A/n: This morning I had an anon ask if Claw Your Skin was still part of the canon of this fic. I suppose it's about time to announce that while CYS did spark Screaming in the Dark, it is no longer part of the same verse. So think of it as an AU of this fic. Thank you again for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter it took quite a bit of doing to get this the way I wanted it and there's several big twists that I hadn't expected.


"In another life, I think you would have been a pirate." Emma said as she curled close to him, relishing his warmth and the way that she fit so perfectly into his side – like they'd been made to fit together.

"Why do you say that?" Killian questioned, pressing his nose into her curly blond hair. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent he had come to love so dearly. The scent that he'd come to know as well as his own.

Emma tilted her head, a smirk playing over her lips as she met his eyes gaze. "I don't know, you just have that air about you: dangerous and mysterious. And you're definitely a thief."

Killian arched a curious brow, his fingers trailing over her bare arm as she pulled her closer to him. "And what have a stolen, love?"

A shudder ran down her spine as his fingers played over her skin, her eyes fluttering closed. The words that wanted to come out were words that should have terrified her – words that she hadn't spoken in a very long time. "You've stolen my heart."

"Have I now?" He smirked, lips brushing along her jawline, fingers tangling in her hair. Killian rolled them over so she was beneath him, his body draped atop her carefully. He was sheer muscle and yet somehow he managed to make himself far lighter than she expected.

"Yes." Emma breathed out, wrapping her legs around him. She leaned up and pressed her lips against his, tongue sliding along his bottom lip, seeking entrance. She groaned against his mouth, feeling him pressed against her through the layers of their pants, grinding into her and causing sparks of desire to light within her.

Killian pushed the straps of her tanktop off her shoulders, tugging the material down her chest. He pulled back from the kiss, breathing raggedly as he looked down at her. "I'll have you know that you're just as much a thief as I am." He told her, his eyes dark with desire as he lowered his head, catching a nipple between his lips, his tongue flicking out against her pebbled flesh.

Emma's back arched up off the bed, pressing her hips upwards, seeking friction as she ground herself against his hardening length through their pants. She pushed her fingers through his dark hair, tugging at the strands as they slipped between them.

"You're far too dressed." She murmured, rocking her hips against him pointedly, suppressing the moan that rose up in the back of her throat.

Killian groaned loudly when she rocked against him, pulling away from her breast then, his eyes focusing on her face. "Are you against foreplay now or something, love?" He quipped with a devilish smirk on his lips as he reached down between them, thumbing the button of her jeans. "I was planning on taking my time tonight."

Emma arched her back upwards, running her tongue along her bottom lip, trying her best seductive look on him. "I'm not against foreplay at all, but you and I both know that I don't need any help getting ready for you."

Killian flashed her a wolfish grin, "Oh, I know you don't need any help, lass. I can smell exactly how wet you are." He worked her jeans open, drawing the zipper down agonizingly slow. "Always glad to know that I have such a positive effect on you." He slipped his hand into her pants, fingers brushing over her through her underwear.

"You're such a smug bastard."

Killian smirked as he lowered himself between her thighs, his eyes trained on her face. He leaned in, his tongue flicking out against her slit through her damp underwear, teasingly pressing against her center. "And you love me for it." He drawled out, pushing her underwear aside, his tongue brushing against her clit.

Emma's breath caught in the back of her throat at his words, but she forced herself to speak. "You're lucky that I do love you." Her voice wavered as the words slipped past her lips. "Who else would put up with you?" She countered, trying to lessen the seriousness of their words.

It was always when they fell in love, not if.

Killian leaned back on his knees, pulling his shirt off and tossing it aside. Emma sat up slowly, her hands playing over his chest as she leaned in to kiss him. She dropped her hand down to work his jeans open. Just as he had teased her, she slipped her hand into his jeans, fingers brushing along his hardened length, please to hear the groan that passed his lips on her account.

