A/N: This chapter brings us to the night before Emma and Killian reach Elsa's castle. In Emma's mind everything will change once they get there, and before that happens, she decides that she wants a night of passion with Killian. With flashbacks to their last night together years ago and paralleling POVs, the chapter charts the course of that want and eventually ends in the earning of this story's M rating. I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for reading!

Standing under an inky black sky, lit up only with pinpricks of starlight and the light of a waning moon, Emma allowed herself just a touch of reprieve. It wouldn't be long, she reasoned, she only needed a moment or two, but the days were slipping by too fast. Time was no longer on her side, instead it was her enemy.

In a matter of hours, they'd arrive in Arendelle, home of her dear friends Elsa and Anna, and the reality of her purpose, her call to action against the Evil Queen, would be at the forefront again. As soon as they reached land, the spell would break, the sort of pseudo life of seafaring she'd built aboard this ship would end, for even when she returned for the rest of her journey, she'd have her weapon in hand. She'd be marching towards a foe instead of a friend, and that change would be substantial. Emma would have to adjust and to give way to what she had to do over what she wanted.

Right now though, all Emma wished on every star in the night sky was for this to last. Whatever dream this was, however it had come to be, she didn't want to see it end. Her days here were filled with adventure on the open ocean, getting a taste of the world beyond her castle as she'd wanted to for so long, while her nights were filled with Killian. Only Emma was finding more and more that the resistance she put up, the wall that said she shouldn't surrender everything to him was crumbling. He never asked, never even hinted that he wanted to go further than they had, but when he touched her, when his hands made contact with her skin and his lips grazed against hers, she craved the whole world.

If I don't tell him now, when will I ever have the chance? Her mind had been chastising her with similar comments for days, bombarding her with questions about why she couldn't just give in, but still she hesitated. She loved Killian, and the increasingly evident truth, was that she would never love another man the way she loved him. Didn't she want her first time to be with him, then? Didn't she want to experience what it truly felt like to love the man she needed most of all, just in case things did go south when she faced off against Regina? The notions gnawed at her gut, stole the air right out of her lungs and nearly brought tears to her eyes, but Emma stayed strong, unwilling to break even though her emotions were so strong.

"I know that look all too well," Emma's heart leapt at his voice wafting through the wind as it made its way too her. She turned to find Killian, just as strikingly handsome as ever, but she kept her hands against the railing so as not to reach for him. Instead she tried to school her features, a last stand at hiding what she wanted most of all.

"Do you, Captain?" He nodded, coming to stand right beside her, so close their arms lightly touched, but he moved his hands to grip the railings just as she did. "Pray tell what do you think it means?"

"You're warring with yourself, telling yourself you're uncertain where to go, but you've already made up your mind. You have an intuition the likes of which I've never seen, love. Trust your instincts and they will not lead you astray." His faith in her, firm and unwavering had Emma closing her eyes. How could it be that a man like him, a sworn enemy of the law, living on the fringes of human decency as a pirate captain and a self-proclaimed outlaw, could know more about her than anyone else in the world? He saw through every mask, heard every truth behind the words and tones she chose so carefully. He was the first person to see her in so long, the first to know her past her title and her status, and the only person she'd ever met with the power to remind her of who she was underneath her duty and family name even in the face of a task like this.

Because he loves me as I love him, Emma thought and when she opened her eyes again, looking into his dark blue ones that were searching to see if she was truly all right, she knew it was true. Her instincts, those elements he had such faith in, were screaming at her saying that he was the one, the person she was made for, the one she'd never in a million years move past. She just had to be brave, to risk the logic in her head that told her love was a distraction, and that this was a mistake. It wasn't a mistake, loving him could never be, and in that understanding, Emma had an epiphany – she realized all this time she'd faulted her parents for loving too much, when clearly they'd had no choice in the matter.

Her feelings were beyond control when it came to Killian, and they'd only been reunited a matter of weeks. What would love like this be like after years of such an affliction? The thoughts of love and her family sparked a remembrance, one she couldn't have avoided even if she tried, and in an instant she relived the entire memory.

