Summary: Ever since Emma was 13, she knew she had the ability to destroy people if she wanted to, and some days, she really wanted to. After being forced to go to Greenwood Academy following a traumatizing event in her childhood that brought to the surface her ability to manipulate fire, she never thought she would be free of the place. So for nearly 10 years, she lived a solitary existence with the exception of her best friends, but that was all about to change.

Killian Jones had just been sentenced to attend the university campus at Greenwood Academy after an accident at sea caused him to be dishonorably discharged from Her Majesty's royal Navy and lose his hand. He doesn't know what to think about these newfound powers and what they spell for the rest of his now not-so-normal life. But a chance encounter one day has the ability to change all of that.

A story about love and redemption between two people that shows, if you have the right person beside you, you can find a light in the darkness.

Rating: M

Content Warnings: Mentions of Violence/Death, Brief mention of Childhood Abuse/Sexual Assault, Mild Sexual Content.

Chapter Notes: I can't believe the end is here! This journey with CSBB2018 has been nothing like I would have ever expected, and I am so glad that I did it. I have never finished a single multichapter that I have started in my life, and thankfully BB gave me the support and deadlines that I needed to finally be able to do it! I have so many people that I have to thank for following me on this journey, thanks to the moderators, for running a great FF writing group. Thanks to all the ladies on Discord, your words, stories, inspiration and oversharing will stay with me forever. You all gave me the kick in the butt I needed when I needed it and all those long nights sprinting to get words in by the deadlines were amazing. I can't thank you ladies enough. Even though it is cliché (and she will never read this) but I have to thank my mother, for telling me to do something for myself this year that I enjoy. I found BB and took the plunge, and have enjoyed the experience right from the start.

I would be remiss to not thank daveyjacobsthepotterhead, for being my beta reader. You and I were kind of thrown together at the last minute and we worked tirelessly together to make this weird idea that I had into something amazing. Our chats on tumblr and in the comments of this document were able to get me through this thing and turn it from something that I wasn't quite sure about something that I can say I am so proud to have written and put out there.

Also thanks to princesse-swan, for your gorgeous story art that you put together for this story. We were also thrown together at the last minute, but we made the best of the thing and I felt that our collaboration together worked out wonderfully on both sides. Thanks so much for your commentary on my story as well and giving me feedback when I needed it most.

Thanks to all my readers, especially those who took time to comment on every single chapter of this on , your comments meant the world and certainly made up for all the stress of writing this without any feedback at the time. You Rock!

Now, here it is! Enjoy!

Chapter 15

3 months later

Emma and Killian woke to pounding on the door.

Emma groaned, pulling the blankets further over her head and burying her face in the pillow. She felt more than heard Killian laughing from his place next to her in bed.

Ever since they had made up, they had been working on getting more comfortable with each other again, as well as working on some of their individual fears that lingered from their pasts.

The one they were currently working on having a breakthrough with was Emma's fears of intimacy.

She loved Killian, had told him so many times in the intervening months, but she had struggled getting over that barrier of being comfortable with a lot of physical and, their current struggle, sexual contact.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, as Killian kept assuring her, he was more than comfortable moving at her pace.

But Emma was frustrated with herself. It had been so long since that incident with her stepfather and she wanted to be over it, she truly did so she didn't feel like she was holding something back in their relationship. But anytime Killian put his full weight on top of her for an extended period of time she still felt that fear rising out of her, and her flames flickering awake to try and protect her.

She hadn't burned him again since that one disastrous night, but she didn't want to risk doing it again.

Killian's wrist rubbed along her back as he rolled over and leaned into her side, his face buried against the back of her shoulder.

He clearly didn't want to wake up and see who was at her door either.

The pounding became more insistent. "Emma, Come on, wake up!" She heard David call through the door.

Her and Killian both groaned at the familiar voice. They both probably should have moved faster at getting out of bed though, forgetting that David had a key to her room.

The door swung open unexpectedly, causing Killian to bolt upright, lobbing the pillow he had been using in the direction of the door.

David caught it with ease, his eyes widening comedically as he caught sight of a bare-chested Killian in her bed.

"Uhhh, is Emma here?" He asked, sounding completely uncomfortable with the state of things.

She extended her hand out from under the blankets and grunting before dropping her hand back down to the bed. It was too early in Emma's opinion for this to be happening.

"Are you dressed under there?" He asked, sounding even more uncomfortable than he had previously.

Killian laughed, causing the bed to shake with the force of his laughter.

"Yeah, I am." She groaned, still not moving.

