Chapter 34

…And a Kiss Hello

It took Killian far longer to settle his affairs than he liked. Loose ends of accounts and aliases spread throughout the world that he maintained for The Council. Useless now, all useless. He was nearly two months gone after Cora's death just wrapping up the last three hundred years of his life. He was only granted one request, when there were two he needed to secure a chance to properly court Emma. There wasn't a chance without a pack affiliation, but what good would such a thing do him if he spent months on end on a case and away from her? The Council had been generous as far as money was concerned, to the point where his great-grandchildren (should he ever procreate) wouldn't have cause for worry. But it was making sure that Emma wouldn't be forced into a marriage once she picked a pack that brought air back to Killian's lungs. Not that he was a jealous man (he was), he just didn't want her to be forced into a loveless pairing. Whomever she chose, he wanted her to have a chance to smile at the lucky bastard the way she had smiled at him a few times. So what did it matter if he chose to retire to be close enough to watch over her during her remaining years? He hadn't eaten the vile fucker that hurt her just to let some other ponce toss it all to pot.

The only hitch was his wolf. It had tasted what Pack Life could be under someone he could respect as his Alpha; it had glimpsed what mated life could be with Emma. And it was threatening madness again just to get it all back. It wanted nothing else, and if Killian were an honest man (he wasn't), neither did he. He might not have either granted via retirement, but he'd never have a shot if he were still traipsing about the globe as a Hunter for The Council.

Never have her…

His wolf clawed inside to be back stateside for his Swan, satisfied briefly only when Robin or Ruby sent word along to how she fared. When he received the text from Robin that Emma had been initiated into Brookside Pack and that a few of his wolves were talking pack transfers to follow her along, Killian all but drowned in himself to withhold a Change. While near his home, David and Snow were strict followers of the Law. If they hadn't been notified of her case status, or what he fought for, they would be pairing her off long before he managed to get home. Males following from another pack was Robin's way of warning him that Mary Margaret would be setting up interviews for just such a thing. Ruby's similar text to "get his Irish ass back home" hadn't helped matters. His time window to present his lot was quickly closing, narrowing further still with his silence over these long months. Her forgiveness wasn't going to be easy, but for Emma Swan, he was willing to do anything.

If someone had let Emma know the method of bringing one into a pack, she might have begged to have her memories erased instead. But it was done, and now she belonged to Brookside. She felt them in a way, not individually, but more like a warm blanket she couldn't toss aside no matter how suffocated she felt from it. Mary Margaret assured her that the feeling becomes less foreign the more time passes, but that didn't ease the cramped and confined idea of too many cousins. It was a phone call from Ruby that calmed her general upset of it; that it wasn't any different to knowing that her and Graham were always there for her, just a few dozen more doing the same. (The side note that the whole pack now had her inside their heads was a touch more comforting.) Emma usually retreated her own apartment/room when it got to be too much; they even let her install a key lock –so long as she gave Snow and David a spare. But it was once again under renovations as they converted the room next door to a bathroom. The idea originally had given Emma a good laugh, because the proper pipes couldn't suddenly appear in the layout of a house. Her laughter died when the contractor gave a price tag that could fund the next trip to the moon, and Snow simply smiled and nodded. Now she was residing in another room or out at Killian's farmhouse when she needed time alone. He hadn't returned to claim it back, causing Emma to question what drew her to a man who could so easily walk away from his own home. But she wasn't going to waste so much available space.

It was there in his kitchen, ready to clean up the mess of failed crêpes, when a text from Mary Margaret said to get back to manor as soon as possible. Something urgent, something important, something now. Emma's brain flew in a million directions, and every other one was a worry for a man who couldn't send her a simple hello. So it was with its own mild dose of disgust that Emma threw off the sweater (of his) she wore and into the hamper, sliding on her own clothes in hopes it would hide her mind from the folk who could all but read it. She may as well have entered the solarium wearing a sandwich board declaring her mind to the veritable hen party waiting for her; Mary Margaret sat between Ruby and Regina at a large table. Food and drink available, and tension in spades.

Emma stared; she knew an intervention when she saw it. "I don't care what it is you think you need to tell me, I don't want to know."

Regina scoffed. "Yes, you do. Now sit down before you waste the effort it's taking for Miss Lucas to sit in the same room with me."

Ruby glared, "Don't speak for me again."

Regina rolled her eyes before looking back to Emma. "See?"

