A/N: Here we are, the last chapter. This is such a surreal moment because after more than a year this story is over and done.
One last thank you to ofshipsandswans and acourtoftruelove. Honestly, I can't even properly express how important these two have been for this fic, its successful completion, and just in my life in general. I both love you loads.
Not to forget my amazing artist shady-swan-jones who has made epic art for this fic, who is just such a lovely person and who, out of all the possible fics, picked mine, for which I am very thankful.
Without further ado, one last time, A Muted Hue of Grey
"Emma, no."
"Killian."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Emma," he repeated, his blue eyes serious as he kept eye contact and shook his head.
She rolled her eyes before returning the look.
"I have to go home," she said.
"No, you don't," he disagreed.
His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her back to him. The bedcovers shifted, baring her legs as she attempted to wriggle out of his hold and get out of bed.
"I haven't been home in three days," she told him, reminding him of how one evening together had shifted into a night together which had then merged into another one and another.
Not that she had any qualms with it.
None whatsoever.
Especially with the way his lips were pressing feather-light kisses against her spine.
"Stay."
Emma couldn't bring herself to say no. Not to him, not to the way his hair was so playfully mussed, not when the crinkles near his eyes appeared again, not when they were in such a good place.
"Okay."
-/-
They hadn't been in this place for long. It had taken a lot of talking and arguing and reasoning to get there. A lot of hurting and painful introspective. But it had been for the best and so she'd endured it. He had too. Because they thought it was worth it.
And honestly, it was worth every tear that had been shed, every long silence that had taken place.
What she got in return was more than anything she could've hoped for.
-/-
"Doesn't it bother you that he's still free?"
Killian looked up from his book, his brow instantly furrowing. He didn't need more to know who she was talking about; they hadn't mentioned his name in weeks, hadn't encountered him in the time of peace they'd received.
But it had been nagging Emma. He was still out there and as much as they could try and ignore his existence, he still roamed around London being his psychopath self.
Something she struggled with. Call it a savior complex but it felt unfair to have been such a big part of his malfeasance and not prevent others from his wrath and psychotic behavior.
Killian put his book aside and wrapped his arms around Emma's ankles, pulling her closer to him on the couch.
"This again?"
She sat up and leveled her eyes with him.
"I know you don't like to talk about it but it has to bother you as much as it bothers me. What happened to try and prove his guilt?"
" I found things that are more important." His hand brushed over her cheek, the warmth of his hand conveying tenderness along Emma's skin.
She leaned into his touch, the sudden emotion creeping up her throat. It wasn't unusual for him to express affection, show how much he cared for her but it still affected her. She wasn't used to being that adored. And then there was something else.
She hadn't said I love you yet.
She wanted to say I love you almost every moment she spent with him. But it got stuck on the tip of her tongue every single time.
"I get that but what if he sends his minion to hurt you again? Or other people. What if he goes for Anna or Elsa? I just don't like that he's out there, Killian."
He sighed while averting his eyes from her, placing his chin on her knees. He had to know she was right. She was also pretty certain he felt the same way. His good form was ingrained into him, a crucial part of who he was. He'd want to do the right thing.
Emma placed her hand on his cheek and gently turned his face to her again. In a sad way, her lips curled.
They had to do the right thing.
"What do you want to do?" he asked, the sadness reaching him too.
"Maybe try taking another route? A more legal one this time?" She cocked her head in suggestion.
"We would have to find someone to help us legally, but Gold has people everywhere. They cannot be one of Gold's puppets."
"I might know someone."
Might was a wrong word. She knew the perfect someone.
-/-
"Did you ever tell me he went to law school?"
An ambulance raced passed them as they walked on the street, synchronized steps sounding against the concrete. It wasn't far, only two blocks, but Killian had still grabbed her hand to walk the way.
Emma swung their linked hands.
"I might've? I don't remember." She shrugged. She'd never thought Samir being a lawyer would be something she'd need but here they were: on their way to his shop.
"And he works in a shop?"
Emma checked the street for incoming cars before quickly crossing and pulling Killian along.
"It's his dad's," she explained. "There's a whole story behind it, I'm sure."
