Nearly an hour later, Emma and Killian had just walked out of David's office after going over the details of Lucas Wilson's arraignment for the next day - along with additional charges of escape and assault.

"Well, love, I believe it's safe to say that Lucas Wilson will be going away for a long time," Killian offered as he leaned against the wall.

"I think you're right," Emma conceded with a smile. She then added, "And if he tries anything before tomorrow, I don't think he'd get very far. I'm not even sure Harry Houdini could escape with all the extra precautions David put in place."

Killian couldn't help but chuckle before he spoke, "I do believe it'll make him think twice."

His blue eyes then couldn't help but wander down to her leg. He then asked her, "What did Gold say about your leg?"

With an eye roll, she then complained, "I can't believe you had him do that - I was barely hurt, Killian, and I told you that."

With a sigh, Killian then admitted, "Forgive me, love, but I can't think straight when you're hurt - no matter how small the injury appears to be. I just needed to be sure you were alright."

That same look - a look that crossed between adoration, love, and concern - appeared in his blue eyes as he looked at her.

This time, Emma looked away and swiftly changed the subject: "Well, uh, thank you, but we should really be getting back to the docks so I can get my car. David did give us the leeway to enjoy the rest of our day off."

"Bloody hell," Killian cursed himself under his breath before he told her, "Aye, love, let's shuffle off."

She nodded before the two of them walked out of the station.

The ride back to the docks was a quiet one, save for the hum of the radio.

When they arrived and stepped out of the car, Killian attempted the small talk that seemed to evade both he and Emma at the moment.

"So, Swan, how do you plan to spend the rest of our day off?"

With a shrug, she answered, "I'm not sure. I'll probably find a movie or something," running her fingers through her hair and avoiding looking him in the eyes.

Killian hummed in response. He then spoke, "I'll probably go see if my brother needs any more help."

Emma only nodded in reply, still refusing to meet his eyes.

An awkward silence then ensued, the only noise being that of the occasional seagull and the random passerby.

It nearly drove Killian insane, so he finally broke it: "Look, Emma, I know that you're rather, well, scared about what I didn't have to say, and I truly do want to give you the time you need, but you have to know how much I'm missing my best friend."

Emma finally looked up at him as she pointed out, "It's not like it's been that long, Killian."

He scratched behind his ear as he conceded, "I know, love." He took a breath before he admitted, "We are best friends, Emma, and this distance that's already between us is almost more than I can bear."

With a sigh, Emma then told him, "You're pretty much my best friend, too, Killian, and I've missed you annoying me," running her hands up and down her arms.

With a smirk, he replied, "Well, darling, that is one of my most endearing qualities." She couldn't help but giggle in response.

Killian smiled at her as he spoke, "See, love? Things don't have so awkward between us."

Emma nervously raked her fingers through her blonde hair as she told him, "I don't know. I mean, I just can't forget the way you looked at me."

Killian scratched behind his ear before he ran his fingers through his hair, all the while trying to think of what he could possibly say.

He took a deep breath before he tried to defend: "It's just like I told you last night - it's because you mean a lot to me that I can't help but be honest with you about how amazing you are."

"And if I knew you only meant it as a friend, then there wouldn't be an issue," Emma pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest and turning slightly away from him.

He touched her elbow in an attempt to make her fully look at him - one that proved futile. But, he pressed on anyway: "We are still friends - and we have been for a while now. I don't see why we just can't go back to that."

"Because I just can't, Killian!" Emma yelled at him, turning to face him. At his expression that formed somewhere between shock and concern, she then apologized, "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be yelling at you - you're only trying to help me make sense of all of this."

With a nod, Killian then told her, "It's my fault, love. I shouldn't have even brought up anything about dating."

As much as Emma wanted to just let it be - as much as she probably needed to leave it alone - that damn look remained seared in her brain.

So, she told him, "But you did. Do you really just expect us - me - to pretend that nothing happened? That I didn't lose sleep thinking about it?"

