Sigh. This is a Superhero!AU of a TV show that tends to focus on people with magical powers and therefore, people with superpowers are always going to be the primary focus of this story.

In Emma's case, August was obviously the only one who believed that she was better than everyone else because of the superpower and tried his best to make sure she believed that too, but that's who he is. If you see Killian as overly arrogant, it's not intentional, even though I don't personally see arrogance as a negative trait unless it hurts someone. His faults and the way they are dealt with are a necessary part of his character development, which I am going to tell on my own terms.

And like I said before, my interpretation is mine and mine alone, so feel free to write multi-chapter AU fics the way you want :)

Last ever rant on the subject, it will not be addressed again. Apologies to the rest of you lovely readers for the lengthy note! I still don't own anything.

"We need more drinks" - Killian proclaimed, standing up and walking towards the bar. Privately, Emma agreed. Mary Margaret and David exchanged a look but didn't object.

"So this Gold guy was the owner of Gold's Hotels and Resorts that went bankrupt a few years ago?" - Belle clarified.

"Yep" - Emma replied. "He was in rehab for a few years but then he apparently got out and died six years ago."

"And he went in rehab because of a writer who is fetching us drinks right now?" - Ruby added.

"Apparently. But before that, he spent some time in business with Regina in a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"And not to mention" - Killian added, returning to the table with a tray of glasses - "he also happens to be the father of your ex who is currently residing in a police cell"

"Which is exactly where he belongs" - Belle snapped. Killian sighed.

"It's not that simple, love."

Emma looked away. She just spent an hour telling her parents and friends everything, starting from the day that she realised that Principal Mills was stealing. She was met with stunned silences, occasionally interrupted by angry exclamations from David, looks of disbelief and astonishments from Mary Margaret and those of admiration from Killian. The latter were particularly obvious when she spoke about the cases she solved. It was admittedly nice to be admired by someone who wasn't a traitor.

"I know it's not" - David responded. - "We're gonna need you to tell us the whole story, Jones. Or Hook, whatever you prefer."

"Killian will do."

"Okay guys, let's all calm down and make a note of what we already know!" - Belle spoke softly, jotting down something in her notebook. - "Killian, tell us what happened with Mr Gold."

Killian and Emma exchanged looks, Emma suddenly realising that neither Ruby nor Belle knew anything about his power. He gave her a tiny nod, indicating that it was fine. Emma filled them in quickly, enjoying the looks of surprise on their faces.

"Are you basically saying that your power is the opposite of Emma's?" - Ruby asked.

"Aye"

"Interesting..." - Ruby replied thoughtfully. - "And I'm guessing you used it on Mr Gold before?"

"Not just Mr Gold - pretty much everyone who's read my books" - Killian said softly, not meeting anyone's eye. Ruby's jaw dropped.

"Dude, that explains so much! No wonder I had dreams about Jewel for days after reading your books!" Belle nodded, writing in her notebook.
"Anyway" - Emma interjected - "you used to publish as James Hook right? And Mr Gold read one of your books?"

He nodded. "My very first one, "The Coward's Wife". He fell in love with the protagonist, Milah, and deluded himself into thinking that she was real"

"Poor man" - Mary Margaret whispered.

"Go on" - David prompted.

"I first met him at a book signing in Scotland. He demanded to know how I met Milah" - Killian made air quotes with his fingers - "and asked to be introduced. I tried telling him that she was a fictional character and left soon after, but then he showed up at my hotel room. Apparently he could do that since his company owned it. It took a while but I eventually got him removed from the room."

"Did you ever see him again?" - Belle asked.

"Not in person. However, his name began popping up all over the press even more than usual, and my agent told me that he'd tried to contact The Jolly Roger - my publisher - a few times, and threatened to sue."

"On what grounds?" - Belle frowned. Killian shrugged.

"Not a bloody clue. When he failed, he attempted to buy the house, but they never accepted any offers."

"He wanted to buy the publishing house? Why?" - Mary Margaret asked.

"I guess because he thought he could get information on the supposed whereabouts of Milah?" - Killian shrugged again, taking a drink from his beer bottle, Emma following suit.

"What happened then?" - she asked. Killian bit his lip.

