It took awhile for the crowd to clear out of Granny's that night. Nottingham had a lot of enemies around town, and there was no shortage of people who wanted to shake hands with the people who got rid of him.

Finally, Granny declared it closing time and while a few people were heading over to Leroy's place for an after-party, most people were trickling out the door in twos and threes, calling out goodbyes and dispensing hugs.

Emma stood next to Mary Margaret as David said his goodbyes to the rest of the dwarves, and her eyes were on Hook as he leaned easily against the counter, talking to Odette and Neal.

"How do you feel?" Mary Margaret's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Me? I'm fine. I didn't get shot."

"I'm not asking about your physical health. You've been on quite the emotional roller coaster, from what your father tells me."

"Yeah," Emma affirmed. "We kept most of the details from the rest of the group, but I figured David would tell you the whole story."

"He had to. He lost our bet and now he owes me. I get half the acreage for a bird sanctuary now, so...thanks for that." Mary Margaret gave her a smug smile.

"You knew?" Emma said, disbelieving.

"Of course I did, Emma. You did make me nervous when you were being so bull-headed, though. David was talking about training thoroughbreds and I saw my entire backyard as a horse farm for awhile there."

"Glad I could help out."

"Help out with what?" David asked, coming up behind them.

"Our bet." Mary Margaret said with a taunting grin. "Hate to say 'I told you so -"

"No you don't." David said, wrapping his arms around her. He looked over at his daughter. "And you! I just want to ask - "

Emma held up a hand. "I know, I know. You want to ask me if I'm sure about him. About loving a pirate."

David shook his head. "No, I wasn't going to ask that at all. True love's kiss is pretty specific. You had to be sure."

She glanced across at Hook, who must've felt her stare because his eyes met hers and he gave that crooked grin and as always, the butterflies in her stomach took off.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Mary Margaret gave her husband a very knowing look.

"I was going to ask if you wanted us to take Henry tonight," David explained. "I think both you and Neal could use some alone time."

Emma smiled at her father. "Yeah, especially now that it can really be alone time. Thanks."

David called for Henry, and he ran over after giving his Dad a hug goodbye. "Hey Mom," he said. "Dad says you broke the curse. You seem to have a habit of doing that." He smiled as he hugged her.

Emma looked at her son warily before she leaned down. "And did he tell you how?"

Henry looked over at Hook. "Yeah, he did."

"Are you okay with that?" Emma bit her lip. She knew this was going to be hard for Henry, but the sooner he accepted that his parents weren't going to be a couple, the better.

"I'm okay. You can't fight true love, Mom. That would just be crazy."

And with that, he headed out the door, leaving his grandparents to follow with a shrug and a smile.

Emma watched them go and a moment later, she felt a set of arms go around her waist. She leaned back, wrapping her arms around his.

"They're taking the lad for the night?" Hook asked.

"Mmmm-hmm. So...your place or mine?"

"Mine." He said firmly. "You told me you loved me today. I'm not taking a chance on that window in your bathroom."

###

She'd been through all sorts of strange and death-defying situations with this man, taunted him, argued with him, sword-fought with him and seen him naked but now...well, just now Emma was feeling more than a little shy. They'd walked down the dock holding hands and laughing over some remembered moment of idiocy between them, reliving it as they ascended the steps onto the ship and were still laughing about it when Hook opened the cabin door.

Then the laughter fled and she stood there looking at him, feeling awkward and unsure of what to say. He lit a candle over on the table and then removed his coat, laying it over the back of a chair. She watched him silently, afraid to say anything because it was guaranteed to come out wrong.

"What's this, love? Don't tell me you're having second thoughts." His eyes were concerned as he approached her, pulling her into the loose circle of his arms.

"No, not at all. I love you, Killian. I just - I'm not good at this kind of stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Relationships. Being in love. I don't have a lot of experience with it."

"And you think that I do? Emma, I loved one woman, one long-dead woman for centuries, carrying her like a shield and filling my heart with vengeance to keep myself from ever caring for anyone again. I'd say out of the two of us, I'm at a distinct disadvantage." He kissed her softly, holding her face with his hand and breaking away slowly. His lips hovered just above hers.

"You taught me to love again. I'd have never thought it possible. But I knew the moment you bested me that I was in real danger with you, love. Why d'you think I fought you so hard?"

"I'll remind you," Emma said, tilting her head up to give him a series of short, soft kisses. "I kicked your ass in that swordfight."

"If we hadn't had an audience and an open portal nearby, I would have sliced the clothes off you and we'd have both been done with the fighting."

He was leaning in to kiss her when Emma let out a guffaw, covering her mouth with her hand.

"What?" Hook asked, puzzled.

"'When I pierce you with my sword, you'll feel it.'" She laughed so hard she snorted. "Seriously? What the hell kind of a line is that?" She rolled her eyes.

Hook looked good and offended. "I'll have you know, I've wooed many a lass with my flowery speech."

"It's not your speech they hang around for." Emma said wryly. "My eyes weren't anywhere but that damn chest of yours when you said it. I wanted to feel it against me."