Mary Margret stood up between them, growling. "This is my home. You are both my friends. Emma is my pack. Mine. So stuff it if you two can't use your manners." Emma blanked, not used to the tiny woman giving anything but gentle understanding. "Emma, we're here because it's time you learned about the role you'll play as a mate. The three of us know you best, and we all spent time as humans who landed in a relationship with non-humans. We've all experienced what the pull of a mate is like from both sides of this particular coin. So, why don't you get comfortable so we can get started?"

Emma took a step back. "You promised me that you guys could keep The Council off my back about that until I felt ok to date. That all I had to do was fake interest a couple times."

Regina arched a brow. "Actually, the stipulation for your marriage to a pack member was removed. So long as you remain with Brookside, you don't have to marry anyone if you don't want to."

Emma blanked again. "Wait… what?"

Ruby sighed. "It was Killian. You were told that he was out there making sure the other threats were taken care of; well… he took care of them. And one of the things he asked for as payment was that you wouldn't be forced into a marriage. The Council agreed so long as you picked a pack. Now it's just a matter of making sure they don't know about your excursions to Killian's home. You aren't breaking any rules, but it would look… odd… that you're running away to his house once a week or so."

The wheels turned in Emma's head. "If he got paid, that means he's done doing whatever they asked of him right?"

Regina rose the other brow, "That's what you took away from all that? Not that you're free from a forced pairing, but that your boyfriend might be on his way home?"

Emma waved her off, "Stop calling him my boyfriend. If he's done working for a bit, that means I need to clear out of his farmhouse."

Snow tilted her head. "Why?"

Emma shrugged. "So he won't know I've been squatting? It's not like he's spoken to me recently, I don't know how he'd react to finding my tampons in the bathroom."

Ruby laughed, "Emma sit down. We do need to talk this over. If nothing else, think of it as sex ed. Even if you aren't getting any, it's still a good idea to know how tab A fits in slot B."

Regina shifted. "She's right. You don't want the mate thing now, but would you rather be ignorant when the option does finally come around?" Ruby leaned forward and caught Regina's eyes. "What? I can admit you were right without dry heaving. Especially when it comes to this subject. No one should be blind-sided by the effects of mating. We don't need another Greg and Tamara incident."

Emma recalled August's words, and the panic came with them. All three women came to attention with worry etching their features, so Emma moved to sit, hoping it negated their fears. "Ok… ok… fine. Wolf Sex Ed 101 with you three. Not weird at all. But go on… Obi Wan me."

Ruby's hand came up to cradle her forehead. "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and he ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."

Emma looked at her, "What?"

Regina moved to grab her cup of tea. "Exactly."

Snow fluttered her hands. "I swear you two. Now Emma, you know the basic concept of mating. Marriage, but an extreme version. Just like we brought you into the pack, becoming a mate has the same principles. You become connected to them through our brand of magic. A mate bond is different in that only you and your mate are in that bond. It belongs to only you two, so the feed is stronger and sometimes less filtered. If you were wolf, you'd be more receptive to the effects, but as a human the sensations should be dulled quite a bit. It's different for every wolf, every pairing. But the basic package is that you'll feel your mate's emotional reactions to things, have knowledge to their well-being –hurt or alive or what have you, and they'll have access to yours. It seems like an invasion of privacy, but you get the same window into them. Abuse drops to almost never because the abuser would get to feel the damage as it's inflicted. Like with Greg and Tamara, he knew every time she had an affair, she knew every time he nearly died. Sometimes I think they liked the pain… but I wasn't there so I'm not making those assumptions."

Emma nibbled on a cookie. "So I live in someone's head, and they live in mine?"

Ruby sat up. "To a point. But it's not mind reading, you can't hear their thoughts and they can't hear yours. It's more like shades of colors and feelings; you learn to interpret them as you go."

Regina pointed a finger to Ruby. "That's not entirely true. Robin and I can hear each other's thoughts. But it's not a constant feed, only what we project to one another. And for that matter, it's not an open source. You can cut it off. Stop the flow in either direction. It takes practice, but it's possible."

Mary Margaret nodded. "I could hear David sometimes, but I couldn't transmit back to him. The best he could do was read the basics. But that was more than enough, because David is attentive and willing to learn. It'll be a bit harder for you Emma, because you're human and because of your recent ordeal. It's going to have you closed off in ways that would drive most partners away."

Ruby choked on her tea. "So if she was always like that? My Emma isn't so good with intimacy." Ruby held up a hand to Emma, "Not that you hadn't earned every brick in those walls of yours Lemur, but you scratched the itch more than sought company."

