Emma awoke the next day with the smell of sweet pastry and freshly brewed coffee filling her nostrils. Before she had even opened her eyes she had begun to smile and figured she was probably dreaming again. There was a faint, muffled noise in the distant recess of her mind, but her brain was too occupied with converting the sugar scent of freshly baked goods and coffee into temptation. Her stomach rumbled a little as she rolled over into a patch of morning sunlight, the burnt orange glow instantly warming her face and making her pinch her eyes even more tightly closed.

Emma had never stayed the night at anyone's house before. Ever. She knew she wasn't in her bed, and the tiny particles of crust stopping her eyelids from parting as she tried to peel her eyes open, reminded her immediately of what had transpired last night. There was crying, and so much running, which had made for more crying when it hadn't helped her relieve the stress of arguing with her father.

Emma was tired of being expected to uphold a law she felt was long overdue for an update. Even a little would have been progress for Werewolf-kind, but her father was stubborn to a fault, just like her grandfather had been. When she was a cub, she had remembered how he'd always shunned her suggestions in the most gentle way so as not to upset her, but as an adult, she realised he was no different. Change had never been at the forefront of either Nolans' minds, and they had both been terrified of it.

Emma smiled even harder to herself when she felt the bed dip beside her and heard the soft thud of a paper cup hit the wooden bedside table. The coffee smell grew stronger, and she inhaled audibly as she stretched out beside the body sitting next to her on the edge of the bed, the feel of his warm, soft lips pressing to her forehead. Finally, with a gently coaxing caress of her cheek by a warm hand, Emma peeled her eyes open and blinked the wolf of her dreams into view. Killian was smiling at her, his soft expression so natural and loving, she instantly blushed under his gaze and tried to hide her face in the palm of his hand.

"Good morning," he whispered, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the apple of her cheek.

"Morning," Emma mumbled into his hand, enjoying the feel of his skin on hers. She shifted a little, aware he was watching, and let his oversized shirt she was wearing slip off of her shoulder as she stretched with a yawn. "You got coffee," Emma smirked appreciatively.

"I got you coffee," Killian nodded and let his hand fall from her face and reach for the steaming cup beside the bed. "There is this little diner down the street, and they have the absolute best sweet pastries and coffee."

Emma inhaled again, eager for the sweetness to coat the back of her tongue. "So I can smell." She pushed herself into a sit, propping herself up against the huge, wooden headboard with a few pillows. Killian shuffled closer to her, revealing a brown paper bag, which was rolled down at the top, and handed it to her.

"The owner is Were," Killian told her with a grin. "So, you know, I get the good stuff." He winked and Emma laughed, hurriedly opening the bag and enjoying the way the still warm pastry smell filled her nostrils and made her salivate.

With a gasp, Emma's eyes lit up and she lifted her head to look at him after inspecting the bag. "A still warm bear claw?" She asked, aghast.

"Aye," Killian shrugged modestly, a grin plastered across his features.

"I didn't know these actually existed," Emma teased, reaching into the rustling bag and pulling out the treat. It was soft, covered in a sticky, nearly set icing, and the smell of freshly warmed almond overwhelmed her as she lifted it to her mouth. "Thank you," she smiled sincerely. "Not just for the pastry. You are a good wolf."

Killian looked away shyly, shuffling his boots on the hardwood floor beside the bed and wiggling his toes in his boots. Emma watched him with a smirk as she took a bite of the lukewarm doughnut, the warmth from the sun spilling through the window into Killian's room creeping over the back of his neck and making him seem angelic. He was cute when he fidgeted, and Emma felt a swell of familiar longing as he reached behind his head and scratched at the skin on the back of his neck.

"I mean it," Emma continued after swallowing a large gulp of coffee. "No one has ever been this kind to me before."

Killian glanced up at her with a shy smirk, reaching out and taking her hand in his. "What I said last night," he began, brushing his thumb over the ridges of her knuckles, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "I meant it, Emma." He swallowed thickly, locking eyes with hers and promising her the world with one glance. "I will give you forever."

"Killian, I…" Emma started softly, moving to place the coffee and half-eaten pastry back on the table beside the bed. She crossed her legs under the covers, shuffling her body forward until her knees bumped into the side of his thigh. "...I have to tell you something."

