A/N: I wanted to update sooner but stuff got in the way, so sorry about the delay! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows, they always help motivate me :)
Also Miss Esa- I hadn't thought about writing a prequel but I definitely could once I finish this story if people are interested :)
Emma sighed, closing her eyes and sinking into her armchair in the library as the voices from all sides of the room got louder.
'Emma, I can't believe you didn't just tell us the truth.'
'And I can't believe a pirate has been courting our daughter for the past month, Captain Hook no less!'
'Your majesty, surely you should be more concerned with the fact that the man who kidnapped your daughter is sitting in this very room rather than the fact that I sail a ship!'
'That was against my will, you on the other hand choose to be a pirate. I can only imagine how many people you've hurt willingly. The King has every right to worry about his daughter fornicating with a pirate.'
'Enough!' Emma yelled, standing up abruptly to get everyone's attention. 'We have enough problems without turning on each other right now. It doesn't matter what has happened in the past, what's important is that everyone here wants to stop the Dark One and that's what we need to focus on.' Emma told them firmly, and was pleased to see they all looked apologetic over their behavior.
'It's late and I think we'd all benefit from some sleep now and convene in the morning. And yes, Killian is staying here too.' Emma said pointedly as she glared at her parents and Graham. She was grateful that Killian kept his smugness to a minimum with only a slight smirk when she looked over at him.
'He will stay in a guest room of course, otherwise both of you will have a heart attack and I am not ready to be Queen yet.' Emma joked, trying to lighten the mood now that an uncomfortable silence had replaced the yelling. Her parents smiled apprehensively and she shuffled awkwardly towards the door, relieved when Killian knew to follow her.
'Okay, well good night, and we will discuss everything in more detail tomorrow.' She told them before leaving the library, exhaling once the door was shut behind Killian.
'Well that was exhausting.' She muttered, smiling when Killian's hand cupped her face.
'It had to happen eventually and I'm still in one piece so I consider it a success.' He chuckled, running his thumb over her cheek.
'Come on, I'll show you to your room.' She sighed, linking their hands together as she directed him down the corridor, stopping outside of one of the guest rooms (she definitely hadn't picked the one next to her room, not at all).
'Well, here it is. There's a tub in the joining room too, and there's several candles and books and blankets so you should be set for the night.' Emma told him, mostly looking at the wood of the closed door and not the man who had consumed her thoughts for the past several days.
'I missed you.' Killian whispered, and Emma finally looked back up at him, her heart pounding as she looked him in the eye.
'I missed you too.' She replied, wanting to say so much more but she couldn't formulate any other words. She leaned in to kiss him instead, but a noise from down the corridor stopped her.
'Killian, I thought I sensed you in the castle.' Came the soft voice of Grace, and Emma smiled with relief.
'Hello Grace, It seems we are all boarding here then. How are you?' Killian asked, his arm coming around Emma's waist as he turned to face the older woman.
'As good as can be given our circumstances I suppose, but the feather pillows and four poster bed do lift my spirits slightly I must admit.' Grace smiled, and Emma felt a sense of calm wash over her with Grace's words. They could be faced with danger the very next day but Grace's happiness at a good night's sleep somehow made her feel a little better, at least for now.
'Ah well Emma was just showing me to my own room for the night. It's been a rather hectic day and I too am looking forward to a warm and comfortable bed.' Killian chuckled softly. Grace nodded and said goodnight, giving them an all too knowing smile that Emma raised an eyebrow at suspiciously before turning back to Killian.
'Well I suppose I should also say goodnight. You're no doubt tired after traveling all day and we need all the rest we can get.' She sighed reluctantly and felt his fingers push her hair behind her ear gently. She realized then that he had barely stopped touching her since they had reunited and she wondered if he was still in a state of disbelief just as she was.
'Of course. Goodnight, lass, sweet dreams.' He whispered, kissing her lightly on her lips once before entering the guest room and smiling at her as he closed the door. Emma retired to her own chambers, robotically changing into her night-dress and brushing her hair before climbing into bed, sighing heavily when her head touched the pillow. She was elated to be reunited with Killian, but the reason for his return kept resurfacing in her thoughts. This is what the Dark One wanted, surely whatever he had planned was not going to be good for either of them.
Killian lay on his back staring up at the ceiling, his eyes aching yet his mind wide awake. On his way back to Emma he hadn't thought past hoping she was still safe, but now everything was catching up to him and he couldn't sleep. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, exhaling before standing up and putting on the robe he had found in the closet. He quietly crept out of his door, the corridor now completely dark with all the candles snuffed out.
He stood outside Emma's door, trying to hear if she was still awake. After a few minutes of silence he wrestled with the idea to knock on her door but he didn't want to disturb her if she was asleep. He turned back to his room, but the door opening stopped him and he froze in the candlelight that seeped through the small gap.
'Hey.' Emma said, clearly surprised to see him outside her door.
'Hi, lass, I was just, I-' Killian mumbled, feeling awkward now that he was caught off guard.
'You couldn't sleep either?' Emma asked, and he laughed shakily with relief.
'No, I been tossing and turning for the past 2 hours.' He told her, finally looking her in the eye. She looked exhausted and the dark circles beneath her eyes were already forming and he wished he could just wipe them away with his thumb.
