17 years old continued…

"Ahem," a disgruntled voice interrupted.

It was deja vu.

Killian and Emma jumped apart to see the King, arms folded across his chest, and a stern look on his face.

"Good evening, Your Highness," Killian tried sheepishly, bowing before him. Emma stepped closer to his side and slipped her arm through his, perhaps in an attempt at solidarity.

"Oh, enough with the formalities Jones, that won't help you out of this situation. I've seen you twice in a year and both times you've had your mitts all over my daughter. What shall I do with the two of you?" David asked to no one in particular.

"You'll do nothing dearest," Snow answered, choosing that moment to walk up next to her husband. "Although Killian could've asked for our permission in courting Emma," she continued, fixing her stare on Killian, "they're doing nothing wrong."

"Your Majesties, I had every intention of coming to you earlier this afternoon to seek said permission," he implored, "alas, I sidelined myself through my own stupidity." Then, bowing again he added, "Could you see fit to afford me one last opportunity to ask for the chance to court your daughter?"

Snow giggled at his earnest request, "Killian Jones, we've known you literally since you were born, why are you speaking so officially?

"I believe in good form, milady, and furthermore, I'd never wish to take our situation, and your kindness for granted," he explained.

"A simple 'I'd like to court Emma' would've sufficed… and of course you have our permission," she allowed.

Killian beamed at her consent, "May I take her inside to dance then?"

Snow swept her hand out toward the castle in lieu of words. The young couple headed back inside.

"Our permission?" David grumbled, "we didn't even discuss it."

She put one hand around his waist, while her other hand patted his chest in comfort, "There is nothing to discuss and you know it. They've loved each other since they were children."

"You are right as usual, my dear, and if the fact that there affections withstood all that time apart is any indication of the depth of their feelings, I think they'll be perfect together," he winked at her.

"David! Is that why you assigned him to the Jewel, to test their feelings?" she asked.

"Maybe," he answered noncommittally.

"Why?" genuine curiosity taking over her features.

"I needed to know that their feelings were real, not facilitated by the situation they were brought up in," he explained, "with other suitors around, and Killian off making port calls in foreign places, they'd only remain true to the other if their feelings were true, and not a manipulation."

"I don't manipulate," Snow chided, folding her arms across her chest defiantly.

"That's not what I meant at all," he soothed her, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her close, "You and I got to choose each other, that's a rarity for royalty, I wanted that for my baby girl, and for the boy I hope to call son-in-law one day. Like us, I wanted them to be each other's best chance, not their only chance."

She looked up at him from their embrace, tears welling in her eyes, "I love you, you big mush!"

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, you look gorgeous in this dress love," Killian complimented her.

"You clean up pretty well yourself, Jones," she said, blushing from his compliment, "I picked it because it reminded me of your eyes," she whispered, her cheeks going a shade deeper.

His heart swelled at her words as he spun her around the dance floor. "You're quite a natural at this dancing thing, Swan," he remarked at how quickly she'd caught on. Not that he should be surprised, she had always been a quick study.

"I guess I picked a partner who knows what he's doing," she flirted.

He leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips, nothing more in the name of propriety.

"So, what do you say, love, will you allow me to court you properly?" he questioned.

"Don't be obtuse, of course I want to be with you," she answered, "although there's no reason to be strictly proper," she whispered coquettishly.

"As you wish," he promised, his eyebrow raised at her brash statement. He laughed heartily as they continued around the ball room.

"Will you ride with me tomorrow, and tell me all of the adventures you've had since you've been gone?" she asked him shyly.

"I thought I was supposed to be courting you, darling?" he teased her.

She blushed a bit at his quip, "Am I being too forward for you, Jones?" she parried quickly, covering up her embarrassment.

"Of course not, love," he winked suggestively, "and yes, I'd love to go riding with you tomorrow, if you will promise to tell me of your adventures since I've been gone," he bargained.

The next morning David, Snow, Emma and Killian sat at breakfast, as if almost a year hadn't passed. Easy conversation flowed between the four, as they ate and laughed together.

"Mom and Dad, Killian and I would like to go riding today, is that okay?" Emma asked sweetly.

"When you ask like that it makes me wonder what you're up to," David said, narrowing his eyes, "I trust you'll behave; and no racing through the forest, right?" The smirk on his face gave away his attempt at admonishing the pair.