Killian offered her a reassuring smile. "Is it why you are running?" He cocked his head sideways, looking at her knowingly.

"How do you know me so well?" Emma laughed, hiding her face in her hands. Killian watched her hair tumble over her knees, the long, golden locks shimmering in the sunlight and the sound of her laughter filling his ears pleasingly.

Killian could tell her he had dreamt of meeting her, but then she would want to know more details, and Killian wasn't even sure he understood what his dream was trying to tell him. The one thing he was absolutely sure of was the fact it had led him to her, and how being with her felt like the most natural thing in the entire world. Emma was something else, something unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and they were fated to be together. "I just do," he smiled boyishly.

Emma blew out a breath, steadying herself. "I'm a little nervous," she admitted quickly, hands idling and her fingers plucking at a tented piece of fabric beside her.

Killian lifted a leg, turning his body sideways, and rested his hand on her knee. The warmth of his hands on her was comforting and Emma felt her body relax under his touch. "It can't be that bad," Killian offered and Emma scoffed. "I'm sure I won't like you any less," he told her sweetly, stroking her knee through the dark blue sheet.

"My pack has arranged my marriage to a wolf I basically think of as a brother," Emma blurted out.

"Oh," Killian uttered.

"I don't want to marry him, obviously, but it's non-negotiable in the eyes of the Alpha. I'm sure they have sent someone to follow me." Emma stopped, her words tumbling from her mouth so quickly, she knew she was rambling. Killian's lack of response made her look up at him for reassurance. "In fact, I'm sure of it. I can smell him in the wind every now and again."

"Okay," Killian nodded softly, observing her slightly panicked state.

"And then you let me in during the middle of the night, whilst I was bawling my eyes out with no explanation, and you didn't even want sex last night…"

"Well, I am a gentleman," Killian tried to slow her words, but was met with a continuation of her prolix outburst.

"You are sweet and kind and you bought me coffee and a bear claw…" Emma sighed. "So I'm running..." she murmured, her heart pounding in her chest as he interrupted her with a firm squeeze of her knee, and for the first time, she heard him.

"Right into me," Killian breathed, his words almost silent between them.

"Right into you," Emma repeated his words. "And I'm carrying some hefty weight," she told him with a sideways smile.

There was a pause, the room almost silent as Killian's eyes searched over her face for anything else. Emma's eyes roamed over his features with equal innocence, searching for any sign of trepidation in his brow, a narrowing of his eyes or a change in his demeanor. When she found nothing but the gentle curve of his lips as he smiled, she frowned, confused.

"What?" Emma asked quickly, her eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?"

"Have you ever been skinny dipping?" Killian asked her out of the blue, his eyes lighting up a little as they flitted over her cotton-clad body.

"Skinny dipping?" Emma almost squeaked. "Did you hear what I just said about the marriage thing?"

"Aye," Killian nodded with a shrug. "So, have you?" He pressed, a wolfish grin on his face.

Emma shook her head in disbelief at his question. "I'm confused. I just told you I am to be married to another wolf and you want to know if I have ever been swimming naked?"

A low, manly chuckle escaped his throat. "I'd like to know about everything you've done naked," he growled, running his tongue over the point of his canine teeth. "But let's start with swimming."

"Okay, no, I haven't," Emma conceded, a little annoyed. "My pack is old school. No room for a lot of human activities." The Misthaven pack was full of tradition and sometimes being a wolf meant you had to sacrifice the fun of living like a human.

"Oh, then you are missing out," Killian exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet, much to Emma's dismay. She felt safer the closer he was, even if they were inside his apartment. "Come on," Killian quipped, reaching out his hand and curling a finger, motioning for her to get up and follow him.

"Are we not going to talk about my arranged marriage?" Emma huffed, throwing the covers back and swinging her smooth, naked legs over the edge of the bed. It didn't escape her notice that Killian watched her with a predatory stare, his eyes darkening a little at the sight of her bare, pale flesh.

"Do you want to?" he asked her, tearing his eyes away from her sweet-smelling skin.

"Not really," Emma shrugged, padding towards him.