…

On the last night of Captain and Lieutenant Jones' visit with the royal family, the two men were invited for supper, and not the average banquet or ball held in honor of military servicemen, but a more intimate gathering, just of the royal family and themselves. It was to take place after Emma and Killian's first kiss, but before any more time was spent alone together.

Emma believed that all through dinner she'd be consumed with thoughts of Killian. She feared her ability to find words, so lost was she in how wonderful the kiss they'd shared had been. Despite her overwhelming excitement, and flurry of emotions, Emma had told no one, not even Tink, what happened, wanting to keep the moment just between the two of them for a while yet. But her instructor and friend saw through the tizzy of feeling as they made their way through the large hallway from Emma's chambers to the dining quarters downstairs. The fairy asked Emma directly what could cause her such happiness.

"All this joy wouldn't happen to be coming with a young Lieutenant in tow, would it?" Tink's teasing should have forced a blush across Emma's cheeks, but none came. Instead Emma just smiled wider.

"I think he's the handsomest man in the kingdom." Tink raised a brow at that.

"Is that all you're looking for, Emma. A strapping young lad with muscles and a symmetrical face? There are plenty of those around." Emma rolled her eyes.

"No of course not. Killian is kind, and thoughtful, and incredibly intelligent. You should have heard all of the things he spoke to Neal of yesterday. He's studied all the world's almanacs, knows more languages than I do-"

"But you're right, it doesn't hurt that he's so handsome." Now Emma blushed a bit, shaking her head.

"No it doesn't." They'd made it to the big wooden doors that led to the dining room, the guards their honoring Emma with a bow before allowing her inside. While she'd expected to be early, Emma found that everyone was there before them, but immediately her eyes were drawn to Killian's.

Dressed in his regimentals, and standing straight at attention with his brother, he looked a bit more rigid than she liked. The only sense she got of the easygoingness of their newfound relationship was in his eyes, until she smiled and he did the same. Any tension in her own chest seemed to fade away, she could once more breathe easily, but soon she had to avert her eyes, to greet his brother and her family.

"Emma, we were wondering when you'd get here, and look, we've saved you your favorite spot." Her father motioned happily to the seat just beside him and next to her brother Neal. At only six, he was so much smaller than everyone else, but so bright and well behaved. Emma knew he would blend naturally into the evening as he always seemed to do. Before she sat she tickled him slightly and listened to his laughter. It calmed any lingering nerves. No matter what, she knew she had her brother.

"Training ran later than we expected, Your Grace," Tink supplied as she sat on Neal's other side near Snow and the Queen nodded.

"Swords or magic?" Neal asked excitedly and Emma smiled.

"What do you think?" Neal's answer was instantaneous.

"Magic, because none of the guards came back looking badly beaten." They all laughed at that, as the first course was served, and conversation steered from Emma's personal schooling to their guests. Emma had learned a lot about the King that they served, and their intended journey to map out more of the uncharted worlds, but still, hearing Killian speak about his hopes for the trip made her heart skip. At one point, Liam spoke of the threat of pirates, and surprisingly it was Queen Snow who replied first.

"I've never met any pirates before, but as a now retired bandit, I've always wondered if they're truly ruthless or just a bit elated from the freedoms of being an outlaw." Emma watched Liam and Killian's shock at the reveal that her mother was once an outlaw and stifled a laugh with her napkin. It really was a sight to behold.

"You were a bandit?" Snow smiled at Killian's question.

"Why, yes, for years actually. On the run from the Evil Queen, until a certain Prince Charming accosted me and pulled me back." Emma's father scoffed at her wording.

"Oh please, you're the one who hit me over the head with a rock." Now Emma laughed out loud, for Killian's jaw had gone slack. His eyes looked to hers and soon his confusion turned to laughter too.

"Tell the story from the beginning. No skipping the good parts." The subtle demand from Neal had her parents doing just that, explaining to the visiting sailors that Snow had been on the run, and that Charming had been engaged to another. The story was one Emma knew by heart, about how love had overcome lost memories, and sleeping curses, and most of all fear. They even ended in their favorite way, claiming they'd found a happily ever after together that had brought them Emma and Neal. Emma had felt a pang of loss at the words, for here was where she and her parents disagreed. This wasn't happily ever after; there was still too much pain in the world for that.

