Alright party people, this is a day late and I'm really sorry. The reason we are a little behind schedule (this time, lbr I'm not the most timely poster anyways lol) is because my ever lovely beta @kmomof4 requested (demanded lol) that I not end this chapter on a cliffhanger so I added an extra 1200 or so words to this sucker lol. You can thank/blame her accordingly :P the biggest thanks and love to her for being an amazing beta on this little ditty. And also huge thanks to @courtorderedcake who deserves all the love for the fantastic art she made for this piece! We have only a couple chapters left and I love it as much now as I did when I first saw it. And thanks to anyone still reading this thing. I really hope y'all like this chapter! I'm aiming for about 2 more but ya never know cuz I don't know how to use a word count haha. Happy reading!
"I can't believe it's really you," Emma said, running a hand through her tangled hair to try and tame it slightly. Killian was already out of his chair and adjusting himself, taking note of the seriousness of the conversation. It seemed he was good at reading the general vibe of any given situation and Emma was grateful for that. "Are you okay? Are you back on the desk? God, Graham, I'm so sorry about sending you out there, I-"
"Hey, hey, no, Emma, this was not your fault. If anything, it was mine," Graham cut her off in that lilting Irish tone she'd become so familiar with. She didn't know how much she'd missed her friend until this very moment. "I'm okay though. It was a straight shot, clean through. Nicked my lung though, so the queen still has me on leave."
"So you just decided to call me in the middle of an undercover op? I mean, I'm really glad to hear your voice and that you're okay, but, what the hell, Graham?"
"Calm down, I talked to Jefferson first. I was worried about you. You're my partner and you've got no one with you, and Gold is… well, you know," he said, his voice almost trembling when he mentioned Gold. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."
"I am. Really," Emma insisted.
"Really? Because Jefferson told me some concerning things. What's this about an explosion and you working with some other guy? That doesn't sound safe to me," he said, his tone slightly accusatory. Emma bristled. She could feel Killian's eyes on her, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping.
"I'm overwhelmed by your faith in me," she snarked. "I'm really fine. In fact, I'm closer than we've ever been to wrapping this up. So thanks for your concern, but I've got this. You should get some rest." Emma was anxious to end this line of questioning but Graham kept pushing.
"I've done nothing but rest for the last three weeks. What does Mills think about all of this?" he asked straight out. Emma swallowed hard.
"Uh…" she struggled for the right words. "This is more of a side angle I'm working. Not… not anything really to concern her with just yet. It's fine. Jeff and I, we've got this under control."
"So she doesn't even know. Damn, Emma, you've taken a lot of risks over the years but I've never known you to be outright stupid," Graham said sharply and Emma felt her own righteous indignation build up in the pit of her stomach.
"Watch yourself, Graham. If there's one thing I'm not, it's stupid."
"This whole idea is stupid. Stupid and dangerous. You already have a target on your back. He tried to get rid of you once. You want him to finish the job?"
"I can take care of myself."
"I think I should talk to Regina about this, Emma. You clearly don't know when you're in over your head," he said, his tone softening a little bit, but the bottom fell straight out of Emma's stomach.
"You wouldn't dare," she hissed and she felt Killian moving around behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he placed his hand on her shoulder. When she turned to meet his eyes, she could see the irritation and concern swirling in their depths. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and turned her attention back to what Graham was saying.
"This is about your safety, Emma. Life and death. Gold can make anyone he wants disappear. Hell, he almost blew you up for chrissakes! Not to mention…" he cut himself off and cleared his throat. "He isn't someone you want to piss off, Emma, and it sounds like you've already done that."
"I'll go dark, Graham. I swear to God, if you do this, I'll finish this op blind and I'll turn in my badge when it's done. My life is no less important than the lives of these girls we're trying to save," she said, and she even surprised herself at the conviction in those words. She, of course, never valued her life above anyone else's, but the fact that she was willing to give up the job she loved to see this op through? That made her a little dizzy and more than a little scared out of her ever loving mind.
Graham sighed heavily, his breath crackling through the phone line. While she waited for his response, a large hand settled on her shoulder, making her jump slightly. Looking up at Killian's face, she found it creased with concern, his expressive dark brows sitting heavily over his eyes. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile as he began to rub small circles into her shoulder.
"Nolan, this isn't right. There are things you- things we don't know about Gold. There's gotta be another way to get this done," Graham said and Emma huffed.
"You got another idea on what to do in the next three days? Because that's my window," she snapped. This had gone so off the rails that Emma felt like a caged animal and Graham was about to lock up the kennel. The only thing keeping her from completely losing it and doing something rash was Killian's warmth behind her.
"I don't know, Emma, but we have to figure something else out. You don't have the resources to pull this off," he replied.
"I have more than enough resources. You know better than anyone that I can do this. Just give me to the end of the week. That's what Jeff and I talked about," she rebuffed. Graham was quiet again on the other end.
"I gotta talk to Jeff about this again, Emma. I don't feel right letting you go into the fire on your own."
