Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Once Upon A Time. ABC, Disney, and whoever else have that distinction No profit is being made, and no copywrite infringement in intended.

AN: Rating bumped up to T cause Hook really is a walking innuendo, and I always rate things on the safe side. Thanks so much for the comments on the first part, I hope the conclusion lives up to your expectations. Reviews are welcome as always, either kudos or constructive criticisms. Fingers crossed that this week's episode will have another wonderful CS scene, cause I'm really getting into writing one of these after each episode.

Greater Compliment

by Lady Callista

OoOoOoOoO

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved" -George MacDonald

OoOoOoOoO

The kiss grew and their bodies shifted again, gravitating back toward each other until they were pressed together from chest to hip. Her fingers were still wrapped around his hook, her other hand still over his heart. His hand slid up her back until his fingers were tangled in her hair, and she melted into him when his hand fisted and urged her head sideways to deepen the kiss.

He'd been so gentle the other times they kissed, passionate yes, Emma's mind drifted happily to that first kiss in Neverland, passionate yet tender, almost sweet. Despite the fact that he was basically a walking innuendo he hadn't pushed her in the slightest, which was something she hadn't thought she'd ever be able to say about Captain Hook. He claimed to be a gentleman, in the old sense of the word, and indeed he was.

Or had been until now.

This kiss was different, and Emma felt herself being swept away in the passion of it as their bodies slid together like never before, and his hand swept down her back to cup her ass, urging her closer. Their tongues fought for dominance as the kiss grew more and more heated, and she began to feel lightheaded from its duration.

She had the errant thought that she had already thought he kissed better than any man she had ever kissed, and he was currently setting a personal best.

When the kiss finally broke Emma found her forehead falling forward to land on his shoulder as she gasped for breath. His own breath was harsh in her ear, and for a long moment they did nothing but hold each other and relearn how to breath.

"I can't promise my patience if we keep this up, luv." His voice was a husky whisper, and she could feel his body trembling slightly as he fought for control. His hand jerked to rest on the safer territory of her hip as if he had only now realized where it had been.

"Right this second I don't want your patience." Emma whispered without thought, then realized what she had said and took a deep breath. As good an idea as it seemed at the moment, Emma knew it would be a disaster to move this quickly. Well, maybe quickly was the wrong word given how long they'd been dancing around each other, but... but this phase of their relationship had really only just begun, and... His body tensing in her arms reminded her that her thoughts were running away from her again, and she sighed when she felt his head turn enough to drop a kiss on her temple.

"Emma." He whispered her name like a prayer, and when he murmured huskily in her ear Emma felt a shiver run down her spine, "Do you want the gentleman or the pirate?"

Emma forced herself to open her eyes, to raise her head and slide part of the way out of his arms. What she wanted and what was wise were two different things, but for an instant she let herself imagine what would happen if she stayed, because that was what he was really asking.

It had been quite a while since she'd been with a man, and she was aching with desire from what had already passed between them. And if the fireworks just from his kiss were any indication, well, when they did finally come together it was going to be extraordinary, but... "I want you. I want to stay but, but I shouldn't. Not yet, I'm sorry but not yet." His mention of the pirate made her want to bring up the hook again, but she decided to leave it for tonight, to let him think about what she had said. She knew from the way he had kissed her after she kissed his hook that she had already removed some of his fear, and if she wanted patience from him it was only fair to offer it in return.

"You don't have to be sorry, luv." Killian's voice was still deep, still had the breathlessness that made him sound even sexier than normal, although she would never tell him that. "I want you to stay, but you're right, not yet."

Emma took another step back, but didn't release her hold on his hook. His hand reached out as she moved back, and their fingers slid together. "Goodnight, Killian."

"Swan..." His eyes stayed locked on the only two points of contact left between them for a long moment, and when he looked up to meet her eyes it was with his heart and soul bared to her in the watery depths of his own. "Emma, before you go, help me take it off?"

He had whispered the question, but she understood it was more an offer than a request. "You're sure?" She had never thought she would be the one asking him that.

His face went so blank even she couldn't read him. "Well, if you don't want to..."