"Well, I believe you."
"Why thank you, Jones, for that assurance."
He winked in response, eliciting a smile on Emma's face.
The shop appeared from behind the corner and she smiled. It had been a while since she'd seen Samir, fewer midnight snacks and drinks that needed to be bought recently. Maybe his theory about being a not so happy single was correct.
This was also the first time Samir and Killian would meet and she was looking forward to it. Her favorite people in this city had to meet at some point, and even if this visit wasn't just for pleasure, it still meant something.
The door opened, the bell rang and they were inside.
The store was empty but not for long as Samir emerged from the back, a pack of what looked like cereal in his hands and blocked his view.
"I'll be right with you!"
"Take your time, Samir," she reassured.
As he walked to the cereal rack, back facing them, Samir spoke again: "Is that my favorite customer I hear?"
She laughed.
"It might be."
"I hope it's her. My sales have been suffering since she decided to disappear more and more," Samir replied, still not turned to them.
Emma and Killian looked at each other, both raising their eyebrows with a smile.
Finally, Samir finished putting the boxes away and approached them, a smile directed towards Emma and a curious glance towards Killian and their entwined hands.
"Hi," she finally greeted her friend properly.
"Hello," he replied.
Killian patiently waited in silence until Emma introduced the two of them to each other.
"Samir, this is Killian," she began. "Killian, this is Samir."
"Nice to meet you, mate." Killian released her hand and reached for Samir's outstretched one, the men sharing a quick but genuine shake. "Emma has told me a lot about you."
"You too, mate." He nodded. "What brings you to my humble shop?"
Emma took a step forwards.
"Remember when we first talked and I told you that if I ever needed a lawyer, I'd call you?" She gave him a second to recall the memory before she continued. "The moment has come."
Samir did not seem surprised or taken aback at all. Instead, a fire lit up his dark brown eyes as something Emma couldn't describe as anything other than determination appeared.
"You're taking him down?" he asked, looking at the both of them for an answer.
She sought Killian's eyes, wanted to be sure that they were both one hundred percent sure of the path they were going to go down. When she found them, Emma knew that this was what they were doing, even if it was the last thing they did.
"We are," she replied, the same determination that could be found in Samir's eyes now in her voice. "If you're up for it."
"Rocky Road." Samir smiled. "I'd thought you'd never ask."
-/-
They spent hours, days, weeks searching. Searching for the smallest lead or detail that was off. Soon they realized it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
And it was fucking frustrating.
How could Gold never once have made a misstep? How was that even possible? All humans make a mistake at some point, so why didn't he?
Samir couldn't do a lot if they had nothing to go off. He couldn't think of a charge without proof, couldn't magically make an accusation appear out of thin air.
Killian tried using the things he'd gathered before but the tidbits of information were mostly outdated and incorrect.
Emma… well she got more frustrated by the minute and wasn't as useful to the investigation as her companions.
It was so unfair. On paper, this man was a saint. Donations to nonprofits, he tipped fairly, he even recycled. You name it and The Honorable Mr. Gold had most likely done it.
Which, again, was fucking frustrating.
Emma grunted, throwing one of their folders on Killian's coffee table. She let her head drop into her hands, momentarily sick of reading and reading, processing information without discovering anything valuable, anything useful for the case they were trying to build.
A case that was currently non-existent because of said shortage of information.
She sighed against her palms and closed her eyes. An empty nothing was better than going back to the file, with information being catapulted at her.
A headache was forming between her temples and so she stayed like that, hands half-buried in her hair and forehead leaning against her palms.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder.
"Oh god!" She jumped and placed her hand over her heart as she saw who the culprit was. "You scared the shit out of me."
Killian stood next to her with an apologetic grimace on his lips and a plastic bag in his hand.
"Apologies, love. I did announce I was home," he defended himself, not to take the blame off of himself but to tell her it wasn't on purpose.
"It's fine. It's my fault, I wasn't paying attention." She got up and quickly kissed his mouth in way of greeting.
A delicious smell wafted upwards and reached her nose, making her stomach growl. She'd forgotten to eat. Again.
"You bought Chinese?"