Emma pushed her hand against his chest, shoving him back onto the bed before she moved to straddle him. "You left my underwear on." She whispered lowly, her hair falling around them like a curtain as she leaned in and nipped at his bottom lip. "You should do something about that"

"Taken care of." Killian said with a smirk, hooking his fingers into the sides of her underwear, tugging sharply at them until they tore away from her. "Better?" He questioned, groaning as she pressed down against him, her slick flesh sliding over his length but she gave neither of them what they wanted. "You're a bloody tease."

"You love me for it." Emma retorted, echoing what he'd said before. She kissed him again, taking her time as she explored his mouth, her tongue tangling with his. She ground her hips down against him, groaning against his lips as she shifted, taking the very tip of him into her.

Killian's hands went to her hips, holding her steady as she curled her fingers around him, sinking down onto him completely. He guided her movements as she started to move, finding a rhythm that they could both match.

Her nails raked over his chest as his lips trailed from hers along her jawline, and to her neck. She knew what was coming. Her entire being was screaming for it – wanting the sensations that it promised. Killian pressed a line of kisses along the curve of her neck, moving to that spot on her shoulder that he'd told her about.

Emma cried out, her eyes squeezing shut as her release tore through her at the very second that his teeth sank into her tender flesh – as if working together to drive her to the very brink of sanity. A rush of adrenaline and endorphins flooded her system. The pain only sweetened the pleasure.

Reality went hazy around her and she was thankful that this was only a dream. That they could wake up from this – from the whispered words, the admittances of love, and pretend that none of them had ever happened.


Emma's eyes flew open as she woke up from the dream. Her hand went to her neck, her skin burning where his teeth had been. It was a dream – a nightmare to her – and yet she felt everything as if it had actually happened. She was done with these fucking shared dreams. She forced herself to get out of bed, heading down the hallway to the bathroom.

She couldn't even bear the thought of looking at her own reflection; she could only imagine how uncomfortable seeing him was going to be.

In the dreams they had had sex in places that she had never even imagined in her wildest dreams before he came along. If she applied that logic to this dream then she could easily pretend that what they had said was simply a made up experience, brought to them by the connection or whatever it was causing the shared dreams to begin with.

The dreams came every night and every morning she woke up feeling like she'd had the best night of her life, feeling satisfied and a little achy, but this morning she woke up feeling like a bomb had been dropped on her and her neck was killing her from where he'd bit her. She was thankful that, though it hurt, it was only red and not actually torn open like it felt like it had been.

Emma didn't know which would have been wiser – waiting until both of her parents were awake to keep any conversations about the dream at bay or biting the bullet and going downstairs to face him. She chose the latter however, simply because she knew that he would end up being smug and talk about the dream in front of her parents which was a can of worms she wasn't interested in cracking open just yet.

It was just a dream. Just because she'd said that she loved him in the dream did not mean that she felt anything close to love for the man in real life. She liked him – that much was true. He was easy to talk to, humorous, and he understood aspects of her personality that others usually ran from. He was good to Henry, her father seemed to enjoy his company, and… it meant nothing. He was temporary, he'd be gone soon enough just like everyone else in her life.

If she was going to fall in love with someone, she was going to fall in love with them on her own terms and not because she was being forced towards them by some fated-to-be shit. Being the savior was bad enough.

As she made her way down the stairs, she noted that the kitchen light was on and that he was standing there making a cup of coffee for himself. Emma held her breath as she stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a mug out of the cabinet, joining him by the coffee pot.

"Good morning." Emma said quietly, glancing towards him, trying to gauge how he had reacted to the dream. His brows were furrowed together, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his shoulders were stiff, like he was ready to pounce.

"Morning." He gritted out, taking a sip of his coffee and avoiding eye contact as he turned away from her. Despite his attempts to conceal it, he limped as he moved towards the fridge.

"We can pretend that the dream didn't happen." Emma offered, chewing on her bottom lip as she watched him hobbling towards the other side of the kitchen, clearly trying to put space between them.

"Can we really just pretend that it didn't happen, lass?" Killian snapped as he turned around to face her, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her. "Is it really that easy for you?" His words were heated, anger brimming in his tone.

