"Oh, thank god you're here," Emma sighed, as she closed the door softly behind her.

Ruby looked around the empty room, as if to confirm that her friend was talking to her, before asking, "What's up, Ems?"

"I bought a new dress. Just now. And I need you to tell me if it's okay for a date with Killian tonight."

"Oh, I can definitely do that." Ruby was always the more fashion conscious of the two of them. "Go try it on."

"Can I use your shower first? I think Killian's in mine, and if I see him wet and naked again, I'm not gonna be able to resist him. And to be totally honest, I'm not sure how much more sex my body can handle this weekend. I mean, I don't think I've ever had this much sex before, and he's so big, and so passionate, and…"

"Well, that's far more than I ever thought I'd wanna know," Ruby interrupted. "Go take a shower, and gimme a shout when you're done."

Emma had managed to find Mr. Tanner's dog, Phoenix, rather quickly. She usually escaped to the same place, which made bringing her home so much easier, every time it happened. But, after Mr. Tanner had offer his most sincere thanks, and a promise to try and make sure it never happened again, Emma had found herself facing a small meltdown, in the car.

She only owned two dresses suitable for a date night, both of which Killian had seen her in before. So, after calming herself down, Emma finally decided to detour over to the only boutique store in town, that Ruby would ever shop in, and had spent well over an hour browsing through their range, hoping to find something suitable for her date.

After coming up empty handed one too many times, Ariel, the owner of the store, took pity on her, and searched her newest delivery for something she thought the Sheriff would like. Together, they managed to settle on a red dress, that cost Emma more than half her closet did, combined.

Unfortunately, now she had it home, she was starting to doubt her choice once again.

Emma showered as quickly as she could, making sure to shave, buff, and moisturize everything she'd missed that morning, with Killian's distracting hands and lips all over her skin. When she left the bathroom, it was to find Ruby already sat on the bed waiting for her, with the red dress laid out beside her.

"You could have at least waited until I put some underwear on," Emma chuckled.

"It's nothing I've not seen before, Ems. This dress is gorgeous, by the way. Where did you find it?"

"That little place where you get your stuff from. It seemed like the best place to find something Killian-worthy for the night." Emma turned her back to shimmy on her black lace panties, underneath her towel, before she dropped it to slip into her bra. Ruby might have seen everything before, but that didn't mean Emma needed to flaunt it.

"You think it's gonna to be fancy enough?" she asked, as Ruby held out her hairdryer, already anticipating her friend's needs.

"Definitely. It's all about what you do to dress it up," she explained. "If I were you, I'd pull my hair back, and add a nice pair of earrings. Those black leather pumps I got you, for your birthday, will work perfectly with this. Killian's gonna be drooling into his risotto all night."

"Well… as long as I don't look ridiculous, I'll be happy," Emma chuckled. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your own date?"

Ruby looked down at the time on her phone, before springing up from the bed. "Shit. Yes. Thank you." She was out of the room, with the bathroom door closed, and locked behind her, before Emma could say anything else.

Killian was already dressed and ready when Emma snuck out of Ruby's room, to finish doing her hair and makeup. He was sat on her small sofa, flicking through Netflix, and once more looking like he was ready to shoot some kind of fashion campaign.

She hadn't realized she was staring, until his own eyes snapped up to meet hers, before dropping down the length of her body. "Jesus, Emma. Do you usually walk around the house like that?"

It took her a moment to realize that she was still only wearing her bra and panties, given how distracting he looked – fully dressed.

"No," she whispered back. "I um… I guess I should go and get dressed?" She was having a hard time pulling her eyes away from the V-neck on Killian's white t-shirt, that left his chest hair peeking out enticingly.

Hair that she knew from experience was a lot softer than she ever imagined it would be.

Hair that she so badly wanted to run her fingers through.

"If you wanna leave this apartment tonight, you should go now, Emma," he warned darkly, as he clenched his fists at his side, to stop himself reaching out for her.

