Chapter 8: Blackbeard's Bounty

Emma slammed the last of the boxes onto the deck of the ship, tripping onto the ground as it landed. She was exhausted from carrying such heavy loot, but even more so, she was emotionally drained from leaving Liam, bleeding from the chest, back in the cave. She was terrified she would never get to see him again and because of Neal fucking Cassidy, she didn't even get to say goodbye.

Emma pulled herself back to her feet, setting her shoulders back in defiance as Neal approached her. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of thinking he had defeated her.

"That all of it?" He asked menacingly.

"I didn't count it." She replied with a sarcastic tone.

He leaned toward her, his mouth brushing against her ear. "You know, I like a challenge." She caught movement as Killian appeared at the side of the ladder, immediately tensing his jaw at the sight in front of him. She felt Neal smirk against her skin as he noticed his arrival as well. "Maybe later, I'll let him watch." She shivered, the thought of him coming anywhere near her causing her to wretch.

She flinched away from him, and he grabbed her by the arm. "Come on now, what's the matter with you two. How can anyone be so angry around so much money?" He sang with delight. "Look at all this…" He stood around the loot, spinning in circles as he held his hands to the sky. Killian stepped closer to her, the weight of his hand resting against her back protectively. "Let's take a picture, something to always remember the moment." He held up his phone and smiled, Emma and Killian grimaced behind him.

"What? No smiles." He complained before typing on his phone and then putting it away in his pocket. "My father is going to be so fucking excited to see what I've done. No one will say I'm a failure ever again."

"I don't remember you doing anything except whining." Killian scoffed just as Neal turned on him, grabbing him by the shirt collar.

"I beat you. That's what matters here. I win. You lose." He sneered. "Get us back to shore, before I throw you overboard."

"And then what?" Emma asked quietly. "You just go home with all this gold. You think people aren't going to ask questions? You think they won't ask where Liam is when we show up back at home without him. These people know us, they don't know you…"

"Who said anything about the two of you going home?" He waved the gun in her face. "It's a pretty rough night at sea, would be a shame if thee ole Jolly Roger suddenly sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Davy Jones locker, that's what you pirates call it don't you?"

Emma pursed her lips together and glanced at Killian who was glaring at Neal. "How you gonna explain this ship just showing up to drop you off then?"

"Just like Blackbeard, drop me off at the back of the island. I'll take it from there."

"How are you going to get all this gold off the island?" Emma inquired.

"I got all that covered because I'm smart. He don't think I'm smart, but I fucking am." He waved the gun at Killian. "Don't you worry that pretty little head of yours. If you're a good girl, maybe I'll let you come with me."

Emma laughed. "Guess you're just gonna have to kill me then, asshole." She said, spitting in his face.

The slap across her face was hot but worth it knowing she was getting under his skin.

"You hit her one more time, I swear to you it will be the last thing you ever do." Killian growled.

"I told you to steer the fucking ship." She heard the click of the gun and everything around her stopped. She held her hand to her cheek, rubbing the spot before nodding at Killian, trying to get him to do what Neal was asking.

Killian stormed toward the helm, brushing up against Neal's shoulder as he passed. "Come on sweetheart…" He grabbed her by the arm and tucked a small treasure box under his arm. "Let's find a place to get a look at my treasure."

He tugged her toward the front of the ship, dropping the box on the small table and pushing her into one of the chairs. She could see Killian from where she was, Neal with his back to him. She swallowed hard as Neal opened the box, digging through the trinkets that lay beneath. "So much power." He said softly. "With this no one will put me in my place." He clinked some of the coins in the palm of his hand.

"My father told me if you have money, no one can talk down to you. People do what you want them to when you have the will to make them." His eyes were dark and dangerous.

He pulled up a necklace, bright and shining and held it up to her neck. Emma looked away from him in disgust. "Tonight, I want you to wear this…and only this." He said with his voice dripping of arrogance.

"Wear it yourself." She said, her voice calm yet clearly disinterested in anything he had to demand of her. He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her closer to him.

"I'm going to enjoy taking you." He laughed. "And I'm going to make your boyfriend watch, right before I kill him." His mouth was on hers before she could protest, hot and wet…too wet, his tongue was everywhere, slobbering on her as if he had no idea how to even kiss a woman. She pressed her palms against his chest, trying to get him off her but that seemed to only excite him more.