When Emma looked back up from glancing at her own hands where she'd tried to hide her disagreement, Killian's eyes were on her and Emma marveled again at how he always seemed to understand her, even when no one else did. There was no way he could comprehend the immensity of the problem, very few people knew the particulars of the prophecy that had been foretold at her birth, but in his brilliant blue eyes, she saw an extension of feeling. He was trying to tell her that he was there for her, and whatever it was she was worrying about would be okay. When she finally gave him a small smile, he turned back to her parents.

"You're very lucky, to have found love in the face of strife as you did." Emma's parents looked at each other, all smiles from across the table.

"We are, and we say it every day," Emma's father replied.

"Oh boy, do they ever!" Neal's comment caused laughter once more, as dinner came to a close, and Emma would forever remember it as one of her favorite moments.

…

Killian had always known that the sea was a part of who he was. Ever since he was a young boy, he'd stood in awe of the vastness of the oceans, the way it covered the earth connecting most places and the way man had managed to travel it. No one could be the commander of the seas; that was not a man's job but a God's. They could, however, survive atop it, chasing adventures and outrunning storms.

Sailing held a life of excitement and purpose, and to a young boy who'd been abandoned in one way or another by his parents, and who had nothing but admiration for his sea-obsessed brother, a future on the water made for a wonderful dream. That dream finally came true when he and Liam enlisted as deckhands on a mercantile ship, and then a few years later joined the navy. Even now, with his brother long dead, and his regimentals done away with, he was a pirate, a man outside the law who still lived on open waters. Now he'd lived more of his life on a boat than off of one, this was the only thing he really knew.

The one constant in his life was the sea, it was a part of him and his story and that had always brought him comfort, but the pull it had over him was nothing to the force endearing him to Emma. He'd watched her from afar for a while tonight, under the light of the moon as she stared into the sea, seeking the comfort he had searched for himself many times before. She looked troubled and everything in him screamed at him to help her, even while reason told him it was a fool's errand. She was a princess and he was a pirate, it could never work. Still his heart won over his head in the end, and he'd made his way over.

Now he awaited her confession as to what was hurting her tonight. Was it her impending stop in Arendelle, or perhaps the larger quest she was on as a whole. Maybe she missed her family, and was debating whether she wouldn't be better off returning home. But when she looked into his eyes, conquering the fear he knew was in her heart, and turning those luminescent green irises his way, he knew it was bigger than tat. This had to do with them, the undeniable attraction surging between them. It filled his chest with pride that she cared for him, even if he never dreamed she could ever love him as he did her. It was enough that he mattered to her, at least in some capacity, and it drove him mad while also being the greatest joy in his life.

"You see me." Her words were a whisper and he turned to face her, his hand moving to the small of her back while the other moved to cover one of hers on the railing instinctively. It was improper, but hell if he cared. She wanted reassurance; he would damn well give it to her.

"Always, love. It's impossible not to." She shook her head.

"No, I mean you see me, you know me, the real me. With you I can just be Emma, not the princess or the savior." Ah, now he understood her meaning, and yes it was true. More often than not he saw her as the woman who'd stolen his whole heart, giving no credence or thought to her title or riches at all.

"Aye, love. With me, you can be whomever you like, and in the end I'll still know you, just as you know me." She sighed, turning towards him and running her hand over his chest as she stepped slightly closer.

"I need to ask you to do something, Killian, and know that I'm not doing so without any thoughts or cares. Actually, I've thought of little else since our reunion..." He ran his thumb over the impossibly soft skin on her hands.

"Anything, Emma."

"Tonight, when we're in bed together, don't stop with kisses. Don't stop until you've given me everything and I've given you the same." The world halted in that moment, every hope and dread Killian had ever known crashing down upon him, he was euphoric and guilt ridden all at once. She was asking him for something he'd selfishly thought of for years, but surely she couldn't know the full extent of what she'd requested. She deserved better, and that thought prompted a memory from years ago that he hadn't reflected on since the day itself.

….

In the moments after their farewell dinner, where the royal family had excused themselves to gather proper walking attire, Killian and Liam were left in the front way of the castle. Underneath his skin, Killian felt tingles of pleasure and excitement. Another moment in the company of the Princess, another memory to make with Emma, the girl who'd captivated him, body and soul in less than three day's times. Truth was his love for her was instant, ever since she'd come to their ship and boldly inquired about who they were, but it had only blossomed from there, growing roots that could never be broken.