'So have I, I was actually just coming to see if you were awake too.' Emma said quietly, and he smiled sadly at her.
'Perhaps we should be awake together then.' Any other time he would have used the opportunity of seeing her in her nightgown to tease her with an innuendo but in that moment he was seeking a different kind of intimacy, and he knew she was too. She wordlessly widened the door for him and he entered her bedroom, turning when he heard the soft click of the door shutting.
'Your room is very much like you.' He commented, his eyes traveling over the shadows of the vanity and wardrobe in the dim candlelight.
'How can a room be like a person?' Emma asked with amusement as she watched him survey everything, swallowing when his eyes rested on her.
'Because it feels like home.' He whispered. He saw her whole body tense and her eyes widen and he wondered if he had scared her with his words. It was kind of funny (in an actually complete non-humorous way) how he felt like he knew her so well and yet he was not always sure of her reactions. Perhaps it was rooted in the fact that even she didn't understand her own reactions most of the time.
She walked over to him and he watched her with fascination as her expression softened. Her fingers brushed over the scar on his cheek before traveling down to the gap in his robe, finding more scars beneath her fingers on his chest.
'Well then Captain, welcome home.' She whispered, and the coil of anxiety in his stomach loosened suddenly. Her lips tilted into a smile and he leaned forward to press their foreheads together, his arms coming around her back in a close embrace. He liked that he could feel her breathing against him, the movement a wondrous reminder that she was still alive. It had been a very long time since he had been concerned with the life of someone else, and it both terrified and delighted him.
'We should try to get some sleep now, love. Exhaustion won't prepare us very well for what lies ahead.' Killian said reluctantly, feeling his heart jolt when Emma pressed closer to him before pulling away.
'I know.' Emma sighed, tugging him towards the bed. 'But I think I'll sleep better with you here.' She smiled and he couldn't bear to look away from her. He wanted to remember the curve of her lips and the twinkle in her eyes, the round apples of her cheeks when she smiled and the slight blush she always had when she said something flirty. She shuffled back under the sheets of her bed, looking at him expectantly when he didn't move.
'Are you going to join me?' Emma asked, her smile faltering with doubt. He nodded and untied his robe, placing it on the armchair by the window before joining her. He knew she was looking at his left arm, noticing how it was the first time he hadn't worn any attachment on his stump when he was with her. He wondered what she thought about it, but instead of saying anything she just moved his arm around her shoulders and pressed against his side, tangling their legs together as she rested her head on his bare chest. He feels her relax instantly against him, sighing contentedly as her fingers trace across his skin, circling the space where his heart rests.
'Would you have come back if the Dark One hadn't appeared?' Emma asked quietly, and he got the sense that she had been desperate to ask him that since he had returned.
'Aye, of course. Every day I battled with my desire to return and the idea that you were better off without me. Even Smee told me we should turn back.' He chuckled, brushing his hand across her arm affectionately as he spoke. 'Something I've only now realized is that life is too unpredictable to spend it away from those you care about. You are the most important person in my life and it was ridiculous of me to think I could stay away from you.' Killian said softly.
Emma wiggled happily beside him, clearly pleased with his answer. Her lips brushed against his skin but she stopped when she felt the slight bump of a scar. She leaned forward to inspect it, moving her fingers over the raised pale pink skin before looking up at him questioningly.
'I've had that for hundreds of years, ever since I was a child. I tried to steal some meat but the butcher caught me. He ripped my shirt as he pulled me back but I squirmed free, getting away with only a small nick from his knife. It was the best meal I'd had in months so I didn't really care about the pain at the time.' Killian told her, furrowing his brows as he recalled that day from centuries ago. Emma reached up to smooth over the worried lines on his face with her fingers, leaning forward to kiss his lips slowly.
'You've been a pirate for a very long time it seems.' She teased softly, her lips lingering inches away from his before she move back down to rest her head on his chest once again. Whenever he told her something from his past he felt a strange sense of peace in sharing himself with her. He liked that he could tell her things and she would still look at him just like she always did. She didn't pity him but she was sympathetic, she knew the importance of him opening up but she didn't dwell on it.
He pulled her in closer, kissing her head and hugging her to his body. 'I haven't spent a night with anyone like this in a very long time you know.' He said quietly and Emma hummed sleepily.
'I've never even done this before.' She murmured, her warm breath tickling his chest as she spoke. 'It was different with Neal. We were, well more physical when we shared a bed. Afterwards he would usually leave. He said it was because he didn't want Regina finding out in case she took it out on me, but I know now that was a lie.' Emma shifted to press her face in his neck, and he tensed slightly at the coldness of her nose before moving his hand to her back.
'Don't worry, love, not even the idea of your parents finding us can make me leave you.' Killian told her lightly, and she laughed in the crook of his neck.
'Good, because I don't want you going anywhere.' She replied, and his heart clenched at the fact that someone, Emma, actually wanted him around.
'Goodnight, Emma.' Killian whispered, pulling the sheets tightly around them before closing his eyes, comforted by her body against his and her deep breathing as she slowly fell asleep in his arms.