"That's not your call to make, Graham," she shot back. "Jeff and I already decided and you're putting me in more danger than if you would just keep your damn nose out of it. And I'm not alone." She glanced at Killian over her shoulder from the corner of her eye. He suppressed a smirk, dipping his head down to place a firm kiss on her shoulder before walking back to his desk to rifle through the drawers. Goosebumps prickled the back of her neck at the familiarity of the motion. How did they get here?
"This was my op, too, Emma."
"But it's not anymore. Go talk to Jeff if you need to. I've gotta go," she said.
"Alright, Emma. Be safe."
The call ended, leaving Emma standing with a full brain and a heavy heart. She wasn't really sure what Graham was planning on doing.
"Your contact?" Killian asked softly from across the room.
Emma shook her head. "Partner. He's been on leave."
"Do you want to talk about it, love?" he asked as she studied her phone, contemplating her next move.
"Nope," she replied, stuffing her phone in her pocket and shaking out her limbs. When she turned around, he had laid out the map to the shipping yard, as if he anticipated her need to distract herself. She'd known the man for only about a week now and it was remarkable at times how well he could read her.
She wasn't ready to deal with the potential fallout. She wasn't ready to call Jefferson and hear that he agreed with Graham, especially since he hadn't contacted her at all about having spoken with him in the first place. So, they got down to business instead.
For three hours, they plotted out every aspect of the yard, entry points, exit points, likely presences, what if scenarios. Emma was on edge, whether it was from the conversation with Graham or the ever present tension between the two of them, but they pushed through into the night. Emma soon couldn't stifle the yawns coming more and more frequently from her lips. Hook snapped a binder shut, making her jump in her half asleep stupor.
"Alright, darling. Off to bed with you. We can finish this tomorrow and you can talk to your contact and sort out your partner and whatever else you need to." Killian stood and extended his hand to her, which she took automatically.
As they walked down the hall, she suddenly realized that he was leading her straight to his room. Her stomach did a strange flip flop over the thought of waking up in Killian's arms again. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Was she getting in over her head here? What happened when this whole op was all over?
Before she could overthink things too much, he was sitting her on the bed and retrieving sweats for her to change into before disappearing into the bathroom with a set of his own to give her some privacy. She changed quickly, sitting on the edge of the bed to wait for him. Killian exited the bathroom, tucking something into the plain gray t-shirt he now wore, his left wrist hidden by the pocket of the sweats. Emma frowned. She didn't know why, but it made her a little sad to think that he felt the need to hide from her after all they'd been through in their short time together.
He smiled at her, almost shyly, making her heart skip a beat as he made his way around to the other side of the bed. Her heart rate continued to steadily increase as he settled in beside her, flipping the light switch and tugging her under the covers against him in the pitch black of the room.
His arm tucked around her like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Emma felt safe and secure laying in his arms. She decided that there had been enough over thinking for the night and she descended into sleep more quickly than even she thought she would.
The sound of crashing waves around her was familiar. The ocean usually soothed her, but Emma turned in search of a presence she already knew would be there. And he was.
Liam stood nearby, looking out over the side of the ship they were on. Unlike before, this was a naval ship, and Liam was in a stark white uniform. Emma's mouth set into a hard line as he turned towards her. His face was serious, as always, but his eyes held a note of sheepishness she hadn't seen before.
"If you've only come to bitch about me kissing Killian again, you can save it. I've had a really long day and I don't care," she told him, nipping any complaints he might have had in the bud. Liam smirked, the corner of his mouth ticking up much like Killian's did.
"I haven't come for that, lass. I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have been so harsh, and I'm sorry." Liam tucked his hands into his pockets and began to walk towards her, stopping a few feet away.
Well, that wasn't what she'd been expecting. She quickly schooled her expression of shock back into something more nonchalant.
"What changed your mind?" she asked, trying to keep her voice light.
"When I realized just how deep the connection you and my little brother share actually goes," he said and Emma couldn't help the disbelieving giggle snort that popped out of her mouth.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"To answer that, I think we should include all parties involved," he said, causing Emma to furrow her brow in question. Liam only smiled and looked off to one side. "Hello, little brother."
Emma whirled around to find Killian standing near a wall to a nearby cabin of sorts, mouth agape and eyes wide and shining with unshed tears.
"Younger brother," he whispered in absolute awe.
"Oh, I've missed you, Killian," Liam said with a chuckle, his expression brimming with barely contained pride and joy. He was more relaxed and truly happy than Emma had ever seen him. He looked back to her with a wide smile. "Shall we have that chat now?"
"This is a dream. This isn't real," Killian murmured to himself, still gazing at his older brother with an entire galaxy of stars in his eyes.
"It is a dream. I find it's easier to reach Emma this way. But that doesn't make this any less real. You should know that by now," he chided. Killian took a tentative step forward. Emma continued to stand in silence, utterly stunned by how events kept turning out.
"Liam… I don't… I don't know what to say… my God I've missed you so much," Killian said, his voice catching on a sob. His entire jaw was trembling with the force of holding back from openly weeping, tears spilling over his lashline and down over his face in steady rivulets. Liam smiled softly at him and moved the three or so steps to close the gap between them, sweeping his brother up in a hug.
