A few days had passed since the conversation with her mother about needing a chaperone when she wanted to spend time with Killian, but as it turned out, it hadn't been necessary. In his new position as Commander of the Royal Navy, she'd barely seen him. He was busy seeing to the fleet, which apparently had been left mostly in ruins while everyone had been in Storybrooke the last 30 odd years. So he was always down at the docks making sure the repairs being made to the ships that needed them were done properly, and recruiting new sailors to fill them once they were sea worthy. He seemed to be right in his element, and she was happy for him, but she did miss him.

Emma, meanwhile, was being kept busy with more princess lessons, which helped to take her mind off Killian for a while. But inevitably things got so overwhelming she'd do what Emma always did best in situations she didn't want to deal with. She ran. Normally she would have run straight to Killian, and he'd assured her everything was going to be alright, and punching her History of Misthaven instructor in the face wasn't going to solve her problem. Instead she mostly had to deal with it herself, which mean she was getting lots of exercise talking walks around the castle gardens to blow off some steam.

To top it off, by the end of the day they were both so exhausted they had even been sleeping in separate bedrooms. While Emma may have been a one night stand girl most of her life, all that had changed with Killian and now that he wasn't beside her every night, she found she wasn't sleeping as well without him. Her lack of sleep might also account for some of her angry outbursts, but she'd never admit that out loud.

She was currently on her way to yet another dancing lesson in preparation for this ball her parents were throwing. They said it was mostly for Killian, to make his new title official, but they also wanted to formally introduce her as the Princess of Misthaven. She knew better. They were throwing this to make up for never having gotten to throw her a ball and she was going along with it, but she wasn't happy about about it. She understood where her parents were coming from, she really did. But between the dancing lessons, her other lessons, and the multiple dress fittings, she was nearly ready to pull her hair out.

She headed down the hall, but stopped when she heard laughing coming down the hall from the nursery and Emma decided to check in on her little brother. She'd been so busy, she hadn't seen much of him lately, and unlike in Storybrooke, it seemed that he wasn't allowed to spend as much time with the grownups. But, that didn't stop her mother from giving him everything he wanted. Neal was by no means spoiled, he was a good kid. It was obvious, however that her parents were trying to make up for all the things they hadn't gotten to do with her.

She opened the door and stepped inside to find Neal playing on the floor, surrounded by toys. He looked up when she came in, dropped whatever he had in hands, got up and ran across the room towards her.

"Emma! Emma!" he cried, arms outstretched.

She got down on his level and opened her arms, catching him as he ran into her and enveloping him in a hug.

"Neal! Neal!" She repeated back just as excitedly. "What are you up to, buddy?"

"Playing pirates," he answered with a grin on his face. "But nana says I'm a prince so I can't be a pirate."

Emma glanced across the room to Neal's nanny who was working on folding laundry and putting it away. She was an elderly woman, kind, but was old fashioned and perhaps a bit too old to be looking after a seven year old.

"Pirates are nothing but trouble," she remarked. "They are criminals and you, young man, are the son of Snow White and Prince Charming. You are a knight, not a pirate." She took her stack of laundry and headed into the connecting bedroom to leave the siblings some time to play.

"Don't listen to her," Emma said, looking back at her brother. "Of course you can be a pirate. You can be, Neal the Pirate Prince with your very own crew and everything."

"Like Killian?" he asked, looking at Emma eyes full of hope.

"Just like Killian," she told him with a smile. "You can be the bravest pirate there ever was."

"Yeah," Neal shouted in agreement. "Come play pirates, Emma!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the center of the room.

What the heck, she figured, as she let him pull her into the room. She was already late for her dance lesson and playing pirates with her little brother would be a lot more fun anyway. "Sure thing, kid," she replied. "I'm better at being a pirate than a princess anyway."

Letting go of her hand, he quickly set up all his stuffed animals in rows, and then ran to his toy box. He pulled out two wooden swords that Charming had given to him, along with the tri corner hat with a skull and crossbones embroidered on the front Emma had given him for his last birthday. He gave one of the swords to his favorite stuffed bear, put on his hat and ran back to Emma. "Now what do we do?" he asked, looking up at her.

"You're the Captain," she answered. "Give the crew an order."

"Oh, right," he replied and turned to face his crew of bears, rabbits, dogs, and a dragon. "Make sail, mates!" He commanded.

"Aye, aye Captain," Emma replied and moved to go pretend to raise the sails on their imaginary ship.

"No sis!" Neal protested. "You're a princess, so you're the prisoner." He looked around and found a piece of long ribbon that had fallen off some toy or other. He grabbed it, then took Emma's hands and wrapped the ribbon around her wrists so they were loosely bound in front of her.

"Hey! I wanted to be pirate," she protested. "How come I have to be the prisoner?"

"You can be a pirate next time," he promised.

"Okay," Emma sighed. Clearly she was going to have to teach her brother about feminism and how girls were more than capable of being pirates. But for now she'd just play along. "So, I'm your prisoner, now what?" She asked.

