AN: As always, I don't own anything and please read and review.

Ch. 7 – "Third Quarter Moon"

Emma cautiously got out of the taxi car as she wrapped her warm coat around her dark purple dress. Her long blonde hair was carefully curled and she let it hang loosely around her shoulders. Usually she wore it up in a harsh ponytail or bun, to keep it out of her face, but she wanted to look nice and had let her hair down. She wandered over to a small fountain outside of the opera house and greeting Killian as he watched her with a bemused, awed look in his eyes. She took a moment to appreciate the way that he looked in a tuxedo. "You look beautiful," he said in awe as he played with a strand of her blonde hair. Emma blushed and said, "You clean up nice yourself." "Thanks," he said with a smirk and leaned down to kiss her. She stopped him with a shaky hand and sighed with regret. "I'm sorry, Killian. But, I agreed that I would go out with you tonight. There can't be anything more than that." Killian just nodded his hand in understanding and gently placed his arm around her waist and led her inside the large, ornate opera house.


When he saw her give her coat up for coat check, he felt his jaw drop at seeing her in her pretty purple dress. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely to her. "For what?" Emma asked, blushing at his gaze. "For tonight, for your pretty dress, for looking so beautiful, for everything," he told her and led them to their seats.


Emma watched entranced as the actors on screen sung their hearts out to each other as she felt Killian's eyes on her. She felt him gently grab her hand and brought it up to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. She looked at him with a sad smile and closed her eyes as she let the music surround her. He never let go of her hand for the rest of the opera.


Emma slowly walked down the sidewalk next to Killian as she let her thoughts become mangled and twisted yet again. She should not be feeling this way for this man! She thought she had her life finally on the right track, but then this man appeared and gave her the spark that she didn't know she had been missing. "What's the matter?" he asked quietly, sensing her thoughts.

"How can you ask me that? You know that 'the matter' is," she said in exasperation.

"You're making me feel guilty again," he said.

"You are guilty," Emma pointed out, "I'm guilty! We're both guilty."

"Only God can point the finger," Killian said with a shrug.

"Yeah, well I know what I know," Emma replied with a roll of her eyes.

"And what do you know? You told me my life, I'm going to tell you yours. If I'm a wolf, then you run to the wolf in me; that doesn't make you a lamb. You're going to marry my brother," he said with a scoff, "Why are you selling yourself short? Playing it safe is about the most dangerous thing a woman like you could do. I mean you thought you married the right man the first time, why didn't you wait for the real right one this time?"

"Because he didn't come," Emma said.

"I'm right here!," Killian pointed out.

"You're late," Emma replied and looked away at the look in his sad blue eyes.

She finally looked up to see the familiar bakery and the steps that lead up to his small apartment. She sighed and pointed out, "This is your place."

"That's right," Killian said with a shrug.

"This is where we were going?" Emma asked as she thought she was going somewhere to get a drink with him after the opera.

"Yeah," Killian whispered.

"We had a deal," Emma tried to point out, "I thought we agreed that if I went out with you to the opera tonight then that would be it. Now, I'm going to marry your brother and you're going to leave me alone forever!" she cried out, trying to fight against her instinct to be with this man. "A person can change the way they run their life, they can even change their luck. So what if a part of me runs to the wolf in you? That doesn't me I should listen to it! I can take control of myself and say no! Or otherwise, I'll ruin everything!"

Killian sighed and stroked her cheek softly and said, "I understand what you're trying to say, but I can't think of anything else other than you. There is nothing for me now, other than you. The past, the future; it doesn't matter. I don't care if I burn in Hell. I love you, Emma and I want you to come with me upstairs."

Emma pulled away from him, trying to out run her feelings for him, "I want to go home," she said softly.

He grabbed her arm as he saw her shiver. "Come inside, please come inside with me. I love you, Emma, and not like you thought love was supposed to be. I know I'm not perfect, no one is. Love isn't perfect. It ruins everything and breaks your heart. The storybooks are wrong! Now, I want you to come with me upstairs and get in my bed with me!" Emma shook as tears slid down her face and stared at his earnest face. He was right. There was a part of her that was drawn to the wolf in him. He gently held out his bad hand to her and silently offered it to her. "Come on," he whispered imploringly. Emma looked at him and let her hand touch his fake one and let him lead her upstairs.