A/N: Thanks to the wonderful beta efforts and prodding of lenfaz, Mona and KG. Hope you're all enjoying the ride.
The lines on the highway blurred and seemed to melt into each other. Killian jerked his head up and strained to keep his eyelids from drooping closed. He found it increasingly difficult to keep his head from slumping forward, practically nodding off as he steered.
The dim lights of a motel caught his eye and he signaled to pull off the road. Emma raised her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"Why are we stopping?" she mumbled.
"I can't keep my eyes open and we can stop here and split a room."
The roadside motel appeared rundown and at best sketchy, but there was no way Killian could continue driving safely. They scraped together the cash for the last available room and checked in for the night. When Killian unlocked the door, only one dingy bed greeted them. Emma shuffled in, dead tired and dropped her bag next to it. Killian placed his knapsack on the bed, unzipped it and grabbed his toothbrush and sleeping clothes.
"Dibs on the bathroom." he murmured. Emma seemed too tired to argue. He trudged into the small bathroom and picked his way around the unidentifiable stain on the floor.
The toothbrush dangled from his mouth and he saw an exhausted shadow of himself reflected in the mirror. He splashed his face after rinsing his mouth, and ran his hands down his face. An entire day spent cramped in the car with Jefferson and Emma had taken its toll. He peeled off his jeans and contentedly slipped into his worn and comfortable pair of grey sweat pants. His favorite flannel dropped to the floor while he pulled a college t-shirt from freshman year over his aching shoulders. That lone bed called his name. He braced himself to face Emma, suspecting she wouldn't be willing to share it.
Silence had pervaded the Volvo since they'd dropped off Jefferson. Killian's futile attempts to engage Emma in conversation were met with one word answers. She seemed unwilling to reveal any more about herself; just the tidbit that she was making this trek to surprise her boyfriend. She was so guarded; he hadn't dared to ask about her family. She'd spent the past couple of hours dozing in the passenger seat next to him.
Killian smoothed his shirt down over his stomach and exited the bathroom. He padded across to his bag and folded his jeans on top of it, then rounded the bed where Emma was propped against the headboard. Her head was bent over her phone, scrolling through messages. A lock of hair swung down across her face and he fought the compulsion to tuck it back behind her ear, but knew she'd take his hand off if he made any move toward her.
She looks relaxed. She was unaware that he was watching her. He pulled back the covers and clambered onto his side. How am I going to get her to share the bed?
"Look Swan, I'm beat and just really need a good night's sleep."
She looked over at him sharply, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to bed." he explained. This wasn't going well. Where else was he supposed to sleep if she was unwilling to share? A nightmare scenario of sleeping in the car flashed through his head. He'd already spent too much time in that thing.
"Not with me you're not!" The slight note of panic set off alarm bells in his head. He could see her erecting a mile high barricade to keep him at arm's length. He knew he grated on her nerves, knew he was the last person she wanted to be traveling across the country with. If he had any chance of getting a decent night's sleep he was going to have to take a stand and hope she put a tiny bit of trust into him.
He suspected they had a great deal more in common than she would like to admit. He'd noted her look of longing when she'd seen the family photos at Jefferson's. He sensed that she, like him, didn't have much family to count on; especially if she wasn't traveling home for winter break.
He collected himself, and put on his most rational voice. The last thing he wanted to do was end up sprawled on the dirty carpet when there was a perfectly soft mattress right here. "I'm not going to bed with you; I'm going to bed in a bed that you happen to also occupy." Killian sat back against the headboard; he hoped she would give him the benefit of the doubt.
"A gentleman would offer to the take the floor," she gave him a pointed look, insinuating that he should be the one to capitulate. He looked distastefully at the floor. This was proving quite the challenge.
"Well I'm tired, don't want to argue, and I'm always a gentleman." He kept his voice level, but the fact that she wouldn't trust him not try anything had him clenching his jaw. It was bad form to assume he couldn't behave himself.
Emma huffed loudly, "I guess I'll take the floor then."
"You don't have to sleep on the floor," he muttered in aggravation.
God this woman was stubborn. It appeared that there was no way she was going to back down.
She stood up and looked at him exasperatedly. "Do you intend to sleep in the bed?"
"Aye," his own stubborn defense mechanism kicked in and he covered up his hurt with bravado. It stung that she thought so lowly of him.
I'm not going to lose this standoff.
"Then I intend to sleep on the floor…" Emma grabbed the pillow and yanked it out from behind him, causing his skull to smack the wooden headboard with a dull thud.
"Ow!" he rubbed the back of head in pain. Tough lass, he was now certain she'd kick his ass if he made any gesture towards her.
Emma turned to stomp off and stubbed her toe on the leg of the bed. "Ow!"
Killian held in a chuckle, serves her stubborn arse right.
"It's not funny!"
He couldn't help but continue to snicker at the ridiculous situation.
"You know Emma; I'm not such a bad guy."
Her silence spoke volumes. He gave her a soft "Goodnight," before turning over to click off the bedside lamp. Her feet made shuffling sounds as she navigated through the dark into the bathroom.
The lumpy pillow needed a few good punches to cradle his head while he burrowed beneath the covers. Emma Swan had to be the most stubborn person he'd ever met. He had to admit that when he'd gone to the library for tutoring he'd been more interested in her than in editing his paper. She was all business though, walls thrown up, deflecting his advances left and right.
I do love a challenge.
Emma Swan looked to be one and he'd spend the rest of the trek west trying to win her trust.
The pillow at her back helped pad where she leaned against the headboard. The most recent email from Neal was two days old. He'd been lax in answering her cheerful messages. On more than one occasion she'd almost texted that she was on her way across the country to see him, but then she'd erased the message.
I want to surprise him, but why do I get the feeling he's pulling away from me?
