Killian's heart was lighter as he helped David paint the baby's room, since he now had a plan of action in mind. He had to be at the library for training from 3:00-7:00, and then he was going to try to convince Emma to talk to him. She hadn't answered any of his calls since she'd left, but if he had to park in front of her house until she got home from her visit with her family, that's what he would do.
He was going to fight for her.
When he got back to his room, he trimmed his beard back to the short scruff that he preferred, and took a shower. He was working on buttoning his shirt, when his phone screen lit up. The notification box showed a message from Emma. His heart rate sped up as he punched in his passcode as quickly as he could.
I've been at my dad's, but I'm leaving to come home after dinner this evening. Would you be willing to come over and talk?
For the first time in days, a wide grin split his face. Then he sobered a bit when he realized that he didn't know exactly what she meant when she asked to talk. It might not be a good thing, but at least he would be able to see her and explain some things. He quickly composed an answer - Absolutely. I'll be working at the library until 7:00. Just let me know what time will work for you.
He considered adding a line to tell her that he missed her, but he didn't want to push. He would just wait until he saw her in person.
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Emma read Killian's response and breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to talk to her! This time, she would give him a chance to have his say, and hopefully they could work through it. She told her dad that she would be heading back that evening, but that she'd like to stay long enough to eat dinner.
"I would love to have you with me for one more meal! Claire usually comes to dinner on Tuesdays, so you'll get to see her again. I'll be sad to see you and this little character leave," he chuckled, rubbing his hand over Evie's back, "but I hope you and your young man can work things out."
"So do I. He's going to come over when I get back so we can talk."
"Well, please let me know how it goes."
"I will, Dad." She went back to sanding the board that she'd selected earlier. After a few minutes, she laid it down and walked over to where her father was setting up his power saw to cut boards for the side of the cradle. She put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.
Marco stopped what he was doing to slip his arm around her shoulders.
"Thank you, Dad," she said quietly, enjoying the feel of his bearded chin rubbing across the crown of her head.
"For what, Cygnet?"
"For letting me come here, for giving me time to myself to think, and for showing me that I should give this thing between me and Killian a chance. Oh, and also for all the great food!"
She felt him place a kiss on her hair. "You're very welcome, sweet girl. You always have your home and family here whenever you want to come back. We love you very much."
Home and family. Two things that Emma had ached for until she was ten years old, and thought she would never have.
"I know, Dad. I love you guys, too."
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Could time go any slower? Killian thought, taking yet another look at the clock above the circulation desk. He felt like he'd been there for ages, yet only a little over two hours had passed. He'd tried to send Emma a text during his break a few minutes before, but got the notification that she was driving and was unable to receive messages. He assumed that meant she was on her way home.
Belle walked by and noticed that he was standing motionless with a book in his hand. She watched for another minute before she walked up beside him and asked, "Do you need some help, Killian?"
He jumped and the book almost slipped from his hand. "I'm sorry!" Belle exclaimed. "I didn't mean to startle you!"
"No, it's fine. I was just, um, I guess my mind was wandering," he said, a little embarrassed that he'd been caught daydreaming.
"Are you having second thoughts about taking this job?"
"No! So far, I really like it. Of course, it's only my first day of training, but I could never dislike being surrounded by books!"
"And great co-workers!" laughed Belle.
"Aye, that too!"
"Excuse me for saying this, but you seem preoccupied tonight. Is everything alright?"
He hesitated. "I, um, it's been a few days since I've seen Emma. She's been at her dad's place, and she's coming back tonight." He shelved the book in his hand and reached for another one, while Belle plucked one from the cart, too.
"Oh, I see." She moved away a few feet to put the book back in its place. When she returned, she said, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Not at all."
"How did she feel about your ex showing up at the ceremony?"
"She...I think she was confused and angry, just like everyone else." He decided not to get into what had happened the following day. Hopefully after they talked in a few hours, they'd be able to put it all behind them.
"Well, I thought it was rude and disrespectful," Belle commented. "Will was furious! He has no good for that woman, whatsoever."
"Yeah, there's a lot of that going around. I can't figure out what I ever saw in her."
"Emma is certainly more than a step up from her."
"Are you kidding? They're not even on the same staircase!"
Belle laughed along with him. "You two make a great couple, Killian. I'm sure you'll be very happy to see her when she gets back." She collected a small stack of books to reshelve in another corner of the library.
Killian went back to work with her words echoing in his head - you two make a great couple. He thought so, and could only hope that Emma felt the same.
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By the time his shift was over, Killian still hadn't gotten any messages from Emma, so he drove back to the hotel to wait. When he still hadn't heard anything after being back for ten minutes, he tried to text her again, but got the same 'I'm driving' notification. He was confused and a little concerned. It shouldn't have taken her that long to get back.
After a few more minutes, he decided to go over to her house, since he was going crazy waiting in his room. He grabbed his keys and threw open the door...and nearly ran right into Emma, whose hand was raised as if she was getting ready to knock.
