Missing scene prompt for Emma's reaction to hearing Killain's message...
Her fingertips dig lightly into the centuries old leather wrapped around her as she leans back, pulling a content sigh from the pirate behind her, his arms tightening as she settles against his chest. Neither of them moves to speak as the campfire warms their slightly chilled skin, the sand beneath soft and welcoming. She settles her head in the crook of his shoulder, dimples kissing as they sit cheek to cheek. She needs to bring up Belle finding her phone, the voicemail she's finally heard, the staggering revelation of just how devoted this man is to her. But she waits. She deserves this blissful moment, they both do.
"I take it back, Swan. You do know how to plan an evening out."
Chuckling softly, she finds his hand beneath his coat, his long duster he wore because she told him to "wear something warm". It wasn't until he showed up at her door wearing it did she realize how much she's missed seeing him like this, the pirate swagger the long leather provokes, the memory of her grip on those lapels as she gave the first piece of her heart to him back in that place. He's given up so much of himself, for her, to be a man he still doesn't see as worthy enough to be by her side. Her blindness almost took him away from her, forever. She's can't let that happen ever again.
Determined, she focuses on the gentle tide of the ocean beyond their campfire; his fingers tangled with hers the anchor she needs to say what needs to be said.
"Belle found my phone today."
Her body lifts as a deep breath fills his lungs, the implications of her statement obviously not lost on him, obviously filling him with unease. His breath releases slowly, catching and lifting the tendrils of hair along her cheek as he begins to speak.
"Emma, I…"
"Wait, please?" Her plea is spoken quietly as she turns her head to try to face him, impossible really in the position they've worked themselves into. Leaning in to her, she can feel him nod as his jaw presses against her temple; the unmistakable flutter of the muscle there painting a perfect picture of what his expression must be. Not wanting to subject him to more stress than necessary, she plows ahead with the speech she rehearsed quietly in the bathroom before their date.
"We've already talked about everything that happened and I don't want to dig all of that up again. But, what you said in that message, Killian…you didn't fail. You've never failed me, not once. I've never had someone put me first, not in the way that you do. And I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't overwhelm me knowing that you'd always lay down your life to save me. But you make me feel like I matter and I guess I just need you to know that…you matter, too, to me…just as you are. We're in this together now, you and me."
She has to take a calming breath. This is the closest she's come to telling him how she feels and even though she knows it's not enough, it's a huge step for her. Now that she's spoken, she needs to see him, read the emotions he's never been good at hiding on that beautiful face of his. The fact that she has rendered him speechless has definitely not gone unnoticed. Sliding forward slightly, she lets his hand fall to her side, his fingers reaching back out for her his only reaction yet to her declaration. As gracefully as she can manage, she turns her body until she's kneeling between his legs, using his thighs to steady her as she sees the look of awe that has taken over his features.
Settling his hook against her waist, he straightens until their faces are mere inches apart, his hand finding her cheek in the gentlest of touches as she watches him blink the mistiness from his eyes. His forehead comes to rest against hers and she hears "Swan", whispered softly on a feather soft caress of his breath across her lips. Before he can speak further, she curls one of her hands around his lapel and smiles against his mouth, moving her lips against his in a conversation where words are no longer necessary. His hand slides into her hair, steadying her as he leans into the kiss, his cold nose pressing deep into her cheek as his lips begin to warm her from the inside out.
The gentle cresting of the waves, the crack and pop of the fire, the soft breaths of lovers, all creating a perfect symphony for this long awaited quiet moment. The stars above shining brightly for these two once lost souls, who while falling in love with each other, may have also begun to love themselves.