A/N: I've got one last fluffy chapter planned before the last section of this story! I don't want to drag it out too long and bore you all! But if there's something that you desperately want to see, let me know because everything isn't set in stone yet and still has to be written! Thanks for the lovely reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are awesome!

Emma waited on the sofa for Killian to finish his shower. She'd already had hers, and now sat with her wet hair piled in a braid around the top of her head. Mary Margaret was going to stick around for a while at the house and practice in private while Killian and Emma sent grocery shopping but while she waited for them to leave she sat beside Emma, taking a break. Emma compiled a list of things she'd need to get in her head, not really one for paper lists, while Mary Margaret panted beside her, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

A few minutes later, Killian appeared wearing his hunter orange beanie, the ends of his hair sticking out from the hat in a slightly dishevelled fashion from where he had towel dried it. Killian wore worn jeans, faded in a way that made Emma suspect he had worn them on the boat until the salt spray had beaten the cotton to a comfort level that rivalled one's favourite t-shirt. The sleeve of his black Henley was stretched down as far as it would go, covering his bad hand. Emma pushed herself up from the sofa, grabbed her bag and moved towards him. She reached out and grasped the hand he was trying to hide, sliding up the sleeve.

"Swan, don't," he cautioned, trying to pull away. She threaded her hand through his tighter and held their entangled fingers up. The scars on his fingers showed up in stark contrast to the smooth skin of Emma's own hand. She ran her pinky finger along Killian's while she held his hand, knowing that if she touched almost anywhere else along the burned skin he wouldn't feel it and that would frustrate him more. The way Killian's lips parted, just enough to exhale a small sigh, told Emma that he had felt her caress.

"This is you. I want to go grocery shopping with you. Now let's go." Emma tugged Killian out the door before he could argue. She didn't let go of his stiff hand until they had reached her car in the driveway.

She slipped into the driver's seat of her car, leaning over the center console to unlock the passenger side for Killian. Killian got in and started fiddling nervously with the edge of his sleeve but he didn't pull it down from the position Emma had left it in. This trip was going to be Killian's first in public since the accident, the first time he was going to have to face the stares of strangers. Emma wished she could hide it all from him, to protect him from the people who would comment to their friends when they thought he couldn't hear, from those who would ask him what happened, not out of concern for his health but because they wanted to know what could leave a person so scarred. But she couldn't and he had to get used to being around people again. All she could do was stay with him and hold his hand when things got too overwhelming.

"You're going to be fine," Emma told him as she pulled into the parking lot of the local supermarket. Killian glanced over at her and gave a shaky sort of snort as response. Emma unbuckled so she could turn to him fully. "You trust me right?" she asked, watching his eyes for his real response.

"Yes, love," Killian murmured in return and while his voice didn't hold the conviction Emma was looking for, his eyes did. She nodded firmly.

"Then let's go." Emma got out of the car before Killian did and hurried around to his side so she was there to meet him when he reluctantly swung the door open and got out. Emma led him towards the store, fully aware that Killian was scanning the parking lot for people the entire time. As they neared the doors, and the crowds grew larger, Emma felt a tug on her hand. She glanced down to see Killian's pinky finger curled around her own. She shifted in the grip so her other fingers could slide in between Killian's unmoving ones. Emma swung their hands a bit as they entered the store, showing Killian how firmly she had him in her grasp, even if he couldn't feel it. That earned her a little smile.

Emma let go of Killian's hand and pulled out a grocery cart. She swung it around, careful not to hit the lady entering the store. Though, when she saw how the lady noticed Killian's hand hanging lifelessly at his side and made a face, Emma wanted to run her over, or maybe flog her with the nearby pile of tomatoes. Emma shot her a death glare then pushed the cart until it was in front of Killian.

"You think you can push it?" Killian licked his bottom lip before nodding. Emma let go of the cart and moved aside. Killian set his bad hand on the handle first, moving his stiff fingers with his good hand so they would hold on to the pole. Once he'd gotten his hand situated he grabbed the handle with his good hand as well and gave the cart a little test-push.