Mary Margaret pursed her lips. "Whoever decides to make that connection with you is going to have a hell of a time getting through to you. But when a wolf makes a choice like that, it's not something they walk away from, not unless they've been rejected."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Rejected?"

She nodded, "Just because the wolf picked you, doesn't mean you have to allow it. You can reject them, openly, and the wolf becomes free to move on. You're under no obligation to that person just because they can't keep it to a crush."

Emma bobbed her head. "Good to know. You've all told me Killian's wolf picked me though. If that was true, how did he walk away?"

Two dark heads turned to Regina. "He was killing my mother Emma. Cora would have come after you again and again; she didn't like to lose. He left to make sure you were safe. He kept quiet to make sure the focus stayed on him hunting her, and not his worry over you."

Emma leaned back in the chair, "That sounds like a line. Not a lie, just incredibly convenient." She sighed, "So you three decided to pow-wow and pull this non-intervention on me to what? Help me understand that being around werewolves is going to be even more invasive? Or should I be looking to the glaringly obvious sub text here?"

Snow's nose crinkled, "Both?"

Ruby leaned forward, "Killian's job ended some time ago… and then he went off grid. He's only sent a brief message to Robin that he was alright. We want you prepared if he's arranging things to come home, because if he comes home, it's for you. And we want you knowing what he's going to be asking for. It's a bond that connects deep, and its forever. It's intense and unnerving and–"

"And once you've gotten used to it," Mary Margaret interrupted, "It's something that feels wonderful. You're never alone even if you're the only living creature for miles. You never have to doubt how your partner feels about you–"

"And the sex is something you can't begin to comprehend. It takes them moments to figure out what out what you like over the multiple sessions otherwise." Regina finished.

Emma rubbed her temples. "I'm going to be seeing that in my head for the rest of the week, thanks."

Mary Margaret chuckled. "The point Emma is that you've got your first choice coming up soon. So whatever details you want, now is the time to ask. We've cleared our schedules for this tonight, and the men won't be coming around to turn into Neanderthals on your behalf."

Emma leaned back in her chair. In for a penny…

It was with great difficulty that he maintained his human-skin when he smelled the distinct smell of two males at his farmhouse. Both older wolves from what he could tell, which would mean a pair from Robin's get. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing, but when he tracked the scents to the woods edge to find piss marks of territory, he took in the markers. One wasn't familiar, but he'd know the scent of Will Scarlet anywhere. Wasn't the first time Scarlet had come up on his trees to do the very same thing simply to cause trouble. Killian growled loudly to the air, removing their markers was going to take time he didn't want to spare. He had a Swan to check on after all, but he had to maintain what territory he had, or chasing after Emma would mean nothing to the rest of the wolves doing the same. On the trip to his back porch he took note of the fresh cut firewood lining a wall and some patchwork had been done to the roof. Dismissed quickly as Robin looking out for Killian's only homestead, something that had been before. (Also the reason Scarlet took up pissing in Killian's woods, didn't enjoy keeping up a fellow blokes home.) But it was the scent on his door that stopped him outright.

In the dead of night, his door was bursting of sunshine.

Emma…

His senses were frantic reaching out as far as they could strain themselves, searching for any other hint that she was here with him already. But all they told him was that she had been here, recently even, just not now. Killian wasn't clear if it left him relieved or disappointed. He wasn't ready to present his suit yet, not when he wasn't even sure how to apologize; not like Hallmark made a card for his particular offense and he was fairly certain there weren't enough flowers in the greenery's worldwide to cover his arse. His wolf tried to justify it with the idea that they were only protecting what was theirs, but Killian knew all too well how the human heart worked; no amount of trivial gifts or heroic quests would absolve him of this. No, he wasn't ready just yet.

He pushed through the door finally, taking a moment to absorb her scent filtering out of his home. A whole new torture for himself it was, the tint of anxiety doing nothing to hold down his need of her. There were small traces of her everywhere. Dishes in the sink, a day or two old. A body print on his couch with a throw blanket that he was certain never belonged to him. Further in, he saw the room she lodged in for one night had seen more of her in his absence. The bathroom held her toiletries and other things women housed near the vanity. She hadn't been here for a visit, Emma had half moved in. The thrill shot through him before logic could grab hold, hope drilling its way into him. Killian stomped as much of it as he could, leaving only the idea that she was bound to return at some point. Any point in fact, which made him move faster to his room to collect a few things to last him out in the woods. She could have his house, she could have the whole bloody property; if this place was the reason he hadn't felt those pangs of panic of late, then he wasn't going to be the sod to be greedy for it. He'd simply stalk the trees, and wait till she wasn't in the house to use it again. Gods knew he wanted her, but not by surprise, not by force. He'd wait and idle and come to her slowly.