Emma swallowed hard at the lust she could see burning behind his eyes. A part of her wanted to say, 'fuck the dinner,' and instead spend her night happily feasting on his body. But a larger part of her knew that their relationship wasn't just about sex. And leaving the house, on an actual date, was a big part of that.

Besides, for the first time in years, Emma was looking forward to a simple meal at Marco's place. Usually, the only times Neal would take her there were when his father had asked them to join him, for one celebration, or another. And Emma still couldn't shake the creepy vibe she got around their town mayor.

When she finally left the bedroom, it was fully dressed, with her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and her bangs just falling over her left eye.

"You look incredible," Killian praised, as he stood to meet her in the middle of the lounge. "I feel underdressed."

"I know I said it wasn't an overly fancy place," she replied, "But I wanted to make an effort. For you."

Killian took the one step forward he needed to be within reaching distance, before settling his hands onto her hips, as he beamed down at her. "You didn't need to go to any effort for me," he assured her. "But I appreciate it."

He leaned down to brush a sweet kiss across her lips, but pulled back before either of them could turn it into something more.

"Okay, Jones," Emma chuckled breathlessly, "Let's go… before one of us changes our mind."

Marco's restaurant was only a short walk from Emma's loft, which the couple made in comfortable silence. Emma was enjoying just being in Killian presence, while she could. Neither of them had mentioned his return to Vancouver, but Emma knew it was a conversation they needed to have over dinner. She'd already done the math. She knew how long it would take for him to fly back, so she knew their time together was rapidly coming to an end.

However, she had promised herself not to dwell on it that evening.

Marco greeted Emma and Killian the moment they entered the restaurant, and after Emma made some brief introductions, he didn't hesitate to show them to the best table in the building, before bustling away to fetch them some menus and refreshments.

"This is a nice little place," Killian commented, as he had a quick look around. The room was dark enough to offer each table some privacy, but not so dark that you couldn't see what you were doing. The music set a wonderful atmosphere, but wasn't too loud that you couldn't hear each other speak. And every server who passed by their table offered their town Sheriff a small smile, before carrying on, without interrupting her date. "You downplayed it."

"Well, this is Storybrooke," Emma chuckled. "Most everything here is downplayed."

"It's nice to be out with you in public, without having to worry about being interrupted by fangirls," Killian explained. "I hate hiding you away, but I don't wanna risk exposing you to any kind of crazy, given how far away from me you live, and the job you do."

Emma reached over the table to take Killian's hands into her own, as she offered him a gentle smile. "I don't mind you keeping me hidden away. To be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready for the crazy that comes with your life. I've had a taste of that at the conventions, and it can be a little… overwhelming," she finally settled on. "But… that doesn't mean I will always feel that way."

"Let me know the moment you're ready to make this public, and I swear, I'll shout it from every platform I can," Killian assured her.

The two broke apart when Marco returned, with a bottle of his best wine in his arms, as a gift for the Sheriff, and her date. He opened it up to offer them both a glass, before making his retreat once more, to allow his servers to take their orders.

"So, you never did tell me what your brother's response to those pictures was," Emma prodded, as she settled back into her seat.

Killian reached into the pocket of his jeans, to pull out his phone, and load his brother's messages. "Yeah, he wasn't buying it," he chuckled. "Apparently, Liam's more intelligent than anyone gives him credit for." He slid the small device over the table, and Emma picked it up to read the exchange he'd left open for her.

Yeah right, Dude.

Since when did they start allowing inmates that one free text message, instead of a call?

Nice set, though.

You ALMOST had me.

"Did you explain that you were in a real Sheriff's station?" she asked, as she offered his phone back to him.

"Nah. I figured that might open up a can of worms perhaps better left done so, in person."

Emma nodded her understanding. If she'd had any family, she'd want to tell them about Killian in person, and not through a text message, after a joke. "Do you have any plans to go home and visit any time soon?"

