A/N: I had fun with this chapter as it was much more entrenched in my comfort zone - I love writing about 'feels' and UST. :D This one's all Captain Swan. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

Moonlit Confessions

I startled to consciousness with a gasp. Bolting upright, I anxiously surveyed my dark surroundings before remembering I was – against all logic – currently flying through the night sky in a pirate ship. The ink black of the sky was broken by thousands of twinkling stars, telling me it was still probably hours before dawn. Beside me, Henry lay tucked against Mary Margaret's side, the rise and fall of his chest indicating he was sound asleep. I tried to identify what had awoken me, but whatever I'd been dreaming about was now as distant as Neverland.

I carefully crept away and stood, my back cracking as I stretched. We'd left Neverland almost immediately as the sun slipped behind the horizon, sailing out toward the second star to the left. I'd stayed awake long enough to watch that cursed island disappear beyond the gathering clouds before succumbing to my exhaustion. Looking around, it appeared everyone else in our group was now either below deck or sleeping, save one. A lone figure helmed the massive wheel at the bridge. My pulse sped wildly without any other stimulus and that strange pull urged me to go to him.

I could've fought it; it wasn't that strong…yet. But I didn't want to. For once, it was easier just to give in. I approached him as cautiously as if he really were the dangerous blackguard Pirate King of lore. By now, I knew he would never hurt me intentionally, but he currently held more power over me than just about anyone else alive.

The closer I got, the more fervently that connection in my chest responded. I was beginning to recognize the pattern; when we were apart, there was a subtle pull toward him. It increased the longer I stayed away, but was otherwise fairly manageable. During those periods if we got near each other the desperate craving kicked in with the same strength as two powerful magnets being held inches apart, nearly vibrating in their desire to be one. Once a connection was made – a touch of his hand on my arm, or a brush of his fingers over my cheek – it seemed to reset and start all over again. The touches had been few and far between and always in secret. He seemed to sense when I needed his nearness, or maybe he was just as affected as I was, but he'd been patient and hadn't pressured me for an explanation.

I'd been asleep for quite some time and the need to be near him was intensifying more quickly than usual. Screw standing on ceremony, I thought as I reached his side. Without a word, I shamelessly wrapped my hands around his left arm just above the leather sheath where he held his hook, instantly calmed by our renewed connection. He peeked down at me through sinful lashes. "Bad dream?"

"Couldn't sleep," I lied. His lips twisted; he could tell I was lying, but he chose to let it go. "How much longer?"

"Straight on till morning, love. Based on the position of the moon, I'd say another couple hours at most."

It was strange to be the only ones awake, or at least awake on deck. There was a simple intimacy in experiencing the early hours of a new day when the rest of the world was oblivious. Our conversation – as simple as it was – was heavy with things unsaid. I knew it wouldn't last, but I was hesitant to break the fragility of the moment.

"I'm afraid you'll hate me," I finally whispered. To anyone else it would've seemed like a complete non-sequitur, but he'd been waiting for this opening all evening.

"I'm not sure that's entirely possible at this point, love. But if it will help you sleep, perhaps its best to get the whole nasty truth out," he offered.

"I thought you were dead…in the hollow. I watched the shadow nearly rip out your soul." I murmured, fighting to control my trembling voice and the tears threatening my eyes.

He adjusted his position to pull me between his body and the large wheel, aligning his chest with my back and wrapping his hooked arm across my abdomen. "I remember. It was excruciating, but more, I was terrified that I'd failed you," he breathed into my ear, his arm tightening where he held me. "You saved me, love, when I was supposed to be protecting you."

"I…I used magic. I didn't mean to. I was doing CPR – um, it's a technique from my world that keeps the heart beating – and this glow just sort of happened."

He listened without comment as I explained what unfolded in the Dark Hollow. Through our connection, all I felt was calm acceptance. Either he was a master at containing his feelings, or he truly wasn't mad, just as he said he wouldn't be.

"We're bound, aren't we, love?" He interrupted before I even got to the part about running off from him in the clearing.

