Disclaimer: characters are not mine.

A/N: So, I just wanted to apologize for taking so long to post the next chapter. I'm currently juggling work and studying and I have trouble finding enough free time when I can clear my head and be calm enough that I can pour it all on (so to speak) paper.

I hope you like it. Let me know.

Chapter 2

Emma woke up at the crack of dawn, not used to retiring to bed early as they have last night. Blinking her eyes open, she was met with the sight of Killian's sleeping form beside her, and when she tried to roll on her back she realized his arm was thrown over her hip, holding her close. Although he was obviously still asleep, she found herself blushing deeply at the slightly compromising position.

Very gently she lifted his arm and wriggled out of his grasp and off the bed, careful not to wake him. She took two steps away before she heard him stirring behind her, freezing in place and slowly turning her head to see his eyes still closed, but obviously beginning to come to. She sighed softly and proceeded to gather her clothes with less caution now than before.

Killian was slowly pulled into consciousness, tangling in the sheets as he became fully awake. Finally he opened his eyes to find Emma redressing with her back to him. She already had her jeans on and was in the process of securing on her bra. He coughed softly and she immediately spun arund to face him.

Emma turned to find Killian with his upper back resting against the headboard, wide awake now. His face bore a look of utter surprise, that she probably would have found rather comical had it not been so early in the morning.

"Hey," she said, somewhat lost for words.

"Hey," he croaked, his voice still laced with sleep. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"I-"

"Slept through the night," she completed his sentence for him, a hint of a smile shining brightly on her lips as she tugged her shirt over her head. He simply watched her in wonder.

"I'm gonna head to the loft to freshen up and take care of Henry," She told him, her voice easy and conversational. She then dropped her gaze, a look of slight embarrassment taking over her features. "I guess I didn't really inform neither him nor my parents of my whereabouts last night."

Killian chuckled, making her look back up to meet his gaze.

"See you downstairs in an hour?"

The corner of his lips twitched up in an amused grin.

"See you then, Swan."


On the mark of an hour, the bell over the entrance door at Granny's jingled happily away as Emma stepped inside, her still wet hair framing her rosy cheeks perfectly. She was wearing a different set of clothes, a thick scarf wrapped around her neck to shelter her from the cold and her usual leather jacket. She did a once over of the diner before claiming her usual seat next to Killian.

She looked up gratefully at Granny when a hot cup of coffee was placed in front of her nearly as soon as her bottom touched the stool, and then brushed a hand through her hair, exhaling loudly.

"Everything okay, love?" Killian smirked at her.

Emma rolled her eyes in response, pulling the cup close to her body, as if wishing to absorb its warmth.

"Yeah, only David was sending me these narrow-eyed looks the entire time I was there, and I couldn't say anything since Henry was there preparing for school and it just… God, this family thing can be so awkward sometimes," She trailed off and took a long sip of her coffee.

Killian flat out laughed at her.

"Well, love, creating awkward moments is practically part of a parent's job description," He grinned at her openly. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye and he laughed even harder.

"Like father like daughter," he smirked.

"Oh, shut up," she replied, smiling despite herself. He grinned wider and used his hook to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, watching her fondly. Her smile turned shy under the weight of emotion reflected in his honest eyes, and she gulped down the last of her coffee before slamming it on the counter much harder than she intended.

"Come on," she said to him before rising to her feet and leading the way to her car.


"I'm telling you, for a bunch of fairytale characters, the people in this town really get on my damned nerves sometimes," Emma complained as she parked her car in front of Granny's. Killian chuckled, regarding her in amusement.

"They do tend to create trouble out of thin air more often than not," He agreed, her irritation over the matter making him grin widely.

"They're testing my patience, is what they're doing," she grumbled as she pulled the key from the ignition and opened her door to exit the car.

Killian was momentarily taken aback by her actions, but then shook his head and followed her out wordlessly. He couldn't help but smile at her confident stride into the diner, walking behind her as this time she led the way up to his room. Crossing the length of the dining hall towards the stairs, he briefly caught Ruby's eyes, her eyebrows arched so high they nearly met her hairline. He quickly looked away, thankful Emma missed it, suspecting she would have been at least partly deterred by the look on the raven haired girl's face.

He caught up to her at the door to his room, hurrying to produce the key from his pocket and let her in. Once the door was unlocked Emma walked in without so much as a second thought, hanging her jacket on the chair in the corner and moving to seat on the foot of the bed. Killian struggled to keep any and all signs of astonishment off his face, and discarded his jacket as well before pulling a bottle of rum and two glasses out of a desk drawer, cradling the items to his chest with his wounded arm and using his hand to pull the chair to face Emma.

"May I offer the lady a drink to take her mind off the maddening townsfolk?" He offered in a hopeful voice. Emma looked up to him appreciatively.

"Hell yeah," she answered with a tired grin and accepted a glass from his hand. He poured them both a generous amount of the clear liquid before taking a seat on the hard chair, lifting the glass to his lips and looking at her expectantly.

