, but now she fully expected the swirling need in the pit of her stomach threatening to overcome her.
They broke apart, breathless, remaining close to each other and he exhaled, his breath hot on her face.
"Emma…"
"Don't," she said, climbing onto his lap and straddling him on the chair, smiling at how his breath stuttered. She slipped her hands over his shoulders and twined her fingers behind his neck. "Just kiss me."
He wound his hand into her hair and wrapped his left arm around her back, drawing her to him and kissing her again, his mouth moving effortlessly in sync with hers. Between the way he gently sucked on her bottom lip, to how he knew exactly when to brush his lips over hers and when to kiss her deeply, to the truly wicked things he was able to do with his tongue, she was more than aroused from just the simple act of kissing.
She shifted her hips, molding her body to his. He moaned into her mouth and the evidence of how much he wanted her pressed hard between her legs, making her throb with need. She rotated her hips against him, fighting the urge to cry out as her body ground against his.
He gasped and broke their kiss, his forehead leaning against hers. Neither of them spoke, but Emma couldn't prevent the corners of her mouth from turning up when she saw the blatant want and desire in his eyes.
Her smile faded when she saw the vulnerability behind it. He had always been completely honest with her - other than that initial asinine blacksmith ruse - and she owed it to him to do the same.
"I don't know what's going to happen after tonight, Hook."
He brushed a lock of her hair behind her shoulder, the familiar gesture nearly undoing her.
"No one expects you to read the future, darling."
"That's not what I mean…"
"You know I want more than one night with you, Emma."
"I know." She bit her lip, heart racing at what she wanted to admit, how much more she wanted, and cursed herself for not being able to. "But right now it's all I have to give..."
He smirked at her, and the guarded expression that appeared on his face was like a knife to her chest. "I'm a pirate, love, remember? I'll take what I can."
She swung her leg off his lap and stood up, shoving him so hard he had to stand as well or else fall off the chair.
"Dammit, stop that." She stepped forward and shoved him again, nearly sending him into the manacles she once used to chain him. "I have one night. Just one night before all hell breaks loose in my life again, and I stop being Emma and become 'The Savior,' and for that one night I don't want to worry about anyone else, I just want to be me. And I want to be with you."
She tried to push him again but he anticipated her this time and blocked her hands, catching one in his and pulling her towards him.
"You said you'd give me anything? Anything I want?" She leaned close to his ear to whisper, "I. Want. You."
He closed his eyes and exhaled and she took the opportunity to lean in and press open-mouthed kisses against his neck.
"Emma," he groaned and his mouth was on hers again.
She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him backwards until she bumped into the table. Without breaking their kiss, he wrapped his arms around her and hoisted her up. As she slid onto the table she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling herself even closer to him.
His hand slipped into her hair again and he tugged lightly, tipping her head back as he kissed across her jaw and down her neck. His mouth found the curve where it met her shoulder, the kisses he placed there setting her skin on fire. Emma let out a small whimper and then caught herself, swallowing the rest of the noise.
He leaned back to look at her, a roguish smile on his face. "I will make you cry out many times tonight, love..." His disentangled his hand from her hair and dragged it down her neck, across her collarbone, and then down around the side of her breast. "Don't fight it, darling."
He brushed his thumb across her nipple, teasing it through the material of her shirt. She gasped, the light touch sending shock waves of desire straight to her center. She let go of his collar and reached between the two of them to undo his pants.
"I want you, Hook," she said, fumbling to find some sort of button or zipper or magic fastener. "I want you now."
He growled low in his throat and the animalistic noise spurred on Emma's desire. His mouth claimed hers and he slipped his hand under her shirt, across her stomach and back up to her breast. His fingers played across her sensitive skin and she stopped fighting with the laces on his pants long enough to pull her shirt over her head - breaking their kiss - and toss it to the side.
He reached his hand around her back and unhooked her bra, sliding the undergarment off her shoulders and throwing it to the side. His eyes traced the contours of her body. "Bloody hell, Swan, you are beautiful. " She tried to ignore the flip of her stomach caused by his words and resumed pulling at his laces.
His hand found her nipple, rolling it between finger and thumb, and his mouth covered her other one, tongue teasing and flicking it.