Emma swallowed thickly, sitting her coffee cup down on the kitchen counter before she dropped it. Her hands were trembling and her pulse was thumping in her ears. She hated confrontation. She hated having to work things out and talk about them. Leaving the situation – running from all of it had always been easier for her. But this – this wasn't something she could run from. Not easily at least.

"No. It's not easy, but what else is there to be done?" Emma pressed her lips together as she tilted her head, her eyes flickering over his face, trying to read the unreadable expression etched into his face. "Look, we don't know much about these dreams. We know that we're both having them and that it's because of the connection. But they're always fantastical settings that I would never do in waking life."

Killian snorted loudly, rolling his eyes as he turned away from her. "Ah, such flattering words." He remarked dryly as he jerked the freezer open. He looked around for a moment, taking his time as he reached for a box of sausages, before moving across the kitchen to grab a plate.

"What do you mean?" Emma questioned, her voice wavering as she watched him move back across the kitchen to put the sausages in the microwave. "I mean maybe you're into sex in the woods but-"

Killian slammed his hand down against the counter, his words coming out with a growl in the back of his throat. "That's not what I meant and you know it." He narrowed his eyes; his jaw set hard, teeth grinding together.

The predatory look in his eyes should have told her to keep her distance, but she knew that he was harmless, despite the warnings from Ruby. If he did truly love her, like the dream had revealed, then he would never hurt her.

"I thought that we didn't want this Killian." Emma said quietly, reaching out to place her hand over his on the counter, squeezing it tightly. "I thought we both agreed that we weren't giving in to something that's forcing us together. Hell, we haven't even known each other for a month yet." She had barely known Henry's father for longer than a few weeks before she'd fallen in love with him and that hadn't gone over overly well for her either.

Killian's expression softened, his other hand coming up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over the curve of her cheekbone. "Is your shoulder alright?" He questioned, his eyes flickering towards her covered skin.

"It hurts like a bitch." Emma said with a strained laugh, wincing as she rubbed at the spot. "So is that what marking is like then?"

"Aye." He replied with a nod, his hand sliding from her cheek to her shoulder, pulling aside her housecoat to reveal the red mark on her skin. "It should be gone by this evening." Killian leaned down and pressed his lips to the spot, his breath dancing over her skin as he pulled back.

Emma let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. She was thankful that he was avoiding the whole dream issue for now. "Go sit down and I'll bring you your sausages." She said firmly, giving him a stern look. "You shouldn't be standing on that leg."

"I've got it." He said easily, flashing her a cheeky grin. "My leg's feeling fine today."

"You were limping." Her hands went to her hips, giving him a stern expression. "As your nurse, I'm going to have say that you need to sit down. Now."

"As you wish." Killian retorted, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek, bowing grandly, before he hobbled over to the sofa.

"Do you really need ten sausages?" Emma questioned as she opened the microwave, shaking her head at the amount of food that the man could consume and still somehow stay so incredibly fit.

"I need twenty but your father's told me to cut back on how much I eat." Killian retorted, looking over the back of the sofa at her. "I think he wants me to starve to death."

"Or he wants to be able to feed the rest of us." Emma laughed as she brought his coffee and the plate over to the coffee table. "We should start giving you only the table scraps."

Killian rolled his eyes at her comment. "Ah, you're keeping me as the family pet now?"

"It has its perks you know. You'd get regular walks, belly scratches, and lots of food." Emma smirked, barely able to contain herself as she sat down on the sofa beside him. Her lips were twitching as she fought the urge to laugh.

"Being a human has better perks however." Killian tugged her closer to him, his arm going around her shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her. A smug grin plastered to his lips as he pulled back. "See that is a perk to being a human."

"Behave yourself. Everyone will be down here in a few minutes." Emma slapped the top of his leg, giving him a laughably stern expression as he slid his hand over her thigh slowly. "Heel." She teased when he leaned in and stole another kiss despite what she'd said.

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks, love." He commented as he pulled back from the kiss, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, a smirk playing across his features. Killian brushed his thumb over her bottom lip, his eyes searching hers. "I know you'll catch them Emma."