"How do you know?" I turned to look back at his face.

He gently moved my hair behind my ear before placing a tender kiss on my temple. My body literally thrummed with contentment and pleasure at the simple gesture. "I remember bits and pieces of a conversation between you and Rumpelstiltskin. It's been coming to me all day. I suspect part of your memory transferred when you completed the binding."

"And you're not furious with me? I took away your choices, I've tied you to me for the rest of your life, no, our lives. When one of us dies, so does the other!" My voice strangled as I choked back a cry.

He spun me around to face him, waiting for me to meet his eyes before continuing. "And what if that was my choice, my wish all along?"

My confusion must have shown, because he smoothed the skin around my eyes with his thumb before smiling softly, shyly at me. "My dear Emma, I'd already confessed that I was falling in love with you. After three hundred years devoted to seeking vengeance in the name of love, surely you're not surprised that I would be accepting of this?"

"But that's just it, Killian. You've been a slave to your vengeance for centuries. I hate the thought of...imprisoning you once more."

His mouth curved into a devilish grin. "My darling, I would happily succumb to your bondage. I seem to recall you in possession of a pair of serviceable handcuffs."

I frowned, annoyed at the blush creeping over my cheeks. "Be serious," I hissed.

"Oh I am, love, I am." He pulled me tight to him, letting me feel the curve of his hook as he stroked down my back. "You're looking at this through your own insecurities." I twisted in his embrace, but he simply tightened his grip. "Emma, listen to me. Whether you ever admit to loving me or not, you've shown me through your actions that you care enough about me to want to keep me. Bloody hell, woman you gave me part of your very life!" He paused to capture my eyes. The honesty shining in his gaze was palpable. "You have absolutely no idea what that means to me." His words sounded strained as they trailed off.

An ache of loneliness permeated my soul. I'd felt it many times in my life, but this time it was his pain, not mine. They were so incredibly similar, and I wondered when it was that he'd felt cast-off and unwanted. Slowing breaking eye contact, I wrapped my arms around his back and laid my cheek over his heartbeat, listening to the steady rhythm and pondering how it was that he trusted me so implicitly. He continued his gentle passes up and down my spine in silence, pressing another kiss to my hair.

"Who would ever believe Captain Hook had such a soft side," I commented, feeling the need to break the levity of our moment.

His lips curved against my head. "Shall I demonstrate how very not soft I can be?" The hard metal of his hook dipped lower to the top of my backside.

His tone was flirtatious, and I appreciated how quickly he responded to my change of conversation, but through our unique link I felt a flash of disappointment. He would give me my space, just as he promised, but I was hurting him whether he admitted it or not.

Untangling my arms was a challenge given how satisfied my heart felt in that moment, but I remembered now why I'd been fighting it. It wasn't Killian that was going to hurt me; it was me that had the power to crush him. In my heart were all the stirrings associated with being in love, but my head wasn't as convinced. Before the binding, I'd been unsure of my feelings; how could I trust that I wasn't somehow being manipulated by our magical connection into imagining myself completely in love with him?

I didn't need to listen to our connection to read the touch of sadness in his features as I stepped away. "I just need time. Please," I begged him with my eyes.

He reached to rub over the earring in his right ear as he nodded, his eyes directed to the deck below our feet. "So what is your grand plan for once we return to your Storybrooke?" He asked, that direct, monotone quality to his voice once more.

What was my plan? Everything had been happening so fast that my usual tendency to compartmentalize things until I had to sort them out would not continue to work. We had a matter of hours before docking and while I wasn't ready to fall into a full-fledged relationship with Killian – bond or no bond – I couldn't very well be apart from him either.

"I hadn't really thought about it yet," I confessed. "It's pretty crowded at the apartment…"

"I get the hint, lass. I'm quite used to my quarters here." His 'you don't want me' was unsaid but heavily implied.