There was a loud pop behind them that startled him, causing him to release her from his grasp and turn angrily toward Killian. Killian was staring at them, his eyes focused on Neal with an anger she had never seen in him before. "We've got a problem." He said calmly, gritting his teeth.

"Yeah, what's that? Don't like what you see?"

"Ship problems." He glared; his fists balled together at his side. "It's the rudder. It's not responding properly. Can't steer." His voice was angry, but she could tell he was trying to maintain his tone. "Might be stuck in some netting or seaweed." Killian walked toward the wall of the ship and leaned over. "There…" He pointed into the dark waters below and Emma had no idea what he was doing. She knew he couldn't see anything that would be in the rudders from his position.

Neal walked over to him, leaning over the side of the ship, and staring down into the ocean. "I don't see anyth…"

Everything happened so quickly that Emma didn't have time to react. One moment both men were staring into the abyss and the next Neal was on his back, Killian's fists making contact with his face as the man kicked and clawed beneath him.

She screamed as Neal recovered, shoving Killian backward onto the deck, slamming his body into the crates below them. Killian growled, grabbing Neal around the neck, and yanking him toward the wall of the ship, slamming his head against the wooden planks. Neal blocked his punch, standing to face him as Killian grabbed a beam and swung it toward Neal, Neal countered pushing it back in Killian's direction until Killian simply ran full force at Neal, the beam pushing him over the edge of the ship, dragging Killian with him.

Emma ran toward the men just as Neal kicked Killian in the stomach causing him to lose his grip and tumble over the edge. For a moment, Neal smiled, until Killian latched onto his legs, dragging both of the men into the turbulent waters beneath them. Emma peered into the abyss, trying to find where they had gone but only seeing the break of the waves as they crashed against the ship. There was nothing but the vast ocean around her.

They were gone.

"Killian…" She screamed into the wind only to be met with an eerie silence. She pushed away from the deck, pacing back and forth before returning to peer over the edge again. Still nothing, just darkness in a violent wake.

She could feel the panic welling inside of her, the bile rising in her stomach. She couldn't lose them both. Not Liam and Killian. She would be alone again, terrified, lost.

She pulled her knees against her chest as she pressed against the wooden planks behind her, rocking back and forth as she sat on the deck. She buried her face, wrapping her arms around her knees, tears falling against her cheeks. She had no idea how to go on. How would she survive. She had lost everything that was so dear to her. She had lost her family…again.

Water dripped onto the deck, pooling at her feet, and then a thud beside her. She opened her eyes just as Killian fell to the deck, gasping for air. "Killian! Oh my God, I thought I lost you." She was on her knees, wrapping her arms around his neck as she threw her body on him.

"A bit tight lass." He groaned and she pulled away.

"Where's Neal?" She looked around desperately.

"'Fraid the bloke had a visit with Davy Jones he just couldn't miss." The corner of his lips turned upward. "Miss me?" He grinned.

She launched herself onto him once more, her lips attacking his mouth as they rolled onto the deck. She kissed every inch of his face, barely believing it was real. "You're here." She sighed as her lips pressed to his once more, this time with less vigor.

"Aye." He responded softly. "I'm a survivor, Swan. I couldn't leave my best girl behind." Her lips were on his again, his hands tangling in her hair as a soft moan left his throat. Suddenly she pulled back, her eyes wide.

"Liam." She shouted. Killian's smile dropped from his face, and he pulled them both up from the deck of the ship.

"Hurry, we need to turn her around."

Killian rushed through the mouth of the cave, wading through the water as he boosted Emma into the hole above them. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he saw the blue of his brother's eyes staring back at him.

"Miss me?" He joked as Liam blinked slowly, as if he wasn't sure if he was dreaming their sudden appearance or simply making it up in his head.

"Late as always." He coughed out.

"Always complaining this one." Emma teased with tears in her eyes, embracing him in her arms. He groaned from the sudden contact, and she pulled away suddenly, the two of them laughing before he pulled her back against his chest, eager to enjoy the feeling of being reunited.

"Where's Neal?"

"He couldn't make it; guess he wasn't as good of a swimmer as he thought." He joked.

