Chapter 6
"Do you have a plan then?" David asked when Emma and Killian joined him by the ship's railing. The sword Emma had been given was strapped securely to her waist, the weight of it comforting when she looked out across the sea to the silhouette of the distant naval ship. "Or do you pirates just like to jump onto the other ship and swing your sword around until they surrender?"
Killian chuckled quietly, glancing down at how the King's hand was resting securely on the pommel of his sword. "Should it come to it, and I believe it will, we will be fighting. I take it you will help us?"
"I will." David said firmly, and Emma noted how a proud smile spread across his face when he noticed the sword by her side. "And Emma will be fighting too?"
"If Emma wants to, her assistance would be appreciated." Killian explained, Emma beaming at him. He may have tried to stop her from returning to the palace, days before, but he understood she would detest being forced to hide below deck until they were safe.
"You up for this?" David asked, his own confident grin answering the question for her. Emma rolled her eyes. Her father had taught her to fight, but he was unaware she'd truly fought before, although she doubted a fight with flying monkeys was something he had ever thought she would be part of. "No matter how much training I've given you, I want you to be safe.."
"And she will be." Killian interjected. "You don't need to worry about Emma. I've seen her fight and she's brilliant. A force of nature, even."
David swallowed, fixing Emma with an intent stare and then he nodded. "I have to say it will be nice to see all my teaching in action." he agreed slowly. "But if you let her get hurt, Hook, you'll be sorry."
Killian nodded, and then pointed out to the ship. "The wind is in their favour, so they'll be upon us before we know it. I think they'll allow us to get close, to see if we have those ridiculous papers Regina insists on traders carrying. When they do, we board their ship and we stop them from getting on here."
"And if they don't get close?" Emma asked, reaching around Killian's waist to grab his spyglass, bringing it up to her eye so she could get a better look at the approaching frigate. "Do we just sail past?"
"If they don't come close, we prepare for cannon fire." Killian stated, pressing a kiss to Emma's temple before Emma felt him leave her side. He spoke again, his voice louder now as he yelled orders to the crew. "Someone take down the flag! We don't want them knowing we're pirates until we're aboard their ship."
She watched Killian for a minute, enjoying how he swept around the deck and took control, and then turned back to see her father, an excited grin on his face.
"I'm looking forward to finally doing something." David stated, flexing the hand holding his sword. "We've been planning for so many days, it feels good to be preparing for a fight."
Emma nodded. Even with planning, this journey had felt easy, relaxing, especially with Killian, and although she needed no reminder that her mother was in danger, the approaching navy brought with it an anticipation that they were finally going to get something done.
But it was the first time she had worried for Henry's safety aboard the Jolly Roger.
Leaving her father to assist Killian with preparations for battle, Emma hurried around the deck in search of her son, finding him engrossed in a conversation with Mullins about how many men he'd killed before, the fight clearly exciting him.
She pulled him aside, gave an irritated look to the crewmember, and then led him below deck, determinedly ignoring his protests about how he wanted to fight alongside them.
He was only ten. There was absolutely no way Emma was letting him use a real sword without someone watching over him, so he was definitely not going to be allowed to fight Regina's black knights.
She decided to leave him with Jukes. Although the cook had often insisted he was too old to fight, even without his depth perception problems, she knew that the old sailor would protect Henry should the knights reach him.
So she left her son with a kiss to the forehead and a promise to protect him, clutching him tighter when the boat rocked furiously for a second, and then rushing back to the deck.
"What was that?" she asked, the instant she was back in the sunlight. "What happened?"
Killian looked calm, which relaxed her too, and he just shrugged. "A warning shot from the ship. They weren't aiming to sink us." He stated. "They want to check that we have the correct papers. When they get close enough, Mullins, Starkey and I will set up the spring lines to hold the ship to ours. You and your father should follow with the rest of the crew a minute or two later, when we've made sure the ship's secure."
