AN: I love captain swan, but I think I love lieutenant duckling even more. So here's a nice little scene between the two of them. I read another fanfic that I adore, and I think all of my readers should check it out. The author is DancingDoula and the story is An Age Cannot Sate Love. It's great so check it out!
KILLIAN POV
Waiting for Emma to show up outside the shop that night was the worst waiting period of his life. Each passing moment that she didn't show felt like it was hours instead, each one giving him time to reflect on his actions that led them to this moment. He had battled internally with himself for weeks as to whether or not he should confess his feelings for her. Everything he said was true, he loved her. Thoughts of her green eyes and blonde hair had his heart racing again and he checked the position of the moon for the millionth time that night to notice that hardly any time had passed. He prayed to whatever gods or god was out there that she would come to him tonight. He didn't know what would come of their night if she did decide to give what they had a chance, but that chance with her is all he wanted.
She had to show up, had to. There was no way she didn't feel the same way for him. His lips were still warm and tingling from their kiss. He'd been holding back for far too long and when he was finally able to kiss her, he may have went a little overboard. He would never regret kissing her, even though she was engaged to be married. He had to fight for her. If she married Graham without knowing how he felt about her, had he kept his damned mouth shut, he couldn't have stayed here. He would've jumped onto the next ship and ran.
Around what he would guess was midnight, he heard someone coming down the path from the palace and his heart soared. Listening intently, he heard them curse as they stumbled on something hidden by darkness. He didn't dare say anything, on the off chance that it wasn't her.
"Killian? Are you here?" he heard her whisper through the darkness, "ouch, shit. Killian?!" she said this time a little louder.
"Emma! I'm by the door." He said turning in the direction her voice was coming from and walking slowly towards her. He couldn't see anything and in the dark he bumped into her, almost knocking her over. He felt rather than saw her falling and caught her by the arm, helping her with her balance again, and then the realization hit him that she was really here.
"You came." He said more surprised than anything. But she didn't answer him, she stepped closer to him, stood on her toes and kissed him. It took a few seconds for him to respond, and once he was their mouths began to move in synchronization as he felt her tongue against his bottom lip. This kiss was unlike the one before; it was gentle and hesitant, testing the waters. He chuckled into her mouth and bit her bottom lip reaching up to stroke her cheek as he slowly pulled away; very much unwillingly. "Emma, keep that up and the plans I have for the night are ruined, love." He said picking a leaf out of her hair from her hike.
"So now what?" she asked him after a few moments.
"I want to show you around my ship. I'll get a blanket, and we can have a night under the stars." He said dropping her hand and going towards the door.
"Wait, wont there be people on the ship?" she asked him.
"No, it's still an early night for the sailors. The taverns don't close for another few hours and some of them won't be spending the night on the ship, if you know what I mean." He walked back inside and grabbed a blanket off his bed and pulled the door shut quietly behind him. The last thing he needed was to wake Gepetto. When he stepped outside, he reached out and found her in the same place. Intertwining their fingers, he led her into town and towards the docks. The night was chilly, but not a cloud one to be seen. A light breeze lifted his hair every so often, and he could see the stars and all the constellations perfectly. The walk into the little port town didn't take any time at all, and by the time the pair arrived, there was still plenty going on. As they got closer, they were able to see more clearly and he glanced over at her, being able to appreciate her beauty for the first time that night. She wore black pants and boots with a loose fitting white shirt under a blue vest, and her beautiful golden curls were tied back behind her head with a single braid behind ear. She noticed his observations after a moment,
"What?" she asked regarding his inspection of her warily.
"You are truly beautiful Emma." He said making her blush. He rubbed his thumb over her hand, as the sound of music and laughter filled their ears. The town was still alive with people, mostly sailors in the taverns for the night as they rest after a long voyage. An occasional bottle smash could be heard over the merriment as one of them got a little too excited. They walked together hand in hand towards the ship that Killian instructed was the one he served under. As they walked he told her stories of the adventures of his first voyage.
"Tell me about Neverland," she said, "and don't leave anything out. I want to hear everything about your adventures."
