DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO THE OUAT (ONCE UPON A TIME) CREATORS.

In lieu of the upcoming episode (4x04), I thought that this would be appropriate :) –Meant to post this yesterday but got caught up with homework and such (boring, I know).

Enjoy!

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Chapter One

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Growing impatient, Emma drummed her fingers against the dock's railing and let out an exasperated sigh. Where is he?

Looking off into the growing night, she contemplated silently to herself, trying to reason with her stressed thoughts so that she wouldn't be tempted to leave the area in order to find and…kill him.

She was obviously supposed to be meeting Killian here but he was late, an HOUR late, which wasn't like him at all. Hoping that nothing bad had happened, despite her earlier feelings, she quickly turned around to head back into the main part of town to search for him but, as soon as she did, she immediately stopped in her tracks. Relief then flooded every corner of her being when she spotted his form closing in on her from a distance, his movements hasty.

Noticing that he was running awkwardly, she decided to meet him halfway in concern and curiosity. One of his hands was normally placed out to stabilize him, so he could quickly close the gap between them, while the other, which happened to be the one that bore his famous metal appendage, was securely tucked into his jacket pocket.

Clearing her dry throat, she tried to shake away how handsome he looked in his new outfit—courtesy of her wallet and good fashion sense—so she could focus on finding out WHY he was late but, regardless of her own demands, she found herself combing over his body with heated eyes. Noting the dark ensemble of his calf-high boots and loose fitting jeans, which greatly complimented both the collar of what appeared to be a light, gray shirt and dark leather jacket…, she had to stifle the unexpected groan she felt at the back of her throat by swallowing it down.

She desperately needed to concentrate!

Looking away for a moment, she could feel her heart begin to return to normal at the sight of him being okay. Nervously brushing her hair behind her ears and over her shoulders, she knew that she was in way too deep. Still growing accustomed to the fact that she was dating and developing real feelings for this man, she tried to hide her concern by giving him a serious look, masking her face so that she could talk to him without being too emotional.

Putting her hands to her hips, she tilted her head over to one side, her brows raised. "Where have you been?!" she called out. Her voice had a noticeable crack in it, making her lose all kinds of credibility with nobody but herself. Clearing her throat again, she gave him a small smile before continuing on. "I was starting to get worried!"

"Sorry, love" he responded with a sheepish expression when he pulled her into a hug upon arrival. With his right arm, he fitted her in close, which she readily reciprocated by wrapping her own arms around the top half of his shoulders. Squeezing her affectionately, he gently stroked her back a couple of times before lightly kissing her on the side of her head. "I got caught up with..." he trailed off, moving away to look at her face with an unreadable expression.

"Wiiiiiiith…?" she elongated, wanting him to finish. Looking up at him, she sighed in exasperation before narrowing her eyes, flirting with the dangerously thin line of amusement and suspicion. "What did you do?"

"Always assuming the worst of me, eh, Swan?" he inquired, giving her a wink before dazzling her with a wide, happy smile. Responding to his question by repeatedly poking him in the middle of his chest with a rigid index finger, he finally carried on, rubbing the area fervently so he could ease her tactical assault. "I didn't do anything, love. The meeting that I had attended wasn't a bad one…it was more of an interesting, strange experience…however, I am hoping that it won't turn into something I'll end up regretting in the long run…"

"What the hell did you just say? It literally made no sense, Killian," she remarked, folding her arms over her chest. "Just tell me what's going on and...Don't even think about lying," she stated, briefly lifting a hand out of its position so she could point a finger at him. "…because I'll know if you do."

"I'm well aware of you superpower, lass," he acknowledged with a nod, the smile still on his face. "Aye, I'll tell you but you must promise to not hit me or…something…"

"Really?! It's that bad?!" she forcefully sighed out, giving him a dubious look before relenting. "...Fine, Killian."

Dropping his charming face in professional scrutiny, he nudged her a little bit more. "Say the words, Emma."

Rolling her eyes, she bit the inside of her cheek before giving an additional statement. "I promise that I won't hurt you if it's something I won't like…"

"Hmm, very well," Killian replied, satisfied that she had agreed to his rather odd request. "In order to tell you my tale, I believe that it'll be more effective and entertaining if I gave you some sort of a visual aid."