And then it became a waiting game, watching the ship move steadily closer. The Jolly Roger might have been enchanted, but the wind still had enough control of the ship to slow its approach towards their opponents,
When the frigate was close enough for them to see its figurehead - a carving of the Evil Queen herself - they heard the shouts of the naval crew. "Prepare for boarding! These seas may only be traversed with permission from Her Majesty."
She saw Killian roll his eyes, and then he gestured for Mullins and Starkey to join him, a grappling hook dangling in his hand. "Go wait with your father, Emma. You'll know when to join us."
Before he could go to board the other ship, Emma hurried across the remaining distance between them and pulled his head down for a quick, hard kiss. "Be careful." she whispered against his lips, feeling his mouth curve into a smile.
"You too." He murmured. "Now go back to your father. He's already got his weapon out, and I would rather he use it on Regina's knights instead of on me."
And then the ship rocked again as Killian and his crew tethered them to the other ship, closing the gap between them before the navy had the chance to retaliate. When the ship was close enough, Emma watched Killian and Mullins leap across to it, gasping when they were immediately attacked by Regina's knights, the one's dressed entirely in black, their faces covered by fabric.
Emma and her father waited, watching the smooth curves and sweeps of Killian's sword, until the Jolly Roger shook with the impact of colliding with the ship, and then they followed the pirates across.
She hadn't fought since their final encounter with Zelena, but with the soldiers bearing down on her, it became almost instinctive. She was dodging and weaving, ducking under the arms of the knights in order to reach other men.
Surrounded by too many men, she thrust her elbow back, hearing a crack as she made contact with someone behind her, and she spun round to see one man collapsing to the floor, hands covering his nose. Determined not to be distracted, she swung her sword in an arc, the knights around her either stepping back or getting caught across the chest, then stumbled away from the crowd until her back was against the ship's railing and she had nowhere else to go to.
She got to breathe for a few seconds, her gaze moving to see Killian still fighting, her father nearby, but then another naval officer stood before her, towering over her. "It's not often we see a woman at sea." he leered lewdly, his cutlass pointed towards her. "And we never see one in a fight."
"There's a first time for everything." she said, oblivious to the rest of the battle as he pulled his sword back and prepared to strike.
And then he slashed out, but Emma was trapped, precariously leaning against the rail of the ship. She felt the cold air against her, his sword just missing her as she pulled away, instead cutting through her blouse and across her stomach and she scrambled to hold the wound, wincing and curling up slightly.
But he raised his sword to attack again, and Emma was certain she couldn't escape this time, not when his arm was caging her against the railing, and if she leant any further back she'd topple into the sea.
Still hunched over, hand on her stomach, she raised her sword, one last barrier to keep him away, and then she heard a thump and the knight fell forward, onto her weapon, onto her, blood falling from his lips.
And then Killian was throwing the man aside and cupping her face, searching her expression. "You're alright? Did he hurt you?" She glanced down, Killian following her gaze and then he knelt before her, peeling her shirt up to just below her ribs, the red, bleeding line stark against her skin. "It's only shallow." he breathed, relief clear on his face. "You'll be fine. We'll wash it when we're back in our quarters."
He pressed a kiss just below the wound, to her hip, and then he stood back up, as Emma barely registered the calm that had settled across the rest of the deck. "And you?" she breathed. "And Dad? You're both alright?"
"I'm fine." Killian promised, and then twisted around to look for her father on the deck. "He looks alright too."
"What do we do now? Just leave them here until they wake up and sail after us?" she asked, noticing the prone figures of Regina's knights lying across the desk, the corpse of the one Killian had accidentally killed lying to her side. "We can't risk that."
"We pile them in their row boat and tow them after us for a while, then once we're far enough away, we'll set them loose and we'll blow this ship to pieces." Killian suggested, Emma looking around to see a small harness for a rowing boat. "But we'll get you back to the ship first and sort you out a bath."
She protested, but let her father escort her back across to the Jolly Roger, Jukes and Henry venturing up on to the deck to collect the seawater for her bath, heating it in the galley and filling a large metal tub that they squeezed into Killian's room.