"Part of the magic was how we actually got there. When I was shown the map we were to be using, I was confused, because the stars and constellations were some I'd never seen before. When they unfurled the Pegasus sail, it was entirely made of feathers from the horse from legend, and before I knew it we were in the air. Second star to the right, and straight on 'till morning, is what we were instructed. The island, it was beautiful. We didn't realize at the time the danger we had put ourselves in, going to that cursed island." He told her. "The plants that covered the island were some that he'd never heard of or seen before and they learned quickly that the more beautiful they were, the more deadly. They were so bright, and appealing to the eye. Several of them let loose a poison dart if you happened to step on any of its leaves that lay on the ground. Others bloomed to show a mouthful of prickly teeth that fed on the gargantuan insects that inhabited the island. The island itself was magic," he recalled. "There were mermaids… beautiful and more appealing to sailors than even rum on a long voyage, for they offered what they all wanted, a woman. When they get sailors in their clutches, they drag them below to their deaths. They had the most beautiful voices, and they would sing to us to make us forget about everything. We lost two men that way, their song got to them before they could be restrained and they went overboard. We lost another to a plant called dream shade; a root that we didn't know was poison until Allister pricked his finger on it; that's it, just a prick of his finger. When he started screaming we watched blackness travel from his finger, up his arm, across his chest to his heart. I still hear his screams at night. It was terrible, but none of them were as bad as the inhabitants. The Lost Boys, they called themselves. Following one single ruler named Peter Pan. He had a cult like following with the boys, all of them orphans who had been taken from their beds by the shadow of the island. They truly belonged to Pan once they realized that they couldn't get home or see their family again. They were all so young, Emma," he said shaking his head. "The magic from the island prevents them from aging and some of them had been there so long, they didn't even remember when they got there. Pan terrorized us the whole voyage, about how we could've saved our crew, telling us which plants were safe to be around, but it was lies. He's a manipulative and conniving little devil. We fought with the Lost Boys so many times. One time, they jumped us just as we set camp for the night. I had been out hunting, so I had a weapon in my hands, it was a long sphere we had carved from one of the trees. I was returning from the hunt when I started hearing the cries and yells of the boys. I started running and I could see the shadows as they ran in front of our fire. When I came into the clearing I didn't know what was happening. I still had the weapon in my hands, and it happened so fast I didn't even know I did it. One of them was charging the Captain, and I didn't think. I threw the sphere and it went right through the poor boy." He looked at her, "Emma, I didn't mean to kill him, but he intended to kill my captain. He must have been one of Pan's favorites, because after he died, Pan charged me yelling his name. His name was Felix. Pan was angry so his movements were sloppy as we fought, and as a result, I was able to hold my own against him. Once the other lost boys had been rid of their weapons and he knew he was beaten he dropped the dagger he used. We let them go, on agreement that they would leave us be. They held up their end of the bargain after and that they left us alone, and we vacated the island a few days later."
After telling the story of how he essentially murdered a young boy, he looked at her expecting to see disgust behind her eyes, but instead he saw worry etched into her features.
"I thought you said the trip was fine."
"I didn't want you to worry about me, so I left a lot out." He shrugged.
The slap that followed that shrug was probably heard at the castle. With his cheek stinging he looked at her, stunned, "What the bloody hell was that for?!" he asked.
"For lying to me!" she yelled, "I had a funny feeling in my stomach when I read the letter saying you were back from that realm and that all was fine."
"You had a lot going on here, and I was aware of that, lass. I didn't want to add to your worries, but I'm fine. Better than fine because we have this whole night to ourselves. "He said smiling. "We're here. This is her." He said pointing to their left to the ship he'd already come to love. The bright white paint on her hull labeling her as The Jewel of the Realm. As Emma took her in, he gently led her up the gang plank and onto the deck, loving her face as she took in all the sights of the beautiful vessel. She truly was a sight to behold. With her sails neatly furled for the night, the slight sway of her body rocking with the waves of the ocean and the constant salty ocean breeze giving them a slight chill, he realized he was meant to be on the sea. When he looked down at Emma and saw her staring out into the vast ocean, he realized she fit in; right beside him.
He put a blanket down across the deck and sat, tapping the space next to him indicating for her to join him. She did and he gently lay down to gaze up at the constellations that he had learned to navigate by.
"You know any stories about them? The stars I mean." She asked him laying back to join him.
"I know several," he pointed to a cluster directly above them "that one there is called Andromeda. The story goes that there was a princess of a foreign land was punished because her mother boasted so greatly of her beauty, offending the god of the sea. He sent a sea monster to capture her, and tied her to the rocks by the ocean awaiting high tide. A hero spotted her and saved her, as a reward, the family was given a place among the stars." He pointed to one close to it, "that one there is the mother, and as a punishment for her pride she is upside down in the sky."
"That one looks like a rabbit." She said pointing to a different one.
"Ah yes, that one was set among them for a constant chase between the hare," he pointed to the rabbit, "a dog," he pointed again, "and the hunter."
"You know a lot about them." She laughed.
"I use them to navigate. Makes it more interesting to know the actual stories behind them, I think."
She grabbed his hand and tangled their fingers together. He rolled onto his side to look at her, and asked her the one question that had been burning a hole in the back of his mind, "Emma, do you want to marry Graham?"