"Right," Killian answered quickly.

"Yes, dad," Emma replied in true teenage fashion, '"we will be back before dinner."

They walked to the stable together when breakfast was finished, and saddled up Buttercup and Westley. They worked alongside each other in their normal silent fashion, but for the first time it felt a little off, Killian felt the difference in the air around them. He was excited to spend time with just Emma. She was feeling the transformation as well, she was all nerves and anticipation. She wanted him to kiss her again, and hold her close like he had last night.

"Ready, love," he questioned, startling her out of her reverie.

"Yah," she said, her voice light and airy.

Upon arriving to the middlemist field, Killian pulled out a blanket and the small picnic they'd packed. He set everything up and had a seat, patting the spot beside him for Emma to join him.

When she didn't move to join him, he gave her a questioning look.

Emma had been caught up in her thoughts of him, of them, she'd watched him meticulously set up their little patch of privacy. When he patted the spot next to him she froze, not sure why, she just stared at him. When he silently questioned her, she blurted out, "I don't want to be good!"

"What?" he asked, a befuddled expression on his face.

"I-I don't want to be good," she repeated, "you promised my father we'd behave today, but- I don't- want- to," she spoke with a determined cadence to her voice.

He couldn't control the bellow that escaped his mouth, "Swan, why do you think I agreed so quickly? Your father has put no restrictions upon us," he patted the spot next to him again, this time she joined him, settling right against him, "his idea of behaving and ours likely vary, love," he smirked.

"I like the way you think, Jones," she laughed.

"Now that we have that out of the way, tell me what you've done for the past 10 months," he encouraged, "I want to hear what I have missed."

"Well… there's really not much. I made the trek out to Arendelle this year to attend Anna's wedding. I figured it might make the time go by quicker, since it seemed to drag when all I could do was think about when you'd be back," she looked up at him from beneath her lashes to see his reaction.

Killian drew in a quick breath at her admission of missing him, "I missed you everyday I was gone, lass," he said giving her a quick peck to her soft lips, "tell me what else?" The truth was she could be reciting the most boring text to him, and he'd still listen just to hear her voice. He'd missed everything about her dearly while he was gone. He grabbed both of her hands in his and laced them together as she continued.

"The wedding was beautiful, Kristoff, Anna's husband is a nice man, a little quirky, but he makes her so happy, it is enlightening to see them together. I stayed for about three weeks, Elsa and I hung out together, we did some sledding and ice skating. I told her about us, too. In fact, she took me into town to pick out the dress I wore last night. The moment I saw it, I thought of your blue eyes, and I had to have it. I planned to wear it for your homecoming, and was delighted to find that would coincide with our birthday!" she paused to look at Killian, "I am babbling aren't I?"

"Not at all, Swan, please talk to me, I've only had my mind's conjuring of your voice since I left, a poor imitation I'm afraid," he confessed without hesitation.

A huge smile split her face at his loving words, "Mom and dad hired Graham after you left, as a guard of sorts, since you weren't here to keep me out of trouble. We get along great, he's like having a friend to gossip with. In fact," she said conspiratorially, "we were gossipping when you saw us yesterday, and he is seeing someone aboard your very ship."

Killian raised a brow at this, "A sailor?"

"Yes," she stated, "I'll tell you who, if you promise to keep it between me and you," she offered.

"You do not need to tell me who if you're betraying a confidence, Swan, but know that I will always keep private issues between us," he promised.

"I don't mind sharing with you, I don't ever want to keep secrets, there shouldn't be things that we can't tell each other," she answered back, "his name is Will something."

"Scarlet?!" Killian spoke with sheer disbelief in his voice, "that pain in the arse?"

Emma doubled over with laughter, "That's exactly how Graham described him!"

Killian laughed then too, "Well at least Graham knows what he's in for then. Scarlet is a big softy, too, a bit rough around the edges, but a good fellow."

"Now you tell me about your adventures!" she prompted him enthusiastically.

"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell, love, it is quite lonely at sea," he spoke, directly attesting to his statement that he'd missed her. "We stopped in many ports, most of the lads would go into whatever city we graced to get drunk and seek the company of a willing lass," he continued, scratching behind his ear, telling her that he was nervous about something.

"And," she goaded.

"And what, love?"