He moved through the rooms collecting what he needed, disturbing as little reality as he could; not wanting it to fade away. His own room was another blow to his senses. Her scent was stronger here than in the other, the covers tossed about, his pillows used. His fingers ghosted over the fabrics, mapping the topography to the indents left behind. Hope became the needles in his blood, stabbing and pushing him to believe that she was in fact seeking him out in whatever way she could. He forced himself to turn away from his bed, resisting the urge to roll in the linens. The closet door had been left ajar, a quick peek showed his hamper filled with a few items of his that didn't belong in this house; ones that should still be in his apartment at Granny's. A sweater, soft and thick, lay half out for his inspection. Sunshine and gunpowder assaulted him, his eyes rolling back blissfully. Hope is a loud thing when a man discovers a woman had worn his clothes and slept in his bed.

Killian still had to announce himself to David and Mary Margaret. There were rules to follow if he wanted to have Emma in his life again, however she chose for that to happen. He lay the sweater as it had been, wishing on the stars that these dreams come true.

A few items… then David… I'm almost here Swan… almost here…

With a flare of irritation from her end, Killian felt Emma race towards him for the third time that week. He hung back in his tree line, awaiting his rare glimpse of his Swan. David's words of giving her more time burned still in his ears. The Alpha was adamant that Emma be given as much time to adjust to her new life before another came in to alter it once more. Even when Killian agreed, pressing that he only wanted to have the chance to explain his absence, David's arms crossed his barrel chest and a golden tint stained his eyes. The message was clear; Emma wasn't to be approached until David allowed it. (And here I was worried that she'd have been married off before I could name the Catholic saints.) As such, he was forced to behave like a stalker every time she came to his house. Living in his own home without leaving a trace of it, hiding in wait until she removed herself from the grounds, torturing himself with her proximity and the lingering ghosts of her movements once he returned inside. It was insane and preposterous, but he wouldn't trade the one or two seconds of seeing her walk from truck to door, nor the sense of self she seemed to find before leaving. The night was that deep dark just before a full moon would rise over the horizon. It didn't sway him as it once had, living so long without any pack to encourage the wild nature a full moon could pull from a wolf. Brookside would be setting up for their own games soon, which was likely the issue that placed Emma in his home once more. She didn't cook anything or switch on the television for distraction, her shadows just moved directly to his bedroom; a habit he noticed when something had made her particularly angry. How he longed to hold her and soothe away whatever had pushed her too far again.

"Isn't that your house Killian?"

Killian startled, a growl resounding loudly from within his chest, dying down only fractionally when the offending Fae came to stand next to him. "Gods above woman! Why must you do that?"

The Blue Star looked at him, "Because it's fun."

Killian huffed, wondering if the Fae knew a damn thing about werewolves outside of what she read from a book. "Why are you here Reul Gorham?"

The Blue Star looked to the house where Emma lay. "Did any of you think I wasn't aware of what was going on out here in Maine?"

Killian felt a small ball of fear bounce once in his stomach. "Pardon?"

Her arms crossed her chest. "Spare me the false ignorance Killian. Emma was there at your trial. When has The Council ever let a mere human be a part of a trial they weren't directly fundamental to? Your first demand for killing Cora was to ensure Miss Swan wouldn't be forced into any relationship, following with a request of retirement so you could stay as close to her as possible? Did you really think me so stupid that I wouldn't see your motivations?"

Killian's jaw beat in time with his pulse before he found his voice. "I wanted her to have as much control as I could give her, she's suffered enough."

The Fae nodded next to him. "I read the reports. All of them. You've chosen her, wolf and man, yes?"

Killian swallowed. "Yes."

"But has she chosen you?"

He couldn't stop his eyes from scanning the walls of his home, hope seeping into his blood. "I was hoping to have the chance to find out."

The Blue Star nodded. "Then call her out here."

Killian whipped his head to look at the Fae. "It doesn't work like that. That's only possible after the bond has been accepted by both parties, and that's a rarity even among paired wolves let alone between wolf and human."

She fixed him with a stare that knew more than he was comfortable with. "Call her. Or I might start remembering I'm the High Chair of The Council and that she's not residing at her designated location."

Fear bubbled into rage. "She's within proper boundaries. She's breaking no Law."

The Blue Star arched a brow. "On a full moon, an unmated female wandering off alone? Yes, Killian Jones, she's breaking Law."