"Bloody hell," Killian mumbled as he ran his hand over his face. This was exactly what he was afraid would happen, and he wasn't sure how to stop it.

He then thought, "Well, I've been pretending that I'm not in love with Emma for over two years. I'm sure I could find a way to keep doing it."

When he heard her gasp, he looked at her strangely and asked, "What's wrong, love?"

"Yo-you're…in…lo-love with m-me?" Emma stammered, her green eyes going wide.

Killian's blue eyes widened as he wondered how in the hell she figured it out - only to realize that he had told her.

Killian rarely found himself at a loss for words and only managed to say, "Bloody hell," before he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

He then tried to placate her: "Uh, you weren't supposed to really hear that. I wasn't…it's just that…" pausing to gather his thoughts, "You were never gonna know that."

Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect: "So you really do feel that way about me?" the panic clear in Emma's voice.

Killian's eyes widened once more. He ran both hands over his face and through his hair before he told her, "It doesn't even matter because I was never gonna tell you."

"How can you say it doesn't matter?" Emma began, her hands planted on her hips. She then let out a shaky breath and continued, "Knowing how you feel is one thing, but hearing you actually say it out loud? How in the hell did you expect me to react?"

"I never considered it," Killian stated it. He paused before he continued, "I didn't think you were ever gonna find out, so I didn't think it would be a problem."

At his words, Emma started pacing, avoiding eye contact with him as she did so.

He only watched helplessly, feeling completely powerless. Everything had blown up in his face, and he had no bloody idea how to fix it - or even if he could.

He was trying to think of something - anything - he could say when Emma's voice startled him from his thoughts.

"You said you've pretending that you're not, you know, for over two years. But also that you were never gonna tell me."

"Aye," Killian confirmed, even though he wasn't entirely sure where this was going.

Emma then took a deep breath and surmised, "So, you were gonna what? Pine after me until you got over me?"

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead," Killian admitted, once more scratching behind his ear. He then told her, "We're best friends, Emma, and I didn't want to lose you - I knew you weren't ready for any of this, so I stayed silent," his voice becoming desperate.

Emma only stared at him for a few moments. She then reasoned, "Look, Killian, I know your feelings are strong - and real - but why would you put yourself through all of this? I can see that it's killing you - why don't you just find a way to move on?"

At that, Killian only looked down at the ground beneath him, kicking around a few rocks - the silence between he and Emma growing awkward once more.

Finally, Killian managed to answer: "I'm not sure you want to hear the answer to that," his eyes still locked on the ground.

With her arms crossed over her chest, Emma incredulously questioned, "Killian, what do you even mean? Why wouldn't I want to know?"

He didn't answer, and part of him hoped that she would just drop it. But he somehow knew that she wouldn't.

His worries were confirmed when she said, "Just tell me. It can't be all that bad," her stance and voice softening.

"I'm probably gonna regret this," Killian thought he brought those blue eyes back up to hers. He took a long and slow breath before he told her, "I would be able to move on if I knew my feelings were one-sided."

Panic flashed in Emma's green eyes before she argued, "What you're suggesting is absolutely ridiculous. I don't even know how you would get an idea like that."

With a forced chuckle, Killian conceded, "You're right, Swan. It is bloody ridiculous, and I have no idea why I would even say something like that."

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't take back his admission, and Emma was a human lie detector.

"Damn it, Killian, get your story straight!" she snapped at him. Upon a moment of reflection, she told him, "Sorry. It's just that this is overwhelming."

"I know it is, Swan. That's why I didn't want to burden you," Killian sympathized. He took a breath before he offered, "Which is why I think we should just forget this whole thing ever happened."

When she didn't answer, he continued, "So as I don't see my brother's truck, I'm guessing he went home. Or I suppose he could have dropped by to see Elsa. Perhaps we could both watch that movie you were thinking about."