"Tread lightly, little brother." Liam's words were harsh, clipped even and pulled Killian from the happy thoughts.

"I don't take your meaning." Liam merely stared back at Killian before finally responding.

"She's a princess, and you are a sailor. Ever wonder why there are no songs about such unions in the lore of old? Because such a coupling would never work. She's of a different world, a different breed entirely, made for ruling a people. Someday, you may Captain a ship, but you're a man of the sea, a warden of the waters. It's what you were both destined to be." His brother's words brought anger into Killian's heart. Why couldn't he let him have this, and further, why couldn't he understand that love didn't care about their worlds.

"There's more to both of us than that, and destiny is not written in stone." Killian had to believe that, he had to hope that somehow this would be enough, and that the Gods would be kind enough to let him have her, even if it was in the future, after his service in the navy.

"Ah, but it is brother. We are who we are all meant to be, and chasing her, loving her, will only bring you heartbreak." Liam's words fed the trickling of doubt in Killian's mind, but still he persevered.

"I won't regret her, Liam, and I won't allow you to sully this for me." His brother crossed his hands over his chest.

"So be it, but when it is over, for it must end, Killian, tonight, you will remember what I told you. Those who cross fate find nothing but pain, and it will be yours to bear, and yours alone." Without another word his brother moved outside, leaving Killian to stand there angry and confused until Emma made her appearance once more.

"Where are your parents, Princess?" He asked, surprised to find her alone.

"They've rethought their inclination for a walk. And your brother?"

"He's in a solitary mood at the moment." Emma nodded, as if she could possibly understand the interaction that had just happened. Still, when she offered him her hand, he took it readily, pressing a kiss to it before they went out into the night.

As they walked along the path he'd come to know so well, Emma calmed him, easing away the sting of Liam's words. Her laughter and the beautiful lilt in her voice when she spoke about anything and everything left him no choice but to heal. She was a vision, walking amongst the leaves in her yellow dress. She'd left her tiara behind, opting to let her beautiful golden hair fall freely, and once they came to rest on a bench inside the hedgerow, he reached out for a strand, feeling it's silky softness once more. As it had been this afternoon when they'd kissed, her hair was soft and silky. He tried to engrain the feel of it in his memory.

"You're leaving tomorrow." Killian looked up into her eyes, to find them full of tears, his lovely princess, strong and fierce and brave as she was, was hurting because of him, he pulled her close, completely oblivious to whether or not they had any sort of audience.

"Aye, love. I've a quest I can't stray from. I must serve my brother and my king." Emma nodded, wiping away the tears as she did so.

"I know. You're good and honorable, and a man of your word." The hand that still held hers ran its thumb across her smooth skin in an even back and forth motion.

"I try to be, Princess."

"Emma. I can't bear it when you call me princess. Any one else, but not you, please." He nodded, not wanting to upset her, not when they had precious little time left together.

"Well, Emma, I heard it was your birthday in a few days time. I won't be there to see you on it, but I have this for you." Killian removed the silver chain and pendant from his pocket, where he'd kept it all morning. Etched inside was a Swan, a bird that was regal and beautiful, but wild and stubborn, just as he knew Emma to be. When he handed it to her, their fingers touched and he watched her eyes grow wide at the sight of it.

"It's gorgeous. I love it, thank you Killian." He couldn't keep the silly grin off his face as she said the words, happy to have gotten something right but when she turned around he was surprised. Turning her head to peer at him over her shoulder she smiled. "Won't you help me put it on?"

"Oh – right – of course." With shaky hands he clasped the necklace together, placing it down along her neck and watching a shiver move through her at the graze of his fingertips. When she turned back around, her forefinger and thumb held the pendant close.

"I will treasure it always, just as I'll treasure every moment I spent with you."

"There's not a day that will go by where I won't think of you Emma." The tears had returned to her eyes, and this time they fell past her cheeks, as Killian wiped them away.