"How unfortunate." He said with a smirk. His eyes looked around the room, staring in awe at the place they were in, now vacant and minus its glowing treasure. "I can't believe we looked our whole lives for this, and it was right under our noses all this time."

"Well technically above our heads." Killian shrugged.

"Dad would be beside himself; he knew it was here, he just couldn't find it."

"And now we have it all on our ship, all that loot." He paused. "The treasure that took him away from us." He scoffed in annoyance. "All I ever wanted was his attention, I never wanted the gold. I would gladly give it all back for one more story at bedtime." He said sadly.

Emma reached over and took his hand, staring up at him with a light that danced in her eyes. It made his heart race the way she looked at him, the promise of something new just on the horizon. He pulled her against his chest, wrapping a tendril of her hair around his finger. "What are we going to do with it now?" Emma said softly, brushing her lips against his neck as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Sod the bloody treasure, care to let me in on what's going on between the two of you?" His brother's voice came out in a grunt as he tried to sit up higher on the rock beneath his back.

Emma laughed and pulled away, staring up at him with green eyes that could convince him to do anything she pleased. "Who says something is going on?" She smirked.

"Don't give me any crap, I have eyes." He coughed and Emma stepped away from him to inspect Liam's wounds.

"Can we worry about getting you back to the ship and figure out what we're going to do with all that treasure just sitting on it before we worry about whatever is going on between Killian and I?"

"Fine." Liam relented. "Though I have to say, whatever it is you've got going on, it's about bloody time if you ask me." He laughed and Killian helped him to his feet.

"I'm just thankful you're still with us brother."

"Aye, me too. I wasn't sure we'd see each other again." He leaned into both he and Emma before pausing their retreat. "Family…" Emma and Killian glanced at each other in confusion. "That's our treasure. Family. It's not about diamonds or gold or whatever glory finding Blackbeard's blimey treasure gets us; family is our treasure. Without either of you with me, all of it amounts to a shiny pile of dirt."

He looked over at Emma who had tears in her eyes. "Aye." He agreed. "If I had lost either of you." His voice trailed off. "Well, family means more to me than any stupid treasure."

"What will happen to the island now that the treasure has been found?" Emma asked.

Killian shrugged, "I guess we just move on."

"And so will our customers." Emma interjected. "No one is going to want to pay to go on a treasure adventure when the treasure is gone."

"I didn't think about that." Killian sighed. "Not much we can do about it though, besides who needs adventure when we're rich."

"But what if we could do something about it, what if we could still live our adventure?" Emma grinned.

"What are you suggesting?" Liam inquired.

"What if we didn't find it?"

"But we did." Killian laughed.

"And everyone who knows that is dead or in this room right now." She bit her lip. "If we just put it back, destroy the clues, no one has to know."

"You want to give back all that loot, that's a lot of money Emma?" Killian asked wide eyed.

"You just said it yourself, family means more."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean we couldn't use the money, love." Killian glanced at Liam. "It would save this one from an ulcer by the time he turns 40."

"We could keep some of it." She looked at Liam. "Enough to keep us going, but not enough that people take notice. The rest of it belongs to Blackbeard and this island."

"Not like anyone cares about Blackbeard anymore. We couldn't even stay afloat this year with the dismal number of tours we hosted this year." Liam coughed.

"Maybe we find a coin on another island, could pique some interest again, get outsiders to come in, drum up some business, but lead them in the wrong direction. I'm sure Granny would really appreciate cooking dinner for more than just you two."

"It could work…"

Killian blinked. "Are you seriously considering this? After everything we went through, you just want to bury it again?"

"We lost mom and dad because of this treasure, we nearly lost our own lives today, I don't need money to be rich, brother."

"No but it does make it easier to buy things." He laughed.

"There is plenty of riches to be had, we have no reason to be greedy, we take what we need, and we leave the rest to the legend." Liam smiled. "We survive another day, brother."

"But the treasure…"

"The treasure is here." He took his hand and placed it in Emma's. "Together."

As Killian looked up from their embraced hands, he was met with the caring eyes of his brother and Emma, and in that moment he knew they were right. The town survived on the legend. He realized that he didn't need the treasure to have everything he had ever wanted in his life. That was standing right in front of him.