"Aaaahhh…" She gave up on unfastening his pants and instead slid her hand down the front of them, rubbing against his arousal.
He moaned, pressing his hips forward against her hand.
"Help me with your damn pants," Emma demanded, moving her hand over him. He raised his head to look at her and her stomach clenched at the way his eyes darkened with desire. "You're wearing too many clothes."
He straightened up so their faces were nearly touching. "Only if you remove yours as well, love."
Emma smirked at him and pushed him away so she could hop off the table. She unbuttoned her jeans and slipped them over her hips. He groaned and pulled her to him as she kicked them off. Instead of removing his pants as he'd agreed, he bent to kiss her again and, while she was distracted by his tongue dancing against hers and his hand fisting in her hair, he slipped his hook inside the waistband of her panties and tugged them down over her hips.
He kissed and licked her neck as he slid them down her thighs.
Oh hell.
He touched and teased her nipple as he drew them over her calves.
Oh God...
He lavished kisses across her stomach as he pulled them off one than the other foot and tossed them aside. He kissed his way back up her body, paying special attention to her breasts, her neck, as he ran his hand up the inside of her leg, his fingers leaving a trail of heat in their wake, moving closer and closer to where she wanted - no needed - to feel him.
"That's more like it," he breathed against her mouth, his lips barely touching hers, the curve of his hook resting lightly on her back, holding her in place as his hand caressed her inner thigh, up across her stomach, her hip, and down the inside of her other thigh.
So close - so very close.
She shifted her weight into his hand, trying to get him to touch her where she ached for him. He tilted his head back, raising an eyebrow, and his mouth quirked up in a positively sinful smile. He skimmed his fingers up until….
Oh yes…
...they slid across her slick folds, parting her…
OH… YES…
... slowly stroking, massaging…
Ohhhhh….
... his eyes never leaving hers, his gaze hot with desire.
She grabbed him around the back of the neck and kissed him, moaning into his mouth as his fingers teased her.
"I've barely touched you, Emma, and you're so wet," he murmured against her lips, his voice rough with need.
She groaned, rotating her hips to press harder against his hand. "I told you I wanted you."
"Oh, you shall have me, love," he said, slipping a finger inside her as he rubbed slow circles with his thumb. "But I want to make sure you have the best one night of your life."
He licked and kissed her nipple again, all the while sliding his finger slowly inside her and teasing her with his thumb. Emma couldn't help her whimpers, couldn't believe the pleasure he was giving her with just his hand.
She wanted to touch him too, to make him feel this good. She rubbed her hand against the front of his pants and he exhaled sharply against her skin.
"Please… take them off," she said, her voice gasping and breathy.
He looked up and met her eyes.
"I want to touch you…"
"As you wish." One side of his mouth turned up and he slipped his finger out of her, caressing it over her one last time before unlacing his pants, holding her gaze the entire time.
She knew he expected her to put her hand on him again, which is exactly why she couldn't do that. She smiled sweetly at him. Then, in one fluid motion, she slipped his pants down his legs and took him into her mouth.
He groaned and she heard a loud thunk behind her as his hand grabbed her hair. She pulled her head back, letting him slowly slip out of her mouth and realized his hook was now firmly imbedded in her table.
She glanced up at him, eyebrow raised. "Really?" She looked pointedly behind her at the damage before fixing him with a mock stern glare.
His breathing was heavy and he regarded her with hungry eyes. "You have no idea…"
She didn't wait for him to finish, but ran a hand down his length, following it with her mouth, watching him to see his reaction. His eyes were practically black, his mouth partially open and his breath coming out in grunts. She pulled back again, letting him slide out, repeating the movement and settling into a rhythm, encouraged by his stunted breaths and the incoherent words he muttered.
He started pulling her hair, encouraging her to move faster. Instead she let him slip completely out of her mouth, swirling her tongue around him as she did.
"Bloody hell!" he gasped.
She realized from his wrecked expression that she could have him any which way she wanted and she stood up and pushed him down onto the chair.
"Swan…" he moaned, dislodging his hook from the table and pressing its curve and his hand against her hips.
