Leaning against the door frame, I studied Emma Swan as she sat slumped in the booth, cradling her son Henry. She carried none of her usual grace or wit, only an air of defeat. It killed me to see her like this, so lifeless, as if she had given up on the world. It killed me even more that I could not ease her pain, or mine for that matter.

For a time, Baelfire had been a son to me, a boy that I could teach and nurture to be a strong man. After his father had abandoned him, I took him under my wing. I was going to show him the world, sail the seven seas and prove to him that he was not alone on this earth. That was before my hunger for revenge became more important to me then him. If Mila were alive she'd have been ashamed of my actions that day upon the Jolly Roger. I should have raised him like we had planned, shown him that I could be the father he so desperately wanted. The day that I let Bae go was the day that I dishonoured Mila's memory. A day that I will regret as long as I will live.

A bell chimed as the door to Granny's Diner swung open and Snow White and Prince Charming stepped through the door, weaving their way over to the booth where Emma and Henry still sat. I needed to speak to Emma. Just to hear her voice would be to soothe my sorrow and perhaps talking to her might provide us both with some comfort.

As I made my way over to the small, leather clad booth, Emma looked up and met my gaze. Her striking blue eyes held the weight of all the seas and my heart ached to look at them. "Emma," I said softly, as if anything above a whisper would somehow corrupt the somber occasion. "Can I speak with you a moment?"

Nodding, she turned and muttered a few quiet words to her parents before following me out to the small courtyard behind Granny's. We were completely alone here; cut off from the people inside grieving their friend. Even so, I couldn't face her yet. My insides were coiling with emotions and I couldn't bring myself to turn and bare my soul to Emma just yet. I should have just left her to be with her family; to take her away from all that love and support at this time just so I could utter the words that I so desperately needed her to hear, was selfish of me. Even for a treasure thieving pirate it was selfish to want to express my desires to a woman whose first true love was not yet cold in his grave.

"Is something wrong Hook?" Emma asked.

After a moment I turned, and looked at her, truly looked at her. I took in every inch of Emma Swan, from the brown laced boots on upon her feet to the threadbare grey beanie atop her head. From her glassy blue eyes to her full, quivering lips. Her expression changed then and her inquisitive gazed turned to that of pain.

"I can't do this Hook, not now," she said, beginning to turn back to Granny's.

"Emma wait," I said, reaching for her hand. She looked down at our gloved hands clasped together, then met my eyes.

"I'm sorry about Bae. He was a good man. I spent many days with him in Neverland and even then he was one of the bravest boys I had ever met. He single handedly beat Pan at his own game, not many people can say that. The boy was like a son to me. And even though he was a lost boy, he found his family in the end." I said, giving her hand a squeeze.

For the longest time, Emma didn't reply, she simply looked at me with a small, sad smile. "Thank you Hook, I appreciate that." She began to turn away again but with my hand still clasped to hers, I drew her into my chest, holding her there.

I could feel her breath against my neck and it made the blood in my veins race. "I think you know why I really called you out here Emma," I whispered. "I can't get you out of my mind and i'd wager that it's worse then any curse. Do you know what you do to me? The way you make me feel?" I breathed.

I could feel her heart racing beneath our clasped hands. This proximity drove me crazy and I had to fight the desire to kiss her full lips. "Hook, I can't do this, not now," she muttered, attempting to pull away which only made me hold on tighter.

"Ever since I've met you Swan you've been trying to escape something, whether it be embracing your role as the Saviour or admitting you're an orphan. I'm not going to let you run away from me love, not this time." I smiled, gazing at her her flushed cheeks.

Sighing, she looked up at me expectantly, awaiting what I had to say.

"Look, I know Baelfire has only just passed but I couldn't wait any longer, I need you to listen to what I have to say. After Mila, I never though it would be possible for me to recover from her loss, and then I met you. On the day I met you, the very first thing you did was shove me up against a tree and you were so close to me that I could smell sunlight on your skin, a little like this," I grinned as I wrapped my arm around her waist, drawing her impossibly close so that only our clothing separated our flesh.

"I think I knew from that very moment that there was something special about you, Swan. Although it wasn't until we shared that first kiss in Neverland that I realised I was trapped and there was no escape. I had to have you. Before you, I was just a pirate sailing the seas in search of treasure and whilst I may still be a pirate, love, I've found the treasure I had been looking for all along. It's you Emma, it's always been you. You are fierce and strong and inconceivably beautiful and I love you. I will fight for you until the day I die."

I took a relieved breath. I had finally gotten it out, finally spoken the words I had longed to for so long.

"Killian, I..." she trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Killian eh? Not the usual 'Hook?'" I said playfully, trying to stave off the nerves.

"No, not Hook," Emma muttered before clutching the front of my shirt and drawing her lips to mine.

Just like that, all my fears and worries dissipated and all that existed was her and I in this moment. I kissed her hard, desperately trying to make up for all the kisses we should have shared. She tasted of cinnamon and chocolate, an intoxicating concoction that made me want her even more. I pressed her up against the back wall of Granny's as she laughed against my lips.

"This is your idea of romance?" Emma asked, as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Not at all love, this is my idea of making up for lost time," I held her face in my hands as our kiss deepened. She sighed softly as I removed my lips from hers and pressed them against her slender neck, leaving a trail of kisses behind.

"Just so you know," Emma said, trying to catch a moments breath, "I love you too."

I paused, lips hovering over hers, breathing in the sweet smell of cinnamon that radiated off of her. "You can always count on me to come through for you Swan, always," I whispered, our lips now a sliver apart.

"Always," she repeated, as she closed the distance between us so our lips touched once more.

The End.