New one shot based on a request. If you have a request, leave it in the reviews. Please follow, favorite and comment. Love you all!

Request from TheArkAngel

Prompt: Emma having a nightmare about one of her foster parents and going to Killian for comfort

Hold Me

The room was empty. It felt like the room of flames that she had experienced after Maleficent put the town under a sleeping curse.

It was different though. White. Empty. Quiet-too quiet. It was a deafening silence that could drive a man mad.

Then it started. The whispers. They murmured to themselves, growing louder with every syllable. She could not understand the words. All there was was murmurs. Murmurs.

"No one loves you." She turned around to find the source of the sound but couldn't.

"You are a freak." It said again. She turned in circles, trying to find where the noise was coming from. "No parents, no purpose."

"You are a meal ticket-always have been, always will be."

"Orphan."

"Alone."

"Pathetic."

"Orphan."

"You are too old-no one adopts the old kids."

"No one will ever love you."

She kept turning around, slowly. The noise came from every corner of the emptiness. It shook the room. The voice was loud and commanding. It was familiar.

"No one will-"

"Shut up!" She yelled.

"No one loves you. No one can. There is something wrong with you." The voice said again.

"That is not true!" She yelled to the emptiness. Suddenly, a man appeared. He was older, heavy-set, but strong enough to hurt a child. He had done it to many children, herself included.

Gary.

Gary Loumen.

Her foster father. She was nine. He was drunk.

She spoke up. He hit her. Hard.

And hit her again. And again. And again.

And it did not end there.

"You think you are better than all this-better than the stereotypes. No one loves you. You are worthless." He mocked her.

"You don't know me." She whispered. "Don't know what I have become."

"You became evil. Wouldn't be proud of that." He slurred. His drunk voice was familiar. He sounded like that more than he sounded sober. She was unsure she had ever interacted with a sober Gary. He could have fooled her.

"You're entire life was orchestrated for you. They only love you because you save them. That is all you are to any of them- someone to get them out of their messes. They do not love you. They gave you up! No one loves you. They are using you, just like we all used you. You are a meal ticket again, Anna."

"Emma!" She yelled.

"Doesn't matter. Useless people do not get names." He said, stepping closer to her. Despite his drunkenness, his steps were firm and straight. He stepped with confidence and a devious smirk on his face.

"No one can love someone like you." He said, raising his hand to strike her. It was not the first time he had laid his hand against her violently. He hit her for fun, for enjoyment, and to remind her that she was unloved.

"No one loves someone like you."

Emma woke up in a cold sweat. She was silent, learning after years of growing up in foster homes that yelling from fear would get her nowhere except in trouble. She had bolted upright in bed, but felt nothing besides her. No One besides her. Killian was gone.

Her husband of several years would never leave her she rationalized. Never could. He loved her. He truly loved her. Her parents loved her. Her son loved her. She was loved.

Emma sat up, trying to calm her breathing. She was so focused on calming herself that she did not hear Killian re enter their bedroom until he spoke her name. She looked up at him but said nothing.

"Are you alright, love?" He said, slowly walking back towards the bed.

"Yeah, fine. I just didn't know where you went." She nodded hurriedly.

"I went to go check on Evie." He told was not rare for him to get up in the night to go and check on their young daughter, Evie. "Are you alright, love? You seem vexed."

"Fine."

"You are an awful liar, Swan." He told her, climbing back into the bed. "Tell me what is wrong."

She opened her mouth, but words did not come out. The word unloved kept replaying in her head. Not just in Gary's voice, but in every foster parent's voice. Every adult who gave her away, told her she was not good enough.

Killian moved towards her and enveloped her in his arms. He, awkwardly, laid down with her in his arms. They were both on their sides, with her wrapped firmly against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, letting her know he was not going anywhere.

"It was empty." She finally said in a quiet voice. "There were whispers. They sounded like the ones that I would here when I was the Dark One. I thought I was going mad because I could not understand them. Then," Her voice started to break. "I heard these sentences. He kept telling me that no one loved me, that I was an orphan and alone. It was one of my old foster parents-one of the bad ones. He knew that I became the Dark One. He...he told me that no one could love me."

She remained quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say after that. She hated feeling like this- vulnerable and weak. She felt like that lost little girl she had been all those years ago. He did not say anything, which scared her. What if Gary, and everyone else in her life, was right? She was unlovable and it was just a matter of time before Killian noticed.

He tightened his grip around her, pulled her closer to him. "That man is a bloody idiot." He whispered to her. "You are so incredibly loved, my darling. Your parents look at you like you are their world. Your son could not possibly think higher of you. And, you-you are what makes my life worth living. You and that beautiful girl in the other room. You are my everything, love. You keep my feet on the group and my heart in my chest." She raised her eyebrow at him. He just continued. "I love you with everything in me, Swan. Do not let some blubbering buffoon tell you otherwise."

"He said that you only love me because I save you." She whispered, still having trouble believing.

"I fell in love with you when you left me upon that beanstalk. Quite the opposite of saving, don't you think love. I love you for who you are, Swan, not what you do. You are strong, independent, loyal, brave, smart, sarcastic from time to time, but I deserve that. You are bloody gorgeous, an amazing daughter, a brilliant mother, and the best wife I could ever wish for. We do not love you because you only because you save us. It is one of the many things we, and I especially, adore about you."

"You adore me?" She teased, wanting to get out of the serious conversation.

"Of course, my love. Do you believe me when I say I love you?" He asked her.

She didn't answer. Instead, she wiggle a bit out of his embrace so she could kiss him. He was more that receptive to that response.

"How's that for your answer?" She smiled at him.

"I am not sure, love. Why don't you try again and I will tell you?"

And so she did.