Emma flushed slightly under his gaze.

"What?"

Killian shrugged. He was really wondering about her presence here once again, but he would be a fool to question her about it. Best enjoy the cards he was dealt.

Her eyes lingered suspiciously on his for a few more seconds, before sliding to scan over the room innocently.

"You've been here a while now," she said abstrusely.

Killian quirked up an eyebrow, puzzled as to what she was trying to hint at.

"I just... I mean… in Storybrooke…" Emma blushed as she trailed off and chugged down half of the rum in her glass in embarrassment.

He chuckled lowly at her antics, before frowning as it dawned on him.

"It's always been just a tad too hectic to go look for housing accommodations, wouldn't you say?" he joked, earning himself time to look in her eyes and see the driving forces behind this remark, forces that Emma herself was probably unaware of.

She merely smiled and he continued, all traces of laughter gone.

"Perhaps I was uncertain I had merit to linger around," he nearly whispered, tipping his glass in her direction and gulping down its contents before refilling it.

Emma was quiet as she let his explanation sink in, his spoken words heavy with meaning and the unspoken ones hiding behind them even heavier. After a while she lifted her eyes to meet his with fresh determination.

"Well, I bet Granny wouldn't mind having you out of her hair," she smiled at him, her eyes gleaming with reassurance and promise.

Killian was rendered speechless as he was overcome with the almost unfamiliar feeling of sheer joy at her indirect reply to his unasked question. He swallowed down and composed himself quickly, adamant not to weigh down on their conversation again, and belatedly played along to her teasing.

"I shall not be placing any bets on that, milady, I know that for a fact," he smirked mischievously.

Emma laughed wholeheartedly at that.

"Poor lady!"

"Hey, that woman had something up her alley long before I was tangling in her feet," he insisted with raised eyebrows, smirk still very much in place.

"Can't argue with that," Emma grinned at him as she emptied her glass down her throat and held it out for a refill.

Killian complied, rising to his feet and pouring her the desired liquor before stepping back to restore the bottle to its previous location, but as he meant to reclaim his seat he felt Emma tug lightly at his elbow, just enough to make him lose his balance and stumble down into a sitting position to her right, making it clear she had carefully orchestrated her little pulling maneuver.

He cleared his throat to wash away the surprise.

"Swan, if you so wanted me closer all you had to do was ask," he told her with his most flirtatious expression, eyebrow raised in challenge.

"A lady needn't ask," she breathed, their faces so close now that she could feel the air he breathed ghosting over her cheeks, her eyes jumping back and forth between his deep ocean blue orbs and his lips, curved into a crooked smirk.

"Aye, is that so," he countered, his eyes too slipping to her lips.

"Perhaps you should have better instincts," she whispered teasingly.

His eyes snapped back up to hers at that, and she could see them flashing almost dangerously, darkening by the second.

"Lass, you wouldn't want to know what my instincts are telling me," he warned hoarsely.

"Perhaps I would," she replied with a sultry smile, and Killian couldn't wait another second, his blood pounding in his ears, rushing south through his aroused body. He closed the ridiculously small distance left between them and smashed his lips to hers in a fiery kiss, his tongue immediately demanding access. Emma complied, combing her fingers through his hair as his hand found purchase on her waist.

Killian used his other arm to pull her tighter against him, biting on her lower lip and kissing her with unforgiving passion. Emma matched his enthusiasm, kissing him fervently, both hands hooked around his neck, holding on to him for dear life. All the happiness and contentment at her welcome from minutes ago he poured into the kiss, all the harboured hunger and desire he's had to push to the back of his mind, having so little time alone with just the two of them.

His hand residing at her waist was no longer satisfied, sliding to her upper back, roaming the contours of her body hungrily and then slipping down and hauling her legs up on his lap, making her body turn to face him more fully.

Emma gasped at the sudden movement and he used the momentum to kiss her even harder, his hook ghosting over her neck, raising goosebumps upon its wake, and then tangling in her blonde locks, pulling not hard enough to cause pain, but just enough to angle her head backwards so he could slip his mouth from hers and begin an assault on her neck. Emma sighed amidst her panting, drowning in the sensations created by his talented mouth, her fingers brushing through his jet black hair and massaging his scalp. She felt as if her legs were beginning to slip from his lap and moved them higher absentmindedly, and suddenly froze at the sharp intake of breath, followed by a deep groan slipping from Killian's mouth. All the muscles in his body tensed and he halted his ministrations on her neck as her leg accidentally brushed against his painfully hard cock, throbbing inside his leathers.

Killian bit his lip and kept his eyes shut tightly, holding his breath and awaiting her next move, hoping to all the gods his readiness didn't cause her to bolt. Suddenly he felt her hand moving against his face, inching his chin upwards to reclaim his lips in a much slower kiss, and he couldn't help but moan at the relief that washed over him at her reaction. He brought his hand up to tuck a strand of golden hair behind her ear, and kissed her back slower, sweeter than before, feeling like his heart might burst in his chest at the rush of emotion attacking him.

