[Taking place a week after Hook and Emma's kiss outside of Granny's/Elsa never came to storybrooke]

Rated T: Minor curse words, kissing.

Soft Hook / minor fluff

Hook laid sprawled out on the fresh cotton sheets of his bed, his good hand tucked beneath his head. All week, Hook had only been able to think about how it felt to hold Emma so close to him that night that they had kissed, and tonight was no different. She'd been avoiding him ever since that kiss, he'd hardly seen her this week, and despite his advances, she had continually made up some excuse to get away. He glanced over at the digital clock on the nightstand beside him, the large red numbers reading 11:42pm. He sighed, his stare returning to the plain white ceiling above him.

Suddenly, Hook sat up (a bit too fast, causing him to get slightly light-headed) and stood, slipping on his boots. He was determined to get her true feelings out.

He made his way out of his room and started his walk to Mary Margaret's apartment, where he knew Emma wouldn't be able to run from him, or use anything else as a reason to save it for another time. There, it would just be him and her, (aside from Mary and David, but surely they wouldn't be an issue). Henry stayed the night at Regina's, so he wouldn't be an issue either.

Hook managed to pick the lock on the apartment door, making sure to shut it quietly behind him once he was in. He wasn't a man to waste time; he silently made his way to where Emma would likely be fast asleep in her bed.

Sure enough, she was. Hook couldn't help but stand and admire her for a moment. She wasn't done up; she didn't have make up on, her face was mashed against a pillow, but Gods was she still so beautiful.

He walked over to the side of her bed, reaching his hand down to gently caress her cheek, laughing softly beneath his breath at the small pool of drool that collected on her pillowcase.

"Wakey wakey, lass. Time to talk."

Hook nudged her just hard enough to wake her up, and when she saw him, her eyes widened. He put his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming, and then removed it and placed his index finger over his lips. "Hush, love. No need to fret, it's only I, your devilishly handsome pirate boyfriend."

Emma sat up, cringing at the word boyfriend. "You aren't my boyfriend, Hook. What are you doing in my apartment?"

"Look at the drool on your pillow...You must've been dreaming of me." Hook smirked at her and recieved the death stare from Emma. "Well love, you've been ignoring me, so I'm afraid I was left with no other choice than to-"

"Than to what? Break into my house? You've got to be kidding me, Hook!" Emma shook her head at him, but Hook didn't move from his spot against the wall.

"Would you like me to leave then?" Hook raised an eyebrow at her, and as he looked into her eyes, he saw that she wanted him to leave just about as much as he did. They both wanted each other, and Hook couldn't stand the fact that she was still trying to deny it.

"No." The word shoked not only him, but her as well by the looks of it. Her eyes widened a bit at how quickly and suddenly the word came from her.

"Alright, then let's have a little chat, shall we? May I sit or are you going to forget about hospitality?"

She crinkled her nose at him, but she did indeed move her body to the side, allowing him space to sit next to her. When he sat, he could feel te warmth of her body through the leather of his pants, and it caused him the smallest of chills.

"Emma..." He turned his face to hers, their eyes meeting for just a split second before she looked away.

"Hook, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you, but you have to understand that I can't handle romantic feelings right now. I'm trying to take care of my son, not to mention the fact that every week there's a different threat that I have to protect this town from. I can't do this... whatever this is."

"Now you see, love, that's where you are wrong. You must allow yourself some sort of love other than love for your son and for your parents. You can't live your life alone, Emma. And if you don't find a way to live in the moment and let things into your life, you'll die having hardly lived at all."

Emma shook her head, looking down and away from Hook. "I can't."

Hook slammed a fist into the bed and stood up, frustrated beyond belief. "Damnit, Emma. Let me in! Can't you see that I'm trying? I'm going out of my damned mind for you, and you're not doing a thing but pushing me away! You can't tell me you don't feel anything for me, I refuse to believe that for a second. There hasn't been a moment that I haven't thought of you Emma, not just since that kiss but since you left me on that beanstalk. I know it's difficult, but Gods, if I can let my walls down then I know you can. I have let my walls down, I'm here, and Emma I am begging you, please let me in."

Emma stood and cupped his cheeks in her hands, nodding her head just enough for it to hardly be noticeable. "Okay."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, causing Hook to release a gentle sigh against her lips. Her mouth tasted ever so slightly of cherries and he snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He could feel his body heating up, and he could tell he was near breaking a nervous sweat. She did things to him that no other woman had ever had the power to do. She made him weak, she made him nervous, she made him soft, she made him crazy. He would do anything for her.

He pulled away, breathless, but remained close enough so that when her lips curved into a smile, he felt it. "What was that for?"

"I'm letting you in."

She laughed quietly and he mirrored the gesture, his hand slipping down to wrap around her wrist. He brought it to his lips, brushing his lips softly against the skin. "Shall I leave so that you may get your beauty rest, love? Not that you really need it, of course, you're already as beautiful as they come. Bu-"

Emma shut him up with a kiss, and Hook didn't mind a bit. He returned the gentle pressure of the kiss before she pulled away, "Please?"

He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Hook."

"Good night, Swan. I'll be seeing you."

He made his way from Emma's apartment without a sound. That night, for the first time in years, he went to bed feeling less empty.