"That's not what I meant," I snapped, using irritation to mask my guilt. "It's just that I didn't think you'd be all that comfortable sharing a two-bedroom apartment with a married couple and an eleven year old. I know we'll need to stay close. I'm not pushing you away, I'm just asking for some time. Dammit Hook!"

"Hook again, am I?" He wrapped the mentioned appendage around my arm and gently tugged me forward. "You're not getting rid of me, love. Emma. I'm yours. But I'll admit, I'm not entirely sure what it is you want from me."

"I want you to stay. That's all I know right now."

"Then that's what I shall do. You know, there is plenty of room on the Jolly. Your boy is welcome, as well. The crew's quarters are quite far from the Captain's." He raised his eyebrow in that way of his.

"We'll see," I replied, fighting a grin at his sudden reversion to the playful rogue. The tension of our conversation was being replaced by the simmering tension of a different kind. But this is what we did. This was familiar to me, and much less terrifying.

Slowly, as if to pacify my tendency to flee, he stepped closer to me until our bodies were flush once more. "Have I ever told you how incredibly beautiful you look in the moonlight?" He whispered in my ear.

"Killian," I murmured just before he turned to capture my lips in his. This was different than our other two encounters. This was tender and full of spoken and unspoken feelings. His lips caressed mine with the expertise of a man well versed in romantic affairs. When I felt the wet, hot trail of his tongue along my bottom lip, I opened to meet him. A moan loosened from my throat as his tongue did wicked things to my own and I had no choice but to clutch helplessly to his shoulders. The faint taste of rum and him was enough to intoxicate me and soon our tender embrace turned decidedly more intense. My fingers lost themselves to his thick dark hair just as the iron strength of his arm crushed me against his chest. I could feel his heartbeat pounding in tandem to my own, and whatever it was that bound us together radiated with pleasure.

I pulled my face away reluctantly to gasp in air for my starving lungs and noticed a soft white haze shining around Killian's face. At the widening of his eyes, I highly suspected the same could be said of me. He reached up to trace my cheek with his fingers as tenderly as if I were made of glass. "Magic, indeed," he whispered.

We stood there, lost in our thoughts, feeling with every heartbeat what he'd already admitted and I was reluctant to accept. Did I love Killian Jones? This contradiction of a man wrapped in a sinful package? He told me once he would win my heart; did I ever really stand a chance once he had decided on me?

"Mom?" Henry's sleepy voice sounded much nearer than where I'd left him. The dull sound of his footfalls leading up to the bridge snapped me out of my stupor and with one more loaded look, I turned away from Killian.

"Hey, it's still early. You should be asleep."

"I had a bad dream," he admitted. His eyes glanced warily at the pirate beyond my shoulder.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"Nah, I can't really remember it. But I don't feel like sleeping anymore." He yawned as he said it. "How much longer?" He spoke to Killian, who'd replaced his vigil at the wheel.

I followed his gaze as he looked out at the night sky. The moon had changed position quite dramatically since I'd first approached him. Had we been talking that long? "Not much longer, lad. Best we start to gather the rest of our crew in preparation for arrival." His eyes strayed to mine, and I knew he understood that our relationship, or whatever was going on between us, was just that: between us. "Henry is it? How would you like a lesson in steering a pirate ship?"

"Awesome!" Henry exclaimed as he practically leapt the remaining distance between the stairs and Killian. I shook my head and smiled as our dear Captain began explaining the difference between port and starboard, wondering if he realized that his actions with Henry meant more to me than any amazing – alright mind-blowing – kiss ever could. His face turned decidedly smug as he looked over at me and I silently cursed our link. As if I didn't have enough to worry about.

"I'll just go get the others," I mumbled as I made my way from my two boys.

"You do that, lass," Killian called. "Master Henry and I will steer us home."

Home. And now the fun would really begin, just as he had predicted less than twenty-four hours ago. My how things could change in a day.

A/N:

So, we're arriving in Storybrooke. Do you have any Killian/Emma encounters you hope to see? Review or get the hook! (Wait, that's not incentive at all, is it? LOL)