"Good." That was all she said before pulling him down to kiss her. How long they stayed there, Killian didn't know, but sometime later he heard his brother's call and pulled back. He would never be the same again, he might never feel whole again because he'd met her and was now set to lose her.

Those who cross fate find nothing but pain. Liam's words sounded once more in his head and the barbs of truth and cynicism from his brother would stay with him for years to come. Still, even if he knew it to be true, he'd never be able to deny her, and would never ever give up a chance to be with her. She was heaven itself, and every moment in her presence was an incomparable pleasure he was too weak willed to ever walk away from. Life was better with Emma, his lovely Swan, by his side, no matter what the cost.

….

Now it's him who is warring with himself, Emma thought as she waited with bated breath for his reply. She'd asked him for so much, too much by the standards of propriety and… well everything really, but she still hoped beyond reason that he'd allow her this. She wanted nothing more than to take her moment, to feel everything with him, even if it was only just once. His features had gone stony, and Emma feared he might say no, until he seemed to return to himself.

"So, will you?" she asked softly.

"I will do as you wish, love." He pulled her from the upper decks down to his cabin with swift motions, and Emma could feel the adrenaline coursing through her. There was no nervousness here, much to her surprise, but longing so incredibly pure it couldn't be stifled. Since they would be sharing so much tonight, the least she could do was show him and make him see that to her, this might be the best memory she ever made in her whole life.

Once in the room, Killian locked the wooden door behind them and stepped towards her. Emma couldn't tell if he was completely in control, or completely lost to what coursed between them. He moved with grace but it wasn't restrained, closing the space between them until she was backed against the hard wooden wall and he stood inches away from her. His hands ran across her body and left trails of bliss in their wake even through her clothing. He warmed and chilled her all at once, firing off sensations inside her that Emma never knew existed. If she was already experiencing so much, how would she ever survive his making love to her?

"If we do this, Emma, we do this my way. Do you understand that?" She nodded, losing her words in the sight of the intensity in his gaze. His eyes had gone dark, he licked his lips as she watched and one of his hands came from her hip to run through his hair. Here were her signs that he was coming undone, and it charged every beat between them even more.

"Yes, I understand." The tick in his jaw eased as he bent down to kiss her. This kiss was nothing like the gentle perusals of their past few nights, but was raw and real and so demanding it stole Emma's breath. When he pulled back she instinctively followed, but he shook his head.

"Soon, Emma, just a bit of patience. If all we have is tonight, then it has to be perfect. You deserve nothing less." Emma's eyes welled with tears at his words. He was so good, so indescribably lovely, but his reminder that they'd only ever have tonight shook her to the core. She already missed him, and he was right here. His hand came up to cup her cheek. "Are you sure you want to do this, Emma?"

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life." Her words seemed to snap the last bit of conflict he had with this plan and soon his mouth was on hers again as his fingers worked to unbutton the top of her tunic. Pulling back, he lifted the garment off of her, his eyes honing in on the pendant just above her breasts.

"You kept it." His fingers went to trace the necklace he'd given her years ago, and she brought her hand to cover his.

"Always. It's the best gift anyone's ever given me." He was at a loss for words, Emma could tell as he took her mouth with his, more heated kisses passing between them while they removed every article of clothing that stood between the two of them.

Getting her hands on all of the leather he wore, and removing all his layers filled Emma with a determination she'd never known. She felt such power at her fingertips with every touch she gave him that seemed to drive him wild. Every groan, every plea that passed his lips, even the strangled commands he gave, all fueled a fire in her that burned brighter than even her white magic. When she'd taken his aching cock in hand and tightened her hand around it, he groaned aloud, forcing her hand away.

"Enough, love, if you continue perusals like that much longer, I won't last." Emma pouted a bit at the thought that she should have to stop, but then he'd maneuvered them to the bed, spreading her down atop the blankets as he came above her. "You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever known." Emma flushed with pleasure at the compliment and when his kisses moved from her mouth down her jaw to her neck, and his hands moved over the smoothness of her stomach down to her hip and across her thigh, she moaned aloud.

Eventually his fingers made contact with her sex, and though Emma wasn't thoroughly naïve, having pleased herself before in the privacy of her bed chambers only ever to thoughts of him, the shock of the pleasure that his fingers afforded her still caught her off guard. Her hands tightened on his biceps as she squeaked out his name.