Neal thought it over for a moment, and then his smile brightened, clearly having come to a conclusion. "Walk the plank!" He shouted and pointed his sword at her.

"Walk the plank?" She asked with a frown. "Don't you think you should ask for ransom or something first?"

"Nope," he stated. "I'm the Captain and I say walk the plank, princess."

"This just isn't my week," Emma mumbled to herself before carefully climbing up on top of Neal's wooden toy box, trying not to lose her balance with her hands tied. She walked the two or three steps it took to get the edge and stopped. "Oh, please Captain," she pleaded mockingly. "Please don't make me walk the plank. I'm sure my father will give you all the gold and jewels you could want."

"It's too late for that," Neal replied. "Now, jump," he commanded, pointing his sword towards Emma.

"It's bad form to make a lady walk the plank, lad," Killian said from the doorway, causing them both to look up. Emma was glad to see him, standing there with arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame, looking every bit his cocky, confident self.

"Killian!" Neal grinned and lowered his sword. "We're playing pirates. I'm the Captain and I captured Emma."

"Aye, so I see," Killian replied as he pushed off the door frame and stepped into the room. He glanced at Emma and was clearly doing his best to suppress a laugh. "However, as Commander of the Royal Navy, I will have to insist that you let her go." He walked over and picked up the spare toy sword. "Shall we fight for her?"

Neal thought it over for a minute and then pointed his sword at Killian. "Aye!" He shouted with a grin.

"Killi-I mean, uh, Captain Jones," Emma said from her perch on the toy box, giving him a warning looking. "Is this necessary? I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Fear not, my princess," he replied, flashing her a grin, "they're fake swords. Besides, you wouldn't deprive me of a dashing rescue would you?" He asked, giving her a wink.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at his familiar words."Fine," she said, giving in. "But, be careful. Mary Margaret is already on my case, and I don't need her mad at me because Neal loses an eye."

"I won't lose an eye," Neal insisted. "Papa's taught me how to use a sword."

"There, you see?" Killian smiled. "No need to worry, lass." He turned back to Neal and raised his sword. "Let's show your sister what you're made of, eh?"

Emma watched as Killian and Neal put on quite the show. She knew he was taking it easy with her brother so as not to hurt him, even with a toy sword. But, David had clearly been teaching Neal because he had some pretty good moves for a seven year old. Killian had to maneuver quite a few times to avoid being dealt a blow. But Killian being Killian, and never one to disappoint her brother, made sure that Neal finally knocked his sword out of his hand.

"I win! I win!" Neal shouted jumping up and down excitedly.

"So you have, lad," Killian replied and he turned to Emma, giving her a bow. "Forgive me, your highness. It seems I'm no match for Captain Neal."

"Oh, dear," Emma sighed. "Whatever shall I do now?"

"Ah, you can have her back," Neal said with a shrug. "It's bad luck to have a girl on board anyway."

Killian just chuckled. "Actually, that is just an old pirate's tale," he said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Why, in my day I had many a-" he stopped, realizing what he was about to say to a seven year old. "Er…I mean your sister sails with me on the Jolly Roger all the time. And speaking of, we should probably let her down from the plank, eh?" He walked over to Emma, undid the ribbon around her wrists and then slipped an arm under her knees and put his other arm around her waist as he lifted her bridal style off the toy box before setting her feet down on the floor.

"I want to go sailing on the Jolly Roger," Neal said. "Please, will you take me, Killian?"

Emma couldn't help but smile, he looked so hopeful.

"Aye, lad, I'll gladly take you sailing," Killian grinned. "Of course, we should probably ask your mother first."

"She'll say yes, won't she Emma," Neal replied, looking to his sister.

"I don't see why she wouldn't," she shrugged. "At least she has one child she won't fuss at," she said to herself under her breath.

Killian looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What was that, love?" He asked concern in his voice.

"Nothing," she said, brushing it off and giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's nothing, I'm sure mom will have no problems with you taking Neal sailing."

He eyed her a moment longer and she knew he wasn't going to let her drop this. But he turned back to Neal for now. "We can go tomorrow if you'd like," Killian smiled. "We'll send a message to Henry and invite him as well. I'm sure he'd love to come."

"Yes! Let's invite Henry." Neal was grinning from ear to ear. "I'll write him a note and ask mom to have one of her blue birds take it to him. This is the best!" Neal ran out of the room, clearly very excited.

Emma watched him go and then turned back to Killian. "He really likes you," she said with a smile.

"What's not to like?" Killian asked, placing hand and hook on his belt as his hip jutted out, as he flashed her a crooked grin and raised one eyebrow.

Emma just rolled her eyes. "My parents may have given you a fancy uniform, but I know better," she smirked. "You're still a pirate underneath all those buttons and epaulets."

Killian took a few swaggering steps towards her to close the distance between them. "I prefer dashing rapscallion," he replied. "Besides, I can't help it if all the Charming offspring are drawn to my charms."

"I don't think Neal and I like you for the same reasons though." Emma slid her hands down his chest and grabbed the lapels of his jacket. "He likes you because you sword fight with him, and take him sailing."