He struggled for a way to make this end, but his mind was too clouded to think properly. "And when it doesn't work? You'll punish us? Punish her for something utterly out of her control?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly. But I might find it necessary to play with her memories a bit more permanently. It's obvious that she's having difficulty conforming to our ways, our Laws. We all want Miss Swan to be settled and happy after her event, and so far it seems it's her new life preventing just that. It's been a consideration of The Council that wiping her memory of everything she has endured would be the best alternative to satisfy all parties interested, save you. She'd be free of the memories containing Cora and wolves and Walsh. She'd return to that woman you met."

"And what of her family? Granny and Ruby and Graham? Not even Merlin could erase that much without causing damage."

"They would be in her mind as she originally knew them, humans she formed relationships with. The only real difference would be the drive to see the west coast once she discovers Alpha Humbert and Miss Lucas are involved romantically."

Killian wondered what his punishment would be for killing the High Chair of The Council, provoked as it might be.

The Blue Star sighed, softening her stance. "Call her. If she comes, then you'll both have answers for what the future might hold. If she doesn't… well then we'll just have to see how the rest of Spring unfolds."

Killian gritted his teeth against the Change threatening him, his wolf eager for Fae blood. What choice did he have? She wouldn't hear him, she shouldn't be able to even if she felt for him what he felt for her. The whole charade would force a timetable on all of them, and dwindle his chances to near nothing. But hope stabbed its needles through his veins again; the idea of her possibly hearing him stole his ability to breathe.

"Killian?"

What choice did he have? He shifted, bracing his soul for the outcome he had feared since the beginning. "Aye then."

Emma told herself that it was his bed being more comfortable and his pillows that perfect combination between supportive and mushy. She told herself it was the darker tones he designed his room in that helped bring about the deep dreamless sleep she wanted. She told herself it was the amazing shower he had in his bathroom and it only made sense to be in the bedroom right next to it. Emma told herself just about anything to make sleeping in Killian's bed justifiable. It was bad enough that she was running off to his place any time she felt upset or out of place at Brookside. And maybe that was her problem to begin with; having her own hideaway so easily accessible could be preventing her from connecting to the people she's supposed to remain with from here until the end of time. Not that any of that explained why she consistently chose Killian's bed to hide in over anywhere else in the house. Emma never considered herself a deep thinker, never one to overanalyze anything, and she wasn't about to pick up such a habit now. She did what she did, and dealt with the consequences when she had to. Whatever the why of it, Emma preferred Killian's bed to the other soft surfaces available. The part of her brain wanting to properly label and sort her world could just go to hell. And to prove the point more, Emma fluffed the pillow she was using just to burrow further into it and wait for sleep to take her to oblivion.

Emma shot up and twisted so she faced the bedroom door, sure she had heard her name spoken. Half ready to drink Killian's stash of rum to drown her brain if it turned out to be one of those quirks that happen only when you're on the cusp of sleep. Emma wasn't in the mood to fight her own head for a few moments of rest. The air was still, humidity edging its way into the air as a precursor to the regime change in the weather. She thought it was Will for a moment, keeping watch while the other wolves were out playing under the full moon. But he had given up all pretense of manners around Emma, taking to barging in the house and shouting for bangers and mash –whatever the hell that was. John would be the quiet type to whisper and tip toe around, but as Robin's second, he was bound to helping organize the games and shouldn't be outside the house at all. Silence persisted, Emma berated herself for being so paranoid, letting her weight slide her back down to the bed.

Emma…

She shot out of the room and stood in the main living area. She knew she heard it that time, and not so tired that her brain conjured a voice from nowhere. But the panic climbed up her throat and Emma had to remind herself that Walsh had been dead for months, that Cora was no longer a problem. Killian had killed them both to keep her safe. She focused her breathing letting the panic run its course, letting the adrenaline keep her from falling into another blackout. When her limbs didn't feel like they would wobble if she moved, Emma made her way to the kitchen, bee lining for the pantry. She pulled out the lockbox that held the gun and bullets Ruth Nolan had given her in Chicago. They still might do jack shit by way of real damage, but neither would Emma just stand around with nothing in her hands.