"Good, because I have some news for you." He said, "Riggans was fired."

That got her attention. She bolted upright in bed, shoving her hair out of her face as she fully started waking up.

"What do you mean Riggans was fired?" She asked, disbelief coloring her voice.

"I mean, he was removed from his position as Headmaster of the lower and upper campuses here at Greenwood, pending an investigation into his possible involvement with the attack that happened a few months ago." David explained.

She looked over at Killian in disbelief. He looked just as shocked as she felt. Emma couldn't believe that Riggans would have been involved with the organization of the military style attack on their campus that got both her and Killian locked down.

Then again, she had remembered August and Graham commenting about how it was unusual that she was the one who was punished for protecting her campus while Gaston hadn't been sentenced afterwards besides being sent off campus to a different facility. Not even a more secure facility, one that had less security than the one they were currently attending. That had always struck her and Killian odd whenever they had talked about it.

"Bloody hell." Killian intoned next to her.

She could tell that he didn't know how to react to the news either.

David pointed towards the window, "As you can see, not many people are mourning him getting fired."

She and Killian shared a look before darting off her bed and pushing aside the curtains on her window.

Normally, she had a nice view of the courtyard between all of the high risk buildings. The courtyard was normally pretty quiet as not many students lived this far out on campus and the only traffic was high risk students getting to and from their buildings.

Now it was packed, full of students chanting and cheering and celebrating the loss of the man who had ruled this school with an iron fist for the last two years.

Emma had the strong urge to join them.

But there were more pressing thoughts on her mind.

"Do you know who they have selected to replace him?" She asked, not taking her eyes off the scene in front of her.

"I don't know him, but they announced that someone named August Clasen would be taking over until they could appoint a new Headmaster. Apparently he used to be the head of security." David said.

Emma's knees went a bit weak and she dropped her hand down onto the windowsill while the other went to her chest in shock and relief.

"Emma! Hey, what's wrong." Killian asked, his thumb brushing through tears she hadn't known she was shedding.

"We get to leave, we are going to get to leave." She said, hope shining in her eyes at the prospect of finally being able to leave this campus for good.

.o.O.o.

One year later.

Emma's hands were shaking as she walked into the administrative building. She was finally doing this.

Not long after August had taken over as interim headmaster of Greenwood Academy, Edward Riggans, former headmaster, had been found guilty of conspiring to lead an attack against the gifted students at the academy in hopes of eradicating them.

The nail in his coffin had come when they called August onto the stand during his trial, and he had revealed his powers to the court and to Riggans for the first time.

Riggans had blown his lid in response, throwing out all kinds of slander at him and accusing him on manipulating him into doing all of those things that he was being charged for.

The only problem was that August could only read thoughts, not plant them. And the Judge knew that from first hand experience, because he had asked August to apply for the security job after a number of complaints had come in about how students were being treated at Greenwood that an investigation was launched while he was still headmaster.

The Jury sentenced him to life in prison for endangering the life of the minors on the campus and for targeted hate crimes.

Emma had never heard better news in her entire life.

At least, she hoped the news she was going to receive today would be better.

August had been selected as the new Headmaster for the Academy after the trial since no new candidates had applied for the position, and he had said when he took that office that he would listen to any case that came across his desk for a student requesting to live off campus.

Killian had held her when she cried after hearing that, because while Riggans had been headmaster, and the man who had held the office before him, they had both stated that High Risk cases wouldn't get a hearing. They would get moved to a community that was assigned to them when they outlasted their stay on the upper college campus.

Now Emma, and Killian as well, would get the opportunity to apply to live off campus in the community of their choosing, and if they were lucky, without any of their suppression gear.

Killian had been working hard all year with a new trainer who had been brought in to help him with his abilities. It took August some time, and he called in a personal favor to do it, but he made sure that everyone who didn't have a trainer before, or who wasn't getting trained, was getting the care that they needed to become good functioning members of society again.

After a couple of sessions, they had finally figured out what was triggering Killian's flares when he wasn't wearing his glove, and had created a plan to help him contain the flare before it created any kind of an issue wherever he was located.

It took a few months, but he was able to tell her three months ago that he finally stopped having flares that he couldn't control, and was able to use his powers with intent instead of it being a random explosion of darkness from around him.

And last month, she had applied to move the the community just off campus since she was graduating with her fine arts degree.

Killian wasn't going to be that far behind her, since he was graduating in the fall instead of in the spring. But he had also applied to live off campus with her, pending a final review from the trainers on campus. August was willing to let him finish his last semester off campus, so Emma hoped that would mean good things for her as well.