Eventually, she was soaking in the bath, the laceration stinging in the salt water, and she could hear the distant sounds of work as the pirates carried out Killian's plan, feeling when the Jolly Roger began to move again, hearing the cannon fire.
Finally feeling safe again, she rested her head against the metal of the tub, relieved that there had been no injuries worse than her own. Killian had only obtained a few scrapes, and her father was clear of scratches but was proudly wearing a black eye, one he had obtained when he disarmed one of the knights and got promptly punched in the face.
After sailing for a few more hours, Jukes, Henry and Emma had carried a vast amount of food up to the deck, the crew deciding to celebrate their victory over the black knights. Rum had been passed between the men, Killian pouring her father a shot before sharing his flask with her.
Once most of the food was finished, he had taken her hand in his, brushing his thumb occasionally against the curve of her ring. Emma glanced at him, wanting to know what he was thinking, but he simply looked pensive.
He was strangely quiet, but Emma was distracted by giving an account of the fight to Henry. Her son was so excited, waving his arms around as if he was in a sword-fight of his own, the other crew members shouting tips to him, or their own versions of the battle.
But after a while, the crew grew too rowdy and loud, and Emma insisted on taking Henry to bed. Henry protested, wanting to celebrate the fight too, but Emma didn't want him spending time with the crew when they were being especially crude and violent.
"We could have our own celebration in the galley." Jukes suggested, gesturing at Emma and her family. "I might even be able to scrounge up some extra sea biscuits for you, maybe cover them in jam?"
Emma agreed, knowing that Henry was really too excited to sleep yet, but unsure if Killian would prefer to stay on deck with his crew or join their more intimate gathering. "You coming, Killian?" she whispered, and he nodded, yelling a goodbye to his crew and raising his flask to them in a toast when they cheered in response.
Down below deck, they sat around the small wooden table, Killian sitting on her right so he could sling his arm around her shoulder and tease the ends of her hair with his hand. Henry was to her left, David beside him, but there was a gap between him and Jukes, as if he'd unconsciously left a space for Snow to sit beside him.
Her mother should be here. It felt strange to be involved in such a celebration when her mother was still under Regina's control. She sighed, leaning further against Killian, resting her hand on his knee.
Their own gathering was more subdued than the one upstairs, Snow's missing presence felt by Emma and her family. David was completely silent, staring down at the table, and the quiet was only broken when Henry asked Jukes' for a story.
Apparently, Jukes had distracted Henry from the battle against Regina's navy by telling him about the crews' previous adventures.
"Please?" Henry begged, Jukes' chuckling slightly. "You tell great stories. Better than mum."
"Excuse me?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows when Henry looked sheepish but didn't reply. Killian nuzzled his head into her hair as if trying to reassure her, although she didn't really need too much comfort. Jukes and Killian had been alive for so long, and she'd already heard many of their tales, that she knew they were exciting, probably even more so for a ten year old.
"I don't tell better stories than your mum." Jukes said, grinning at Emma. "I know great stories, but I do tend to tell them poorly. What do you want a story about, lad?"
Emma turned her head to look at her son, but was distracted when she felt Killian press a kiss just behind her ear. Clearly, the rum was making him more affectionate than he would usually be in front of her father. "You were beautiful today, Swan." he mumbled, his breath warm against her ear. "Brilliant, even."
"I want a story about a swan." Henry said, and Emma realised Killian's whispers were not as quiet as she had hoped, nudging Killian so he backed away an inch. "Do you know any?"
Jukes grinned. "In fact, I do. An old legend from the kingdom Killian and I hail from. It's a story about a magical swan and a young man called Peter. Although, why don't we use another name? You know how we feel about people named Peter on this ship."
Henry nodded, clearly having been regaled with stories of Neverland and the Lost Boys. "How about Henry? He could be called Henry."
