Just a little mid or post 5B forgiveness and fluff. (spoiler alert) I love that we have such complicated, imperfect characters in Emma and Killian. It makes delving into their love story so much more rewarding.
He can't help but notice how her pace has slowed, each step closer to the home he chose for them seemingly more difficult than the last. By the time they reach the white picket fence she stops completely, her hand he's been clinging to now trembling beneath his grasp. It feels as if all they have been through has led them to this moment.
The tearful apologies, desperately given forgiveness, while true, haven't fully mended the wounds inflicted. But, he would be a hypocrite of the highest order if he couldn't find it in his heart to forgive, for he knows the power love can hold over you, how decisions made when blinded by it can haunt you and change you in ways you could have never imagined possible. And he knows his own atonement is far from over, the mere thought of the vengeance fueled words spat at her while he fought the demons once again send an icy chill up his spine.
But, the future he can have with Emma, the life they can build here, for him, it's more important than anything that has happened in the past. It doesn't escape him that in reality, he has no idea how to do this, the idea of creating a home with someone as foreign to him as it is to her. He can only hope that she will trust that, one step at a time, they will figure this out together.
"Emma, let's go home."
Flickers of the lost girl he knows so well linger in the jade depth of her gaze as she turns to face him, the tightening of her hand in his evidence of her attempt to keep the rest of her walls from rebuilding around her still fragile heart.
"You're sure?"
He smiles then, full and wide, full of as much reassurance he can muster, his own fears fading slightly as her lips begin to curve in response.
"Aye."
In perfect sync, they push the gate open together, some of the tension around them lifting when she doesn't hesitate as he leads them up the stairs to their front door. Turning towards her, he can't help but do his best to further lighten the mood and make sure this memory is a happy one, for them both.
"You know, love, I never did see the bedroom. If it's decorated the same as the living quarters, I will insist we add a bit of flair."
She laughs, and he swears it is the most beautiful sound he's ever heard.
"Oh really, Captain, what did you have in mind?"
Moving with a speed he's quite proud of considering he's spent a considerable amount of time of late chained up in the Underworld, he sweeps her off her feet in a move that feels vaguely familiar. Her surprised laugh and the feel of her arms holding tight around his neck jolts him from his reverie and he leans down, capturing her joyful smile with his lips in a kiss he hopes leaves little to the imagination as to his intentions. The fervor of her response nearly buckles his knees, her taste intoxicating, her passion overwhelming as need and love mix in a heady rush of desire.
His words caress her lips as he speaks, unwilling to break their connection now that he has it back.
"The sight of you on our bed, completely ravished by your pirate, would be a good start."