As she walked up onto the floor where the hearings were held, she headed over to where the secretary was currently typing away at her desk and cleared her throat.

"Emma Swan to see the Housing Review Committee," she said.

The woman looked up at her and nodded, gesturing to her to sit down in one of the empty chairs.

Emma tapped her hands against her knees restlessly. She was so nervous that her request was going to be denied.

"Emma Swan," A gentleman called from the doors.

The 5 other students who appeared to have been waiting before her scowled in her direction as she made her way back, smoothing down the edge of her cardigan nervously.

As she made her way into the room, she saw a table seated in the center of the room facing the committee panel lined up along the far wall. August was sitting in the middle of them, shuffling papers around to find what she presumed was her case file.

The gentleman who had called her back gestured for her to sit down at the table, calling out her name and case file number one more time for the committee .

There was another flurry of activity as everyone moved papers again to double check they had the right case number before they all turned and looked at Emma.

She resisted the urge to shrink down in her chair a bit.

"It's very nice to see you again Ms. Swan," August said, still leafing through her file.

"You as well, Sir. I don't think I ever got to thank you." She said, folding her hands together in an effort to keep from fidgeting.

"Whatever for child?" He asked, looking up at her surprised.

"For having the mercy to remove my suppression bracelets and the gloves before locking me on ICE two years ago. If it hadn't been for that kindness, I likely would not be here today." She said.

"Think nothing of it. Anyone could have seen what was happening to you was unjust." August said, returning to the files in front of him. "Now, it says here that you want to live in the community just off campus here, without visitor restriction, is that correct?"

Emma nodded at him. She didn't say that she really wanted to live there without her bracelets, but that would be a request for another time. "Yes, My brother, his wife and daughter would like to come and see me if approved. I haven't seen my brother in over ten years."

August's eyes crinkled behind his glasses.

"Yes, I see. The committee has taken the time this week to review your case and court files, and will be making a ruling today to either deny or accept the request to move off campus to the community." August started, looking down at her.

She nodded to show that she was following the formal language of the proceeding.

"I move that we accept the request to move one, Ms. Emma Swan, off campus to the Greenwood community, allowing her full visitor privileges and the ability to live without the suppression gear that has been provided to her by this academy." Emma's jaw dropped in response. "The committee will review the case in 5 years time to determine if the suppression gear needs to be reinstated or she can begin to assimilate back into normal society while maintaining residence in a community. All in favor, say aye."

Tears filled Emma's eyes as one by one the committee members voted to live off campus without her bracelets. As the last committee member cast his vote, August turned his smiling eyes on her.

"Congratulations Ms. Swan, the committee has moved to approve your request. You will be assigned a housing location by the end of the week and will have a months time after the end of the spring term to move in. Case closed." He said, hitting his gavel once on the desk.

Emma walked back to her dorm where Killian and the rest of her friends were waiting in a daze.

She was going to be free.

.o.O.o.

Killian groaned as his alarm clock went off. He rolled over and hit the offending device a few times before finally getting it to quiet.

Rolling back over, he reached his hand across the bed towards where Emma should have been laying, only to encounter empty sheets instead. He could hear the sound of the shower running in the other room.

Killian sighed. He knew Emma would be stressed out today, it was understandable considering the circumstances, but he had at least hoped that she would have gotten at least some sleep before she got up in the morning.

She had been turning over and fidgeting restlessly next to him for a good portion of the night, until he had reached over and pulled her body into his, tucking her back against his chest. He had hoped that stilling her movements and feeling the heat of his body would at least relax her enough to allow her to sleep, but it seemed like he was the only one who got some peaceful sleep out of the arrangement.

Pushing his hand through his hair to try and straighten it a bit, he pushed himself up and out of bed. Killian grabbed a shirt from off the floor and shrugged it on as he made his way downstairs towards the kitchen.

He thought it was the least he could do to make them breakfast.

Killian grabbed a box of pancake mix from the cabinet and set to work, grabbing the eggs and milk from the fridge. On a whim, he also grabbed the cinnamon from the cabinet as well, throwing a dash into the mix before whisking it all together.

Emma came pounding down the stairs just as he began to pour the first batch out onto the skillet.

"Morning Love," He said, turning to look over his shoulder at her.

She gave him a half smile in return as she continued to rub a towel through her damp hair.

"Do I smell pancakes?" She asked.

"Of course, with a secret ingredient thrown in for good measure as well." Killian said, flipping the first pair over.