"He ended up on trial eight years ago and was held to be insane" - he replied shortly. Emma pursed her lips. There was a lot more to the story that he was letting on.

"Did you know about Neal?" - she asked, choosing not to press the issue for now.

"Aye. I knew that he had a son, although I didn't know the name until today."

"That's all well and good, but I'm still lost here" - Ruby piped in. - "How did he end up insane in the first place?"

"I told you - it was a result of my book" - Killian snapped. Belle shook her head.

"That doesn't just happen. People don't go insane because of something they read!"

Killian tensed. - "They do if I'm the author, love."

"That makes no sense!" - David exclaimed. Killian growled but said nothing, choosing to grab his beer bottle and walking out instead, with a brief "I need some air" thrown over his shoulder.

"What's with him?" - Ruby turned to Emma with a questioning look. The blonde shrugged, having a pretty good idea what ticked Killian Jones off and fully intending to call him out on it in a minute.

"I'll go talk to him" - she said after finishing her beer, and walked out. She spotted the dark figure sitting on the curb almost immediately.

"I apologise for my abrupt departure, love" - he looked up to meet her eyes. - "I'm afraid the day has finally taken a toll on me."

Emma nodded. "I understand" - she spoke softly, taking a seat next to him. - "Are you OK?"

Killian chuckled. "I believe the vicissitudes you've experienced today mean that I should be the one asking you that question."

She snorted. "Vicissitudes?"

"It means unexpected changes in one's life"

"Yes I know what it means" - she rolled her eyes at the writer. - "And I suppose you are right."

"So, are you OK?" - she could barely make out his concerned look in the twilight that was becoming thicker by the minute. She chuckled miserably.

"I don't even know how to begin answering that question. Out of the two of us, you're the wordsmith. Any tips?"

He shrugged. "As a writer, I do occasionally find myself in times of not knowing where to begin, develop or end the story. Nine times out of ten, I go back to what inspired the ideas in the first place. Maybe if you started with how you ended up in Storybrooke in the first place?"

Emma bit her lip and looked down, her hair obscuring her face. She suppressed a shiver when she felt Killian's hand placing a thick lock behind her ear gently.

"It's funny you should say that. Two weeks ago, I had no family, no close friends except Ruby and Belle, a mentor whom I somewhat trusted when it came to the job, and Storybrooke was a town I've never even heard of until that mentor suggested that I take a case here."

"And that case wasn't what you expected" - Killian teased sympathetically, nudging her with his shoulder. She made a face.

"You could say that. I thought all I had to do was charm a doctor into revealing that he's been concealing evidence of his negligence which resulted in someone's death."

"Someone being the guy who was the Sheriff before Dave?"

"Yeah. But I didn't know that at the time. The day I met you, I was supposed to go on an undercover date with him but we got interrupted because my... Mary Margaret woke up from coma."

"A coma which your old high school principal put her in" - Killian added. - "This must be ridiculously weird for you, love. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "I suppose I'm grateful that your part in all this makes sense, at least. And I'm sorry too."

"About what, sweetheart?"

"Your brother. I didn't get to say it earlier. I may not condone the method you've chosen but I can understand why you'd agree to go along with Whale's plan."

He nodded. "Thank you for saying that. I don't deserve it, but I appreciate it nonetheless."

Emma sighed, taking his hand in both of hers. He stiffened but didn't pull away.

"Killian, none of this is your fault! You weren't to know what kind of evil Whale and Regina were up to and you certainly have nothing to beat yourself up over, trust me!"

He chuckled bitterly. "Don't I? My power - my cause - caused a man's madness, Emma, and destroyed a family! I deserve to be locked up next to your ex-boyfriend for everything I put them through!"

To his surprise, Emma scoffed. "You think rather highly of yourself, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You wrote realistic fiction as James Hook. Fiction is the key word here! People don't just go insane from reading a book, Killian. You didn't cause anybody's madness."

"Emma..."

"You may be a good writer, but you're not that good, superpower or not" - Emma snapped, releasing his hand. He frowned but dropped it onto his lap.

"Mr Gold was an excellent businessman before he read my book and started having symptoms of psychosis, which resulted in him losing most of his money. Are you really going to tell me that I played no role in any of that?"