"Excellent," Killian grinned, reaching forward and grabbing her hand. "Neither do I." He pulled her quickly, and she almost lost her balance, falling against the hard planes of his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and held her to him. Emma laughed, her worry fading away the instant she was in his embrace, Killian's musk filling her nostrils and chasing away the remnants of coffee and sugar on her senses. All she could smell now was him, and it made her feel secure.

"Skinny dipping, huh?" Emma teased, pushing herself off his chest so she could look into his deep blue eyes. "You are full of surprises."

Killian raised an eyebrow and shrugged a little. "If running doesn't help, I swim," he told her, brushing her bed-messed hair behind her ear and cupping her cheek in his palm. Emma's eyes fluttered closed and she felt his forehead against hers, noses pressed side by side and lips almost touching. "I'd like to go swimming with you."

"Naked?" Emma swallowed hard, her voice catching in her throat. She could barely think when he was so close to her. It was like the pull of the moon on the tides, influencing the way they moved, and it made Emma feel a welcomed kind of vulnerable. She didn't know Killian that well, but she knew he would take care of her.

"I like to do all the fun, human activities naked," Killian smirked, hooking a crooked finger under her chin and tilting her head backward. Emma's eyes fell open and flickered between his and his lips, their mouths so close that when her tongue darted out to moisten them, ready for his kiss, she licked his lips a little.

"All of them?" Emma asked innocently, her bottom lip rolling under her teeth as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. Her hand flattened over his chest and his heartbeat pounded under her fingertips through the material of his shirt. To her annoyance, he was far more dressed than she was, and she pouted coyly.

"All of them," Killian growled, pulling her face to his and seizing her lips in a fiery kiss.

By the time they made it to the lake, it was dusk. The sun was setting in the sky, slowly falling lower and lower towards the horizon which wiggled and shimmered against the ripple of the waves on the water. Emma had every intention of following him out of bed and out the door that morning, but Killian and his 'fun human activities' had made it too difficult to get dressed. And now, as they hurriedly shed their clothes and tossed them into the back of his car with a giggle, Emma remembered why.

Killian naked was a sight to behold. He was perfectly formed of muscle and bone; the strength he held was not entirely visible with huge bulging muscles like most wolves she knew, but still there nonetheless. The way his skin moved over his bones, the muscles tensing along his calves, thighs and upper back as he walked made Emma lose her focus, totally forgetting she was also nude at the edge of a body of water where anyone could see her.

The lake was semi-secluded, at the end of an overgrown dirt track that only just accommodated the width of Killian's car, and Emma's nose twitched as she tried to find any remaining scent of recent human activity in the breeze. There was none, and the lingering smell of others was days old already.

"Come on," Killian coaxed as he walked back towards the water, his total nakedness on display. He wore nothing but a smirk, unashamed of his nudity as he called out to her, "Last one in buys dinner!"

"Wait!" Emma shrieked, taking off down the shoreline towards him. Her toes dug into the soft, dark brown sandy soil at the water's edge, and it felt oddly satisfying between her toes. She paused, stopping her chase and looking down at her feet, amazed.

"Amazing, right?" Killian's voice shook her back to reality and she looked up at him standing before her. She wiggled her toes a little more, the soft but grainy texture between her toes making her feet sink a little.

"It's…" Emma began, her brow furrowing as she tried to find the words. "...I never knew my human form could feel texture like my wolf form."

"Wait until you get in the water." Killian gave her a broad grin, taking her hand in his and giving her a gentle tug towards the water's edge. Emma hesitated, digging her heels in and pulling back on his hand when she noticed the waves lapping at their ankles. Killian spun back to face her and cocked his head sideways, noticing her anxiety instantly. "It's okay," he assured her. "I've got you."

"I've never been swimming as a human before," Emma admitted with a blush. "I don't know how."

"Really? It's easy," Killian offered gently, turning to face her completely and catching her gaze that had been fixed on the movement of the water. He plucked her other hand from her side and rested them on his shoulders, placing his own hands on her bare hips and walking her towards him. "Just look at me," he told her as he walked backward and held her gaze. "There is nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid," Emma snapped, her nerves getting the better of her when the water level reached the back of her knees. The water was cold and it made her gasp, her fingernails digging into his shoulders and her body stiffening unexpectedly.