"Color me intrigued." Emma replied, leaning next to the counter next to him. She was distractingly clad in his black robe, and nothing else from the looks of it, and it took all of his focus to make sure he didn't burn the pancakes.

He flipped the finished product out onto a plate, turning to pass it to her. Emma surprised him by wrapping her hand around the nape of his neck and pulling his lips down to hers, kissing him soundly.

He grunted, wrapping his left arm around her and pulling her as close as the plate between them would allow.

He broke away first, not wanting to get overly carried away. "What was that for Love?"

"Can't I thank my boyfriend for making us pancakes?" She asked with a smirk on her lips.

"Of course, whatever was I thinking." He replied sarcastically, even though he knew it was more than that in the kiss. She was still nervous. "Sit down and enjoy your breakfast Swan, I'll join you shortly."

Emma nodded, turning and sitting down at the kitchen table.

Once Killian finished the pancakes, he joined her at the table to eat. She still said little, pushing the pancakes around on her plate and not really eating them.

Killian sighed quietly and reached his hand over, stilling her fingers where they were tapping on the table top. "It will be fine Emma. I'm going to go up and shower." He said, squeezing her fingers and leaning over the table to press his lips to hers, a chaste comparison to the kiss over pancakes earlier.

Emma watched as Killian made his way up the stairs towards their shared room and sighed. She knew she was worrying him, but she couldn't seem to relax. She hadn't seen Sean since he was 16, and so much had changed in the last 11 years.

She also didn't know what he thought of her and her powers, which made the fact that he was coming over for his first visit today the more nerve-wracking for her. For all she knew, their mother had changed his views of her over the last 11 years, which would make this all the worse.

But he agreed to meet, so that was at least something.

She pushed the rest of her half eaten breakfast into the trash and left the plate in the sink for them to clean later.

Heading up stairs, she began shifting through her dresser and half of the closet for something to wear. What did you wear to meet with a brother you hadn't seen in 11 years? Not that, she thought as she passed on one of her short, red dresses in the back of the closet.

Finally, after a lot of indecision, she settled on a comfortable pair of jeans and a light sweater. She heard the shower shut off as she finished dressing, and she smiled softly as she heard him humming a song.

She was just as proud and excited as he was when he found out that his trainers had approved his request to be off campus for the remainder of his time at Greenwood. He still had to wear his glove, he wasn't that in control of his powers yet, but that didn't take anything away from the day they both found out. And it was a no brainer that Emma asked him to move in with her as well.

A good choice, she though as he stepped out of the bathroom, a towel slung low across his hips and his hand raised to towel off his hair.

They still hadn't taken that last step, but Emma was certain it would be happening soon. She was finally reaching that point where sexual contact wasn't sending her into a panic attack, but it wasn't entirely comfortable either. Her therapist, who she had started seeing to try and help things out, because she had a serious case of PTSD when it came to this even in her childhood, said that it would take time. And Emma was happy with the way things were coming along, it made her feel like maybe there wasn't something wrong with her.

Killian walked over to her and pushed her still wet hair back from her face, "Feeling better Love?" He asked, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"Surprisingly, yeah," She replied, standing up. "But you should get dressed, Sean is supposed to be here soon."

She kissed him once more for good measure, and then moved around him out of the room.

Only, once she was away from him and by herself again in the main room, her nerves came back ten fold.

A loud knock on the door forced her out of her thoughts.

Killian came bounding down the stairs, fully dressed if barefoot, and moved to get the door for her.

The sun shown through the open door, obscuring the features of the person at the door.

A throat cleared. "Uh, does Emma Swan live here?" A deep voice asked.

"Yeah, come on in. Name's Killian by the way. I'm Emma's boyfriend." Killian stepped back and let the gentleman in.

"Sean, Though you probably already know that." The voice held a faint trace of a smile.

Killian's response was lost to her as she took in the figure in front of her.

The face wasn't that different, though he had shed the last of the teenage softness and grown into the gangly shoulders. Sean stopped short, mouth open in what would have been a response to Killian when he caught sight of her. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Emma?" He asked, of course she would have looked different to him.

She nodded her head, "Hi."

Tear welled up in his eyes as well and he moved suddenly, pulling her into a crushing hug.

Her arms went around him and gripped him just as hard, both of them shaking with built up emotion.

"I missed you so much Bug." He said, gripping her tighter.

"I missed you too." She said.

Finally, everything in her life was perfect. And she could begin to leave behind the horrible things that happened to her at Greenwood for good.

Fin.