Emma laughed, reaching out to ruffle her son's hair, and then turning her attention back to Jukes. "Right, well," the cook began. "There once was a young man named Henry, who was always made fun of by his two older brothers. One day, he decided to leave his home to make his fortune somewhere else, taking with him everything he owned. On his journey, he met an old man, one with unimaginable power, and Henry made a deal, giving him all of his worldly possessions in exchange for wealth. But the old man didn't give him gold. Instead he told him to continue his journey, where he would find a large swan tied to a tree. But this wasn't any normal swan. If someone touched any of it's feathers, and Henry told the swan to 'Hold fast', that person would be stuck to the swan. Only the touch of a small wand would free them. The old man promised that if he gathered a lot of people and lead them to the capital city, he would find a Princess who had never laughed. If anyone made her laugh, they would be given uncountable riches."
"Did he get the small wand too?" Henry asked, far more invested in the story than Emma was, especially now that Killian was being amorous again, pressing light kisses to her hair and holding her tighter.
"He did, but only after promising the old man that he would allow the man access to any gold he would gain." Jukes said, chuckling at Henry's frown. "Henry continued on his way and found the swan that the old man had mentioned, untying it and taking it with him. He walked with it for days until he came to a small village, where a woman wanted to touch the beautiful white feathers of the bird. When she reached out to touch, Henry said 'Swan, hold fast', and the woman was stuck to the swan. No matter how much she screamed and protested, he didn't let her go, and when her husband tried to save her, Henry said the same words and he was caught too. And they continued on their way, Henry catching anyone who tried to help in the procession behind the swan. Eventually, they reached the capital and saw the Princess, who was the most serious and solemn woman Henry had ever seen. But the instant she saw the people trapped and trailing behind the swan, she burst into a loud fit of laughter. When the King heard the news, he gave Henry the reward, mountains of jewels and piles of gold just like the old man had said. Henry freed the people from the procession and used some of his riches to buy a castle of his own. And that is how he made his fortune."
"Didn't the old man come back?" Henry asked with a yawn. "To get the gold he wanted?"
"I don't know." Jukes told the boy with a shrug. "The legend stops once the Princess laughs. No one knows what happened to Henry after he bought his castle."
Henry scowled, another yawn escaping him, and that was enough to make Emma disentangle herself from Killian and hustle Henry out of his chair and towards his room. Although he kept protesting, the instant he was tucked under his blanket, his eyes fell closed. "If you were the princess, would Killian be the thing that would make you smile?" he mumbled, Emma leaning forward to press a kiss to her son's forehead.
"You would be the thing to make me smile." she answered, adjusting the blankets around her son's shoulders and then leaving when he was asleep.
Back in the galley, David seemed to be motivated once again, which was explained by the fact that the conversation had turned to how soon they would be reaching the Evil Queen's castle.
"Do we need to take a break?" David was asking when Emma returned to the room. "I'd rather we keep on course and get to the palace as soon as we can."
"We need a break." Killian insisted, watching as Emma took the seat next to her father and laid her hand on his arm. "We need more supplies. We don't have enough food to continue to the palace and then return to the port afterwards. We stop tomorrow evening, stay overnight, and then depending on the weather, we should reach the Queen's docks by the following morning."
The next day had passed without incident, the Jolly Roger arriving at a small port when the sun was beginning to set. Despite worrying about the presence of Regina's black knights, Killian promised that the small village was unlikely to be under surveillance of the Queen. Apparently, it was a rather unknown dock, especially with the presence of the Evil Queen's navy, so few ships ever actually stopped there.
The crew disembarked immediately, in search of a tavern or inn in order to spend a night with food, drinks and women.
And when Jukes suggested taking her father and son on a search for fresh supplies, Emma couldn't deny the shiver of excitement that ran down her spine.
If they left the ship too, maybe she and Killian would finally be completely alone.
So before Killian could move to follow the other boys, Emma grabbed his arm and held him in place. "I thought we could, maybe, stay on board?" she asked, her smile widening when she saw her father grimace and hurriedly lead Henry away. "Just the two of us?"