"Hook…" she answered, swinging a leg over him to straddle him. She gripped the back of the chair and pulled herself against him, groaning as she rotated her hips. Her body tingled as he rubbed against her in the most wonderful way.
She released the chair with one hand and ran her fingers into his hair, pulling him to her and kissing him. His arms wrapped around her as she rocked against him, her every move drawing a moan or a grunt from him; his noises mingling with hers. As she kissed him she reached between them to guide him into her.
Without warning he stood and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his back to keep from dropping to the floor. They fell together against the table, and she managed to catch herself with her arms, supporting her weight with her elbows.
He remained still, head bowed, clenching his jaw and inhaling deeply through his nose. With his good hand - she felt the cool metal of his hook still pressed against her back - he loosened her legs from around his waist, caressing her from foot to thigh as he did.
He exhaled in a long and shuddering breath and stepped ever so slightly away. Before she could protest, his hand caressed up her thigh until it rested where his thumb could tease her. Still, she missed the heat of him against her so she sat forward and put her arms around his waist, pulling him back to her, but he resisted.
"I've wanted this – wanted you – for a long time now, love." He moved his hand up, dragging his fingers across her breast. "I intend to take my time, even if it bloody well kills me."
He replaced his hand with his mouth, circling her nipple with his tongue before gently grazing it with his teeth, all the while gazing up at her through his lashes.
His hand slid back down between her legs and her head fell back, eyes closed as she bit her lip, muffling her cry. The thing he was doing with his fingers, the way they caressed and stroked, slipping over and in and out and around, it felt damn good. She would come right on his hand soon if he didn't stop.
He flicked his tongue against her nipple before trailing kisses down her stomach. She opened her eyes and looked at him, realizing what he intended to do when she saw him on his knees.
No… no…
It was too much, too intimate, she didn't want…
"Ohhhhhh God!"
He ran his tongue slowly up, between her folds again and then smiled. "That's it, darling; don't hold back. I want to hear you."
She cried out again as his mouth worked over her, licking, sucking, kissing, while his finger – or perhaps it was two, she couldn't even tell anymore – slipped in and out of her in a slow and deliberate rhythm.
Her hands grabbed for purchase, one tangling in his hair and the other grasping at the edge of the table next to her.
So good. Oh God... So good.
The tension within her built; with every flick of his tongue pleasure shot through her and brought her closer to her release.
Ohh…so good…
A warmth built low in her stomach. She was close, so close…
"Come for me, Emma," his whispered words – and the gentle caress of his tongue after them - almost made her do just that. She whimpered, gripping his hair tighter, as she rose higher and higher, so close… so close…
Don't stop!
One more slow drag of his tongue sent her over the edge, crying out, body shaking, toes curling. Waves of ecstasy radiated through her body as she squeezed her legs around him, trembling and shuddering.
He kept the pressure right where she needed it, not breaking contact with her until she was reduced to a limp mess, breathing hard and trying to recover.
"Oh," she panted. "Oh God…"
Kissing the inside of her thigh, he slipped his fingers out of her and placed them on her hip, slowly standing while his thumb gently caressed the top of her leg.
"That was…" she breathed.
He cocked an eyebrow. "A one time thing?"
"God, I hope not," she said before she could censor herself. His face broke out into a breath-taking smile at her unguarded response.
"You are amazing, you do know that, love?" His hand brushed up her thigh and stopped to rest on her waist. She bit back a giggle, giddy after her orgasm. He kissed her neck, grazing his teeth against the delicate skin before soothing it with his lips and tongue.
"I'm amazing?" She laughed again. "You are… That was…" She couldn't even form coherent sentences.
He turned his head so he could meet her gaze and her heart swelled at what she saw in his eyes; emotions that terrified her as she deciphered each one.
Desire.
Hope.
Want.
Lo-
NO!
His fingers playing against the skin at her side brought her back to the present. "Just… just give me a minute…"
He bent to whisper in her ear, kissing the sensitive skin below it first. "I'll wait until you're ready but bloody hell, Swan, I want to throw you down and take you right now."
Her breath hitched at his words and the stirrings of need began to build again. Not surprising, with his mouth on her neck and his fingers tracing patterns on her side. "I want…" Her cheeks flushed as she searched for the right words to say, words that would ignite him with the burning flame that had just consumed her.