"Did you go with them?" she asked getting anxious at his unusual lack of description.

"Well yes, I went once," he admitted.

She just stared at him blankly, rolling her hand in a motion for him to continue.

"That's it really, it's quite a boring existence, sail the seas, work the ship, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. You see the same faces day in and day out. We pull into port here and there and some lose their minds, getting drunk beyond reason, and making other poor decisions where women and gambling are concerned," he stated matter of factly.

She pushed his shoulder then. "What, Swan!?"

"You went with them, are you really going to make me ask you to elaborate?" she questioned her voice rising as she spoke, "did you get drunk out of your mind? Did you gamble away your wages?" she asked with exasperation, then much quieter, "Did you seek the comfort of another woman?"

"Bloody hell, woman, is that what you're worried about?" he asked.

"Well, can you blame me after last night?" she asked pointedly. Emma hadn't really thought about what might happen when they were apart. She only knew her feelings for Killian, and knew she was waiting for only him. When he admitted being out on the town, she wasn't sure how much frivolity he'd taken part in.

He let go of one of her hands and brought his to her cheek, caressing it gently, "Emma," he said softly, seeing the flicker of pain in her eyes, "I apologize again, my love, my intention wasn't to hurt you. It was a lame attempt to forget my feelings for you, as I assumed you no longer returned the same affection toward me-"

"Why wou-"

"Shhhh," he put a finger on her lips, "please let me finish?"

She nodded her head, leaning into his palm, and placing her now empty hand around his neck.

"Yes, I went with the lads, I needed to be off that ship for a bit and figured I'd see what they did for fun. I knew right away it wasn't something I'd enjoy doing again. It made me miss you more, there is no other comfort, or company I seek from any woman that is not you," he finished.

Emma let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, she felt such a sense of relief, she hugged him tightly, bringing her forehead to the crook of his neck. "I love you, Killian," she murmured into his warm skin. She felt his whole body tense, and drew back to see him.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, pulling her back into his embrace, resting his forehead to hers. He kept his breathing even, though his heart was beating out a crazed rhythm at her admission. He couldn't believe what he'd heard, he leaned back just enough to stare into her eyes, "Say it again?"

"I love you, Killian," she decreed, as though it were the simplest concept ever, staring straight back into his eyes, and possibly his soul.

"I love you too, I have loved you for longer than I can remember, Emma. I imagined and dreamed, but never hoped too hard, that I'd hear you say those words to me," he confessed. His mind was literally spinning with emotions beyond description. He wasn't going to be able to get out anything else intelligible, so he kissed her.

Before she could even admonish him for his self negativity his lips were on hers, his hand smoothing from her cheek down to her neck. Her hand threaded from his neck up into his thick hair. She opened her mouth to him, granting him permission to deepen their lip lock. His tongue upon hers sent her into a frenzy, and she moaned into his mouth at the sensation. Still holding her other hand, he brought it to his chest and pressed it over his heart, then he did the same to her. She could feel his heart beating hard and fast, she wondered if he could feel the same thing with his hand on her chest. Emma took over the kiss pushing against his tongue, and exploring his mouth. She couldn't register all the titillating feelings fast enough. She ached slightly between her thighs, and she longed for him to move his hand to the left or right to cup her tenderly. "Killian," she gasped between kisses, "I want more."

He could feel her heart pounding erratically as she deepened the kiss more. His hand twitched, wanting to move over her pert breasts, but he kept it over her heart, he was a gentleman afterall. He wouldn't go breaking David's trust completely. It was going to have to be enough to endeavor the contours of her sweet mouth for now.

"I want more," she whispered into his mouth. Gods, it was going to be a painful ride home for him.

"I want more as well, love," he spoke with a strained voice.

"Why do I sense a 'however' coming?" she questioned abruptly.

"Well, probably because you know me almost as well as I know you," he teased.

She rolled her eyes at him, feeling a wave of disappointment at his honorable nature. But, if she were honest with herself, that honorable part of him was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

"I thought we weren't being good," she complained, folding her arms across her chest in defiance..

"This is misbehaving enough, don't you think?"

Emma just stared at him, unconvinced.

"For now," he amended.

"Fine, for now," she agreed, then she dove back in to kiss him some more.

They made it home by dinner as promised, after enjoying the rest of their afternoon talking, kissing, and snuggling.