He had his brother, a man who had all but raised him, taught him how to be a man, to always have good form, and to never take for granted the things that had been given to him.

And Emma…the love of his life. The girl he had watched grow into a woman, a woman who cared for him, loved him, and would be by his side no matter what they faced.

"Alright. We bury it."

Three Months later

"And then the walls started to cave in, and rubble crumbled all around us."

"How did you get out?"

"What was in the other room?"

"Was it the treasure?" Emma giggled as the children gathered around Killian's feet, shouting questions excitedly.

"Right before we were crushed, the skies opened up and we were able to escape with our lives."

"And then you found the treasure?"

"And then I found the greatest treasure of my entire life."

"How much was it worth?"

"Are you rich, was it all gold or did you find jewels?"

"It was better than gold or diamonds, and it made me the richest man in the world."

"What was it?"

"Love…"

"Love? Ewww…" Emma snorted loudly as the children all frowned and groaned.

"Love can't make you rich." One of the boys growled, kicking at the plank beneath his feet.

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, you see, treasure and money might make you rich, but love…" He paused, catching her eye for a moment. "Love is rare and when you find it, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing can even come close to being more valuable."

"So, there is no gold?" The boy complained.

"Of course there is kid." He flicked the coin in his hand into the air and caught it as it landed. "It's out there, somewhere, and maybe one day, maybe you'll be the one to find it."

"You really think so?" The kid smiled widely, and Killian winked with that adorable cock sure way that made her heart skip a beat so many times.

"A pirate such as yourself, absolutely."

Killian flicked the switch on the wall, enveloping him in darkness, closing the door behind him as he jiggled the key in the lock.

"Everything put away?" Liam tossed his duffle over his shoulder, his other arm wrapped firmly around Emma's shoulder.

"All closed up." He nodded. "Feel like Granny's? Grilled cheese and onion rings, Swan?"

"You know if you continue being this predictable, she'll have my blessing to dump your boring ass." Emma snorted next to his brother, her face lighting up with a devilish smile.

"Boring?" Killian scoffed. "Predictable?" He grunted. "I've never been accused of either."

"Aye brother, you've gone soft."

"Enough!" Emma grabbed Killian by the arm, pulling him forward with her and Liam as they walked toward the parking lot. "I think we've all had enough excitement to last us a lifetime." Emma giggled. "Boring sounds wonderful."

"Aye." Killian agreed. "Though it still stings to hear you agree with him."

Emma nudged his shoulder with a wink. "What your brother doesn't know…"

"Might actually traumatize him for life. Please keep your secrets…" Liam interrupted her flirty banter. "I prefer to think that you two go home and play scrabble at night."

"Is that what we're calling it now, brother?" Killian laughed. "Scrabble…" He smirked. "Well, I do suppose I can be very good at coaxing a few of those high point words out of Emma when..."

"And with that I'm out…" Liam put his hands in the air with a chuckle. "You two enjoy your evening…responsibly."

"Aye, Aye Captain." Emma saluted mockingly.

"Was it something I said?" Killian whispered into Emma's ear as Liam walked to his car. Emma slapped playfully at his chest and Killian stopped quickly, pulling her into his arms as he captured her lips with his. She melted into him, her arms slipping around his waist until he felt her fingertips skim under his shirt and dance playfully against his skin.

"Mmm, I must say a little sexual scrabble tonight sounds a lot more interesting than food." She cooed as her mouth skimmed his jaw.

"Your hearts desire Swan, I promise, that's all I want you to have." He met her eyes, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Then take me home, sailor." She giggled.

Without pause, Killian lifted her onto his shoulder, a shriek of laughter filling the ocean air as he carried her to his bike, his head foggy with the feel of her hands massaging his thighs on the ride home through the darkened streets.

Clothes were shed before the door to their tiny home had shut, a frantic rush of adrenaline leading them through the moonlit rooms until they could wait no longer, and Killian took her against the hallway closet, fast and hard, sweat pouring from his brow as he entered her again and again.

Hours later, propped against the kitchen counters as they sat on the floor devouring slices of cheese atop untoasted bread, Killian watched as she chewed aggressively, not stopping between bites as the light from the waning moon illuminated her face. "Marry me…" He said softly as she swallowed.