Emma vehemently shook her head before she stubbornly pointed out, "Killian, you can't just pretend that none of this ever happened. If you're so convinced that your feelings aren't one-sided, then prove it."

His eyes couldn't help but widen as he asked, "Pardon, love?"

She rolled her eyes before she told him, "You heard me, Jones. So tell me," crossing her arms over her chest.

Killian only sighed in response - he couldn't help but admit that her stubbornness was one of the reasons he fell for her, but right now, he wished that she wasn't.

She stood there with an expectant look, so he relented: "Fine. You want to hear it? Here you go."

He took a deep breath before he admitted, "We understand each other, Emma - probably better than anyone else ever has. Even when you couldn't stand me, you couldn't deny how well we work together and how I was able to read you like an open book."

Emma then interjected, "Just because you can read me and just because we do understand each other doesn't mean I'm in love with you."

"Those very things are why you don't want to open yourself up to anything more than friendship with me. It scares the hell out of you because you know there's a chance of you getting hurt again," Killian told her, his voice becoming pleading - no matter how much he tried to hide it.

Emma remained silent for a few moments because part of her knew that he was right, and it did scare her. She quickly shook her head from those thoughts as she refuted, "I can't be scared of something that doesn't exist. After Neal left me in jail to take the fall for his crimes, I vowed that I would never trust my heart with anyone again. Several years later, Walsh comes along, and he says and does all the right things. I fell in love - so much so that I was ready to marry the guy - but it turns out that all he wanted was a way to boost his own standing. He only wanted a trophy wife to make himself look good. He never gave a damn about me.

"So yeah, you're right about me protecting myself from getting hurt again. Which is why I would never consider falling in love again - and I've made my peace with that."

With a deep breath, Killian then told her, "I've told you before, and I'm telling you now - those bastards never deserved you. You are bloody amazing, and anyone who can't see that is an idiot."

He paused before he continued, "I know that your trust was shattered because of them, but you trust me, love. And I don't just mean because we're partners - I know virtually everything about you because you trusted me enough to tell me. Doesn't that count for anything?"

With a sigh, Emma then told him, "I do share everything with you. I won't argue with you on that. But all that says is that we're best friends. Nothing more."

Killian knew he should stop right there - he knew he should just leave it, but he couldn't just leave her in the dark.

"Does being best friends also account for how you blush when I offer you a sincere compliment? Or for the way you look at me when you think I can't see you? Or for all my merciless teasing and flirting, you give it right back? Or for all the goosebumps that give rise on your skin when our fingers brush against each other? Or the way you become nervous when I stand a bit too close to you? Or the way you giggle at the things I say? Or the way you play with your hair when we're teasing and flirting?"

His voice softened as he continued, "Or how you send me a text every morning when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Or how you always think about what I may need when you're doing errands. Or how you always come to me when you're having problems, and we figure it out together. Or how you've never forgotten my birthday. Or how you know my medical history better than I do. Or how you called me every day - sometimes two or three times a day - when my brother and I went on that week-long sailing trip. Or the way you pick up our breakfast at Ruby and Dorothy's everyday - and greet me with a smile, even if I'm annoying you."

He took a deep breath before he finished, "Or is the way we wouldn't be able to live without each other. I don't see how it could be anything else except love - real love."

Emma only stared at him, completely stunned into silence. She didn't actually think that he could tell her anything that she could believe - something she had a hard time arguing against.

She took a deep, calming breath before she finally spoke, "Killian, I can't even consider if you're right. I'm not…I don't…I just…" trailing off, nervously running her fingers through her hair.

She took another breath before she told him, "I don't know what you want me to say."

With a deep breath of his own, Killian replied, "I'm truthfully not sure either, love." He raked his hand through his hair before he offered, "Just…just take time to think about everything."

Emma stared at him once again. She then told him, "Think about it? You want me to think about it? You're actually suggesting that I have feelings for you - real, deep feelings! And the worst part is that I don't even know if I can argue with you! I just can't do this, Killian."

