My baby never fret none
About what my hands and my body done
If the Lord don't forgive me
I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me
He wakes the morning after Emma replaced his heart to find her in his arms – she must have snuck back in after he had fallen asleep, not that he minds. He smiles to himself at how nice it is to wake up like this, and how much he wishes he could wake next to her every day. She rolls over in his arms, eyes blinking away sleep.
"Killian," she says with a shy smile, setting her hand on his shoulder.
"Morning love," he replies. "When did you sneak in?"
"Not 'til late. Henry found something in the lake house that he wanted to show me and Regina, and then I told him to stay with her for the night. I thought she might need someone around and," she bites her bottom lip, "I wanted to come see you…"
"Couldn't resist getting in bed with me, love?" Killian says with a wicked grin. Emma scoffs a little, but she still looks serious.
"I just, I had to make sure you were okay…" She looks away from his as though admitting that she cared was some kind of weakness, something she should never admit to anyone.
"Emma -" he begins, but she cuts him off.
"We don't have to talk about what happened. It's not your fault, any of it."
"You don't even know what I did, love."
"It doesn't matter. Gold forced your hand," she grins a little at the pun, but he winces.
"Emma, you don't understand. I made a deal with the crocodile and because of that deal…" he shakes his head, the memory of all his actions visibly causing him pain. "I made a deal for my hand, because I – because I wanted to be more for you, Emma. This, what I am, isn't enough, you deserve more. But I was foolish to go to the crocodile, and I got caught in his trap, and I," he shakes his head again, "I should have told you. I hurt so many people…"
"Killian, look at me." She takes his face in her hands and tips it up, not speaking again until his bright blue eyes meet her green ones. "First of all, you never needed to try to get your hand back for me. It's never bothered me, and it never will. You're my Captain Hook, and that's all I need. I don't need, or want, you to be anyone other than who you are." He opens his mouth to interject, but she barrels on. "It was silly to make a deal with Gold, and yes, you should have told me, but none of that matters now. You didn't hurt those people because you wanted to, you did it because Gold forced you to, he's the villain not you. But Killian, you almost died."
"I know. I'm sorry –"
"Don't. Don't apologize, Killian. You don't have to apologize for anything." She flicks her nose against his affectionately.
"Emma…" he says, shaking his head and trying to pull away, but she tightens her grip on him and keeps him close, staring him down.
"No. Killian, you are a good person, much better than you give yourself credit for." He can hear the frustration in her voice, and surprisingly this makes him feel better. She should be angry with him, he is furious with himself.
"Love, this is just the most recent in a long line of horrific blunders I have made in my life. You claim that I am a good man, but my past is littered with terrible deeds, and now this…" he shakes head again and looks away. He feels so ashamed, and it makes him wish Emma would leave him be. He does not deserve her.
"Killian. You are being too hard on yourself. I don't care what you did in the past. I care about what you do now, and I know who you are. You've changed, Killian, you're not the man you used to be. And it's the man you are now that matters. The man you are now is the one I love. Just trust me, Killian, I know your heart, I've seen it, I've held it, and it's good." He scratches behind his ear with his good hand.
"Did you – did you just say you love me?" he asks, somehow both hesitant and still the confident pirate she has always known, one eyebrow flying up into his hairline.
"I – oh shut up, of course I love you." He smiles again, wide and genuine, and she can see the joy in his eyes.
"Bloody hell Swan, but gods do I love you too." He kisses her long and hard, his good hand on the small of her back keeping her as close as possible to him. "You are an amazing woman and I'll be damned if I don't listen to every word that comes out of that beautiful mouth of yours."
"So you'll stop beating yourself up?"
"Aye, if that's what you desire, I shall try."
"Good, because I think there's better things we can do this morning than talk about the past week's events," she says with a wicked grin on her face. She leans forward to kiss him again, and this time she hooks her leg around his knee when his hand presses her closer.
Killian cannot believe his luck. Even if the rest of the town hates him, Emma forgives him and Emma loves him, and that is all he needs for the rest of his life.