A/N: Another chapter. Be warned though I have started Roleplaying as Hook a lot on tumblr and it has kept me pretty distracted. On with the story.

Chapter 4: Fevered Revelations

When Emma woke up she was on her side and could feel Killian lying right behind her. He had his handless arm draped over her waist and she wondered when they had managed to get into the position during the night. Emma brought her left hand over the jagged scar of where his hand used to be. She frowned, thinking about how hard it must have been for him to learn how to do everything one handed. Anger began to boil up inside of her at the thought of Gold taking someone he loved and his hand. The thought of Killian having to go through all of that alone made her wonder if his tough exterior was just a way he dealt with the pain. Suddenly, Killian pulled his arm away from her and Emma looked back at him confused. He almost looked embarrassed and she wondered what was going through his head.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

"It's okay," said Emma unsure what he was sorry about.

"It's ugly," Killian stated, his eyes were hooded and he didn't look her in the eyes. That's when Emma realized he was talking about the scar.

"It doesn't bother me Killian," Emma replied sitting up and moving her hand to stroke his hair out of his eyes. He still felt warm, but his fever had come down enough that she didn't feel as worried anymore. She reached over to grab his left arm, wrapping her hand around the wrist where the scar was and bringing it up to her lips placing a soft kiss on it. Killian sat up in the bed abruptly, surprising Emma that he had managed to regain that kind of strength. He cupped her cheek and Emma just looked at him.

"You're amazing," he whispered and Emma couldn't help but smile as she put her hand over his.

"I'm not," Emma replied. "I just accept you for you."

Killian surprised her once again, by pulling her into a hug. Emma would never have thought him the type of man to hug, but then again the fever had been making him act strange and out of character at times. She smiled and hugged him back before pulling away and looking him in the eyes. She was curious about something, but she had never wanted to ask him before.

"What?" he asked when he noticed she was just staring at him.

"Tell me about what happened," said Emma, ghosting her fingers over his stump. Killian looked down at it, then back up to her.

"I met Milah in a tavern," he started. "She was unhappy with her life. Her husband was a coward and she didn't love him. She was always so bright and cheerful despite the life she didn't want. I fell in love with her and she loved me. One day when we were drinking in the tavern, he showed up looking for her. After her son came into the tavern, she left with him. But later that night she came to me. She said she couldn't stand to live with him anymore and she begged me to take her with me. I loved her, so I agreed."

Emma listened intently, refusing to interrupt afraid that he would stop and close himself back up again. She knew that he had walls of his own and she wanted to know what really happened, the full extent of it.

"The next day the crocodile found my ship and came looking for his wife. Milah didn't want to go back with him and I didn't want him to know she left him. So when he thought that I had taken her against her will, I let him think that. I gave him the opportunity to get her back. I challenged him to a duel, but he refused to fight. I told him that a man who is unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets, than told him to leave my ship. He did."

Killian closed his eyes rubbing the side of his face. It was clear that the memory hurt him. Emma leaned in and placed a kiss to his cheek and he looked back at her. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Years later, I met him again," Killian continued. "It was outside of the tavern that I met Milah in. He asked me what happened to Milah and I lied. I told him she died. I didn't want him to ever find out she was still with me. He challenged me to a duel and threatened to kill my entire crew if I didn't show up. I fought him, but he had magic. It wasn't a fair fight and I lost. He plunged his hand into my chest and I could feel him squeezing my heart, but Milah showed up and stopped him. She agreed to give him what he was looking for if he let both of us go. He wanted a magic bean we had in our possession. He agreed and she helped me back to the ship while the crocodile followed. But he was still angry at her for leaving, not just him, but their son. Milah threw me the bean and I caught it with my left hand. He tied me to the mast and ripped her heart out. I managed to get to her as she fell to the ground. He crushed her heart and she died in my arms. The last thing she said to me was, I love you, and I never got the chance to say it back. That's when he cut off my left hand. He thought I still had the bean in it, never realizing I had moved it. I took a fallen hook and stabbed him in the chest, but you can't kill him that way. I promised him that one day I would find a way, then he disappeared and the hook fell to the deck. That's when I decided that I would use that hook to replace my hand and exact revenge on him for killing my love."

Emma nodded, unsure of what to say. She remembered what happened to Graham and the fact that Henry said Regina had his heart. It made her realize why he was so motivated for his revenge. Though she knew what Gold had taken from him, she never knew the circumstances in which it happened.

"I'm sorry, Killian," she finally said, pulling him into a hug. He leaned against her and didn't say anything. Emma realized how hard it must have been to actually relieve that part of his past. She pulled away from the hug and he looked at her with a faint smile. "I lost someone like that too," she said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

"What?" Killian asked, giving her a confused look.

"I didn't love him," Emma explained. "But I could have. He thought he didn't have a heart and went looking for it. Regina found us and we got in a fight. He was cleaning my wound and I kissed him. He said he remembered. I guess he remembered who he was before the curse. I never got the chance to ask him. He leaned in to kiss me again and he just fell to the ground. . . . dead. Henry told me that Regina had his heart and crushed it. I didn't believe him at the time, but I do now."

Emma felt a tear make it down her cheek, but Killian wiped it away. She looked up at him and saw an emotion in his eyes she didn't think she recognized. He leaned in and kissed her lightly and Emma let her eyes drift closed. She brought her hand up to cup his cheek and kissed him back, but was startled at how hot he felt again, pulling away from him. He looked at her confusion written all over his face.

"You're burning up again," Emma explained. "You need to take your medicine."

Killian just nodded, looking exhausted all over again. She got off the bed and grabbed the pills and another bottle of water before sitting down next to him again. When she handed him the pills he popped them into his mouth and took the water without question. Emma was surprised that he seemed to get used to the taking the medicine. He drank half the bottle of water before handing it back to her lying down on the bed. Emma found herself studying his face when he closed his eyes and stroking his hair as she did before. She felt closer to him now. They had revealed the pain of loss in their life and she felt like she understood him better. Killian cracked one eye open and looked at her.

"You're doing it again," he said quietly with an amused smirk. Emma laughed.

"I know," she said, but this time she didn't pull away from him and continued to stroke his hair. Killian opened both of his eyes and looked up at her curiously, before smiling and closing them again. He let out a sigh and Emma couldn't help but smile.

"Emma," Killian said so quietly that she almost didn't hear him. She leaned in closer so she could hear well.

"Yes?" she asked just as quietly.

His brow furrowed. "I think I'm in love with you."

Emma froze in shock and she could feel her heart skip a beat at those words. When she looked down at him he didn't even act like he had said anything.

"What?" she asked quietly, but she got no response. He had already fallen asleep.