"Ooooh." Hook's eyes gleamed. "I am now going to carry you over to that bed, like a damned pirate captain, and you will most definitely feel it, and a few other things, as well."

He swooped her up in his arms and she laughed as she slid her hands around his neck. He took his time making his way to the bed, stopping to kiss her over and over again. They finally made it to the bed, where he released her legs, letting her slide down the front of him.

"Mmmmm." She sighed appreciatively. "You promised me a naked chest."

He smiled down at her, and his eyes gleamed in the candlelight. "I promised you full nudity, lass, and you'll have nothing less." His hands were busily unbuttoning, tugging and unzipping as he said it. Emma's hands were equally busy. He'd gotten her addicted to his gorgeous body and now she felt like she was starving for it.

Once the last piece of clothing hit the floor, he pulled her roughly back into his arms, kissing her with an intensity that made her feel like she was going to combust. Her hands moved over his chest, his shoulders, then slid down his back to grab his butt and pull him in tighter to her. He groaned into her mouth, sucking at her lips and sliding his tongue in a sensual rhythm that made her push herself into him even harder.

"Gods, woman," Hook moaned. "I want to do this right, love, but I can't slow down."

"So don't." Emma said, between kisses. "We've got all night."

He pulled back, cupping her face in his hand. "I love you, Emma. I want to spend a lifetime loving you."

Emma's eyes softened. "I love you, too, Killian." He kissed her gently, lingeringly, breaking off when she pulled back again.

"I love you, but right now I want you on me. I want you in me. I want you and I want you hard." Her tone brooked no argument, and Hook certainly wasn't stupid enough to give her one. She dropped backward on the bed, pulling him on top of her and he was on her, ravenously.

His mouth was everywhere at once, sucking on her neck and then trailing the edge of his tongue across her collarbone. His hand cupped her breast to bring it up to his waiting mouth and she arched her back with a sigh, rubbing a leg along the side of his hip and opening herself to him.

Hook moved between her legs but still didn't enter her. He was intent on taking his time with her, and when she felt his tongue circling her naval, she moaned and slid her fingers into his hair. He dropped a series of soft kisses along her thighs, sliding his tongue along the seam of her sex in a teasing way until she grabbed his ears and pulled.

She could feel his smile against her inner thighs, along with the scrape of his beard, and then all she felt was heat, incredible heat and pleasure that quickly built until she burst with it, crying out loudly as he held her hips down, refusing to let her move away. His tongue continued its torture as she rode out the peak. He finally released her and moved back up her belly and chest until he found her mouth again, and she kissed him half-sleepily.

"Oh my God, Killian. Jesus." She felt him slide into her and welcomed him deep, even though she was still recovering from the aftermath. He slid a strong forearm under the small of her back, arching her and lifting her to him as he moved in her and moved in her and moved in her.

Emma's legs wrapped tight around him even as her fingers dug into the muscles of his back. She rolled her hips beneath him, reveling in his deep, guttural moan. She arched up harder, rubbing her breasts into his chest, caught up in the pounding rhythm he was setting, their movements growing stronger and nearly frenzied until she felt herself come apart, her nails tearing into his back as she felt him drive himself into her savagely, crying out as he ignited and burned himself into her and through her. She held him tight, feeling for a moment like she didn't know where she ended and he began.

Hook turned his head slowly on the pillow, and his lips found hers.

"Oh good. I'm not dead." He kissed her again. "I wasn't sure for a moment."

He rolled off her, still trying to catch his breath. Emma rolled with him, tucking herself under his arm and laying her head on his chest. They were silent for a while, just enjoying the feel of each other.

"Killian?"

"Hmmm?" His voice was sleepy.

"When did you know? That you loved me?"

He mused for a moment. "Well, it wasn't when we met. I wanted you, certainly. And the more you kept besting me, the harder I wanted to have you. You became a sort of personal quest, I suppose."

He rolled over, facing her, his face half-illuminated by the candle glow. "And then I realized somewhere on that bloody island that I wanted to be a better man, and I wanted it because of you." He reached out, sliding a lock of her hair between his fingers. "Then you kissed me and it was all over for me, love. I never stood a chance."

Emma gave a choked-off laugh. "I don't know what's harder to wrap my head around - that I'm a fairy tale princess, or that I'm some pirate's personal quest."

"You're both," he said, kissing her softly. "What a life we're going to have together, love."

Emma's face grew serious, and she reached out, tracing his brow with her fingers. "You told me once that there is no safe place to hide from life, but you're wrong. You are my safe place."

He kissed her long and deep for that one, and when they finally drew back, they were both breathing a little harder again.

"Mmmmm." Emma said, running her hands over his chest. "I love this chest."

"I'm rather partial to yours, as well."

"If we spoon, I can feel it against my back," she pointed out.

He quirked a brow. "If we spoon, love, you'll be feeling more than that."

"You wanna play naughty princess meets romantic pirate captain?"

He chuckled, shifting her and pulling her into him. "I am utterly at your service, m'lady."