So sorry this is a day late. I've added some sexy scenes for you to try and make it up to you all. Thank you for your patience.
The clanking sound of their swords clashing reverberated through the forest surrounding Granny's Tavern. The noisy percussion was accompanied only by the grunts of Killian and Emma as they exerted themselves in their combat training. The others huddled inside watching the two lovers lunge at each other swinging their swords.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Granny asked sceptically as Emma thrusted her sword towards Killian who twirled in a circle avoiding her blade and holding his against her neck signalling he'd won that round again.
"He's the best swordfighter I've ever heard of, she couldn't hope for a better teacher." Robin said as he watched Emma try again.
"Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you're good at teaching it" Red added, wincing each time she saw the blades collide.
"That's true. This could end very badly." August agreed biting into a turkey leg he'd swiped from the kitchen.
"For not being sure about it, you certainly seem to be enjoying the show" Granny scowled at the Lieutenant.
"I have no concerns," Robin reassured the group again, "Between Emma's determination and stubbornness and Killian's patience and thrill of the fight I think it is a perfect pairing."
The two fighters circled the impromptu arena, eyes locked on each other. "That's good luv, always keep your eye on your opponent. Shouldn't be too difficult since I'm easy on the eyes" he winked at her.
She ignored him, focusing instead on his sword and trying to keep her balance. There was so much to remember between moves, angles of the sword, staying aware of your surroundings and Emma's personal nemesis: footwork.
In mere seconds he'd spun around again leaning heavy on his right foot bringing his sword around to her side where she was unprotected. She caught his change of direction too late. She tried to turn around to block him but lost her footing on the loose gravel and fell back. Her foot slid towards him taking out his strong foot and bringing him down in a heap on top of her.
"Now this is more like it" he smirked, watching her panting breathlessly from their training. "Shall we ditch the swords, resume this position upstairs and continue?" His smile faded when he noticed a large graze on her arm from the fall. "You're hurt!"
"It's just s scratch" she assured him. Her gaze passed beyond his face and up to the tavern window where their four friends perched like a parliament of owls watching the show. "Looks like we have an audience." She signalled up at them.
Killian followed her gaze to the others and rolled his eyes. "Come on luv let's get cleaned up." He jumped to his feet and reached out his hand to assist her but she got up herself and dusted off her dress. "I'll ask Granny to run a bath" she slinked past him swinging her hips then called over her shoulder "meet me in my room in 15 minutes."
He watched her leave, exhaling only when the door closed behind her. "She's going to be the death of me" he muttered to himself.
Emma's fingers trailed across the surface of the water in the bath. She watched the steam rise playfully twisting and turning like ribbons dancing up to the cedar beams on the ceiling. The temperature of the water was perfect, just steaming hot enough to relax her muscles after her first attempt at wielding a sword. It had been harder than she'd anticipated. Emma realised that a sword fight was fought as much in the opponents minds as it was with their metal. It was more than just strength, balance, and timing. You had to read your partner, be two steps ahead of their movements and calculate their strategy, not unlike playing cards. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed it so much, although her teacher was partly to blame for that too.
She wriggled out of her dress and undergarments and dipped her toe into the water. Then releasing a satisfied sigh she lowered the rest of her body into the hot liquid, joining the steam in its joyful dance. The scent of lavender wafted into Emma's nostrils, Granny must have added some essential oils. Sinking further down until the water reached her shoulders, Emma outstretched her arms resting them on the side of the tub while leaning her head back and closing her eyes as the water did its work soothing her tired body.
There was a faint knock on her door.
"Come in, it's unlocked" called out Emma.
The door tentatively opened revealing Killian, lapping up the scene before him. Emma looked ethereal, like a river nymph or some water goddess illuminated by the amber afternoon sun beaming through the window to where she lay in the water, shrouded in misty fragranced steam with her fierce jade green eyes and glowing skin, now pinker than usual due to the hot water.
"Are you just going to stand there gawking or are you going to join me?" she giggled waking him from his day dream.
He shut the door behind him, turning the key to lock it. "You're lucky it was me and not August" said Killian, removing his clothes as he walked closer.
Emma shrugged, "I'm sure August wouldn't have minded, even despite the fact he clearly has his eyes set on Red now."
Killian's eyes darkened for a split second and then softened, smiling wryly at Emma. "Are you trying to make me jealous, luv?" He dropped his leather trousers to the floor proudly showing his toned physique.
Her eyes explored his body, it was a sight she had seen numerous times before but one she never tired of.
He dipped his head down to meet her eye to eye and said in a smooth quiet voice, "Are you quite finished or do you need longer to take it all in?"
"Just hurry up and get in here!" she splashed him with water.
"As you wish" he replied, wiping his face before making a scene by jumping in sending water flying out the tub like a tsunami onto the wooden floor as Emma squealed.
"Granny is going to have your head for that!" Laughed Emma.
"Last I checked we're in your room where you're having a bath. So you'll be the one getting the blame."