Killian grinned and swaggered closer, shaking his arm free from her and taking a hold of her hips. "I was about to suggest the same thing."
"So what are you going to do with me, sailor?" she purred, trailing her hand up his chest and burying it in his hair. "Now that you have me all to yourself."
Killian swallowed, his hand flexing against her hip. "Actually, my love, I thought we should talk."
She had spent the day feeling more lonely than she'd felt in years. Although she had promised to leave the castle and spend the day with Henry and his father, her parents had insisted on her attending a meeting of the war council, followed by a discussion on the possibility of a marriage between her and Graham, and despite insisting that she would never marry him, Snow and David seemed to hope that she would still acquiesce to the deal.
And so Henry had gone, alone, for a walk with Baelfire.
When the meeting was over, and she was sick of talks of weddings and her new, closer friendship with the huntsman, she had retreated to her room and spent the rest of day moping.
But then Henry was home and he was sitting next to her on the bed and telling her, full of enthusiasm, about what he'd done with his father, how Baelfire had taken him on a walk through the woods, and then bought a wooden toy from Pinocchio's shop.
"And then I got back and I was coming here to see you, but I heard Grandpa and Grandma talking about you and Graham." he said, his voice quieting. Emma frowned, sending a curious glance at her son. "They said they were happy you were getting closer. That maybe you would marry him after all and they just hoped it would be sooner rather than later."
"They said that?"
"But you won't marry him. Will you?" he asked, lying back on the bed so he was reclining next to his mother. "Because that's not how true love works."
She smiled sadly at her son. "I don't plan on marrying him, kid, but sometimes things are more important than true love."
"That's not true." Henry insisted. "Can you tell me about Killian again? You never finished telling me what happened in Oz. The last thing you told me was about the magic hat. The one you jumped into."
"I don't want to talk about that today." she muttered, hearing Henry exhale in irritation. "Not Oz. It wasn't the nicest place in the world."
"Okay. Then will you tell me what we'll do when you and Killian find each other again?" he asked, the wide grin on his face making her wish her parents hadn't managed to turn Henry into a hopeless romantic, with their stories of true love and always finding one another and giving up anything to be together. "Will he stay here? Will he be your prince?"
"I don't need a prince, Henry." She told him with a laugh. "In fact, we talked about travelling the realms together, with you. Or, maybe just travelling the seas in this realm. I have to tell you that going to Oz really put me off visiting new realms for a while."
"So we could be pirates?" Henry asked, grinning widely. "Except I don't know if Grandpa and Grandma would be happy if we went off to live on a pirate ship. I think it would be great though. But it might be hard for Papa to come and see me, if we're at sea."
"I'd always make sure you could see your father, Henry." Emma promised. "Even if we travelled the realms, we'd come back here sometimes. I can't leave Grandma and Grandpa forever and I wouldn't want to."
"And one day you'll be Queen." Henry pointed out, Emma's nose wrinkling at the thought. She'd determinedly ignored that fact for many years, and she had to admit the role seemed even less appealing now that she had other things she wanted to do. "So you'll probably have to come back for that. Would you be a pirate queen? Because that sounds like something from a story, which is really great!"
"We'll think about that when it happens." she told her son. "Right now, you can tell me what you want to do tomorrow and we'll figure out a way to sneak out of the palace, because I don't want to attend another war council meeting."
He laughed again, seemingly deep in thought over her question. "I think we should go to the docks for the day."
"The docks?"
"We can see if Killian's found you yet. And if he hasn't, maybe we could stop by Pinocchio's and look at more of his wooden ships?" he suggested, clearly noticing the way Emma looked flustered at his idea. "He is going to find you, mum. Because he loves you. And you love him, don't you?"
Really, she was going to have to talk to her parents about telling stories of true love and adventure. Her son was far too interested in her romance with the pirate. But he looked so interested in her answer that she couldn't stop herself from nodding, pulling her son close for a hug. "I do love him, Henry. More than I've ever loved anyone. Other than you, of course. Nothing compares to how much I love you."