"It's not that." Even without him giving her any clues, she knew him well enough to know what he was trying to do and cut him off. "What I said earlier, what I meant was you don't need to flinch when I touch you." She ran her fingers along his hook, tracing one of the leather straps that went up his arm and resting her hand over his heart again. It was hard to feel through the thick leather coat, which was why she had never really noticed before, but now that she was thinking about it the leather strap wasn't hard to trace. "You don't have to be ashamed, and you don't have to wonder if I'm disgusted by it. I wasn't trying to get you to take such a huge step tonight, and I'm not sure you shirtless is conducive to me leaving."

Killian's smirk reached his eyes as her voice turned teasing, and he allowed her to lighten the mood briefly, something that he normally did yet he could very much appreciate her returning. "Afraid the sight of me shirtless will shatter all of your control?"

"Maybe there's not much of it left by this point." Emma whispered, blushing.

"Well, I can take the brace off meself obviously, but it really is easier to have help, Smee used to do it for me, and, well... I trust you."

Try something new, darling, it's called trust.

That's what you think this is about, that I don't trust you? Of course I trust you!

She smiled, knowing enough of his past to know how rarely he said that to anyone. Knowing it was as hard for him to trust people as it was for her. "Killian, I'm not lying, I really have seen..."

"It's different." He interrupted her softly, dropping her hand to ghost his fingers over her cheek, smiling when she leaned into his touch. "It's like if I'd accidentally walked in on you shirtless; while I certainly wouldn't object it's not the same as you letting me undress you."

Emma rolled that thought around in her head for a moment before nodding in understanding. "I'm still leaving once I help you."

"My word as a gentleman, I won't let you ravish me tonight." His eyes were teasing, but turned serious as he added, "It really is easier with help, Swan, it doesn't have to be more than that."

"But it is." She smiled gently. "Show me what to do."

Killian's hand slid from her cheek to take her hand, wrapping her fingers around his hook again, leaving his hand over hers. "Hold tight."

Emma tightened her grip as she felt him starting to twist his wrist, and a second later his hand dropped away from hers as well, leaving her touching nothing but the hook, which detached from him with a soft click. She kept her voice soft, but needed to fill the sudden silence before it turned awkward. "I still remember the first time we met, the first time I saw this. All four of us ladies saw you without it, and it didn't seem to bother you then."

"It was necessary," Killian said softly, "And well, remember what I said about not caring what strangers thought. Besides, it's not just being without the hook, more than the four of you have seen that over the years, not always by my choice."

The brief hardening in his eyes spoke of painful memories she hoped he would share with her one day, but for now she simply set the hook on the closest flat surface and reached up to push his coat off of his shoulders.

He let it fall unceremoniously to the ground, taking a deep breath and rolling his shoulders as the weight fell away. "It's not the lack of the hook itself, it's seeing the wound, seeing how my arm..."

"Hospital." Emma reminded him gently, seeing the trepidation in his eyes as her hands moved to the buckles of his vest and made quick work of them.

"Still not the same, luv." He insisted, yet he made no move to stop her when she pushed the vest from his shoulders as well.

Yet again she was the one who lightened the mood, sliding her fingers under his still untucked shirt to run her fingernails lightly up and down his back, smirking when he shivered. "Stop worrying about your arm and focus on the fact that I'm undressing you."

"That would be easier if I was returning the favor." Killian grinned back, his eyes twinkling in a way that showed he was teasing, at least mostly.

She concentrated on the fact that his body had relaxed at her words, and let him see the understanding and promise in her eyes as she started to push his shirt up. "Soon."

Rather than raising his arms to assist her, he gently captured her hands in his own and moved them away. Emma opened her mouth to reassure him again, but before she could speak he made a tsking sound and presented both arms to her, at chest height and with his wrists turned up. She smiled in embarrassment -so she'd never undressed a pirate before, most people hadn't- as she saw how tightly the wrists of the shirt were laced. It would have been like trying to pull off a man's dress shirt without unbuttoning the cuffs, she thought as she slowly untied and loosened the laces.