Seeing her standing there, Killian felt relieved, as though someone had shoved his heart back into his chest where it belonged.
"Hi," she sputtered, obviously taken by surprise at him opening the door so abruptly. "I'm sorry. I know I told you I would send a message, but I thought it might be better if I just drove over here, so I wouldn't have to wait around my house, and then I…"
Her nervous chattering was cut off when he suddenly surged forward and kissed her. He did it without considering that she might not welcome it. He was just so happy to see her again, he couldn't help himself.
Emma melted into the kiss. The feeling it created within her reminded her of how she felt when she hugged her dad and August - like she was home.
Killian pulled away, and she chased after his lips, not wanting the kiss to end quite yet. He pressed his forehead against hers, then she heard his deep chuckle before he asked, "Would you like to come in?"
She bit her lip and her eyes fluttered open. "Yeah, sure," she breathed, a little shakily. She moved past him into the living room, noticing the frame that had contained the picture of him with Milah in the trash can by the desk. He touched his fingers to his lips, which were still tingling, then closed the door and followed her.
She sat down on the couch and he took a seat on the ottoman, facing her. They both showed signs of nervousness - Emma was twisting the rings on her fingers, and Killian was rubbing the palm of his hand over his knee. Neither seemed to know where to begin.
Finally, he broke the silence. "Did you have a good visit with your dad and brother?"
"Yeah, I did. We had some really good talks and some great food. My dad spoiled Evie rotten!"
Killian laughed. "That's good. I'll bet they were both happy to spend some time with you."
"I didn't spend a lot of time with August, he was with his girlfriend quite a bit. My dad was glad for my company, since he's often by himself these days."
"Did you get to meet his girlfriend?"
"Yes I did. Her name is Claire, and I really like her. She picks on August almost as much as I do!"
He laughed again, and another silence fell over them. Then they both started to speak at the same time.
"Go ahead," he urged.
"No, Killian. You start."
He took a deep breath. "Emma, I'm sorry that I didn't give you straight answers the other day. I was just kind of...caught by surprise, I guess, and I couldn't get my mind to work fast enough."
"Dammit, he was right," she said under her breath.
"Excuse me?"
"August asked me if I pushed you to answer too quickly, since I probably caught you off guard. I hate it when he's right."
"I think I like your brother already!" he smirked.
"Yeah, well, when you meet him, don't tell him that! His head is inflated enough already!"
Killian chuckled, then grew serious again. "I've done a lot of thinking over the past few days, and figured some things out. First of all, I do NOT love Milah, and I've come to realize that I never did. I'd spent years grieving for my family and wishing for someone to love again. Then she came along and she...she paid attention to me, you know? She fascinated me and made me feel like someone cared about me again. I should have noticed that she had tried to use her tactics on other guys on the base, some who were even in my own unit. They'd all figured her out, and they tried to tell me, but I was too caught up in having someone in my life again. I guess I was vulnerable, and she took advantage of it. When I look back at it now, it's all so clear to me, but at that time, I just needed somebody."
Emma reached out and put her hand over his. He flipped his hand over and entwined their fingers, thankful that she appeared to understand what he was trying to tell her.
"I never knew that anyone could be as cold and callous as Milah was to me at the hospital, especially someone who claimed to love me. I think...I think I kept that picture to remind myself to be careful who I trust with my heart."
He untangled their hands and used his index finger to lift her chin. She slowly raised her eyes up to meet his.
In a voice husky with emotion, he said, "I want nothing to do with her, Emma. Seeing her at the ceremony and listening to her telling those lies, was all I needed to know that I'm ready to move on. I'm hoping it will be with…" He paused. He had insinuated what he was about to say when he was talking to Milah, but after what had happened on Saturday, he didn't want to make Emma uncomfortable.
"With me?" she asked, her eyes wide and misty.
"Aye."
Emma slowly leaned forward and he met her halfway to share a tender kiss. Afterwards, she sat back and looked down for a few seconds before making eye contact with him once again.
"I'm sorry, too, Killian. I jumped to conclusions and didn't give you a chance to explain. Then I took off and didn't tell you where I was going, and didn't answer your calls or messages. I'm really sorry for making you worry."
"I was quite relieved when I got your text, even if it was brief."
"I just needed to get away and have some time to think, but I still should've at least let you know that I was okay."
"I knew that I had hurt you and that you probably didn't want to talk to me. I couldn't blame you for that. I'm just glad you decided to give me another chance to explain."
"I am too. Going to my dad's was the best thing I could've done, I think. He and August were both really good listeners when I was ready to talk, and they gave me good advice. I hope you'll get to meet them sometime, soon."
Killian scratched the spot behind his ear, then smoothed his hair down near the back of his neck. "I'm not sure that they'll be very happy to meet me, knowing that I upset you the way I did."
"You don't have to worry about that. I think they realized that it was just as much my fault as it was yours. I even accused my brother of taking your side!"