"What?" She laughed.

"Let's get married."

"Wait, you're serious?" She paused, turning to look at him.

"You're it for me. You always have been."

She bit her lip before a smirk grew on her face. "Seriously Jones, you call that a proposal?" She lifted a piece of cheese to her mouth and shrugged. He pushed forward and grabbed the cheese from her hand, tossing it over his shoulder and bringing his mouth to hers as they toppled over toward the floor. His hands tangled into her blonde locks as he lingered over her mouth, his tongue tracing her lips.

"I love you, Emma. I want all of you."

She wrapped a leg around the back of his knee, her lips latching onto his neck. "Everything is yours." She moaned against his ear. "All of me, all of my heart, my body, my soul." Her breath was hot against his skin mixed with the soft feel of her lips brushing his ear.

"So, is that a yes?" He chuckled.

"That depends on a few things?" She smirked pulling away from him.

"Bloody hell woman, you answer my proposal with conditions?" He nipped at her chin with his teeth.

"Do you promise that you'll always love me?"

"You know I do…"

"And that you'll always come home to me…"

"Emma…"

"Even when we get kidnapped by lunatics looking for treasure." She finished.

"I promise, though I would prefer that not be a recurring problem." He laughed.

"And you will always let me steal the blankets and put my cold feet on you, especially when it rains."

"Ok now you're pushing it…" She giggled and squirmed beneath him.

"Promise…" She asked again, looking up at him with those enchanting green, emerald orbs he could never resist.

"Emma Swan, I promise that you can steal the covers the way you stole my heart so many years ago and that you can put your cold feet on me every night so that I may warm them the way you warmed my heart and soul for all eternity."

"Aww, you do love me." She grinned. "But Liam is really going to give you hell for how you proposed."

"Perhaps we can tell Liam a different story." He chuckled. "One with a grand gesture and synchronized seagulls spelling out your name as I…"

She shrieked. "Synchronized seagulls." She rolled on top of him, hovering over his mouth. "I swear Killian Jones, I have no idea how you managed to win my heart."

"I ask myself that every second of my life." He smiled sincerely.

"I think someone was looking out for us." She lightly touched the bracelet on her wrist.

"Well, I hope they aren't looking now." He grinned, pulling her against his mouth as he rolled them over once more.

New York, a year and a half later

The darkened room had a soft glow of red coming from the lamp in the corner. Garbage was strewn about every nook and cranny of the tiny apartment. The man in the corner grunted his disapproval as he stared at the paper in his hands.

"Excitement awaits aboard the Jolly Roger; every pirate and lass will join the hunt for Blackbeard's treasure." The man growled before continuing to read the advert. "Every excursion includes the opportunity to view an authentic gold coin, a relic from the past that recently surfaced during a daring adventure onboard the Jolly Roger. What tales will the crew share? Will Blackbeard's treasure ever be found? At Jones Adventures, Inc you won't simply be learning about the legend, you'll be transported into the middle of it."

The man tossed the offending page to the ground, stomping his foot as it crumpled under his boot.

"Liars, thieves, dirty pirates." He growled, the phone illuminating in his hand. "Murderers." The acidic tone dripped from his mouth as he viewed the image on the screen. The familiar face of his son staring back at him, the woman and man looking blankly behind him. His heart ached. It had been two long years since he lost contact with his son, the same day he had received the image on his phone.

The mission had been a failure, much like his son, in that none of his associates or his son had returned, but regardless, this was his only child. His boy. Neal. And the photo proved that Neal had found Blackbeard's treasure. All of their hard work had finally paid off and Jones Adventure Inc had stolen it.

He had not shed a single tear over the loss, determined to get to the bottom of what had happened before he wasted his energy on grief. He was not sure what had transpired on Treasure Island when his business partner, Walsh, Neal, and his son's girlfriend had all but disappeared that summer, but he knew that his son would not cease all contact unless something terrible had happened. Regardless of what it took, or how much it cost, he was finally close to finding those responsible. He was close to unraveling the mystery of the role Jones Adventure Inc had in the disappearance of his team. Of his son.

And once he discovered the truth, he would stop at nothing to make those responsible pay for taking Neal away from him.

The adventure continues in Treasure Seekers – Gold's Revenge… Coming soon!