He'd told her that he wasn't the biggest fan of Chinese food and that he ate it maybe once every three years (and that was a broad estimate) So every time he came home with takeout, she knew he did it for her. Because she loved it almost as much as he didn't like it. Because he'd thought of her while walking past the Chinese restaurant and wanted to make her happy.
She should really tell him she loved him.
"I was in the mood for some spring rolls," Killian shrugged.
Emma wasn't falling for his act and stepped back into his personal space, lips searching his again, this time for more than just a peck.
They broke apart, their chests heaving ever so slightly as they both came up for air.
"I should best put this on the table," he said, his hand lifting the bag of Chinese food again.
Tell him.
Tell him.
Emma, tell him.
"Killian?" she blurted out, her mouth acting before her mind could reconsider.
"Aye?" He turned to her with expectant eyes which definitely didn't help with the stress that was tormenting her body right now.
Emma took a deep breath, thanks to their earlier tiny make out session, she could attribute her breathlessness to that and not to the source of her fast-beating heart and sweaty palms.
"I love you," she said and she felt lighter instantaneously. "I thought you should know that."
Killian left the Chinese food for what it was and strode towards her, only three big strides before he reached her, touched her, kissed her.
She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I love you," he echoed the words, whispered them against her slightly swollen lips. "I thought you should know that too."
Laughter bubbled out of Emma with the complete happiness and tranquility she finally felt, and of that earlier frustration, there was nothing left.
-/-
"Honestly, I think it's bollocks. He must've paid someone to clear his records. No one is this clean," Samir mumbled through his full mouth of spaghetti.
Emma sipped from her glass of water and set it back down on the table before taking another bite of her own food.
Quite early on, they discovered that once the three of them—Emma, Killian, and Samir—got together to discuss their plans, it usually turned into just friends hanging out for a while as they all got along extremely well. Emma had honestly been afraid that her friend and her boyfriend wouldn't get along at first but now, they sometimes got along too well. They had a serious bromance going on and she wouldn't say she was jealous but she wouldn't mind if they got along slightly less either. So they went from random meetings in the middle of the day to actual planned dinner evenings for a perfect mix of business and casual.
So that was why Samir was now stuffing his face with Killian's divine spaghetti and commenting on how he thought the situation was bullshit.
Which Emma agreed with one hundred percent.
"I know, mate, but we have nothing else to go on," Killian reacted.
"Have we covered all bases?" Samir asked again, but they had. "Youth? Career? Family? Anything we could've missed?"
Killian shook his dark locks in a negative answer.
"Milah told me he had no family to speak of so that's a dead end."
Emma froze, her eyes popping open as she dropped her fork on the table.
Gold's brother.
"What did you say, Swan?" Killian frowned as Emma had apparently not only thought it but had actually spoken it out loud.
She cleared her throat before repeating what she had just come to realize. "Gold has a brother."
"A brother?" Both Killian and Samir said in unison—there was that bromance she was speaking of.
She turned to Killian and grabbed a hold of his prosthetic.
"The guy that attacked the both of us, his name is Malcolm Gold."
"How do you know that?" he asked.
She knew it because Malcolm's ego got hurt and he wanted to boast about his powerful name to scare her even more.
"He told me. He could be another member of Gold's family but there is a similarity between the two that makes me think they are brothers."
She got up, not waiting for any type of reaction from the both of them, not having the patience to wait for them to collect their thoughts on the information she'd just handed them.
Emma had already wasted enough time by not thinking of a lead she had had all along, from way before they had decided to try and take Gold down together. She didn't have the time to be angry with herself right now, that would come later, now she needed to grab her computer as quickly possible.
Faster than ever before, she typed in her password and pulled up some of the online tools she'd often use while researching one of her cases. 'Malcolm Gold' she typed in and fervently asked Zeus, the universe, to give her this one thing, to give her something to work with.
"And?" Killian asked, still seated at the table, seemingly understanding what she was attempting to do.
She looked up from the bright computer screen and smirked at her team.
"It seems our dear Malcolm isn't as good in hiding his tracks as his baby brother is."