He always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking about and while it should have unnerved her; there was a comforting element to it. "The hunters you mean?" She shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "I don't know. Maybe I should just let them have Gold and it will end all of this for all of us."

Killian arched a brow, "You know that's not what you should do. You'll find a way to catch them."

"You think so?" Emma chewed on her bottom lip, not entirely sure of her own capabilities anymore. She'd been thrown for a loop one too many times over the last few weeks to be certain of anything anymore. "I'm glad someone thinks I can do this."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, this – with him – was the closest thing she had come to having a real relationship since she had been a teenager. Even then no one had had such an unwavering belief in her abilities. It was nice.

"I believe in you." Killian assured her, a warm smile creasing the corners of his lips as he searched her eyes, his impossibly blue ones meeting hers.

"I'm going to swing by the hospital after I drop Henry off at school and see what sort of information I can get out of Gold." Emma commented as she leaned against him, content to stay just like this until her parents came downstairs. He made everything make sense somehow.

"Hopefully he'll be of some use to you. Though, with the information that you know, there's no way to pretend that you haven't been in communication with me." Killian sighed heavily as he pressed his lips to the crown of her head. "It was only a matter of time before he found out."

"You'll be fine. I'm not going to let him do anything to you." Emma reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "I've got your back."


"And to what do I owe this pleasure Ms. Swan? Have you caught him?" Gold questioned as he sat up in his hospital bed, an unwelcoming smile creasing the corners of his lips as he looked to her. "Because that's the only reason you should be here right now."

"Unfortunately… No. I haven't caught him and I won't be catching him anytime soon either." Emma flashed him one of her signature bitch please smiles. "I believe that everything that has occurred to you is the work of someone else. Not Killian."

"There is no one else. Only him." Gold gritted his teeth, his blood pressure monitor spiking at his frustration. "Whatever that creature has been telling you I can assure you that it is a lie. He is simply feeding them to you to avoid paying for his sins."

"His only sin was that he loved someone that he shouldn't have loved." Emma snapped, her fists balling at her sides. "Look, I know there's a lot of unrest between the two of you, but he's willing to bury the hatchet and not in your back. I just need to know what you know about the other hunters, because that's my only lead right now."

Gold's expression contorted when she mentioned the hunters, his lips pressed into a thin line. "What has he been telling you? Did he inform you that when Milah ran away she left behind a boy – our son? Did he tell you that I lost my boy because of those events? That years later the boy was found by his pack and that he turned him over to the hunters?"

"I-…" Emma started, her lashes fluttered as she tried to take in what he was saying. "He told me about the boy that your wife left behind, but I didn't press the subject any further than that." He hadn't withheld that information because she hadn't asked him about it. What did that have to do with any of this?

"Ms. Swan," Gold began, narrowing his eyes menacingly. "You and I made a deal once, one that I am now prepared to cash in on." He smirked at her, looking more like the pictures of the imp in the storybook than ever before. "Find my son and I promise to spare your beloved wolf. If he gets himself killed it won't be by my hands."

"Deal." Emma replied, not even taking a moment to dwell on any other possibilities. If Killian could have faith in her, then she needed to have that same faith in him. She had promised him that she would protect him and she made good on her promises. "How do I find him?"

"You see, before all of this began, I managed to track down his whereabouts. It seems that much like you, my boy found his way to the land without magic. From what I've been able to discer, he lives in Manhattan. Go to my shop, there is a drawer beneath the cash register. It has all of the information you'll need."

Given her background as a bails bond person finding his son shouldn't be that difficult. Especially if he'd already done most of the grunt work for her. "I'll leave tomorrow then."

"I would suggest taking the mutt with you. Just in case I… slip." Gold threatened, snapping his fingers together, as though he were snuffing out the flame of a candle. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm quite fatigued and would like to rest before Belle returns."

Emma forced a smile at his words, taking a step backwards towards the door. "I'm glad we were able to reach an agreement." She had no more answers than she had had before she arrived, if anything she had more questions – yet again.

There was never a dull moment in her life. She always had to be ready for the next curve ball, whether she liked it or not. At least Killian had expressed that this aspect of her life didn't bother him, because he was part of it now.