A/N Thank you everyone for the support and love, I can't even begin to describe how much it means to me and just makes me want to improve and keep giving you guys all I can! To the person who asked about Emma's use of the word bloody, yes it is british - it seems our lovely pirate rubbed off on her :)

This is the last chapter (Lisa1972 – my bad about the previous one, haha! It was meant to say second to last but I must have had a brain fart) and then I'll be posting a little epilogue to wrap things up and it will definitely include an excerpt from my current work in progress which I am yet to title.

Adriane, you will never cease to amaze me with your awesomesauce support! Can honestly say you're probably my favourite person recently!

Hope you all enjoy the last chapter before the epilogue!

Chapter 40: For Love

He knew why he was here and yet a small part of him was still screaming that he ought not to be. There was too much bad blood, too much history to even contemplate redemption. Nevertheless he was still burdened with purpose and he had agreed with himself that, before he departed, some things just had to be laid to rest.

That did not mean forgiveness; he had already decided there would never be forgiveness. But an agreement could at least be reached. There would be a deal and if there was one thing he was sure of it was that the deal would be unbroken.

For the safety of not only his swan, but the town, Killian needed to do this. He thought of Emma, her face contorted in fury when he eventually told her about this little escapade. She would call him stupid and reckless and an idiot and she would likely throw something at him. She might even demand he sleep elsewhere for such a risky move. Either way, it was too late to back out now.

Gathering all the courage within him, the pirate pushed the red door open. The little golden bell tinkled daintily as he entered and he could hear movement in a room that was sanctioned off by a red velvet curtain. Killian moved to stand in the centre of the room with his arms crossed.

He was standing like that when the wiry man exited the back room and the smile on his face swiftly disappeared. The man's facial expression became cold and distasteful as he took in the sight of the pirate.

"What do you want?" Rumplestiltskin asked coldly.

Killian's expression seemed to match that of his foe, "I came to make a deal," he said. The pawnbroker's lip twitched and he raised his eyebrows in condescension.

"Why would I make a deal with you?" he asked, stepping forward so he was closer to the glass cabinets outlining the shop. The younger man narrowed his eyes and smirked without humour. He walked forward so that he was standing directly in front of the Dark One.

"Because we need to settle this… once and for all," Killian stated without missing a beat. Rumplestiltskin grinned in that tainted way that sent shivers down spines and made things seem suddenly sinister.

"While I would love to rip your heart from your beating chest to 'settle this,' I happen to have made a deal that secures your life so long as you do nothing to injure my son or Belle," the wiry man all but spat the words, "and shouldn't you be concerned what the lovely sheriff would think if she knew you were trying to resurrect our long-standing feud?" His ominous grin twitched slightly as he eyed the man on the opposite side of the glass display. Surprisingly, however, Killian didn't even flinch at the mention of Emma. He knew what he was doing.

"Didn't you listen properly? I came to draw up an agreement… not my revenge. If I wanted that, you would know about it," the pirate said, deigning to use the same belittling tone on the last part. Rumplestiltskin's grin dissolved and he his expression morphed to convey all-business.

"What kind of deal were you intending to fashion?" he asked curiously, leaning on the black cane in his hand.

"I will never forgive you for what you did to Milah, nor will you ever forgive me for being the one to aid her escape –"

"You took her –"

"She asked me to take her with me. I have never once forced myself on a woman and I never intend to," Killian growled, desperately clinging to his self-control as he stifled the urge to attack the monster in front of him. He would never cease to be vehement on the point that he didn't steal Milah, nor the point that he was – while many things – not a man to force himself on women. It wasn't just that he had never really had to; it was a matter of morals. And the pirate loathed being sanctioned under the umbrella of stereotypical thieving scumbags that his captain title was often privy to.

Silence enveloped the store as they each calmed themselves down. It was a solid minute before Killian continued speaking.

"The point is that we will never be able to afford forgiveness. But… for the sake of those we care about we need to let this," he pointed half-heartedly between the two of them, "die." The wiry man opposite him nodded in agreement, although he didn't look the least bit pleased.

"What is your offer, pirate?" Rumplestiltskin asked through his teeth.

"No harm will ever befall Belle or Bailey at my hand. Nor will I seek to injure you… but you must agree that you will never hurt Emma or her family," Killian said, trying his best to stress the last crux of their deal. The other man cocked his head to the side in apparent confusion.

"And what about you? You are yet to demand your own safety," he commented, eyeing the pirate whose face showed indifference.

"All I want is to make sure they're safe. And besides, I don't need to; you won't kill me because it's not in your best interests."