"I do, actually," he mumbled. "I have some time off coming up, a couple of weeks after the Chicago event, so I'm gonna go home then, and see everyone."

"I don't blame you," Emma assured him. "If I lived and worked away from home, I'd wanna go back and visit as often as I could."

"You could come with me?" he suggested softly. He didn't much like the idea of being separated from Emma by a country border, let alone an entire ocean. "Come back and see Ireland? Maybe meet my family?"

Emma downed what was left in her wineglass before she spoke. "Isn't it a bit soon to be meeting the parents?"

"Possibly," he agreed, with a small shrug. "But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't. I mean… I'm not ashamed of you, Emma. I'd be so proud to introduce you to my family."

"I'll um… I'll think about it," she promised. It was the best she could do in that moment, and it was the best Killian had hoped for, when he'd made the spontaneous offer.

"Thank you." He picked up Emma's left hand, to press a kiss just above her knuckles, while his other fiddled inside his jacket pocket. When he finally found the envelope he was looking for, he pulled it out carefully, and slid it across the table. "Maybe before then, you would consider using these?"

Emma's hands were trembling slightly when she picked it up and opened the flap, to ease out the sheets of paper that had been carefully folded, and placed inside.

"Oh, Killian," she gasped.

"Ruby told me that you didn't think I had any intention of coming to visit, or of asking you to come and visit me. And you couldn't have been more wrong. I'd fly back to Storybrooke every weekend, if I could. Or fly you out to me, if that's what it took to see you again."

Inside the envelope were details for a first-class return flight to Vancouver, for October. Killian had booked the journey for early Thursday morning, to return late on Sunday evening, giving them as much time together as he possibly could.

"It's Canadian Thanksgiving that weekend," he explained. "Ireland's a little too far to fly home for it, so I usually just stay in Vancouver. I figured that this year, maybe I didn't need to spend that long weekend alone?"

"You won't," she promised. Emma already knew she had that weekend off work, and that David wouldn't object to covering for her on the Thursday and Friday, if she worked another of his weekends for him. "I'll come and visit."

"Good."

Killian didn't care that they were in the middle of a busy restaurant, full of people who knew Emma. He leaned forward to brush his lips softly against hers. It was his way of showing her just how much it meant to him, that she was willing to spend what was normally a lonely holiday weekend alone, with him.

As the Sheriff and her new boyfriend enjoyed their meal together; laughing at each other's stories; and tasting from each other's plates, another diner sat in the back corner of the room, silently fuming, with his eyes glued to the happy couple.

When they left the restaurant that evening, Emma took the slightly scenic route back to her apartment, opting to show Killian the coastal area of their small town. She'd always enjoyed spending time there, but during the morning, it was often busy with fishermen preparing to leave for the day, and by early afternoon, families had usually started gathering for picnics, or to walk their dogs along the beach.

She guided them down to a small bench, that had the best view over the docks, looking out at the sea, before she finally asked, "When does your flight leave tomorrow?"

"A little after lunch," he replied on a sigh. "If I could stay longer, I would."

"I know," Emma assured him, leaning in to his side a little, to ward off the chill of the breeze. Killian pulled back just far enough to slip his jacket off, and around her shoulders, before he pulled her into his chest, tightly.

"At least we only have a few weeks to go before we see each other again."

Emma smiled at the thought of the Chicago event that was coming up. She'd been in contact with some of the friends she'd made at previous events that year, and Belle would be joining her for the weekend. It had been a last-minute decision, and Emma had probably talked her into going. But, she was looking forward to seeing her friend again.

"Don't book a hotel," Killian mumbled into her hair. "You can stay with me."

"Will the event mind that?" she worried, pulling back to meet his eyes. In all her years working in law enforcement, Emma had always found that she could tell if she was being lied to, when she met a person's eyes, as they spoke to her.

"They won't know and they won't care," he replied honestly. "They just book the suite for me. There's no stipulations about who I can, and cannot, bring back to it. Just as long as I pay for my own room service."