"un-bloody-believable" she shook her head.
"Let me make it worth your while" he leaned in planting a soft kiss on her lips and then pulling her up onto his lap. Emma wrapped her legs around his waist so they sat nose to nose, falling deeper and deeper into each other's eyes. He rested his hand on her rear end while his hook gently trailed up and down her back. He grinned the moment he felt her relax under his touch, she wriggled even closer into him so she could feel his erection pressed against her stomach, her breasts tingled against the hairs of his chest and she brought her hands up to cup his face as she tumbled into another deep kiss. One hand slid to the back of his head so she could bury her fingers into his raven hair taking control of their kiss.
Their bodies moved together pushing and pulling in unison until it was too much for him to bear. He lifted her up and back down again sliding himself into her as she tugged tighter on his hair and kissed him more fervently.
They rolled like the waves of the ocean, thinking little of their own small waves lapping over the sides of their bathtub. They could worry about the mess later. Right now there was only one thing consuming their minds, their unbridled passion and desire for each other manifesting itself as a beast that couldn't be tamed. Their pace increased, chasing their pleasure as they gripped each other tighter bracing for what was to come. And when it did come with all its intensity and power they gave in willingly, unable to do anything but sink deeper into each other and wait out the glorious storm, laying there gasping for breath as they came back down to earth.
"That was…" Killian whispered after a few minutes silence.
"…I know" she finished for him.
They moved around repositioning themselves so that Killian was sitting with his back to the end of the tub and Emma was on his lap facing out so they could both watch the early evening sun paint the sky outside. Killian lazily played with Emma's hair while the birds chirped loudly calling to their neighbours in the trees.
"So August and Red are a real thing?" Killian asked after a while.
"It certainly appears that way" replied Emma, "you can see it in their eyes they are completely enraptured in each other. He makes a lot of jokes but I think it's just to try and rile her up, I get the impression August likes his women feisty."
"Who doesn't?" he teased, nibbling Emma's ear.
"Hey, stop that!" she giggled, then added in a whisper, "but don't you dare stop really"
Killian chuckled, moving down to kiss, lick and nibble her neck, earning an encouraging moan from Emma's lips.
"I know she is only a year younger than me but she seems young." Emma said thoughtfully.
"Aye, I still see the annoying 5 year old that used to follow me around everywhere. She was always getting into trouble of various sorts; I can't imagine her settling down any time soon."
"Oh they'll not be settling, August is married, he just wants a mistress."
"hmmm that makes sense." Killian hummed.
"It does?" she asked, still naïve about relationships. She knew that kings could have mistresses, but she was never fond of the idea of sharing a husband and wasn't aware that it was a widely accepted practice.
He coughed uncomfortably, "I just mean that many men where August is from and in his station and line of work would have mistresses. They go months, sometimes years at a time without seeing their wives."
Emma went quiet then finally mustered the courage to ask the question she feared the answer to. "And you? You also live on the sea, would you take a mistress?"
"I am not married" he answered carefully, a smile slowly forming on his lips.
"Would you marry?" she asked before she could talk herself out of it. She was feeling brave, probably because she was looking away from him and knew he couldn't see the pink tinge forming on her cheeks, though she didn't know that the back of her ears betrayed her.
"I don't know, I've never been asked, would you?" he replied, humoured by her line of questioning.
Emma's shoulders sank and her voice grew solemn, "Marriage is something you do to establish your class and title, an alliance to firm your place in society, a foundation for heirs to inherit. I have no need for any of that now. I don't desire power, or titles, or social standing. I have no interest in marriage…only love."
He gently began to stroke her arm, "They can go together, you know?"
"Not in my experience."
Her words stuck a melancholy chord in his heart, awakening a yearning he never expected to have in his life. One he would tuck away far out of sight until he believed she shared it too.
Wanting to lift the sudden dark mood he changed the subject back to a more mischievous topic. "So was that your first sexual encounter in water?" he asked smugly.
"Actually…no" she confessed, much to his surprise.
"Oh" he said quietly, reminding himself that Emma was no novice when they first crossed paths.
"My second actually…and…" she said the next part quickly, cringing with embarrassment, "you may have been a participant in the first one, albeit an unwilling one…"
Hook raised his voice along with his brow, "really? Please do explain."
Emma buried her face in her hands, silently thanking the gods once again that he couldn't see her face and she couldn't see his. "It was the night after I first met you. I had a bath in my room and my bedroom window was open and looked directly out onto the docks, you were there on the Jolly Roger, I may have watched you…and then one thing lead to another…"
Killian leaned forward grinning like a Cheshire cat. "Oh really…and tell me, where did it lead?"
"Ugh this is embarrassing. I shouldn't have said anything" she pulled her knees to her chest wrapping her arms around them.
Seeing she was uncomfortable he stopped teasing her, "I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to make you feel bad, I'm actually insanely flattered. It's nothing to be ashamed about." He assured her.