"I love you too." Henry murmured. "And I want you to be happy. I want you to have a story like Grandma and Grandpa. So I'm going to keep believing he's coming back, even if you don't, and we're going to go down to the docks whenever we can, just in case. And if he's not there, we can look at the ships."
Killian had led her back to their room, and the instant the door was closed, she plastered herself to him, her hands crawling up his chest to grip his shoulders, quick, teasing kisses pressed to his jaw. "What did you want to talk about?" she breathed between kisses, feeling the rumble of his chest as he chuckled. "I was hoping that we'd take advantage of having the ship all to ourselves."
"Oh, we will." he murmured, tilting his head down so that when Emma aimed another kiss to his jaw, she met his lips instead, his arms wrapping around her waist. "But I had something I wanted to ask you."
Emma quirked an eyebrow, letting him lead her over to the bed and sitting on the edge, expecting him to take a place beside her. Instead, he knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his. "Swan, I've been thinking," he began, and Emma couldn't look away from him, his blue gaze locked on her. "I know what your ring means to you. Maybe it's selfish of me, to be bothered by something that means so much to you, and I don't want you to stop wearing it, but I thought that maybe if you wore it on a chain, you could wear one of my rings on your finger."
"One of your rings?" she repeated hoarsely, unable to figure out what was happening, what he was saying.
So she just nodded, watching as Killian stood and went to rummage through his drawer - where she knew he stashed a small amount of treasure from previous adventures - pulling out a gold chain, and bringing it back to her. She stared at her hand as he slowly slid her peridot ring off her finger and onto the chain, fastening the clip before lifting it gently over her head, the ring falling just between her breasts. He gazed up at her raptly, and then with a soft, tender smile, he took the heavy red ring from his index finger and slipped onto hers, the band loose on her finger.
"It doesn't fit." he murmured, as if it was something he hadn't expected, but Emma laced her fingers through his before he could take the ring off.
"That doesn't matter. We can put some fabric under it, or get it resized when we're back home." she suggested, lifting their joined hands up so she could look at the ring, and then she couldn't stop looking from Killian, kneeling in front of her, to his ring on her ring finger. "Killian, are you-?"
"What?" He asked, and then followed her pointed gaze down to the ring and his eyes widened suddenly. "No! You told me how you feel about marriage, and I'm not going to ask you that if it's not something you want. I promised you that you didn't have to worry about any sort of proposal." His words were hurried, nervous. "Think of it as just another promise that you will always have someone who loves you, just like your other ring. I know I can promise you that. And you're right, Swan, we're happy, we don't need to get married. I know I'll always be with you, so it's not necessary."
She glanced down, heart racing. He was right, they didn't need to be married. But he wanted it. She hadn't realised before, had been too focused on herself to realise his joking comment when she first broached the topic had been his attempt to hide his actual thoughts.
And she knew marrying Killian would be different to marrying Graham. She really did love him, she wouldn't be standing in front of her family and friends and lying to them, she'd just be letting everyone know that they were together and in love, and that she had chosen him to be at her side, whether she was ruling the kingdom or sailing the seas.
And she wanted that.
"Killian?" she whispered, placing her palm on his cheek and holding his gaze. "If you want it, you can ask me. I'll say yes."
He swallowed, his hand tightening around hers. "Emma?" he breathed, searching her gaze for a few moments. Then his eyes widened, his tongue darting out nervously. "Marry me?"
She beamed at him, her smile shaky. "Yes. I'll marry you. Someday."
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to marry me right now." He said with a hoarse chuckle, running a finger across the ring. "But someday sounds marvellous."
She watched him, gazing at him as he looked down at the ring, her thumb stroking his cheek. They were silent, Emma certain that both of them were still processing what had happened.