Emma nodded her agreement, but before she could snuggle back into his side, Killian leaned down to press his lips to hers. Her body responded instinctually, and she returned his kiss with fierce passion, sliding herself closer to him on the bench, as she curled her hand into his hair.

It was only when the loud and obnoxious whistling permeated Emma's lust-filled haze that she finally pulled away, to glare in the direction it was coming from, over Killian's shoulder.

"Oh, Sheriff," Leroy slurred, "I didn't recognize you there."

Emma wanted to say, 'of course you didn't. I was busy sucking on my boyfriend's tongue,' but instead, she went for, "Isn't it a little late for a stroll, Leroy?"

At the use of his name, Killian turned to follow her gaze, excited to finally get his first good look at the man who was the cause of so much trouble for Emma, on a weekly basis.

"Could ask the same of you," Leroy threw back at her.

"Killian and I can still walk in a straight line," Emma pointed out, as her Sheriff's persona slipped firmly into place. They were currently in no danger of slipping off the pier, and drowning.

"Good for you," he offered, with false cheer.

Emma threw a look at Killian that clearly said she was sorry for what was about to happen, before she stood up and asked, "How about we walk you home? Killian and I were now heading back to my place, anyway."

"I can get home just fine by myself," Leroy asserted.

"I know you can. But at least this way, I won't finish my date worrying that you've tripped and banged your head, or fallen into the sea." Emma shifted her face into the one she usually wore when she was reprimanding Leroy for breaking another town nuisance law, and it had the desired effect. The older man's scowl softened, and he nodded his head once, sharply, before turning on his heels, and swaying off in the direction of his small house.

Killian was by Emma's side in an instant, his fingers already linked with hers as the two of them followed Leroy home, giving him a little distance, so as not to make the situation volatile.

"Sorry about this," she murmured, just for Killian's ears.

"Don't be." He raised their joined hands to place a sweet kiss to the back of hers. "You're a good Sheriff, Emma. And it shows."

"Thank you."

Even in his drunken state, it didn't take Leroy long to find his way home, but he struggled a little with finding the key to his front door. When Killian had watched him jam the same wrong key into the lock, three times in a row, he reached out to take them from the drunken man, with the hope of finding the right one.

"You know, you don't have to sleep with him on the first date, right?" Leroy had been aiming for a whisper, but his voice was so loud, that it easily carried to Killian, who was less than two steps away.

Emma snorted out a small laugh as she explained, "I know. And we didn't."

"Huh," was all Leroy replied with, as Killian finally found the right key, and pushed open his front door. He brushed past the younger man without so much as a 'thank you,' before calling over his shoulder, "Good night, Sheriff," as he slammed the door shut behind himself.

"Well… he's a cheery fellow," Killian remarked, as he wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders, to pull her in close.

"Yeah. He's like that even when he's not drunk. Just… a little more grumpy," Emma chuckled.

"Given how much you mention him when we talk, I'd have been disappointed to fly home tomorrow without having met the guy."

Emma laughed heartily at Killian's confession, as they finally stopped in front of the door to her apartment building. "You wanna come up for coffee?" she teased.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Killian dropped his hands down to her waist, as his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. "No," he replied honestly. "I wanna come up and make love to my beautiful girlfriend… all night long. I want the scent of your skin, and the feel of your lips against mine, to be the last things I experience, before I have to fly back to Vancouver. And those little breathy moans you make, when you're aroused… just like that one… I wanna hear them all night. I want those to be seared into my mind, so that when I'm alone, and missing you, I can remember just how much I affect you. Because… you drive me crazy, Emma."

Emma kicked the door to her building open, before tugging Killian through it, to fuse their lips together. Nobody had ever made her feel as sexy as he did, and it definitely showed. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Ruby that she'd never had so much sex before, in her life.

But with Killian, Emma couldn't seem to get enough.

She loved the way he made her feel. It was a confidence she'd never experienced before, without her badge and gun strapped to her hip.