"Of course you're not," Killian agreed with a smile. "Why don't you show me how much you are not afraid?" He went to pull away from her, the water at his waist now, but Emma clutched onto him even harder.

"Don't let me go!" She squealed, the water climbing even higher as she lunged forward and tried to stay close to him.

"I won't. I won't," Killian pledged softly, his words soothing her a little, but the chill of the lake tingled up her spine. Eventually the water was almost up to her breasts and Emma's nipples hardened even more, her feet elevating her up on her tiptoes in order to keep them out of the cold, dark water. "I've got you."

Killian let his knees bend under the surface, his upper body sinking below the waterline and Emma followed. All of the air left her lungs as her shoulders dipped under, and in an attempt to conserve what little body heat she had left, she pressed herself hard against Killian's body. Emma began to shake, something that did not escape Killian's attention, and he frowned as Emma's face visibly paled.

"Are you cold?" He worried, holding her tighter and letting her bury her face in his chest as he stepped back into the deeper water.

"I'm not scared," Emma whispered to herself, her voice small and uncharacteristic. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves when her feet left the ground and her hands flew up to clutch his face desperately. She pulled her head back to look at him, his eyes searching hers quickly for the truth as his eyebrow bounced up his forehead knowingly. "Okay, I'm petrified."

"Whatever for?" Killian half chuckled. "Water can't hurt you," he smiled at her warmly, holding her afloat in the water with a strong hand on each hip. Their bodies were so close that no water could fit between them and Killian could feel Emma's heart thundering in her chest through her quaking. "Emma?" He coaxed gently, losing his smile and stroking wet knuckles over her cheek. "Talk to me, love."

Emma couldn't keep up the tough wolf act anymore. It was ridiculous, and she thought she would be okay, but as soon as the water had touched her feet, all of her worries and anxiety had flooded her entire body. What was worse, Killian, the wolf of her dreams who was currently holding her up had recognised it instantly. He knew something was wrong, and Emma didn't know why, but the compulsion to tell him far outweighed her fear.

"Can we get out?" Emma pleaded weakly, her voice almost cracking, her body paralyzed. "Please."

"Of course," Killian agreed quickly, concern etched across his face. He quickly moved to tuck his arm under her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck and scooped her up into his arms effortlessly. Killian turned them around and headed back towards the shore, the weight of the water against his legs easing as they emerged from the dark blue lake. Emma buried her face in the crook of his neck, a wave of relief washing over her and an audible sigh leaving her mouth.

"Thank you," Emma breathed as he set her down on the sandy bank. He quickly grabbed the towels he had discarded nearby and wrapped one around her, ignoring the chill against his own skin as he knelt down beside her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Killian frowned, rubbing the towel over her shoulders. "I should be the one apologizing. You are clearly afraid of water…"

"I shouldn't be," Emma interrupted hastily, her words filled with self-directed anger. "It's so stupid," she growled at herself, clenching a fist around the towel, her jaw tensing.

"Do you want to tell me why?" Killian asked softly, dipping his head to catch her gaze and offering her a reassuring smile. Emma nodded and returned the gesture.

"When I was a cub, my family and I were running in the forest near our home when we came across the lake. We were all in wolf form, so my parents urged me into the water to learn how to doggy paddle." Emma blushed a little when she noticed her recounting was causing Killian to smile. "It was fun, and you know, doggy paddling comes naturally to wolves."

"Aye, it does," Killian agreed, shifting his position so he was sitting next to her. He pressed his hand to the small of her back and pulled her against him as she continued.

"What doesn't come naturally," Emma continued, "Is swimming as a human when you shift unexpectedly and you're out of your depth."

"Ah," Killian voiced with comprehension. "And you've been scared of water ever since?"

Emma nodded with a sigh. "This is the first time I've been in water that wasn't in a bathtub since then." Killian looked at her sweetly, the concern in his eyes replaced with comfort and the crinkles at the corner of his eyes narrowing as he smiled wider. "I was trying to impress you," Emma laughed nervously, looking away from him and watching a droplet of water run down her leg.