He smiled. "I guess going home to be with your family was a good idea. I know having someone to talk to helps. I spoke with David and Mary Margaret when I went over to help paint this morning. Dave told me if I feel our relationship is worth pursuing, I need to fight for it. I think his exact words were 'a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets'."
"Wow! Who knew David could come up with something like that?" Emma grinned.
Killian laughed. "Yeah, but he made a good point. I feel like you and I were really starting to connect with each other, and I don't want to lose that."
"So, is that where you were off to in such a hurry when you nearly plowed me over at the door? You were coming to my house to fight for me?"
"Aye. I was going a bit crazy sitting around here waiting. I was willing to camp out on your front lawn, if necessary."
"Now that I would like to see!" Emma giggled. Then she added soberly, "I'm glad you decided to take his advice though, Killian. August and Dad basically told me the same thing, that if I felt our relationship had potential to be something good, we would need to put effort into it to make it work. We're going to have to be really open with each other, and work through the rough patches together. I know I'm ready to do that, I hope you are too.
"I am definitely ready, Emma. I know that we said in the beginning that we would take this slow, and I think that's still a good idea, but I was wondering how you would feel about agreeing to date only each other." She could tell he was a little nervous about asking.
She stood up and tugged on his hand, encouraging him to stand. Once he did, she cradled his face in her hands as she looked into his brilliantly blue eyes. "I'm good with that, Killian. I'm not interested in dating anyone else."
His breath hitched as he heard her say those words. Just a few short months ago, he had been devastated, both physically and emotionally. Now, because of this beautiful, kind, caring woman, he was healing.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a fierce hug, burying his face in the softness of her hair. She returned the hug, spreading her hands over his back, letting all the doubts and pain from the past few days drain away.
After a minute or two, they drew back far enough to look into each other's eyes, before moving again to press their lips together. It was tentative at first, but Killian was soon silently begging her to open for him. She did so gladly, and then their tongues were sliding together, while her hands roamed across his back, and his slid down to the top of her hips, pulling her even closer.
She deepened the kiss as she clung to him. Time simultaneously seemed to stand still and fly by, as they explored each other with their mouths and hands.
At last, Killian pulled away slightly, groaning as he broke contact with her lips. "As much as I would love to continue this," he gasped, "I don't think that would be the definition of taking things slowly."
She rubbed her nose against his. "I agree, but I think you should know something."
"What's that, Love?"
"I REALLY like kissing you!"
"Sweetheart, trust me - the feeling is definitely mutual!"
They remained in each other's arms, occasionally finding a patch of skin to kiss.
"Thank you for coming over tonight, Emma," Killian whispered against her hair.
"I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me again after the way I left," she confessed.
He stepped back from her, gently framing her face. "I don't think there will ever be a time when I don't want to see you, Love." He gave her another sweet kiss, then closed his eyes and stood with his forehead pressed to hers. He felt her fingers running through the hair at the nape of his neck. It was soothing and reassuring, especially after the days that he had just spent in an emotional turmoil.
With much effort, he released her and put some space between them. He gestured toward the small refrigerator and asked, "Would you like something to drink?"
"A beer sounds great, if you have one."
She followed him over to the kitchenette and he grabbed a bottle for each of them. After they'd twisted them open, he held his up. "Here's to putting the past behind us, and to a fresh start."
She smiled and tapped her bottle against his, then took a drink. As she swallowed, her eyes darted towards the desk, and she turned and set her bottle down on the counter.
"Speaking of putting the past behind us…"
She strode across the room and plucked the picture out of the trash can. Curious to know what she was doing, Killian followed her as she left the room, marched out of the building, and through the parking lot.
When she reached the dumpster, she raised the lid, then dropped the picture inside. Killian understood that she was symbolically destroying any last remnants of the relationship that had caused him so much pain, and he was grateful for it.
Emma grabbed the lid to drop it back down, but sliced the side of her hand on a jagged piece of metal. She was unconcerned as she glanced at it, and started to walk past Killian, who stopped her by reaching out to take hold of her arm.
"Give me your hand."
"What?"
"Your hand. It's cut. Let me help you."
"No, no, it's fine..."
"No, it's not!" he said firmly, leading her back inside.
He took her into the bathroom and told her to wash the blood off while he searched for first aid supplies. When she had cleaned and dried her hand, he examined it carefully to ensure there was no glass in it, and that it wasn't deep enough to require stitches. Satisfied it was just a superficial cut, he opened a tube of antibiotic ointment and applied it to the cut.
"Have you had a tetanus shot lately, Emma?" he asked, wrapping a length of gauze around her hand.
"Yeah, I had one a couple of years ago as part of my physical before I started working at the clinic."
She watched him tying a knot in the gauze, using his teeth to hold one end. "Killian?" she said softly.
"Yes, Love?" he answered, tucking the loose ends away.
"You can trust me with your heart."
He locked eyes with her from underneath his eyelashes.
"I know."
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