"Did that hurt?" Emma asked, ready to take back the cart if the hard plastic handle was pushing too hard on his healing skin.

"No, I'm good, lass." Killian pushed the cart ahead of them and Emma had to take a few hurried steps to catch up.

Together they moved through the produce section, stocking up. Killian stiffened every time someone got too close to him, whether they noticed the injury or not. Each time his back straightened and his good hand clenched the cart handle until his knuckles were white Emma would return to his side and whisper a reassurance to him or brush up against his arm, just something to remind him that she was there.

Emma set a loaf of bread in the cart and glanced back at Killian as he maneuvered the cart flawlessly around a corner. He caught her eye and smirked, clearly pleased with himself. Emma rolled her eyes good naturedly back at him. This was how things were supposed to be for them; living happy, normal and content lives together. Maybe it was the weird fluorescent lighting of the meat section or maybe it was the way Killian would relax as soon as Emma brushed a hand across his back but whatever it was it made Emma sure as to where she was supposed to be. And who she was supposed to be with.

Once they finished getting all the food products they made a pit stop at the pharmacy section of the supermarket. The lotion Emma had for Killian's hand was scented like sweet almonds and Killian, after promising Emma that he was actually going to take care of his hand, had mentioned that he wasn't big on the girly scent. Emma had teased him about that but in truth she was just glad that he actually wanted to take care of himself. Emma was pretty sure it was because of how well the shopping trip had gone. People had stared occasionally but no one had been exceedingly rude. Everyone backed down when Emma glared at them.

The only problem they encountered the entire trip was when they were trying to decide whether they would need to take the cart out to the parking lot or if they could carry all the bags themselves. The cashier had done a good job packing so under normal circumstances, as Emma and Killian were both strong people; they would have been able to carry everything out themselves and leave the cart inside.

Killian's hand couldn't support the weight of the bags though. The destroyed nerves wouldn't allow for the muscles to stay in one position when too much weight was added so every time he folded his hand as best as he could around the handle of the bag his fingers would return to their stiff position, unable to maintain any other position of muscle rigor. After Killian dropped a bag the second time trying to position it in his palm he cursed and pushed the bag away from him, disgusted.

The poor cashier jumped at the violent display of emotion from Killian, who had been all but silent during the transaction. Emma closed the gap between them, rounding the checkout and grabbed his bad hand.

"Shush," she murmured, pulling him towards her in an attempt to lessen the scene. The more people who noticed them, the more people who would notice Killian's hand and the more upset he would become. "We'll take the cart, it's okay."

"It's not okay, Swan," Killian replied sounding absolutely devastated. Emma waited for him to go on, suspecting this was about more than just his inability to carry a few bags of groceries. "If I can't lift a bloody bag of onions how am I supposed to work on a ship? How do I go back to work when I can't do the work?"

Emma took a moment to digest what he had said before reaching up and tapping the side of his head, just below the rim of his beanie. "Killian Jones, you are first and foremost a marine biologist. The fire hurt your hand not your head. That's what's important. You might not be able to throw around coils of rope anymore but you can still count your fish and make those weird maps on your computer."

"They're charts of species populations actually," Killian answered sheepishly.

Emma smirked back at him. "See? You can still do that. Find a new boat that doesn't make you work like a dog before you collect data. Look, I'll help you find a spot when the spring comes and you're healthy enough to go back out on the water. Maybe Graham can talk to the coast guard and we can get you on one of their patrol vessels, like the big ones."

Killian nodded and a light that had been missing from his glacier blue eyes flared. "Thank you." Killian dipped his head and kissed Emma's lips lightly.

"Anytime, Jones." Emma turned from Killian, ignoring the awkward blush the young cashier wore from witnessing their private moment, and started to load up the cart. Eventually, Killian started to help, once he'd properly digested the information Emma gave him, and soon the two of them had the cart filled with bags and were off to the car.

As Emma helped Killian put the bags into the trunk of her car she noticed that his bad hand was perfectly in view, just as Emma had left it after pushing up the sleeve at her house. He hadn't once tried to cover it around the other people. He hadn't once tried to hide.