"Really, love? Have you forgotten how we met?" Killian asked with a salacious laugh, cupping her cheek in his hand and turning her face to his once more. His thumb brushed over her cheek tenderly and Emma met his darkened stare. "I've been impressed with you this whole time."

"Tell me more," Emma smiled contently, her eyes flitting down to his slightly blue hued lips and back up to his eyes once more. Killian's lips twitched sideways into a coy smile, his tongue darting out to moisten his bottom lip and his breath catching in the back of his throat when Emma laid her hand on his thigh. Her fingertips were like ice on his skin and he shivered a little. "Or, you could show me?" Emma whispered, leaning forward a little more until her nose brushed his.

"Here?" Killian murmured with a raised brow and leaned his weight against her, tasting the slightly earthy hint of the lake on her lips as he kissed her.

Emma lowered herself onto the sand, gripping onto his bicep that tensed under the strain of holding her steady with one hand and cupping his jaw with her other. She nodded against their kiss, his smile making hers grow even wider as she felt the cold, grainy texture of the shore against her naked back and the warmth of Killian pressing into her, his tongue pushing at the seam of her lips and begging for entry.

"Would it make you feel less anxious-," Killian began deeply as he tore his lips from hers teasingly, chuckling when Emma tried to chase after his lips with a pout, "-if I helped you release some tension?" He slid his hand over the joint of her shoulder, down over the hill of her breast and continued his featherlight touches around the tight bud of her nipple. Emma's breath hitched in her throat and her areola tightened instantly, the tingling in her nipples as they screamed for more of his attention making her whine.

Before she had time to respond with any sort of logical answer, Killian's mouth was on her, his lips closing over her nipple and hungrily sucking it into his mouth. His tongue flicked over the nub as he gently held it between his teeth and made a content humming sound against Emma's skin. Her skin was left ablaze as his fingers trailed over her skin, the digits like hot pokers on her flesh which had been cooled by the lake. Killian lifted his head a little, pulling her nipple in his teeth until Emma squeaked, and he let it bounce back against her chest with a pop.

"You taste like lake," Killian laughed, the scruff on his chin rubbing at the valley between her breasts as he looked up at her over the mounds.

"Mentioning the lake isn't helping me get over my fear," Emma chided him coyly. She took his hand from where it rested lightly against her hip and pushed it lower between her legs, biting her bottom lip when his fingers brushed her clit.

"Oh," Killian gasped excitedly, watching the pleasure drift over Emma's face. "And this will?" he cooed, stroking a finger through her folds.

Emma nodded and rolled her bottom lip under her teeth, biting at the kiss-swollen flesh through her salacious smile as she watched him. Their eyes were locked, green into blue, both darkened with their desire as Killian quickly sucked on his finger and returned it to her aching nub. She tore her eyes from his, her eyelids fluttering closed and her thighs closing around his hand briefly before her legs relaxed and fell open once more with his gentle coaxing.

Emma wasn't sure how they had ended up naked on a lakeside shore, but she wasn't about to complain. Killian was so unhindered, not at all ashamed of his nakedness or the raging erection that was pressed against her outer thigh as he stroked between her legs. Emma's heart raced, the sound of her blood coursing through her ears was all she could hear, the rushing sound only interrupted by her own mewling and the watery lapping of the lake against their toes.

"I want to make you come," Killian whispered into her ear seductively, the gravel tone of his words making Emma shudder. His fingers slipped lower, collecting some of her arousal on his fingertips and then returning to her clit where he circled the hardened nub skillfully in deliberate moves.

"Please…" Emma whined, her back arching off the sand. The throbbing between her legs was agony. "Make me come," she pleaded, turning her head to face him.

Killian pressed a little harder on her clit, watching the way Emma's body reacted to his touch. Her toes curled into the sand and her thighs began to quiver, her hips rutting forward to match his strokes as she made her own pleasurable rhythm against his digits. Emma moaned a wordless and breathy sigh, her arm circling around the back of his head and pulling his face to hers.

