Emma glances down at her phone again, a frown marring her face when she sees the blinking dot is still in the same location. She starts to walk faster, carefully stepping over large branches and fallen logs. This is one of the denser sections of the forest and as far as she can see, there's nothing out there but trees, trees and more trees. She has no idea what he could possibly be doing this far away from town or why he'd be staying in one place for so long. The GPS dot hasn't moved since she turned the tracker on at the station almost thirty minutes earlier.

She's trying not to play out worst case scenarios in her head, but she can't seem to help it (this is Storybrooke after all). Her father and Killian had both left the station five hours ago to patrol various parts of the town while she stayed back and dealt with the insane amount of paperwork piled on her desk. David checked in three separate times, but she hadn't heard a word from Killian. At first, Emma hadn't thought much of it. She knew he didn't particularly like the cell phone (his third in less than a week after his hook had destroyed the first two in what may or may not have been accidents). But she'd expected him to at least come back to see her after a few hours.

Nothing about the situation should give her reason to worry, but it did because this was Storybrooke and anything could happen in a matter of hours. A new curse could hit or a new villain could arrive or a portal to another world could spring up out of nowhere. So after several failed attempts to get him to answer the phone, Emma had turned on the GPS tracker because what if his safety was compromised? That's when she'd discovered the blinking dot in the middle of the forest and immediately set out to find out what happened to him.

Another glance at the phone tells her that she's getting closer. She slips it back into her pocket and grabs her gun from the holster. It's possible Killian just dropped the phone because it's not like him to stay in one spot…unless he's been hurt and can't move. Her heart is beating loudly between her ears and Emma steadies the gun, holding it in front of her as she tries to make as little noise as possible moving between the trees. She hears a rustling, squares her shoulders and quickly darts around the next tree.

"Don't move!" she calls only to realize the command is unnecessary because it's Killian on the other side of the tree. Her gun's trained on his chest and Emma's mouth falls open when she sees that he's tied to the tree, thick ropes wrapped around his midsection. His hand struggles against the hold and she spots his hook lying on the ground a few feet away, just out of his reach. For a moment, all she can do is stare.

He raises an eyebrow at the gun and attempts to lift his hand in a gesture of surrender. "I can explain."

"Really?" Emma raises an eyebrow right back as she surveys his current predicament. Her heart is finally starting to beat at a normal rate again now that she can see that he is safe and in one piece. "You can explain why my newest deputy is tied to a tree in the middle of nowhere when you're supposed to be out patrolling?"

A hint of shame crosses his face before his eyes drop from hers to the gun that she's still pointing at him. "Swan, if you'd kindly lower the firearm, I'll share my tale with you."

"Right, sorry," Emma says. She slips it back into the holster and places her hands on his hips, giving him her full attention. "Explain."

He sighs. "I encountered Robin as I set out on patrol and he mentioned that his band of Merry Men came across a disturbance in the forest last night. His details were vague, but I agreed to investigate since I am a lawman now."

Emma rolls her eyes at the smug look on his face because of course he would still manage to find a way to be arrogant while tied to a freaking tree. "So Robin tipped you off and you decided there was no need for backup even though that's standard procedure?"

The smug look fades and Emma resists the urge to smirk, keeping her expression serious as he continues defensively, "I can handle myself quite well, Swan." She scoffs and he glares at her. "Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss my many talents." He runs his tongue across his bottom lip and Emma is powerless against the urge to follow the movement with her eyes. He sends another smug grin at her.

"Stop it," Emma warns. She gestures to the ropes. "Who did this to you? And why didn't you use your many talents to prevent whoever it was from tying you to a tree and removing your hook?" She frowns at that. Why would someone go to the trouble of taking his hook away just to leave it behind? Her eyes meet his and suddenly she knows exactly what happened. "Robin?"

Killian's expression sours. "Aye," he confirms. "His bloody bandits were waiting for me and he used his boy as a distraction. Swan, I'll have you know that I easily could have bested all of them, but I felt it would be unbecoming of a deputy to maim several citizens. Not to mention little Roland having to watch his father lose a duel. Think of the paper drudgery I spared you."

She bites her lip to keep from laughing, but Emma knows her serious face is not going to last much longer because this entire thing is completely ridiculous. "So let me get this straight. You let Robin and his men tie you to a tree because you didn't want to traumatize Roland or add to my paperwork?"

"Aye," Killian replies and she sees that he looks proud of himself once more. "Now please untie me. I haven't eaten a bloody thing all day and a storm is brewing." He lifts his head toward the sky and Emma glances up as well, noting the thick, gray clouds above them. She wants to get out of the woods before it rains, but she's not letting that story fly.

"You left out an important detail, Killian." It's gone in a flash, but she sees the hint of panic cross his face. She's not the only open book in this relationship. "Why exactly did Robin and his men target you? Could it be because of what happened at the Rabbit Hole last week?" She arches an eyebrow.