That niggling self-doubt kept cropping up. Her brow furrowed as she went back over some of his most recent messages.
Killian's soft voice interrupted her musings. "Look Swan, I'm beat and just really need a good night's sleep."
She looked up from her phone. He'd pulled back the covers and settled onto the mattress next to her. Her eyes traveled over his baggy sweat pants as he plumped the pillow and stretched out his legs.
"What do you think you're doing?" she braced herself for what was sure to end up with them bickering.
He looked at her in confusion. "I'm going to bed." His hair flopped down across his forehead, his eyes red and tired looking.
He can't think I'm going to let him cuddle up next to me. I barely know him.
"Not with me you're not!" Brick by brick she'd kept her walls up between them. If she was prickly enough, maybe he'd give up and abandon the attempts at friendship he seemed to be offering.
"I'm not going to bed with you, I'm going to bed in a bed that you happen to also occupy." he leaned back against the headboard. She averted her gaze, and tried not to notice how his t-shirt stretched across his chest.
Why did he have to be so infuriating AND attractive at the same time?
"A gentleman would offer to the take the floor." She hoped that he'd take the hint and not make this more difficult by flirting or crowding into her personal space. Dark circles shadowed his eyes and she felt a pang of guilt for suggesting he take the floor, but she just wasn't ready to trust him.
"Well I'm tired, don't want to argue, and I'm always a gentleman." His voice trailed off almost to a whisper. He wasn't budging from his place on the bed and from the muscle tic in his jaw he was not backing down from this challenge.
"I guess I'll take the floor then." Emma was steadfast on her decision. She wasn't about to let anyone behind her walls.
"You don't have to sleep on the floor," he growled at her and pinned her with his gaze.
She stood up and looked at him exasperatedly. "Do you intend to sleep in the bed?"
"Aye," defiance flashed in his eyes.
"Then I intend to sleep on the floor…" she was angry with herself for letting him get to her. The only way she could see to keep any shred of dignity was to grab the pillow he was leaning on. She ripped it with more gusto than she intended and had to mask the chagrin from her face when he banged his head and yelped.
There was very little space to run in this room, so she did her best to retreat, accidentally kicking the metal leg of the bed. The pain shot up her foot and she couldn't contain her own yelp of pain.
Damnit, I look like a stubborn idiot now.
She heard him snicker quietly.
"It's not funny!" She tried to cover her embarrassment with her angry retort.
"You know Emma; I'm not such a bad guy."
She knew he wasn't a bad guy, but she just wasn't ready to let her guard down.
He gave her a soft "Goodnight." before he turned over to click off the bedside lamp.
Killian was dead tired; he tossed and turned as his guilt weighed on him. Emma had finally settled on the floor at the end of the bed. The steady rhythm of her breathing had grown longer, more relaxed, clueing him in that she'd drifted off.
He flipped onto his back - damn you and your stubbornness, Swan.
His patience at its end, he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and gathered his comforter into a bundle. He shuffled towards where he could just make out the outline of her sleeping form. She was huddled in a tight ball, wrapped around the pillow she'd yanked from him. He quietly reached out and spread the comforter over her body.
Satisfied that she'd at least be warm in her slumber, he crawled back up under the sheets to collapse into a fitful sleep.
Emma blearily opened her eyes and winced at the pain in her neck from her night spent curled up on the floor.
How'd I get wrapped up in this comforter?
Killian must have covered her up after she'd stubbornly refused to share the bed. She stretched and noticed the bed was already partially made with no sign of Killian. She stumbled into the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up for another day trapped in the car with Jones.
Where is he?
He didn't seem like the type to be a morning person. She opened the door out to the parking lot, just in time to see Killian hop out of the Volvo and pop the trunk to load up their bags.
He raised his eyes as she approached; as she got closer he bent down to grab a brown paper bag and a large coffee. He held them out to her, his lips quirked up in a tentative smile.
"You are a lifesaver!" she breathed as she wrapped her hands around the cup and inhaled the steam rising from the small plastic opening.
"I didn't want to face you before you ingested caffeine in the morning." Emma had to admit, he read her well.
Maybe he is smarter than I give him credit for.
He stepped back, holding the door open for her gesturing for her to slide in. "Ladies first…"
Emma peered at him suspiciously, but slid into the passenger seat, while she clutched her coffee like a lifeline. He slipped behind the wheel as she reached into the bag and produced a bagel drenched in cream cheese.
Emma's stomach growled loud enough to illicit a glance from Killian.
"Thanks." she mumbled. "Where'd you get this?"
"There's a diner on the other side of the motel." he nodded his head at the place across the parking lot. "Ready to hit the road Swan?"
She nodded around a mouthful of bagel and Killian set the Volvo back out onto the road headed west.
"Did you cover me up with that blanket?"
"Aye," he wouldn't look at her, just continued to keep his eyes glued to the highway.
"Thank you," she quietly acknowledged his gesture.
He really is proving to be a nice guy.
They'd crossed through the rest of Illinois and were headed towards the flat boring miles of Iowa and Nebraska. A decent night's sleep seemed to improve both of their moods.
I wonder if plying her with coffee and food has softened her stance towards me.
If he'd made any headway his next challenge was to get her to at least crack a smile at him.
"So Swan, care to indulge in a game of I Spy or 20 Questions to pass the time?"
He noticed her glance toward him while he steered the car. If he teased her long enough he might break through that wall. There were miles and miles of nothing but corn fields, so he may as well entertain himself somehow.
"No? How about 'Count the corn stalks?'" He raised an eyebrow at her. She responded with an eye roll.
I'm making progress.
"Cow tipping?" he suggested.
That garnered a snort from her.
"Swan, was that a laugh?"
"You're an idiot," she responded, but he felt a wave of triumph wash through him at the grin he saw on her face.