Killian's arms came up around the other man and he sobbed like a child into his brother's shoulder, his hands gripping at the fabric of Liam's jacket like a lifeline. Emma gasped out loud.
His hands.
Killian looked up at the sound and his eyes lit up with affection and pure awe when they settled on Emma's form. He pulled back from his brother, glancing between the two of them like he didn't know who to address first. He reached up, sweeping both broad palms over his cheeks as Liam lay an affectionate hand on his brother's shoulder. He froze mid pass, his hands coming in front of him slowly, utter shock painting his features.
"H-how…?" he asked to the open air.
"It is still a dream, after all," Liam supplied. Killian looked over to his brother with such admiration and unabashed elation that Emma's heart swelled to bursting.
"I don't think I ever want to wake up," Killian said with a sniffling laugh. There was lightness to his tone, but Emma could see the truth in what he said as well.
"Yes, but we've a fight on our hands, haven't we?" Liam said, his expression slipping back into the stern countenance Emma had come to expect from him.
Killian nodded, head ducked down, avoiding his brother and Emma's gaze both.
"Have you figured it out yet? What you're meant to save him from? Why this has to be you?" Liam looked at Emma. Her eyes blew wide and Killian looked at her, searching for an answer as well. She could almost feel the question in his eyes.
"Milah said something about him getting out of this life and me helping with that, and I intend to, but Killian has to want that, too," she said softly, intent on not looking anywhere in Killian's direction. It was difficult, given that Killian hadn't moved more than a foot away from his brother since their reunion. Liam's lips twitched into a brief, rueful smile.
"Aye. But that's not all, and I think you know that. It took me some time to see it as well, but the last encounter you had with Milah confirmed it for me," he said.
"Can we stop with the riddles and puzzles and just speak plainly?" she snapped, irritated that she was still missing whatever point Liam was trying to make here.
"'Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same'," Liam replied, clearly quoting something.
"Emily Brontë," Killian added, looking from his brother, then to Emma, then back again. "Bloody hell, are you saying she's my soulmate?" he nearly screeched and Emma felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and she wondered briefly if someone could pass out in a dream. She stumbled back to the side of the ship and clutched it to hold herself upright.
It all made sense. Why his loved ones could reach out to her unprovoked, why she could draw Killian with such accuracy, why their paths had intertwined without seeking one another out, why Killian could hear and smell Milah's presence, why they were here now. Why she had to save him. Everything.
Suddenly, her face was being lifted by two palms cupping her cheeks like she was a fragile, precious thing and she found herself staring into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. All of her worry and reservations seemed to melt away as Killian gazed down on her so fondly she could feel it as plain as his hands caressing her face.
"You… you and I… we…" she stammered, unsure of what to even say when faced with all of this.
"Soulmates," he whispered.
"You don't believe in soulmates. Or ghosts," she said shakily.
"But I do believe in you," he said and then he was crashing into her with the force of a tidal wave. Their lips connected like some unseen primal force was driving them to fit so perfectly together. His lips slid over hers, his tongue reaching out to ask for entrance nearly immediately. When she granted it, he dove in with fervor, tasting and massaging every surface of her mouth.
Stars exploded behind her eyes, her arms slipping around his neck to pull him closer. They staggered and swayed with the force of the kiss, each pulling the other in a tug of war of sheer soul-deep connection. Killian kissed Emma until she didn't know where she began and he ended.
They were slow to drift apart, both breathing the other's air, eyes connected with a fire that hadn't been there before, something that only solidified the connection between them both. A throat cleared somewhere in their periphery, causing them to sheepishly release each other (mostly) from the embrace they were wrapped in to face a very red faced Liam Jones.
There was a smile on his face when he spoke, though. "We don't have much time, I'm afraid."
Emma felt Killian's grip tighten on her waist and every muscle in his body tensed up. He knew what was coming. Emma looked up at him, her hand rubbing soothing circles into his back. He drug his gaze from his brother's form and gave her a grateful smile, kissing her forehead and releasing her entirely to walk to his brother.
They regarded one another for a long moment before Liam reached up and tousled Killian's messy hair, causing the younger brother to swat his hands away. They both laughed, rich and warm and embraced again. They both knew what this was.
"Remember, Killian. A man unwilling to fight for what he wants-"
"-deserves what he gets. Aye, brother, I remember." Killian smiled and clapped his brother on his shoulder. Liam reached up and squeezed his opposite shoulder.
"Just remember what's worth fighting for. I love you, Killian. You're a good man."
"Love you, too, Li. And I know what's important," Killian replied looking back over his shoulder to Emma. She flushed under his gaze and his smile broadened.
When he looked back, Liam was gone.
He let out a shaky sigh and made his way back to Emma to stand in front of her. His hands came up automatically to brush over the skin of her cheeks. When they blinked next, their eyes opened to the dim light of the room, face to face, eyes clearing from sleep in near unison.
Killian smiled softly and placed his hand on Emma's cheek, leaning in to press his lips to hers again. She knew in that moment it was real.