Killian's lips were suddenly like lava on hers, searing a mark into the already plump flesh as he gobbled up her groans. His tongue slipped into her mouth, swiping over her own and mimicking the action of his fingers as he teased her entrance. "Will this make you come?" he teased, curling a single finger inside of Emma's hot, wet core and stroking the ribbed surface of her g-spot.

"Yes…" she hissed, her fingers clutching the hair on the back of his head.

Killian smirked, adding a second finger and repeating his actions. "And this?" His lips were almost touching Emma's again, her parted maw dry from her panting.

"Fuck, yes," she breathed, nodding at him with a locked gaze. Killian kept his eyes on hers, so close that the yellow flecks in her eyes looked like the stars in the night sky, and with two fingers stroking inside of her, he pressed his thumb to her engorged clit once more.

"How about this?" He smirked seductively, tongue darting out to moisten his lips. Watching Emma writhe on the sand, helpless to his assault, was possibly one of the most erotic experiences of his life. Killian was by no means a virgin, but having sexual contact with Emma of any kind was like running into a star, her heat and intensity burning him up from the inside until he could hold out no longer. Human women could never compare.

"Oh, fuck, Killian…" Emma panted, her breaths becoming shallower and her fingers tightening their grip on his hair. "...Right there," she squeaked, her legs shaking every time Killian swiped his thumb over her clit.

"Are you going to come for me, Emma?" He growled darkly, her helpless nod her only response. "Fuck, can you feel what you do to me?" He grunted, rutting himself against her leg, his own orgasm not far away. "I'm going to come just looking at you."

"How about if you watch?" Emma sighed, sliding her hand down her body and batting his out of the way. She felt a loss instantly, but the burning coil in her gut was still there, never ebbing away as she replaced Killian's hand with her own and began to furiously rub herself. "Touch yourself," she commanded hoarsely, moving his hand between them to where his length was blazing its shape into her thigh.

Killian took himself in hand, his climax already so close, and tentatively began shifting the skin over his erection in quick, short strokes. His own breathing became laboured and his forehead began to bead with sweat as he rested it against Emma's. His hand bumped her thigh with every stroke and his eyes fell to where she was flicking her clit, her soft moans of pleasure filling his ears and the scent of her arousal as it all but flowed from her almost too much.

"I'm going to come, Killian," Emma gasped suddenly, her body stiffening beside him and her hand flying out to claw down his chest. Her nails raked through his chest hair, catching on the pendant he wore and she clutched the chain in her hands pulled his face to hers again. As soon as their lips collided, they came, Emma's muscles pulling at nothing and fluttering deep inside of her whilst Killian emptied his seed over her stomach in jerky thrusts.

Their kiss slowed, Killian's tongue slipping over Emma's more languidly and their bodies relaxing a little against each other. Emma released her grip on Killian's chain, letting their lips part with a coy smirk, a satisfied shiver washing over her as Killian's eyes fluttered open again and she could see his hues had returned to the ocean blue they were before.

"Hey," Emma smiled at him, flattening her palm to his cheek and brushing her thumb over the red tint on his face. He was so handsome in his post climax state that Emma couldn't help but gaze upon him with a happy smile.

"Hey yourself," Killian replied sweetly, mirroring her smile and nudging his face into her touch. He turned his head a little, kissing the palm of her hand with a lingering peck. "Do you feel better?" He smirked, casting his gaze down her flushed body to where he could still hear the blood throbbing between her legs.

"I do," Emma nodded softly, squeezing her thighs together in an attempt to wring out the last of her pleasure. "That was…"

"Breathtaking," Killian interrupted her, snapping his head back up to meet her gaze. "You are incredible, Emma. I've never felt anything like this." His words made her frown a little and Emma cocked her head to the side.

"Like what?" she pried innocently, a knot tightening in her stomach at his sudden sincerity.

Killian shook his head and shrugged his bare shoulders. "That's just it," he began with a tone of excitement that made her smile widen. "I can't describe how you make me feel so alive. That night in the bar I was, yet again, at the end of a dead end search for my father and I was ready to give up."

"Go on," Emma prompted when she noticed he had nervously begun poking at the sand between them.

"It's like I'm living a dream. Like we are somehow connected. I have had this recurring dream for as long as I can remember, and it's been more frequent lately." Killian took a breath, searching her eyes for any sign of apprehension, but when he found none, he continued. "You are there, Emma. I dream of you. I've dreamt of you since before we even met."

