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Chapter 3

When he walked back into Granny's, the amount of people in the diner when he left had dropped considerably. There were a few dwarves left at the bar and one of them…the one called Sleepy, had his head on the counter, passed out while two others laughed and drew on his face.

He shook his head hopelessly as he walked over to the back booth where Emma sat with a glass of red wine at her elbow while she was reading the paper. When she heard him coming she looked up, smiled and Killian felt his heart flutter happily beneath his chest.

"Hey…everything go okay?"

"Aye," he said as he ignored the empty bench across from her and slid in next to her instead, propping his arm behind her. "He's safely at Regina's for the night."

Instead of scooting over to give him more room, she scooted towards him so that she was deliciously pressed against him, shivering at the feel of his cold leather. "You're freezing."

"Yeah, well…it's bloody cold out there."

"I tried waiting for you outside at our table, but I had to come back in. The temperature has dropped significantly since we were last out there."

"Hmm," he murmured as he leaned in closer to her. "Perhaps that's because we were doing a damn fine job of keeping each other warm."

The feel of his hot breath on her face made her shiver again, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. She smiled as she turned towards him, their noses bumped flirtatiously before her lips found his. The kiss was full of warmth…all deep and soft, as she felt the heat begin to form deep in her belly, finally melting away that constant chill that had been plaguing her body.

"Well, that's much better," he murmured after they pulled away, brushing his thumb along her flushed cheek.

She just smiled as she leaned into him, closing her eyes when he kissed her temple and then sighed happily as settled comfortably against his chest. "So…how did it go with Henry?"

"It went…well," he said as he lifted his feet so they were propped up on the bench in front of them. "Although the lad didn't ask the questions I assumed he would."

Emma frowned as she picked up her glass of wine. "What do you mean?"

"He…acquired about his grandmother."

She quickly swallowed the wine she had just sipped. "His grandmother?" she asked with a slight laugh but when he simply raised a single brow, it clicked. "Oh…Milah."

"Aye," he said taking her wine and took a sip for himself. "He brought up the fact that she was the only one he didn't know…he had hoped I'd give him an idea of what she was like."

She let out a small, worrisome sigh. "Yeah…of course he'd want to know about her…he loves his family more than anything." She looked up at him as she placed a soothing hand on his thigh. "Was it hard to talk about her?"

"Of course not, Swan," he assured her as he covered her hand with his own. "I was glad that I could do that for Henry. She was a part of my life and for a short and rare moment we were happy and I have a lot of good memories I can share with the boy."

"Do you still miss her? Sorry," she said quickly before he could answer. "I didn't meant to just…blurt that out…we've never really talked about her before…why would we?"

He put his feet back on the floor and sat up in his seat. "Swan…"

"I mean…I know you loved her, of course you loved her, you spent 300 years trying to avenge her death, but…then you gave it up…to help me get back Henry…you allowed the Dark One on your ship…I never really thanked you for that, by the way…I knew what you did for me, even back then…and I was sort of a bitch to you…even when you were helping me, but I couldn't help it…sorry, and…

"Swan, you're rambling like a mad woman," he managed to say within her rambling.

"Yes, I'm aware…and I hardly ever ramble or get this flustered, but…it's Milah…the woman you loved for 300 years and…I just can't imagine anyone loving me as much as you loved her and oh my god, I really need to stop talking."

He watched in pure fascination as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Swan…are you jealous of Milah?"

She opened her eyes and gave him that dangerous look he knew all too well. "No…I'm not jealous…just…a tad intimidated I guess."

"Intimidated?" he balked as his brows creased with bafflement. "By a woman I knew centuries before you were born?"

"Yes…okay?" She flared up her hands in frustration. "And I realize how stupid that is considering we've only been…" She flung her hand back and forth between them. "This…for a few hours."

"We've been this…" He copied the movement she had just done with his hook. "Longer than a few hours, Swan, you just finally accepted this…" He repeated the movement once more. "A few hours ago."

She wrinkled her nose in regret as she let soft defeating moan. "Can we just drop it? I know I'm overreacting."

When she picked her wine back up, he simply took it from her before she could take a sip. "Swan," he said gently as he put the glass down and then tilted her chin up with his hook so she had no choice but to look at him. "I'm going to say this once, okay? Just once and then I don't want to discuss this anymore."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes locked with his and since she couldn't seem to find words to say, she said nothing and listened.

"The man I was then…the man that took Milah away from her troubles…who taught her how to be a pirate…who took her on adventures…loved her as much as he possibly could. And when she was taken from him…his world crashed and burned before him…he thought his life was over, done…the only thing that kept him going was this desperate thirst for revenge and I thank all the gods in all the realms that his love for Milah was strong enough to keep him going century after century…do you know why, Emma?"

She couldn't speak; her emotions were too high that all she could accomplish was a quick shake of her head.

"Because that drive and determination kept me alive long enough to meet you," he murmured as he slid closer to her while gently caressing the side of her face. "I meant what I said that day in the Echo caves, love…meeting you changed my life completely. You brought the light back into my world after knowing only darkness…what I felt for Milah can't even remotely compare to how I feel about you."

He gently reached up and brushed away a tear that escaped her cheek before leaning over and kissing her softly. "Do you understand?"

She nodded urgently as she gripped the lapel of his jacket with one hand and slid the other to the back of his head, loving the feel of his soft hair shifting between her fingers. "It's the same for me, too," she admitted as her eyes fluttered up to his. "I…I'm not very good at this…with words, but…"

She took a moment to take breath as she figure out how to say what she felt in her heart. "What I feel for you…Killian…it's very real and very strong…and nothing I've ever felt before. I just…need you to know that."

His lips curved up into a quick smile as he gently brushed the back of his fingers across her cheek "I know, love," he murmured as he dropped his forehead to hers. "But it's nice to hear you say it.

Across the diner, Ruby and Granny watched the two lovebirds with goofy smiles on their faces. "Do you think they remember they're not alone?" Granny asked with a chuckle as she wiped down the counter.

Ruby leaned over on the counter, propping her head with her hands. "Probably not," she said sighing when she saw the pirate go in for another kiss. "But if they start removing articles of clothing we should probably remind them."

Granny snorted out a laugh and playfully slapped Ruby with her towel. "Not in my diner…why don't you go interrupt them before it gets that far…it's time to close up and this old lady wants her bed."

Ruby smiled as she leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You're far from old, Gran, but since I'm craving my own kisses from my own man…I'll do as you ask."

Granny shook her head hopelessly as she watched her walk around the counter. "Am I ever going to meet this mystery man you're running around with?"

"Maybe," she teased playfully as she lifted her shoulder in a shrug. "Then again…maybe not."

"Look out Storybrooke," Granny laughed as she began to shut off the lights behind the bar. "Love is in the air."