A muscle in his jaw ticks and he runs his tongue along his teeth. She notices he tries to lift his hand and she's willing to bet he has the urge to scratch behind his ear – his nervous tell. "Perhaps," he concedes.

This time Emma does laugh because it's so rare that Killian fails to take an opportunity to use his extensive vocabulary. "Perhaps," she echoes, "Robin and Little John are still mad at you for locking them in the holding cell overnight after all three of you were drinking together."

"Whose side are you on?" He sends her a pouty look and Emma rolls her eyes, "The side where I don't have to rescue my deputy from a tree." She takes a step forward and runs her hand along the ropes that are holding him in place. "Did Mulan do this?" she guesses. The knots are quite impressive, something she's willing to bet Killian would rather swallow his tongue than admit. "I'm going to have to go back to the car to get something to cut these."

Killian sighs. "Check my left boot."

Emma raises an eyebrow, but kneels down and slides her hand along his dark jeans and into his boot, her fingers wrapping around what feels suspiciously like the handle of a dagger. Sure enough, that's exactly what she finds when she pulls it out and looks up at him. "Seriously?"

"Pirate, love, always prepared."

"Unless there's a dimpled toddler around," Emma mutters. She gets to her feet again and taps the dagger against her hand. "Why does this feel so familiar, Captain?" She holds the dagger up to his neck, the tip of it brushing against his pulse point.

A slow smile crosses his face. "You have enjoyed tying me up from the start of our courtship, darling. Such a pity too that you've never followed through on your desires," Killian comments. She sees his tongue dart of his mouth again and watches as he slowly runs it across his bottom lip. Emma forces herself to look away, but she doesn't miss the triumphant look in his eyes.

She taps the dagger against his neck. "Do you really think I had any desires for you when you were tied to a tree pretending to be a blacksmith? Or I would act on them while my mother and Mulan and Aurora were standing right there?" As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Emma realizes it's the wrong thing to say.

The look he gives her is downright sinful and Emma feels the heat in every part of her. She tries to remember that he's tied to a tree because he started a silly feud with Robin, but the facts do nothing to quell the familiar warmth in her belly and she mentally curses him for having this effect on her. "We are alone now. There's no one around for miles who could stumble upon us," he points out, his voice low and dripping with sensual promises.

"I hate you." She drops the dagger and grabs the heavy chains around his neck, her mouth closing over his to wipe the smirk off his face. She kisses him hard, lips tongues and teeth clashing together when he responds immediately, both of them diving into the kiss like their very existences depend on it.

She slides her other hand into his hair, tugging his head none-too-gently to the side as she changes the angle of the kiss, taking back some of the control he'd managed to steal. Emma can feel him trying to shift closer, the bindings keeping him in place. She smiles against his lips and he starts to mutter something about being right before she shuts him up with another bruising kiss.

They're both panting when she pulls back, her lungs burning for air. She rests her forehead against his, enjoying the desire she sees reflected in his eyes and the way his lips are swollen and red from hers. She trails her hand down his chest to his stomach, his muscles clenching beneath the fabric of his shirt. He's struggling to catch his breath, his eyes darting to her lips. "Untie me."

"No," Emma replies. She leans in and nips at his throbbing pulse point, smoothing the skin with her tongue. He lets out a growl and does his best to shift closer, but she moves out of the way, keeping his body from touching hers. He shoots her another pouty look and she smirks against his skin. "You have to stop arresting our friends just to prove your authority."

"And if I don't?" His voice is still low and his tone makes the simple words sound far too suggestive. She fights the urge to rub her thighs together, not wanting to give him any further ammunition. Instead, she trails her mouth to his ear, sinking her teeth into his earlobe. She places her hand on his stomach again, her fingertips drifting lower until they brush against the waistband of his jeans. He groans and tries to move closer to her again.

She immediately takes a step back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Then I'm going to leave you here. We might not have ogres in Storybrooke, but I'm willing to bet Ruby isn't the only werewolf in town. Has the full moon already happened this month?" she asks.

Killian narrows his eyes. "You've bested me again, Swan." He attempts to give her a small bow, which isn't easy with his limited mobility. "I'll refrain from locking up anyone unless they commit a crime. Does that please you, milady?"

Sneaky bastard, Emma thinks as her nerve endings all seem to vibrate at once. She retrieves the dagger from the ground and cuts away the rope that's holding his hand against the tree. Killian flexes his wrist and gives her a questioning look when she doesn't undo the rest of his bindings and instead drops the dagger once more. "Don't," Emma warns and then her lips are on his again before he has a chance to make a comment and ruin this for her.

She feels him smirk against her lips, but then his hand is in her hair and his tongue sweeps over hers and she sinks into him, pressing her body flush against his. He groans into her mouth and Emma can feel him trying to free his other arm from the rope so she shifts, trapping him more firmly against the tree. His smirk widens and she knows he wants to gloat. "Shut up," she warns against his lips.

Killian laughs and dips his head to her neck, trailing kisses along her skin. "If the lady insists…"