-/-
Malcolm Gold was, as Emma discovered, a man of many facets. One of them being an arsonist, another one of them being a notorious drug dealer who was the supplier of a variation of cocaine called Fairy Dust.
Not the most positive of reputations. And yet, somehow, he had spent a grand total of thirty-one hours in jail.
And there it was.
A lead.
After Emma's discovery, it was all hands on deck; it was countless all-nighters with coffee as their only fuel. It was reading and more reading until their eyeballs went dry.
It took so much but they'd done it.
She was about ready to cry when Samir told her the news.
They had an airtight case. Gold was guilty of blackmail, extortion and the fabrication and distribution of narcotics.
And the son of a bitch was going to jail for it.
-/-
They stood in the parking lot of the courthouse, Emma and Killian leaning against Killian's Toyota and talking in low voices in case someone overheard them. This was a big moment, something they'd worked towards for months, but Emma couldn't stop shaking.
Months of work were depending on this. Innocent lives were depending on this. Her sanity in general was depending on this. So, it was safe to say that the stakes were pretty damn high.
From across the parking lot, she saw Samir appear, dressed in a dark suit that made him look way older than his young twenty-four years. She had total faith in him, however. He was relentless and thorough. And he was her friend.
"Hello," he greeted them and they smiled in response.
"You're sure you don't want to come inside too?" Samir asked.
She looked at Killian and saw the exact same answer in his eyes. They didn't want to face him again, not after all he had done and attempted to do. The man was a maniac and the less time they had to spend in his company, the better.
"No, Samir," Killian said in her stead. Her hands weren't the only thing that was shaking. "This is all you. We believe in you and we want to thank you for all that you've done for us. You're a true friend." He clasped his shoulder before going for a hug.
"What about you, Rocky Road?" Samir said as he turned to her. "Will you be alright?"
"Of course," she finally spoke, managing the tiniest smile. "I trust you completely." Emma looked him in the eye, reassured when she saw the embers burn in his eyes. "Go destroy him."
Samir smiled at her and nodded sternly before giving her a hug as well. "For what he did to you," he whispered as his arms were around her, "–gladly."
Gold was not prepared for the fury he was about to meet.
"If it's alright with you, mate, I'm taking Emma home," Killian said and Emma looked at him in confusion. That wasn't what they had planned.
Before she could question it, he silently grabbed her hand and squeezed and while she didn't exactly fully understand what he was saying, she understood enough to not disagree. He really wanted to take her home, so she'd let him. There wasn't a lot she could do on a courthouse parking lot, either way.
"Fine by me," Samir replied, "I'll call you with the verdict."
Emma was curious about what Killian's plans were once they got home but he simply took off his jacket as they entered the apartment, toed off his shoes, motioned her to take off her own and led her to the couch once she had. He settled into it and opened his arms to welcome her, an invitation she'd glady–always– accept.
For the time they lay on the couch, there was only Killian and nothing else. No sorrow or fear, only love and warmth. Her hands finally stopped trembling.
In the peace of the purest tranquility, she fell asleep surrounded by him. His heartbeat under her head, his scent in her nose, his legs tangled with hers.
It must've been hours later when she woke up, her body still glued to his but the light entering through the window completely different from when they had first gotten comfortable in the sofa. Cranking her eyes open, she looked up and found Killian looking at her with soft eyes, hand smoothing over some unruly blonde hair. He bowed his head and tenderly pressed his lips to her hair.
"We won."
She sought his eyes and saw the honesty and contentment that lovely shade of blue emitted. Emma didn't reply to his statement, not in words anyway. She just tightened her arms around him even more and kissed his collarbone before closing her eyes and feeling yet another kiss on her skin, this time on her forehead.
And at last, the mist of grey had lifted and left just the tiniest sparkle of brightness.
And that's it. Our bbis get a happy ending and all was well. I'd like to thank you all for coming onto this ride with me and staying loyal fans as the fic progressed. I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment, a like, fun tags, a kudos. While writing the chapters, I sometimes thought "but what if no one likes this fic I've been working on for months", but the response has been incredible so thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you enjoyed the ride and I hope you have a lovely 2019. Bye!