He cradled her face in his hand, alternating between feather-light brushes of their lips and slow lingering kisses. Pulling back, he looked deep into her eyes, hand still cupping her jaw, fingers tangled in her hair.

"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.

"For what?" she looked genuinely confused at his gratitude.

"For everything. For being here."

Emma physically leaned back, the heavy words weighing on her, eyes still connected with his, seeing in their depths all the different meanings to his 'here'.

Here, still in his arms.

Here, with him.

Here, in his room, the second night.

Here, in Storybrooke, still.

Here, in this world.

Here, in his life.

After a long moment of gazing into his eyes, searching, reading all he meant like it was written in black and white, she pulled out of his embrace and stood up, taking a couple of steps back but not looking away from him.

"Don't," she said simply.

"Don't - what?" Killian frowned in confusion, coldness washing over him at the sudden loss of contact.

"Don't do this. Don't thank me."

"But -" he started, but trailed off, not knowing how to react.

Emma turned away from him, and silence consumed the room as he simply stared at her back, her reactions to his instinctive words taking him completely by surprise.

When she turned to face him again, her eyes looked glassy, as if she was holding back tears.

"Killian," she began, her voice shaky.

"I have hurt you, so badly, so many times," she said as she stared into his eyes, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Swan -" he tried but she continued regardless, and he closed his mouth again, jaw clenched tight.

"-No, please, let me. I have treated you with unfair spite on so many occasions, and you kept coming back, only to be pushed away again -"

"Emma," he said more firmly, demanding her attention, "None of that matters anymore, I've put it behind me. What matters is you're with me now -"

"No, you don't understand!" she spoke again, her voice high pitched and slightly frantic, "I can't put it behind me, not when you're sitting here thanking me, I can't pretend I never said all these horrible things to you -"

He cut her off mid-rant.

"And if I just wish to thank you for staying here with me for the sake of my rest?" he asked in a determined voice.

"But even that is selfish! you see, what if I'm only here to settle my own guilt over being the cause of your insomnia? I just, I can't, I can't handle the thought of hurting you again, Killian, and I'm here and I can accept your… Affections," she slowed and bit her lip, knowing she was dancing around the words, "but I sure as hell don't deserve your gratitude."

She fell silent and stared into his eyes in an almost begging manner, willing him to comprehend. Killian stared back at her, speechless.

It all happened so fast. One moment she was in his arms, kissing him, and the next she was standing there, practically crying, professing to all the feelings of guilt that he had no idea she harboured, hidden inside of her. He knew there was something; he could see it in her eyes, a pain that he couldn't understand. But he never could have guessed, never would have guessed that this bothered her, haunted her to this degree, and he wished he could wipe those feelings away for her but he didn't know how.

Finally, he lowered his gaze, fixing his eyes on the hardwood floor as he spoke.

"You don't have to stay," he whispered.

"Hey," she said, her voice much calmer now, and Killian looked up as he heard steps, just to see her reclaiming her spot right next to him. She laid her hand on his lap, just above the knee.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore. Not unless you ask me to."

He let the tiniest smile stretch his lips as he looked at her. He didn't even need to say it; it seemed to be clear to both of them that he'd never.

Instead he bent forward and handed Emma her recently filled glass, grabbing his own as well. He looked at her, sat by his side, their arms touching, and clinked his glass to hers in a wordless salute, before knocking back its contents.

When he saw she too emptied hers he put both of their glasses away, and a few steps away from her began to undress, his body facing her but not meeting her gaze. Emma followed suit.

They finished disrobing and climbed into bed quietly. The silence was comfortable, like the calm after a storm, both feeling like enough has been said and words were no longer needed.

Looking at each other, they both chuckled a little shyly, realizing they instinctively reclaimed their respectable sides of the bed from the previous night.

Even their goodnight biddings were made in silence as they laid down and turned off the lights.


"Swan -"

Emma awoke to the sounds of Killian tossing and turning beside her, occasionally muttering something under his breath.

Completely disoriented, having been pulled out of deep sleep, she noted it was still entirely dark outside. She checked her phone on the bedside table to find out it was 2:34 am.

Killian's breathing was quick and shallow as he continued to move restlessly, his forehead creased into a frown in his sleep.

Instead of shaking him awake, Emma opted to take his warm body into her arms, hugging him tightly, constricting him in her embrace. A few moments later his body seemed to relax, and she could feel his muscles losing their tension. Slowly, his arms came around her to return her embrace as his eyes fluttered open, gazing sleepily into hers.

Though laced with sleep, in his eyes she could see seas of emotion, his feelings that still caused a small amount of panic to rise in her throat, and at the same time she knew were reflected in her own eyes.

She could almost sense another expression of gratitude on the verge of his tongue, so she quickly closed the distance between them and kissed him firmly, keeping the kiss soft, just strokes and brushes of lips.

They were both tired, and when they broke off shortly after, Emma buried her head in the crook of Killian's neck, their arms still locked around each other protectively.