"Yes Killian, I am. Having a power like yours means that you can persuade people that something is real, you told me that yourself."

"Aye, I did" - Killian said slowly.

"And you use writing as a method of controlling it, is that right?"

"I do"

"So as I understand it, you're channelling your power when you're writing it. Killian, that's no different from a writer channelling his writing talent!"

"Except in my case, the talent is tainted with that of being able to tell a flawless lie" - he spoke softly, unconvinced. Emma bit her lip and took his hands again.

"Killian Liam Jones, listen to me. I've been hunting liars for my entire adult life. I know that there are many ways a person can lie..."

"Yes I know" - he interrupted. - "I have to live with that knowledge every single day" - he spoke darkly.

"And in all these cases" - she continued as though she wasn't interrupted - "the liars were in control. They lied, stole, murdered, for their own benefit. I was a thief in the past, but I did that to survive. You write for the very same reason. I have no right to judge you for that."

"I don't understand" - Killian said slowly. - "I appreciate that, don't get me wrong, but what does it have to do with Mr Gold's madness?"

"For you, writing is a coping mechanism, as well as a way to make a living. You are doing it for YOU and YOU alone. I'm not saying you don't love your fans, because I know you do, but ultimately, YOU are the one it helps the most. You don't write with the intention of persuading your readers that the characters are real."

"No... but..." - he was at a loss for words.

"So explain to me - how does a self-help method designed solely for you, have the power to turn another person into a psychopath?"

Killian's blue eyes widened. He's clearly never considered that angle before in his life.

"I can tell you with absolute certainty" - Emma continued, dropping Killian's hand - "you did not take away Gold's sanity. Whatever caused it, came long before you started publishing. Your book was merely a trigger. I am convinced that he would've reacted the same way to any realistically written, three-dimensional character."

Killian gaped at her.

"You didn't destroy Mr Gold's life, Killian" - Emma spoke softly but firmly, pressing her free hand to his stubbly cheek. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes at her touch. She didn't pull away.

"Emma?" - Killian whispered, the corner of his mouth coming into contact with her thumb.

"Yeah?" - she whispered back.

"Come here".

His hand dropped from hers and he wrapped his arms around Emma, pulling her to him. She didn't resist; instead, she rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes as he pressed a soft kiss to her head.

"You're bloody amazing, Swan" - Killian whispered into her hair. She chuckled, hitting his chest with her palm lightly.

"Not really" - she replied, her voice muffled by his coat.

"Yes really. I told you - you're like a lighthouse to a sailor lost in the night."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly, swinging her legs over. "Well this looks familiar doesn't it?" - she said, hoping to divert his attention from showering her with compliments.

"Hmm?" - he nuzzled her shoulder.

"This morning? And this afternoon?"

"Oh right" - he smiled, remembering their embrace under the bridge and the way they held onto each other at Regina's ice palace. - "I have to say, I would much prefer doing this somewhere warmer than a frozen room or outside on a winter morning."

"Oh" - Emma frowned and tried to pull away, but his arms held her firmly in place.

"I didn't say I wanted to stop, love. I have no complaints about holding you, believe me."

"Good" - she nodded into his chest. - "Just so you know, I don't normally snuggle with people I've only known for two weeks."

He smirked. "That's because you've never met anybody as devilishly handsome as myself."

Emma swatted him again. "More like I've never met anybody who can actually understand what it's like."

He smiled, kissing her temple. "What's it like to be different and to know loss?"

"Yeah" - she pulled away from his chest slightly to meet his eye, his thumb rubbing her jean-clad knee. - "Exactly."

Killian smiled wider, although his eyes were glistening with tears underneath the streetlight above them. "Nor have I."

Neither of them could tell who moved first.

"Emma" - he breathed out, his nose brushing hers.

"Killian" - she whispered, closing her eyes.

Despite the cold, Killian's lips were warm. At first, they were barely touching hers as though he were afraid of something. Once he realised she wasn't pulling away, he tightened his hold on her and covered her mouth with his own.

Well it only took 37 chapters haha ;) Only a few left until the end and then I'm gonna edit and reload the whole thing :) Reviews are not only welcomed but encouraged!