She then sank down on a nearby bench, burying her face in her hands.

Killian ran his hand over his face and sighed. He then slowly walked over to Emma and sat down beside her.

He tentatively placed a hand on her arm and said, "Look, Emma, this is all my fault - I should have never opened my bloody mouth, and I'm sorry because I know you're not ready. We really should just forget this whole thing."

Emma then looked up at him and curiously asked, "You'd really do that for me, wouldn't you?"

"Do you really even have to ask, Swan?" Killian told her, his blue eyes shining with sincerity.

A hint of a smile crossed Emma's features before she looked down at her lap, nervously pulling at a string on her shirt.

In a voice that barely rose above a whisper, she asked him, "Why me?"

He tilted his head at her as he posed a question of his own: "Do you truly not know, love?"

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair before she admitted, "I'm broken, Killian - those last two failed relationships did shatter my trust and my heart. I don't even think it'd be worth it for anyone to try to pick up the pieces."

"Is that how you really see yourself?" Killian then asked, his voice a combination of surprise and concern.

"It's not as bad as it sounds - it's just a fact I've come to accept. I'm perfectly content as I am," Emma matter-of-factly told him, shrugging as she did so.

Killian tilted his head as he perceived, "I know it isn't as simple as all that, love. Open book, remember?"

With determination set in her jaw and written across her face, Emma then told him, "That's all it can be, Killian. Don't you get it? Can't you see it?"

"Of course I do, Emma. I know you feel like you have to protect yourself from getting hurt, and you can't bear the thought of trusting your heart over to someone again, but…" Killian sympathetically began, only to be cut off by the woman beside him.

"But nothing. This is just the way it has to be, okay," Emma stated, desperately trying to keep her emotions in check.

Without thinking, she then added, "I know you would never do anything to hurt me - hell, you'd break your own heart before you even thought of breaking mine."

When she saw Killian's eyes widen slightly, she realized that she had said all of that out loud, and she let out a gasp and covered her mouth.

She then shifted her position on the bench and turned away from him, only for him to come and bend down in front of her.

He clasped both of her hands in his before he spoke, "Swan…Emma, I know the fact that you understand that I'd never hurt you only makes this all the more difficult because it means that you've finally found someone who can give you everything, if you'd only let me. And that thought alone scares you more than getting hurt. But there's still a part of you that still believes your heart isn't worth the risk.

"But we are worth every bit of it and more. Just give me a chance to show you - give me a chance to show you why I couldn't help but fall in love with you. Please, Emma."

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and Killian didn't know if they were from joy, disbelief, fear, or a combination of all three.

She then began furiously shaking her head as she snatched her hands away. She then told him, "I can't do this, Killian. I just can't."

She then rose from the bench and rushed to her car, driving away as quickly as she could.

Killian watched her yellow bug until he could no longer see it. He then sank against the bench and ran both hands over his face and through his hair.

He supposed he should feel relieved that he no longer has to hide his feelings from the woman he loves, but all he thought about is what this revelation was doing to her.

Perhaps she wasn't nearly as oblivious as she once believed, but she still wasn't ready to accept that her heart likely already belonged to him. She wasn't ready to open herself up to what that would mean.

Frankly, Killian really couldn't blame her. He himself didn't believe he could move on after Milah - until the day he realized that his blonde partner was every bit as intriguing and beautiful as she was headstrong and stubborn.

"And now, I may have really lost her completely," Killian begrudged to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

And yet, there was still a part of him - the same part of him that remained optimistic when she had ran out before - that believed this wasn't over.

"Come on, Swan," he began as though his thoughts could actually reach her, "I can't bear to lose you."

A/N: Hi, everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed the latest installment of "Love in the First Degree!" I wanted to let you guys know that this particular story will be coming to an end as the next part (which I will get to sometime in the near future) will be the final part :)

Up next, I'll be updating "The Clash," so I hope you guys are looking forward to that. Until next time :)