"But, Emma, you said before that you never wanted to get married?" he said eventually, raising his head to stare at her, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What I thought marriage was… I just know that with you, it would be different." she explained, "I didn't think about what I was saying before, about how things had changed since I met you."
"If I'd known," Killian murmured. "I'd have been more eloquent. I would have said more about how much I love you and how meeting you changed my life. I'd have given you a ring that fitted. A prettier ring."
"It was perfect and I like this ring." she said with a laugh, snatching her hand back in case he tried to take the ring back. "I don't want a different one."
He reached for her hand, raising it to his lips for a lingering kiss. "One day, sweetheart, we're going to wake up and decide to get married." He told her and she nodded at him, beaming down at him. "And we'll take Henry, and Dave, and Jukes, and your mother, and we'll just do it. After all, we said no more planning, right?"
And maybe that wasn't the big wedding her mother had planned for her, one with dignitaries and people she didn't know and a ball, but it sounded absolutely perfect.
And she wanted it more than anything.
She wanted him more than anything.
"Killian?" she hummed, pulling her hand from his so she could cup his face insistently. "We just got engaged. Please kiss me."
His gaze darkened, his whole expression hungry, and then he surged upwards to capture her lips with his, gripping at her waist and hauling her close, She pressed closer, her tongue running across the seam of his lips until he opened his mouth to her, kissed her fiercely.
And then she pulled away, disentangling herself from him so she could crawl back to the head of bed, twisting back to face him with a coy smile. which only widened when she saw the want in his eyes.
"Are you going to join me, sailor?" she asked, curling her index finger and gesturing him over.
He nodded, and Emma burst into a laugh when he clambered over to her, clumsy in his eagerness, the laughter stopping when he kissed her, his hand tangling in her hair, breaking away from her to press open-mouthed kisses down her neck, Emma trying to kiss him back whenever she could.
And then he looked up at her, bending his head to undo the strings of her shirt with his teeth, Emma's breath growing shallow, but then she was tugging at his shirt, the two of them breaking apart only so they could rid each other of their clothes. Then he pounced, Emma laughing again when his fingers brushed the back of her knee, when he kissed the inside of her thigh.
She was overwhelmed by her senses , the two of them kissing clumsily, brushing her own fingers against his side until he was laughing too, and then he was pressing down against her and she could feel all of him, too much, not enough, his fingers skimming her body, mouth hot on her breast, Emma clawing at his back and tugging at his hair until he raised his head and stared at her.
"I love you." She whispered. "I'm in love with you. I can't remember what it was like not loving you."
Killian smiled, reached for her hand and brushed his thumb across her ring finger, tangling their fingers together. And then he murmured the same words back, spoke them into her skin as he nuzzled his head into the curve of her neck.
It was too much, Emma writhing underneath him until he glanced back up at her and she could kiss him, mouths meeting furiously. And then he was sliding into her, Emma arching into him, her hands scrambling to find somewhere to hold onto him, hold him to her, until they fell apart, his weight heavy on her as he pressed slow, lazy kisses to her cheek, her shoulder, her lips.
And then he rolled off her and tugged her to his side, arm around her waist, and sighed. "If your father wasn't already going to kill me, he definitely will now."
"You're seriously thinking of my father right now?" she asked, still breathless, easily fitting her body against his. "Now?"
Killian chuckled, pressing one more kiss to her temple. "I can't help worrying for my life, sweetheart. Not when I've got so much to live for."
And Emma remembered the way he had been so ready to die when they met, how everything had changed for both of them, and she needed to kiss him again, have him again, so she straddled him, settled over his hips, bent down to press her lips to his. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to distract you."
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! If you did, reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for all the favourites and story alerts! I'd like to thank the-art-of-escape, Malzkenobi, Rachie1940, erienne2, LadaHathaway, buffybabe42, ScapeArtist and CSdisneylover for reviewing and BlackDragon733 for betaing!
Also, the story Jukes tells is an actual fairy tale, so I'm not going to take credit for that. I just abridged it quite a lot.