Widening her eyes, she shook her head. "Why does that sound so dirty?"

Letting out a low chuckle, he began to pull his left hand out of his pocket, all the while giving her a suggestive look. "You have such a filthy mind, Emma. You used to be, somewhat, of a clean spirit...I wonder how you got to be like this…"

Mouth dropping, she released her arms from their confinement so she could smack him hard in his right shoulder. A faint blush tinted her cheeks when she spoke. "It's all because of those damned innuendos of yours!"

"You mean my charm, lass?"

"Of bloody course," she replied, using one of his terminologies in a playful tone, her eyes bright with humor. "And…I wouldn't have called my soul 'clean', per say, but it definitely was and still is, in my humble opinion, purer than yours!"

Feigning shock, he forgot about what he was doing so he could place his hand onto his chest. "I think that you have rendered me speechless…"

"The hell I did," she said with a smile. "You're still talking, plus, you're not getting off that easily. I want to see this demonstration-thingy you have for me."

"Patience is a virtue, lass," he leaned in, trying to give her a kiss while stalling.

"Not right now it's not," she bluntly stated, pulling back to avoid his obvious detour. "I was worried about you…"

As he processed her words, his features softened. Biting his lip, he took a step closer, a soulful tint in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Emma...okay," he complied, trying to lighten up the mood by giving her a crooked smile. Lowering his voice to a seductive drawl, he carried on. "Are you ready, lass?"

"I was born ready. Now, hurry up and show it to me."

"Ignoring that blatant and insinuating statement," he remarked, teasing her while subsequently glancing down into the direction of his full pocket. "I wanted you to be the first person, other than my benefactor, to seeeeeee—" he dramatically paused, tugging his hand out to finally reveal what he had been keeping in there. To her surprise, what he had pulled out wasn't some sort of a trinket (or anything of that nature) that had been latched onto his hook...it was a hand...a whole hand! He had somehow regained the use of his left hand! "—this," he finished, lifting it up to wiggle his fingers.

Emma's mouth dropped open in confusion, happiness, shock and amazement. "What—? How—? …What's going on??" Gazing at both him and...the unfamiliar hand, she instinctually reached out to touch it only to suddenly pull back, not sure if she really wanted to. It appeared to be fine. It looked like a normal limb, but her curious and suspicious personality compelled to her to investigate. "Who gave this to you?"

Clearing his throat, Killian met her eyes while giving her a half-smile. "The Crocodile or...Mr. Gold, as it were…"

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head in incredulity. "What?! Gold, as in our Gold, gave you, his sworn enemy, a hand? ...Are you serious? He gave the person who kinda wrecked his life by taking his—?" Wincing under the raised brow he gave her, she scrunched up her nose and gave him an appealing smile. "...Sorry, but...really?" Looking at it then back at him, she further questioned the situation. "What does he want you to do in exchange?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he answered her, honestly. "I'm not sure, it was all pretty vague, but it'll most likely be a complicated or unusual request, however," he paused, giving her an adoring look. "I think that it was worth it…"

Under his gaze, she could feel herself blushing again. Though she was about to deflect his affections, she maintained her smile, her eyes twinkling. "I hope so. As he says, 'magic comes with a price'."

"I'll fret about that later," he announced, taking another step to bring himself inches away from her body. Then, enclosing his right arm around her waist, he quickly drew her into him. "Right now, I want to do something else."

Happily responding to his closeness by leaning into him and propping her hands up onto his chest, she bent her head back so she could look deeply into his eyes. Mischievously raising her brows, she then casually grabbed ahold of his jacket lapels with her fingers, a now familiar motion on her part. "Oh? Like what, Mr. Jones?"

"The first thing that I want to do with my new hand," he began; a gentle glint in his eyes. "Is to touch you…"

Pleasantly surprised by his romantic candor, her eyes widened and indescribable warmth began to spread over her neck, chest and cheeks. Biting her bottom lip, she caressed the leather beneath her thumbs, circling the material over and over till she manually stopped herself a few moments later. Her voice brimming with emotion, she gave him a small, indulgent smile. "I'll be honored."