Emma…

She dropped one bullet on the ground. The voice felt like it was in her head, and for a whole second, Emma thought her sense of reality had finally cracked. She quickly decided it didn't matter a damn if it had. She had put up with the world losing its mind; she was due for her turn. She loaded the clip and crept to the front door, peaking through the curtains to see if any vehicles had arrived quietly. Somewhere in her head, Graham chided her for thinking all bad things arrived in cars; she argued with it that bad things would need one to haul her away. But the world outside was as it had been when she first entered the house, empty and dark. She backed off the windows, just in case someone could make out her movements, moving back into the main living area once more. She waited… waited…

Please Swan…

Her heart stuttered, and her lungs paused. The voice wasn't as she remembered, but there weren't many who had addressed her by her last name in her life, and only one in recent years. She didn't question why she heard him in her head, or why her feet carried her to the back door, or why her fingers unlocked it. She didn't think of her safety or how there was a small army of wolves that would rip into her for exiting the house on the night of a full moon, or that some would rant against simply exiting the house. These were things she just did, without thought, without reason, letting impulse take her again. The stars were fading with the glow of the rising moon to take their place. She could see under its light, not everything, but well enough. Nothing came for her, so fear began to fill the spot of the voice instead. Maybe a wolf from Robin's pack to claim her as his own while everyone was busy, or maybe it was that twisted teenager from The Council; Emma started to catch on that she had no idea what might have been out here for her.

Following impulse as she did, she shouted to the air. "I don't care who you are, I'm not in the mood for mind games. Calling me out like this will only give you a few new holes in the stomach to feed yourself with; if you manage a meal before I bring the wolves in."

The laughter was faint, but it still carried. A shadow moved through the trees, male by the width of the shoulders, or a very muscled woman. It broke the tree line, dark hair glinting silver under the moonlight, a grin stretched wide, and ice white eyes glowing in competition with the moon. His strides were long, but measured. Giving her time to make him leave, or run away. Not that she would run; prey runs, and Emma was long over being someone's prey.

She whispered his name before the adrenaline decided it still needed its moment. "Are you shitting me? What they said was real?"

Killian paused in his steps, continuing his momentum at a slower pace. "I am not 'shitting' anything at the moment, but to what are you referring? Who said what to you darling?"

"David and Snow and Ruby and Regina… Christ even Will mentioned a few things. They said that mates live in each other's heads, that sometimes they can hear each other…" Emma shut her mouth, pissed that she gave away so much so soon.

Killian had reached the bottom the steps leading up to her. His smug grin widening with her babbling. "Did they now?"

Emma huffed and ran her available hand through her hair. This conversation needed a new direction; anything else would be a better topic over the idea that she understood herself to be Killian's mate. "You don't call, you don't write… well not to me at least… just where the hell have you been?" He winced, shoulders slumping with her accusation. "You could have told me you were ok, or that you were off finishing the job. I get you couldn't share details, but you could have given me something Killian. Anything! Even a simple goodbye so I wouldn't have to wonder."

His eyes snapped back to hers. Not white, nor blue. The colors swirled like fish in a pond. "Why would I ever want to bid you farewell Swan?"

She shrugged her shoulders, hand and gun flailing through the air. "Right, of course. When you could say nothing at all."

He took the steps, one at a time. A deliberate thud in each one until he stood right in front of her. She wasn't a wolf, she had no idea what to classify his smell as, just that it smelled like him. Warm and male and him. "I am sorry for that Emma. You needed to heal, and I wasn't sure if my presence would trigger the wrong memories. So when I was asked to finish this off, I took the job. I knew you'd be well looked after, even when I had to make those words a mantra for every breakdown you had; I felt them all you see, and we wanted to be the one to hold you and make them stop." He sighed. "Cora needed to die, for what she did to us. And I couldn't risk more consequences falling at your feet for my actions."

Anger flooded her chest. "Was that so hard? That's a text message Killian. Lost my phone number that quickly huh?"

He shuffled closer, though she wasn't sure he was aware of it. She was sure that her feet didn't back away though. "I can't excuse it all away love. And we both know if I could, you'd only accept half of it. I thought it would be enough if I removed the remaining threats against you, if I kept a distance…" He looked back to the trees, and above their tops to the few stars still blinking in the sky. "But I grew tired of chasing Cora while I was doing it. I couldn't let her live, picked up her trail from the house where they kept you, made it as far as Maryland before the urge to quit and run back here pulled at me. So after… I just…"

Emma felt her face pinch, "It isn't over is it?"

Killian turned his head, shame filling his features. "It never is. The person Cora was trying to please is still out there. But that task held a greater price than I was willing to pay."

She justified her swaying towards him as exhaustion. "What price?"

He mirored her movements. "It would have taken me away from you indefinitely Emma, and I couldn't stomach another moment." His eyebrow quirked and his voice grew louder by a few notches. "Even though I would have been content to come back into your life slowly so as not to startle you."

Emma startled and stopped moving, "What are you doing?"