"Killian!" She could feel him grin against her neck only to come back up and kiss her lips once more. He pulled back slightly and whispered to her.

"Like that, do you love?" She could do nothing but let out a moan as his thumb found her clit, swirling with just the right pressure to have her arching closer.

"Yes, but I need more." He heeded her desires, inserting a finger into her in rhythm with his thumb and soon she was soaking in that pleasure that only came with carnal release. She'd never imagined that it could feel this good, this incredibly wonderful. As she'd fallen apart, Killian had pulled away to watch her and now, looking in his eyes, Emma saw nothing but raw sensuality.

"Mine." He growled the words as he kissed down her body, biting along her skin but never to the point of pain. With each nip, he'd then lave the spot with his tongue after in a sort of soothing gesture. Emma's hands tangled in his hair as his mouth came down to her breast, taking her achingly hard nipple inside as the hand he'd just used to please her came up to tease the other. She groaned and then he swapped attentions, until Emma thought she'd come just from his ministrations there. As she neared the edge though, he kissed lower, leaving the same rough kisses along her stomach, along with the scratch of his beard, down until he'd spread her out wide and hoisted her up so he could look at her intimately. It was the first time she'd thought to be nervous or embarrassed, but he wouldn't allow it.

"Gods you're just as stunning down here, love. Tell me your mine, Emma. My Swan, no one else's." It was the only truth she knew in this moment – that she was completely and irrevocably his.

"Yours, always yours." His mouth descended on her wanting core and soon his tongue was kissing her with more ferocity than he had even kissed her mouth. It was all together too much and not enough, but when his fingers joined in the fray she was lost, powerless to fend off the immense wave of pleasure that followed. She expected him to return to her when it passed but instead he remained, hell bent on doing it all over again.

"Killian, I don't think I can-" He pulled back and interrupted her.

"You'll take everything I give you, Emma. My way, remember?" Yes, she did, but what if his way killed her from an overdose of bliss. No one should ever feel this alive, this gone with lust and love and every good feeling. When he'd pushed her into a third climax, he finally kissed his way back up her body, tenderly.

"Killian, I should tell you that I've never done this before."

"You're untouched? A virgin?!" She nodded and watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell, I won't survive this! I don't want to hurt you, Emma." Emma pulled him closer though, unwilling to let him turn back now.

"I need you. It has to be you, only you." The turmoil in his eyes melted into peace. With that he lined his cock up with her entrance and moved in slowly, inch by inch. There was pressure, so much pressure, but none of the pain she'd come to expect, and when she'd finally taken him in and grown accustomed to his length, she urged him to move. It was perfect, nothing in the world could ever compare, and as they came together everything else fell away from them. It was just the two of them here; nothing else mattered. When she shattered soon thereafter, he followed suit, holding her close when they were finished. He peppered her with kisses all over, reverent and loving and magnificent.

"That was…" He began, before Emma filled him in.

"Perfect. Truly and undeniably perfect." She ran her hand across his face and watched him smile. The boy she'd loved was here with her, as was the man he'd become in their time apart, and the mix made a person so ideal Emma hated to look away. Still, sleep would come, and demanded that she succumb to it. Her eye lids grew heavy, her breathing evened until finally she closed her eyes and nestled in beside him. She felt a kiss at her forehead and thought she might have heard a quiet whisper from Killian as she fell under.

"My Swan, my love, my light." Smiling, but unable to reply, Emma fell into a sleep filled with dreams of a world without darkness, without evil queens and prophecies and the like. All there was instead was love and laughter, light and peace, and through it all, Killian was there just beside her.

Post-Note: To put it mildly, I have a lot of feels from writing this. It's been such an interesting AU to tackle, but this chapter in particular, I knew I had to be careful with since it would be so charged with emotion. If you are a reader of my other fics, you know by now that this will never be their only night. Hell, by the end of next chapter they'll have done away with that notion. Next chapter will also bring Elsa and Anna, and the reveal of what the weapon Emma intends to use is. I hope you guys enjoyed this installment enough to continue on with me next time and thereafter. As always, thank you for reading and for all your kind words and support!