He straightened up and met her eyes, placing his hand on her thigh. "Yes, love? What is it you want?"
She bit her lip and looked up at him. "I want you inside me."
He exhaled sharply and closed his eyes. "God, Emma…"
She fought the grin that spread across her face and ran a hand down his chest, down his stomach…
He opened his eyes – grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him – and crushed her mouth against his. He pressed against her, hot and hard between her legs, and she shifted her hips, allowing him to slip into her…
Oh yes...
...deeper and deeper...
Oh. So. GOOD.
...stretching her, filling her, his mouth open in a silent moan and his eyes closed in pleasure.
"Emma," he groaned. His eyes opened and raked over her body. "You feel bloody amazing."
Oh, God…
So good…
Their eyes met and he held her gaze as he slowly pulled back before pushing into her again, the heat in his stare fuelling the fire within her.
He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her to him as he rocked into her, his hand coming up to cradle her head.
Their mouths pressed against each other: kissing, moaning, panting. He slid his hand down so he could caress her breast as he moved inside her, every motion just right, hitting everywhere she needed him to, filling her perfectly.
So good… so very good…
His hand moved further down and Emma arched into him, nails digging into his back. His thumb slipped between them, rubbing her where their bodies came together, and murmuring her name, pushing her closer… closer…
"Oh… yes…"
She clung to him, bucking her hips against his, chasing her climax, wanting – no needing – to come with him deep inside her, to feel him pressed against her walls as she shattered around him.
"Please!"
He said her name in response - more of a growl than a spoken word - and it sent her over the edge. Her body tensed and the room spun as pleasure flooded through her, wonderful ripples rolling over her and wracking her body. She bit down on his shoulder to try and stifle her shouted cries, riding out her second orgasm as he continued to drive into her, his breath ragged. He followed her quickly, burying his head into her neck, breathing her name like a whispered prayer as he shuddered in her arms.
They sat together on the couch with the TV on; Emma's legs tangled with Hook's on the footrest, his arm wrapped around her and her head leaned against him. She hovered somewhere between sleep and being awake, perfectly content to doze in his arms, only half watching as he continued to examine the remote, obviously still not believing her that it was indeed not magic. She chuckled; at least he'd stopped changing the channel every five seconds.
She found it hard to believe that yesterday she had no memory of him, and now they were-
What?
No. She would not think beyond tonight; not right now. Who knew when she would be able to relax like this again, selfish and comfortable? Tonight she would enjoy the sated feeling that only came after - she had to be honest - the most amazing sex ever, and being held by him afterwards. Tonight she would not put a name to what they were.
She yawned and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Tired, love?"
Emma smiled against his chest. "I am. I got quite a workout earlier."
"As did your table…"
She laughed. "And my countertop, and that wall over there, and this couch…"
He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head to look at him.
"Don't forget the chair…"
"Oh, right, the chair." She grinned up at him. "You were kind of insatiable."
He brushed a soft kiss against her lips. "I can't help myself, Swan. I will never have my fill of you."
She stiffened against him, dropping her gaze. His words spoke of more than tonight and she just couldn't, not yet.
"Hook, I… This was…"
"I know, love." She met his eyes again and saw understanding there, at odds with the sadness of his smile. He kissed her, a gentle kiss that made her ache deep in her chest. They broke apart and he tucked a stray lock of hair over her shoulder. "Just one night."
His fingers slid across her cheek, guiding her back against his chest. She closed her eyes, relaxing into him, and as he pressed another kiss against her head she heard him whisper, "For now."
I wanted to post this before the mid-season premiere, before it was rendered AU by the show, so it seems I made it just under the wire. The idea for this popped into my head literally as I was typing Hook's line (seen in the summary here) in "Bedtime Stories". I had no idea how much of a challenge this would prove to be.
I can not say enough of a thank you to my beta, OnceUponSomeChaos. There would have been abundant cliches, and repetitive words, and unrealistic things going on all over the place if not for her. I am eternally grateful for her persistence, her patience, her research on my behalf, and her knowledge of how the human body can and cannot contort.