Navigating the staircase, up to Emma's floor, wasn't easy. Neither one of them were prepared to pull back far enough to actually see where they were going. Killian was sure he'd wake the next morning with bruised shins, but he'd wear those marks with pride.

Emma finally had to break free from him to dig out her keys, and unlock the front door. But Killian quickly molded himself to her back, as he showered kisses down over her neck, and collarbone, until she finally pushed through the open doorway.

He pulled her round and back into his arms so quickly, that Emma almost felt dizzy with the motion. But the feel of his lips on hers once more helped to ground her. She kicked off her heels, as Killian slid his jacket down her shoulders, to hit the floor with a dull thud. He lifted his arms only long enough for her tug his shirt up, and over his head, before they were sliding up her back, in search of the zipper on her dress.

Emma dropped her hands down to work on his belt, as she felt the slow drag of her zip, before the material began to give way around her shoulders. In his haste to get her naked, Killian almost tore the dress, as he pulled it down and off her body, before hoisting her up, and into his arms, wearing nothing but her black lace lingerie.

"You know, your strength is kinda sexy?" Emma panted, between her kisses. Killian kicked open the door to her bedroom, and dropped her down, onto the plush comforter.

"I'll remember that when my personal trainer is kicking my arse," he told her, with a breathless chuckle. As he reached over to flick on the light by the bed, Emma's brow quirked in confusion. "I wanna see you, tonight. I wanna see all of you. I don't want to forget a moment of this," he explained.

Emma swallowed hard as she watched him slowly pull off each of his boots and socks, before finally bringing his hands up to work the button on his jeans. It was probably the closest she'd ever come to a strip tease, in her entire life, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the small movements Killian's hands were making.

"You're stunning," she told him, when she finally flicked her eyes up to meet his, as he let his jeans drop to the bedroom floor.

"Says the goddess currently spread out across her bed," Killian chuckled. He left his boxers on, before crawling over her prone body, to bring their lips together once more.

As much as he wanted her desperately in that moment, Killian also wanted to make their final night together last. So, when Emma pulled away for air, he showered her face with small kisses, before working his way down her body, to do the same. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, before he left. Even if he was too scared to put those feelings into words for her.

On his way back up her body, he stopped to drag her panties down, and toss them off the bed, before he settled himself between her thighs.

"Killian, you don't have…" Emma began, but he stopped her with a sweet kiss to the spot where she was aching for his attention most.

"I want to," he assured her, turning his head to drop a kiss to her left thigh, before he switched to the right. The burn of his stubble was an interesting, but not unwelcome sensation, that left Emma writhing underneath his attention. "So beautiful," he whispered, as he nosed gently at her folds. "So wet for me, Sweetheart."

"God, yes," she whimpered, grinding down against him.

Emma had been with a few guys before Neal, but none of them had ever really been keen on giving, in the oral sex department. And she could probably count the number of times Neal had gone down on her with both hands.

But Killian… Killian couldn't seem to get enough of it.

And she wasn't going to stop him, if he truly seemed to enjoy it.

Killian flattened his tongue to drag it slowly up Emma's folds, tasting as much of her as he possible could, in one leisurely stroke. While he used his left arm to anchor her hips to the bed, he brought his right one down, to gently tease along the path his tongue had taken.

"Love the way you taste," he groaned, as he gently slipped his index finger into her.

"Oh, Killian," Emma gasped. "I need you."

"Soon, Sweetheart. Soon," he soothed. He'd wanted to drag the night out for as long as he could, but with Emma already looking half-crazed with her desire for him, Killian knew he wasn't going to be able to resist her demands for much longer.

On his next thrust, Killian pulled back to slide both his index and middle finger into his beautiful girlfriend, stretching and preparing her softly, as he moved his attention further up, to her clit.