His arms came around her waist, holding her against him. "And you don't like me for those reasons?" he asked with a grin.

"Well, yes," Emma smiled, "But I also like you for this." She reached up and placed her lips against his. It was meant to be a soft kiss, but now that she was in his arms, it was impossible to pull away. The world around her seemed to be constantly spinning these days, but Killian gave her something to lean on and made it all steady again. The weight of the world on her shoulders all day long lightened with him here, and plus it made her realize just how much she'd missed him the last few days.

She felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her into him even more as the kiss deepened. And it took her a moment to realize the moan she heard was her own. Her hands released his jacket and slid up to his shoulders before moving behind his head to tangle in his hair. This time, she heard him moan, and soon his lips left hers to kiss along her jaw, the spot behind her ear that always sent a shiver down her spine, and down her neck.

Emma tilted her head, giving him better access. Her chest was rising and falling, the stupid corset she was wearing was cutting off her lung capacity. "You're buttons are…poking me," she said breathlessly.

She felt him chuckle again her skin. "That's not the only thing that's poking you," Killian said huskily.

Emma giggled at his innuendo, and well…he wasn't lying. She could definitely feel his sword-jabbing at her through all her layers of skirts. Definitely still a pirate. She was about to tease him with their old banter, when a very put out voice shouted, "Princess!"

They jumped apart, looking very much like a pair of five year olds who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Kat!" Emma exclaimed breathlessly. "God, you scared me. Was that really necessary?"

"Oh, I'd say it was very necessary," the maid replied, stepping into the room with her hands on her hips. "Senior Sebastian sent me to look for you because you, young lady, are late for a dancing lesson. And here I find you with his...scoundrel." She looked down her nose at Killian, who actually took a step back to stand behind Emma.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the older woman. "I'm sorry I'm late, but you can't blame Kil-"

"You know the rules, Princess" Kat said, turning back to Emma and crossing her arms over her chest. "You're not to be alone with this rogue unless you have a chaperone, and I can see that you definitely need one."

"I do not need a chaperone!" Emma exclaimed, fisting her hands in an effort to keep her magic from flaring up because of the anger she felt growing.

Seeming to sense what was happening, Killian took a step forward and gave Kat his most dashing grin. "My dear lady," he said, "I assure you that I intended no ill will towards the Princess. She was enjoying a moment with her younger brother and I simply stepped into join them in playing pretend." He took a step closer to Kat, and managed to work one of her hands free, taking it in his and running his thumb along the back of it. "As you know, I'm madly in love with the Princess," he said smoothly, glancing back at Emma and giving her a wink before looking back the maid. "She is, in fact, my True Love, as no doubt you've heard. But with all her new duties as Princess of Misthaven, and mine as the new commander of the Royal Navy, you can hardly blame me for wanting a moment alone."

"Well…" Kat began, and appeared to be thinking over what he was saying. Emma couldn't believe that he could charm her so easily. The woman was a spitfire, and seemingly unshakeable. Emma had done everything she could be nice and try and change her mind about this chaperone thing. Nothing she did had worked, but it seemed that Killian Jones could charm the pants of anyone. If the woman wasn't twice her age, Emma might be a little jealous.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him a moment, and then her face relaxed. Dare Emma say she was actually smiling a little? "I suppose a little kissing never hurt anyone," Kat said with a sigh. "And, I know you're the Princess' True Love."

Killian grinned even wider, if that was possible, and brought the woman's hand to his lips for a light kiss. Emma swore she actually blushed. She couldn't believe this was working, the damn priate. This was worse than when they were at Granny's Diner in Storybrooke and he talked Granny into making her onion rings when they weren't on the menu for the day. It seemed no one was able to resist his charms. "Thank you, lass," he replied. "I knew you'd understand." He kissed her hand one more time before letting it go and moving to stand next to Emma.

"Yes, well," Kat said giving her head a shake, "just don't let it happen again." She didn't have nearly as much vigor behind her warning as she'd had before though. "Now, come along Your Highness, Senior Sebastian is waiting for you." She left the room with a slightly hop in her step.

Emma turned to Killian and just raised an eyebrow. "You're awful, you know that?" She told him.

"What?" He asked, looking innocent. "I got you out of trouble, didn't I? Besides, I can't help it if women can't resist the charms of a devilishly handsome man in uniform." He punctuated his statement with a wink.

"Yeah, well I better go before my mother finds out about this," she replied. "She is immune to your charms, and no amount of flattery will get you anywhere with her. See you at dinner?"

"Aye, love," he said, and stepped into give her one last tender kiss. "Perhaps, immune though your mother may be to my charms, I can still convince her to let you come sailing with me and the lads tomorrow."

Emma smiled softly up at him. "That would be lovely, "she told him. "I could use a break from all this Princessness." Was that even a word? "I'll see you later."

She left to head to her dancing lesson feeling a little better than she had this morning. She really hoped they could talk her mother into letting go with them tomorrow. A day at sea was just what she needed to clear her head a bit.