His words confirmed it, and the familiar flirting tone made her embarrassment fade away as she realized all the fear was gone from his eyes. "This may not be the romantic scene I've imagined, but let's not turn it into a farce."

"What do you imagine?" Emma asked with a wicked smile as she finished with the cuffs, and this time when she lifted his shirt he cooperated with her to remove it.

His face was lost in the shirt for a moment, and when it reappeared it was sporting a wicked grin, a heat in his eyes that promised all sorts of naughty things. For a moment, as she let her eyes trace over his physique, she wanted everything those eyes promised.

"I'd rather not spoil the surprise, daring. I'd rather wait until I can show you."

"Soon." She promised back, pulling her eyes from his and running them over the contraption on his arm and shoulder, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to push down her desire. It seemed vaguely similar to a shoulder holster, though obviously with a different design as it had a different purpose. She saw a buckle at the shoulder and reached for it. "Here?"

He nodded, face still calm and trusting. Emma grasped the buckle, found the tension on it enough that it took her both hands to undo it. "How do you do it by yourself?" She wondered aloud as she opened it, watching as he shrugged out of the shoulder part of the harness, his hand automatically catching the brace before it slid down his arm.

"Practice, and me teeth." He said with a grin, locking his eyes on hers, delaying for a moment as he quipped, "I can do all sorts of things with my mouth that most men would never think of."

She grinned back, leaning up to kiss him softly even as her hands slid around his on the brace, gently pulling it down and setting it on the table next to his hook.

This kiss had none of the urgency and fire of their earlier ones, and it wasn't so much her body thrumming as her heart. They both slid back at the same time, and Emma smiled softly at him before looking down at his arm, tracing the faint lines the leather left in his skin, seeing the thickened skin around the base, white and red with a mixture of scars and irritation from the leather cap. She couldn't imagine the pain he had endured.

Compassion swirling through her, Emma raised the limb to her lips, starting at his elbow and leaving a light trail of kisses all the way up to what was left of his wrist.

"Emma."

It was a breathless whisper, and she left her lips on the curve of the stump as she raised her eyes to his. His hand came up to cup her cheek, and she kissed the stump once again before tilting her head to kiss his palm the exact same way. She spoke with her breath still ghosting warm over his palm, "It really doesn't matter to me."

"Thank you." Killian's voice swirled with emotions, and they both knew he was thanking her for much more than just her help.

"Thank you." Her smile was gentle, and she tilted forward to drop a kiss on the angry red mark the buckle had left on his shoulder.

"If you want to leave, lass, you really should do it now." His eyes were heating up again, but his tone still teasing, "Because I promised to not let you ravish me tonight, but it's getting really difficult to remain a gentleman here."

"I'm going." Emma raised up on her toes to kiss him lightly, "Meet me downstairs for breakfast tomorrow? Around 9?"

"As you wish." Killian removed his hands from her and took a small step back, his head tilting as her eyes lit with mirth and she started to smile before she could stop herself. "Why do you always smirk when I say that?" Curiosity lit his eyes.

Emma blushed and looked down, answering before she lost her nerve, "It's from a movie, a, a story in this world. Although come to think of it for all I know it's not a story but real as well. As you wish is one of the most famous lines from the story, only it really means something else."

"What does it mean?"

She avoided the question. "We really need to get around to that Netflix marathon. Although I don't know if you'll love or hate the one that particular quote is from."

Amusement shown at her evasion, and he shook his head as he leaned in to kiss her lightly. "What does it mean, luv?"

Emma grinned, backing up to the door and opening it. "It's said by a boy, to a princess." She winked at him as she left the room. "And it means he's not ready to say a certain three words yet, so he uses other ones instead. I'll see you tomorrow."

She started to close the door even as she saw the realization dawning on his face as to what she meant, and just before the door clicked shut those three words whispered through it.

THE END

AN2: Oh, and for the person who asked: Yes, all of my stories are cannon friendly, and all of them can go together. Reading one will never be necessary to understand another, but since they're sort of my head cannon there may be references to other stories. Plus if you like one you'll probably like the others. ;) (of course there is a chance that as new episodes air something in one of my stories will go against cannon, but I'll cross that bridge if I come to it)