Returning her contented expression, Killian gently raised his left arm and brought his newly reinstated hand down to the right side of her face; slowly lowering it till it made that first, crucial contact with her delicate flesh. The heat of her skin instantly seeped into his hand after he cupped her cheek, urging him to caress the round curve with broad, lingering strokes; much like she had done to his jacket a few seconds ago. When he had leisurely swept his palm down to her chin, savoring the sweet feel of her, he had noticed that her mouth had instinctively dropped open, her pink lips parting in an enticing manner. Whether her action was planned or unintentional, he felt his blood bubble and boil nonetheless at the beguiling gesture, prompting him to press his craving lips down onto hers, the intimate connection arousing a quiet, but powerful, sigh to stir in his throat.

Upon pulling away, he moved his fingers back down to her chin, brushing the four of his fingers against the top part of her neck as he, simultaneously, pressed the tip of her face with his thumb. Low and husky, he spoke, his face still relatively close to hers. "How was your experience thus far, Ms. Swan?"

Downplaying the flighty feeling that was bouncing around in her stomach, she responded in a fake and bored tone. "Eh," she began, minimally shaking her head against his hand. "It could've been better…"

Raising his brows, he immediately replied, a laugh detectable in his voice. "I guess I'll have to do something about that."

"You may have to," she said, lifting her right hand so she could hold his new one. A tingling sensation shot up both of their arms at the combined touch, electrifying the moment and inwardly intensifying their connection. Giving him a suggestive look, she closed the small gap between them by bringing her nose to his, rubbing the slope of his agreeably. "Annnnd," she began, purposefully trailing off in order to make sure that she had his attention. "I know how you can do that..."

Blinking his desires down, he clicked his tongue and gave her a half-lidded expression, as if trying to reel her into his…rather wayward thoughts. "Aye, I can think of a few ways."

"Good," she said, still wearing what she considered to be her "seductive mask", a look that has greatly helped her in or out of similar situations with him. "Because..." Emma started, lifting her lips up to his as if to kiss him again before suddenly, and without warning, pulling away with a cunning glint in her features. "...it's getting late and I'm hungry."

It took him a moment to realize what had just happened. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and shook his head; trying to keep the embarrassing chuckle he could feel tickling him at the base of his throat from emerging. Acknowledging his predictable defeat, he corrected his position to look down at her, instantly noticing her captivating amusement. "Bloody hell, you're good, lass."

Nodding her head, she giggled. Tugging herself out of his embrace, but still holding his hand, she grinned up at him while taking a balancing rearward step. "Damn straight. Now," she paused, moving back towards him so she could link her arm with his. "Since your buying, I'm thinking either tacos or a burger and some fries…"

"Why not both?" he joked, sticking his tongue out at her when they started to move away from the docks and towards an unspecified place.

"What a great idea!" she exclaimed, countering his mockery with some of her own. "Given that you owe me for being late, I think that that's the best way to go…"

"…As you wish, love," he willingly conceded, warming her heart with his words. Intertwining their fingers, he continued. "I'm sorry, again, Emma…for being late."

Marveling over the feeling a simple gesture could do to her heart, she replied back in a whisper. "It's okay. You had a valid reason for leaving me stranded in the bleak and cold night..." –slightly smiling at her dramatic wit and his expression, she indicated what she meant by gradually lifting his new hand up. Then, after a moment, she reverted back to their previous conversation with a raised brow. Giving him a warning tone, she narrowed her eyes. "Don't be stingy now…"

Chuckling, he winked at her before smoothly pulling her into him, causing her to mildly collide into his side. "I wouldn't dare, love."

"And I want to hear more about this deal you made with Gold..."

"Sounds fair," he acknowledged with a nod before carrying on in his usual and humorous way. "I'll tell you anything you desire since I'm practically afraid of you."

"I can live with that," she easily stated.

Removing her hand from his so they could properly hold one another—her around his waist and him across the back of her shoulders—they continued down the street in a mutual silence; both happy beyond reason. Then, covering his new attachment in hers by easily reaching up and holding it, she looked back over her shoulder and up at him, a smile on her face.

"Killian, I'm glad that you have your hand."

"Thanks, Emma," he began, giving her a loving grin. "Me too…"

FIN

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