EMMA POV
She'd been expecting the question all night, but when it came out it still surprised her,
"I'm not going to say I don't have feelings for him. I do, he's been there for me my whole life and I know he could make me happy, but…"
"But…?" he urged.
She took a deep breath, "When he proposed, you're the first person I thought of. I saw you when I looked at him." She said honestly. Looking away in embarrassment, she felt his hands come under her chin to look him in his eyes.
"They why did you say yes?"
She thought about it. "I knew he'd be there for me, no matter what, and he is a really good man. I do care about him. " She answered.
"Do you love him, Emma?"
"I don't know! I don't know how to explain how I feel. I know I want to love him."
"What makes you think he's your true love? You and I both know your mother and father wouldn't want you to marry him unless he was."
"There are different types of true love. With him I feel content, and overall I do feel happy with him." Even as she said the words, they felt wrong and left a bad taste in her mouth.
They sat in silence for a few moments, their hands still intertwined and the rocking of the Jewel about to lull her off to sleep.
"Have you thought about what I told you today?" he asked her.
She'd thought of nothing else all day, to be honest. His declaration to her earlier that day is the only thing that had her doubting her decision to marry Graham…. In one week, "I have." She answered.
"Well…." He pressed looking hopeful.
"I love you, too."
He didn't hesitate. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he attacked her, his mouth pressing hard into hers. Those feelings from before all came rushing back to her as she kissed him back with everything in her. Their kiss at the beginning of the night was timid and unsure, not this one. With this he kissed her with everything in him, and she could feel how much he loved her. Taking her hands and raking them up his back she felt him shudder, so she did it again. Their mouths were battling for control of the kiss when she rolled him onto his back, catching him by surprise and using her mouth to open his and grabbing him by the collar again to get him closer. She needed more, needed him closer. She felt him wrap his hands around her waist, and moan her name, and it wasn't until he did that did they hear them coming.
They stopped simultaneously and looked up, hearing voices and noticing that the voices were getting closer.
"Damn. It's the crew, come on." He said pulling her up and taking her below, just as they heard footsteps coming up the plank and onto the deck. They hid in a closet in a hallway, a closet so small that they were pressed up against each other and all she could smell was Killian. He smelled like spice and ocean and him.
They could hear the voices above them still, and they heard them stop as they found the blanket they left above.
"What the hell is this?" one of them asked.
"You idiot it's a blanket, but whose is it?"
"I don't really care, I'm beat and that hammock is callin' me name." one of them said as they listened to him come closer and walk down the steps. She felt Killian place a hand against her mouth as they heard him walk by, grumbling about some bar wench. The whole situation caused her to giggle, and in the tight spaces, he must have heard her.
"Who's there?" he asked.
She felt Killian place his hand tighter against his mouth and he stopped breathing. She felt brave and daring, so she moved his hand from her mouth and crashed her lips against his for the second time that night. He was caught completely off guard and he let out a slight moan and she took control of his open mouth with hers. They had only kissed four times since he'd been back, but she didn't ever want them to stop, any of them. Their mouths and tongue danced and they heard the crewman stalk off, saying something about the ship being haunted, but they didn't care. At the moment, all they cared about and needed was each other.
The kiss subsided, leaving them both breathless as they listened for the other crewman for what felt like hours. When they heard nothing and realized they must have went to sleep, they opened the door from their hiding place and creeped up the stairs, down the plank and away from the ship, laughing and giggling like two people in love.
"We should probably get you back, love." Killian said sadly.
"I know, I would hate for my parents to walk in and notice me gone. They'd have the whole palace looking for me." She said with a laugh. He took her hand and led her towards the palace. For the first time since she agreed to marry Graham, she felt like she was in the right place. They walked back up the hill in silence, neither of them wanting their night to end. When they got to the gates, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She felt loved and protected like this, and could stay like this all night. But she couldn't. There were things she would have to take care of in the morning, so she pulled back and looked him in the eyes.
"Meet me here, tomorrow. I'm going to tell graham that I can't marry him, and I want you to be here waiting for me after I do. He's a great man, but I love you Killian. Tonight, you showed me how it feels being with someone you love. Meet me tomorrow." She said kissing him then pulling away.
"I love you Emma. I always have and I always will." He said letting her pull out of his arms and walk to a fallen tree that she could use to climb over the gates around the palace. It wasn't until he knew she was safe inside and he turned around did he see it, the gleam of two white eyes watching in the darkness.
He shook his head and looked in the place again, seeing nothing. Laughing to himself about how he was going crazy, he didn't see those same eyes floating away towards the palace, only able to glimpse it as it briefly flew through the light. He didn't see the shadow floating towards Emma's open window.