Killian shook his head. "Shouting to the winds. Sometimes they blow too hard and push us in directions we weren't planning on taking."

She blinked at him. "Are you still a little crazy?"

He looked amused by her, even when his eyes swirled for a few seconds. "Possibly."

His hand came up with only a brief pause, cupping her cheek as a look of pained relief went over him. She thought of stopping him, of backing away because he had been gone. But she remembered how touch had helped when she was only a case for him; his face now was more proof of how he felt than anything anyone had told her over the last few months. He looked over her face, eyes shifting and swirling; another thing Emma would have to figure out. He didn't push for more contact; just let his thumb brush her cheekbone as he studied what he could see. The light wasn't ideal, but Emma took the time to take him in too. His eyes were bruised from lack of sleep and he was skinnier than when she last saw him. His hair looked newly cut and his beard still looked like it was growing in; something she knew he did on purpose. Emma wanted to believe he had done it for her, but there couldn't have been a way he'd know she'd show up at his place tonight, not unless…

"We have things we need to talk about Killian."

"Aye." His voice was breathless and almost offhanded.

"Probably be more comfortable inside…"

His eyebrow raised as the flirtatious man she first met, met her in her eyes. "Are you inviting me in the house Swan?"

Emma chuckled, stepping backwards to the door. His feet followed step for step, unwilling to get far enough away to stop touching her. "It's your house Killian, not like you need my permission."

"Perhaps not…"

He had to let go of her when she turned to open the door, the warmth lingering on her cheek and twitching a smile from her. Not that she would show him, understanding she might be, but she was still angry over his month's long silence; even if it dimmed the longer she was with him. She guided him to his living room, igniting the wood in the fireplace already set up to be lit. It wasn't so cold anymore that they needed it, but it gave her hands something to do and the heat would help mask the blush still staining her face. She rose to her feet, watching the kindling catch, telling herself that she needed to make sure it caught properly before she dealt with him. She watched still when the logs began to smoke and Killian had come up closer behind her, fingering the ends of her hair.

"Emma?"

She hummed her response, still not sure what to tell him, or what to ask him.

Emma?

She turned, "What?"

A grin pulled his mouth as he waited for her to realize he had done it again. There wasn't enough fire on the sun that could mask the way her blood moved then.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Oh real–"

He leaned in, stilling her words with a chaste press of his lips to hers. His hand once again on her face and his thumb tracing along her cheek. She waited for the shakes to come, the panic to raise the taste of fish in her throat. She waited when he tilted his head just a fraction to his right and caught her top lip between his and she waited when she took that half step closer to him to place her hand on his bicep for balance. She waited when his hand went around her waist and he pulled himself the rest of the distance, and she waited when a small whimper from her was answered with a low groan from him.

She hated the waiting, the pause for things to get bad for her. She wanted to stop waiting.

A warmth spread outwards from her chest and he hissed in time with it. Emma panted as the warmth grew hotter, searing her from the inside. Before she could form words to ask him for help, Killian was back against her lips. Swallowing every moan she failed to check, hands gripping her hip and hair respectively. Emma held on as best she could as he pushed and pulled them both through the need that consumed him and taunted her. She was burning and spinning, clutching his arm and jacket while his hips anchored to hers. Her legs began to shake and her hands gripped tighter on him; she needed to breathe, needed to release the ache in her chest. His arms flexed to take her weight as he pulled away from her, eyes taking in everything she had going on in her head. (She was sure the words were scrolling across her forehead.)

"I guess that's our cue to stop."

Emma blinked. "What? Why? I mean... what was that?" And the win for most desperate goes to…

Killian chuckled, causing Emma to blush under the idea he had heard her. "That… that is a very long discussion regarding our relationship while I duck and dodge David from removing my head." Emma furrowed her forehead. Digging through the fog to understand what David could possibly have to do with this. Killian's face softened, and his hand brushed some wayward hair from her face. "We should stop… because while it's apparent we have chosen each other to varying degrees love, we've still been on but one date. And that was technically on the job. Let me do this the right way, let me court you properly."

Will's words beat in her skull in between her own misgivings. "Until you get another assignment. You might have an extended lifespan, but I don't."

Killian shook his head. "Figures no one would tell you that part. I no longer work for The Council; they granted me retirement with Cora's death. I couldn't be able to be what you need with employment like that, not even a friend. I'm here now, and I don't plan on leaving unless you want me to."