She took a deep breath and turned to face him. "When I met you it felt like I was flirting with danger. On one hand you were a pirate but on the other you acted like a gentleman, there was a kindness and sincerity in your voice that contrasted the intensity in your eyes. I'd never met a man like you before and for a silly princess who'd lived her life stuffed up in a castle and treated like I was made of glass, you teased my imagination in a way it had never been tantalised before. Just the idea of you allowed me to explore my darker side and it was exciting. I watched you walking around your ship, turning away two prostitutes and climbing up to your crow's nest and I allowed myself to fantasise for a moment that I was the reason you turned them away."
"You were" he said.
"What?"
He caressed her cheek. "The moment I saw you everything changed. You commanded my thoughts, haunting me like a ghost. I couldn't think of anything else."
"You were really thinking of me that night while I was thinking of you." She spoke the revelation aloud more to herself than to him.
"Aye"
She went quiet, sinking back into his arms.
"What were you imagining?" he whispered in her ear, "As you thought of me and pleasured yourself."
Emma had never spoken so freely of such things in her life but something about Killian made her feel safe to open up about her most secret thoughts and desires. He spoke of it in a way that made it seem normal. Much to her surprise the embarrassment lifted and she felt closer to him than she had before because now he was sharing a moment with her that she would usually only experience alone. There was no judgement, no hesitation or questioning on his part as she guided his hand down to do what hers did that night all those months ago. She spoke as he worked, her words dancing around her gasps of pleasure. "I imagined walking to your ship and you lifting anchor and sailing out just the two of us. I imagined handing you rope so you could tie me to the mast of the Jolly Roger and fuck me against it, under the stars with no one but the moon and the ocean waves to hear me call out in euphoria as we gave into our lustful appetites."
He carefully turned her around so he could look at her, completely stunned by her confession. "You should have come to my ship that night."
"There's always time for that" she smiled shyly, "once we break my parent's curse we can go back on the Jolly Roger and spend some time just the two of us."
His face dropped.
"What is it?" she asked, worried she'd said something to upset him.
"That sounds perfect luv but I no longer have The Jolly Roger."
"What? How? What happened to her?"
"I traded her in" he said, trying to smile like it was nothing.
"Traded her for what?" Emma demanded.
"It was my deal with the Duke, Phillip, for you. I told him I would give him a real pirate ship in exchange for your freedom and he accepted instantly."
Emma's mouth fell open, "you traded your ship for me?"
"It was the easiest decision I've ever made and I'd make it a thousand times over…"
Emma threw her arms around his neck cutting him off, as she often did with her lips, and he didn't mind one bit.
Granny's stare hit Hook like a tonne of bricks as he entered the tavern where they'd agreed to meet that night to finalise their plan. "What?" he hissed, he was in no mood to be interrogated again about his and Emma's relationship.
The woman didn't bat an eyelid. "Can you explain why there has been water leaking through my kitchen ceiling?"
"No"
"Emma had a bath earlier…"
"Then ask her."
Granny folded her arms across her chest, "Look Killian, I don't care what you and Emma do behind closed doors just try not to flood my business." The faintest hint of a smile teased her lips.
"I'll keep that in mind" he muttered then walked past her to join the others.
"You smell good, what is that, Lavender?" she asked chuckling.
He huffed in reply and took a seat beside Robin. The reformed thief was deep in conversation with August discussing the different vantage points of the castle and quickest routes inside. Hook listened eagerly as Robin explained there was an underground tunnel that lead straight to a trap door in what was once Regina's room, situated just two doors down from the King and Queen's bed chamber.
Emma arrived just then and they quickly filled her in. She listened as Hook described the forest they would have to travel though, Robin joined in explaining what dangers they could possibly face there, bears mainly, or wolves. Red laughed at the idea.
"Wolves are no laughing matter" Robin insisted.
"Indeed not, but trust me when I say I have experience there." The girl replied, her amber eyes glowing.
"It's true" Granny added, "leave the wolves to Red."
"Alright" Robin said hesitantly, "The forest is just the start of it, we have to get over the moat and find the tunnel. It's on the southwest side under the middle of three large oak trees."
"Once we get there I'll go in with Emma" Hook said.
"No" interjected Robin, taking Hook slightly aback. "I'll go, I know the way"
"Fine" Hook agreed, "But I'm going with you."
"The less people who go in the better. We need people on the outside too in case something goes wrong." Robin argued.
"He's right" August chimed in, "We'll wait outside in case we need to go in and bring them out."
Hook reluctantly agreed.
"So assuming this all goes to plan, what happens after we wake Emma's parents?" The pirate asked.
"You bring them here and then we decide our next step" Granny instructed.
"Works for me" August slammed the table with his hand, "When do we leave?"
"First thing tomorrow morning" Robin announced. Emma looked over at Killian, her eyes confessing her fears to him. He gave her an encouraging smile and nod.
"We'll meet here at sunrise" Robin said, "Let's all get some rest."