Emma's back arched away from the bed, at the dual sensation of Killian's tongue flicking rapidly over her, while his talented fingers curled inside of her, searching for that spot he knew would make her see stars.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," she panted, screwing her eyes shut against the almost painful pleasure that was building inside of her. They might have only been doing this dance for a day, but Killian had made it his personal mission to learn every inch of her body, in that time. And he had her on edge quicker than anyone else ever had before.

"Please?" she begged, needing just that little something more to tip her over. "Please?"

Killian grinned wickedly up at her, before he bent his head to suck on her clitoris.

That was all it took to have Emma's body arching up, off the bed, as she cried out her release, while Killian gently eased her through it.

It took a long moment for Emma to come back down from her high, and when she did, it was to her find her boyfriend still kneeling between her thighs, stroking his cock lazily.

She allowed her eyes to follow his movements for a couple of seconds, and Killian groaned at her unwavering attention, before she flicked them up to meet his. "Come here," she asked, extending her hand for his.

Killian shuffled forward just far enough to reach for the box of condoms on Emma's bedside table. He knew if he got any closer to her, he'd forget all about them. And, as much as he cared for Emma, he also knew that neither of them were ready for the consequence that could come from that.

When he was finished, he leaned in to brush a bruising kiss to her lips, as her small hands slipped down his body, to help guide him to where she needed him the most. The sigh they both released, at the feeling of being united once more, was soft and loving, as they fell quickly into a gentle rhythm of push and pull.

One of Killian's hands slipped down to Emma's thigh, where he used his grip there to help guide her movements, as she pushed up to meet each of his thrusts. His left hand quickly found hers, where it was wrapped around his shoulders, and he gently gathered it up, to press a kiss to the back of it. When he dropped their hands back down to the pillow, it was with their fingers locked together tightly, just like the rest of their bodies.

As Emma's hips started moving a little faster, Killian picked up his own pace. There was a time and place for driving each other crazy with teasing, and this definitely wasn't it.

The entire atmosphere in the room had shifted once more. Emma could feel the unspoken words between the two of them, floating around them with each move they made.

And she bit down on her tongue to hold them in.

This certainly wasn't the time for that.

Killian brushed his nose softly against hers, almost as if he could sense the war taking place inside of her, before he bent his head to kiss her sweetly.

"Killian," she gasped, as he pulled away with a more forceful thrust of his hips.

"I know," he panted. "I know."

Emma was drowning in the look that was swimming behind his eyes. She might not have been ready to speak those three small words, and she wasn't sure she was ready to hear them yet, either.

But she wanted Killian to know she felt it too.

So, she held his gaze, as he pushed into her with strong and confident strokes, until the pressure building inside became too much, and she could no longer keep her eyes open.

"Oh, God," she moaned, as his free hand slid over her hip and down, to begin rubbing soft circles around her clit.

"I need you to come with me," he begged.

"So close," Emma assured him, pulling Killian's head down to hers, for a breathtaking kiss.

When she came again, it was with a soft cry of, "Oh, Killian," whispered into the damp flesh of his neck.

Killian followed quickly after, holding Emma close as he whispered her name, over and over, like a prayer.

He'd watched from the shadows, earlier that night, as she'd walked with him, down by the docks. Their arms had been wrapped around each other, making them look every inch the loved-up couple he despised.

He'd seethed when that drunken idiot, Leroy, had interrupted them, and she'd insisted on walking him home. He was just one more person, in that godforsaken town, who now knew how much of a whore she really was.

He'd followed as she'd taken him back to her apartment, not even bothering to get inside the door, before she'd thrown herself at him, shameless in her attempts at seduction.

He'd watched as the light had clicked on, in the shaded window of her bedroom, and had stayed on, until the early hours of the morning.

He'd watched through the flimsy curtains she had hung, as his shadow walked around the room.

And he'd watched as the light clicked off, finally plunging the room into darkness, close to dawn.

As he turned to leave, and head back home, he pulled out his cellphone, to place his first call.

Emma and Killian's looks here are based on Jen and Colin's for the GMA interview in 2014.

Thanks for reading.