Emma tilted her head to the side. "I don't know. It seems I have quite a few offers to sort through. Men –and I think a woman– willing to be no more than friends if that's all I can give them. Even Will Scarlet put in his bid…"

Killian growled deep in his chest. It was a horrible trick to play on him, something a nasty teenager would do for kicks. But she needed him to know he wasn't the only one circling the block; Will doing exactly that even. She needed him to know that she wasn't picking him because she had nothing else, but because she was following her gut and picking something that felt strong against the shit storm her life had turned out to be.

Killian's ears twitched, his brows sitting low and furrowed with her teasing. "If that bloody wanker has said one inappropriate thing–"

She cut him off with another press to his lips. (Figures he'd choose to be protective of my sensibilities over the jealousy I know he's feeling.) She rolled her torso as she bent a little backwards, forcing his arms to tighten around her again.

He hummed and pushed himself off of her as much he could without dropping her. "Emma love, be kind on me. I want nothing more than to dive myself deep inside you, mark you mine for all and sundry to see. But we have all the time in the world now."

"Until another creature comes to kidnap me."

His eyes swirled once before settling on a harsh white. "Not funny Swan."

She breathed through a laugh, "Ok… ok." She relented to another peck before righting herself and taking a step back. "If not… that…" His eyebrow twitched and his hips shifted. "Then how about I make some coffee and you spill the details. I've been getting half stories from third hand accounts now for months and it's driving me insane not knowing what's going on. Or… has gone on. Tell me the whole story?"

Killian followed her to the kitchen, "Aye well… you see it all started with this woman taking a run through the woods wearing boots entirely inappropriate for the affair…"

The farmhouse held laughter and firelight under the pale moon. The breath of Spring and new life mingling with the renewed ones of Wolf and Woman. Reul Gorham still stood where Killian had left her. It was as it should be, and things would be as they needed them to be. Leaves rustled next to her as a man took his place to her left, as was his usual spot to be.

"So then it's true? As I saw them?"

She sighed. "Yes. Killian Jones and Emma Swan have found their place together, as you saw. Though I would assume given the road they took to get there will make the official decree a while yet coming."

Merlin hummed. "We might not have that kind of time."

The shadows around them deepened and life held its breath for the evil to fade away. It spoke instead, insolent as it was. "We don't I'm afraid. The Dark One isn't one to tolerate this level of defeat, nor is he one to allow his enemies any happiness. He'll find out about this sooner rather than later, and his assault will begin again. Though I doubt he'll be willing to wait as long as he did for a puppet like Cora to come along."

Merlin shifted his feet. "Malcolm's right, we won't be able to shield Killian Jones from him much longer."

Reul nodded to the house. "What about Emma Swan? Is she what we thought her to be?"

The shadows flickered. "She has fire… I like fire… so useful. Someone has covered for her well, but all secrets will out. What the sorcerer can't see, I will dredge up."

Reul stared on to the house, taking note of the wolf rounding the far corner to sniff at the windows. "Good. Is the other in place?"

Merlin nodded. "Dispatched a week ago. Hopefully she'll be well integrated by the time we'll need these two."

"Then for now we are done. These games are almost finished. Go, I'll cover the scent markers."

The shadows deepened before they disappeared, and Merlin bowed low before he faded away. Reul stood in her spot, watching the house a few moments more. Hope was bountiful within, warming it more than any fire could. She raised her hand, flora sprouting where they shouldn't under the motion. They filtered the air, and would keep the two inside safe for now; it was the best The Reul Gorham could do.

An Deireadh.

A/N: See? Told you guys you'd hate the ending. Thank you, those of you who stuck it out. Those of you who encouraged even while you fretted over what I intended to do. Those of you who took a chance on a genre you weren't a fan of. Those of you who reached out on a personal level across formats to just chat. Once more I'll recommend the Mercy Thompson and Alpha&Omega series by Patricia Briggs. Her books are what I used as a foundation for this story, placing the supernatural on a more realistic level. If any of you have further question, I encourage you to seek out my tumblr, FFNet's messaging deal can be a right pain.

I don't plan on writing more, not anytime soon. There is a prequel involving the drama that circled Brookside in Snow's youth. But that has been shelved indefinitely; this story has put so many things on the back burner and I have to tend to them now that I can. I set myself up for a sequel should I ever figure one out, but that'll be even longer coming than the prequel, so I wouldn't encourage anyone to wait for it. If a mood strikes and I fiddle with a drabble or two, they'll be dumped into the same section the Red Hunter piece is. Again, don't hold out for it.

The only writing you might see will be a handful of tragedy pieces. If any of this was too angsty for you, I beg you to avoid anything I do label tragedy.