Emma's skin flushed and the hair at the base of her skull prickled to attention, her skin tightening and her throat turning dry. She was caught between panic and longing, her pack duty screaming at her heart that was calling out for her to follow its lead. There was no sign of deception in Killian's eyes, and not a single ounce of doubt in her mind that he was more genuine than any wolf she had ever met. Being of the supernatural was every day for them, so was it so far fetched to believe their dreams were one and the same?

"Say something," Killian whispered, shaking her from her thoughts. Just as Emma was about to answer, he interrupted her. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to…"

"No, Killian," Emma halted his ranting by placing a hand on his forearm. "Tell me about your dream," she smiled weakly at him. "Please."

There were very few things in Emma's life that gave her pause, but as Killian recalled his dream, the details in it exactly like those of hers, she couldn't help but gasp. They couldn't be having the same dream, could they? Emma's mother had told her tales of fate, where two wolves connected by the moon had grown up and found each other, fell in love and lived happily ever after - or that was the short version. But they were just stories, weren't they?

"And then you shift into your human form…" Killian almost finished, but Emma stopped his words with a single finger to his lips. Killian looked at her, confused, his brow knitted together on his face.

"And I say, 'He's gone.'" Emma swallowed, lowering her hand from Killian's now alabaster features.

"It's over," they both said at the same time, shock plastered over both of their features.

"Alii dimidium Lunam," Emma whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear Killian's thundering just as fast beneath his ribcage, syncing with hers.

"I'm sorry, love," Killian said shyly. "My Latin is a little non-existent."

"Alii dimidium Lunam," Emma repeated firmly, shifting her position beside him so they were facing each other now. "It means 'The Other Half of the Moon'. My mother told me fables of it when I was a pup, about two wolves fated to be together forever, connected by the phase of the moon under which they were born."

Killian looked at her dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape. He let a nervous chuckle escape his lips. His entire life his mother had told him about how he was born at midnight under the first quarter phase of the moon, what humans called the half moon. "Emma, if you tell me you were born at midnight under the last quarter of the moon, I swear…"

"I was," she said quickly, swallowing hard. "Killian, I was born at midnight under that exact phase!" She was gripping his arm so tightly, Killian thought she might break her nails through the skin of his forearm any second.

"Emma, I…" he stammered, his entire world suddenly feeling whole, like it made much more sense. The biggest sense of relief washed over him in that second, the parts of his life as a werewolf that had long since been missing, crashing into him. It all made sense now. The way he felt around Emma, the way she coaxed out his inner wolf like no one ever had before, and the way he was lost to her each and every time they were together. Maybe the tales of old were true.

"I believe we were destined to find each other, Killian," Emma nodded eagerly, clutching his face her in hands and locking their gazes once more. She beamed a huge smile, full of hope and finality that he hadn't seen in her eyes before. "We are two halves of the same moon."

Kissing her was all he could do. It was what felt natural in that exact moment, sparks shooting behind his eyelids as Killian let his lips glide over hers and let her know exactly how fervently he believed her words. There had never been anything in his life that gave him such soul clutching joy before, and he was never going to let Emma go, now that he had finally found his missing piece.

"Wait," Emma mumbled against his lips, quickly pulling away from his kiss. Killian looked at her questioningly, his hands sliding over the soft skin of her arm with a warm caress. "The names on the graves, they are different. What does the dream mean?" Emma said sadly, her words full of ominous foreboding.

Killian looked at the sorrow in her eyes, the name of the tombstone clearly weighing heavy on her mind, as it was his. Hers said Nolan, and his said Jones - their family names, the names their fathers had given them. They would have to talk more about the details, about how each of their dreams was catered to their own subconscious, but for now, Killian had no answer for the wolf in his arms who looked at him so longingly.

"I'm not sure," Killian told her honestly, pulling her into his embrace. He felt Emma snake her arms around his waist, balled fists clutching at his back and her face burying into the softness of his chest hair. Killian tucked her head under his chin, stroking the sand from her back with his fingertips. "But I promise you, we will find out."