"And what makes you say that?"

Killian smirked, "Because if you kill me, your son will likely leave, followed by Belle. That alone is incentive enough but then count in the fact that Emma would wipe your sorry existence from this realm with the willing aid of her family? Call it intuition but I really think you need me alive." Rumplestiltskin's face darkened, he knew the other man was right and he strongly disliked being backed into a corner.

"If you're so sure I won't act against you, why are you even here?" he asked bitterly.

"I don't like unfinished business."

Again, silence befell the room as the Dark One considered the offer. The substantiation was made with one word and Killian needed to hear nothing else.

"Deal."

8888

"So, what's wrong love? Do you wish to keep this torrid affair a secret?" he asked, narrowing his eyes playfully. Emma turned her head to face him and rolled her eyes. She was standing in the kitchen, cleaning the plates and cups that had just been laid out on the table. Killian was still sitting at the dining table where he had previously been conversing with her parents.

The lovely prince and princess had just left after an unexpected visit – apparently showing up with lunch from Granny's was a nice surprise (unless, you know, you were in the bedroom). The pirate could swear her family had an unwelcome knack for intruding. After all, Henry was at school and David was supposed to be at the station so today was supposed to be uninterrupted bed-activities – supposed to.

David, it turned out, had decided to take a lunch break to spend with his family. Killian was still unsure whether the prince had forgotten his presence in the apartment or had actually started referring to him as family. The latter option confused the hell out of the pirate and he decided not to ponder it. Instead, he chose to question Emma's reluctance to show what he called 'affection' around her parents. She called it a PDA – not that he understood the colloquial term.

"Actually, I was just trying to make sure he didn't hand your ass to you," she stated matter-of-factly. The pirate stood from the table and walked around to lean on one of the wooden supports.

"You do realise your father was the one who convinced me to come live with you in the first place? To be completely honest, love, I don't think he hates me as much as he puts on." Emma put down the plate she was rinsing and looked at Killian thoughtfully.

"How did they convince you to leave your beloved boat behind?" she asked inquiringly.

"Ship," he quickly corrected her with a mock scold, "and they told me you needed me. That and your father pointed out that my actions towards you were not simply impartial." She nodded appreciatively at his response and turned around to look at the time. The clock display read 3:30 – Henry would be home soon.

"Did I hear David say he came over because he wanted to have lunch with his family?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. Apparently, she too had realised the implication of those words. The pirate shrugged and moved towards the kitchen. He grabbed a towel and started drying the plates – how he did that with one hand and a hook would never fail to perplex the blonde.

"It was likely just a slip of the tongue, love," he replied simply. The saviour paused for a moment and smiled to herself.

"David doesn't really have tongue slips. I think it was his way of telling you he approves… in his own weird macho way," she said. Killian felt his lips twitch upwards at the notion.

"Well either way, I would very much appreciate it if in the future they let us know when they're dropping by… As much as I am happy to entertain your parents, love, I was rather enjoying myself before they arrived," he said through a smirk, eyeing her in his peripheral vision. She met his gaze and smirked as well, putting the last plate into his hand and draining the sink.

"I know you were," Emma said, "but first… where were you this morning? You never answered my question… or rather you cut me off with… well, yeah."

He put the dry plate down atop the others, his smirk faltering. He was definitely going to tell her about his little visit to the pawnbroker, he had just hoped to do it in the exhausted afterglow of sex when she would be a little more docile.

Emma's amused smile dropped, she knew something was up.

"Where were you?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest. Killian bit his lip, turning to face her as he wiped his hand and hook on a tea towel.

"Can't we just continue what we were doing before your parents arrived?" he asked as he placed the little rag on the bench next to him and stepped closer to the blonde. She shook her head, unresponsive to his attempt at a smooth diversion.

"Okay, but you have to promise me you won't castrate me," he said in an attempt at humour.

"I don't have to promise anything," she retorted, not completely serious. The pirate waited a minute longer, enjoying the calm before the inevitable storm.

"I went to see the crocodile," Killian said. His words took immediate effect as anger flashed in her eyes and they drilled into his two icy blue ones.

"You what?" she growled, "You do realise he could have killed you on. The. Spot." With the last three words she poked him bluntly in the chest, forcing him to take two steps back. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by her indignant voice.

"Why would you go to see him? Were you trying to aggravate him? Provoke him? So help me God Killian, if you were there for your revenge I will personally end you!" she spat furiously. His protective reaction the previous day paled in comparison to this.

"Emma, give me a second to explain –"

"What do you think I would do if he killed you? You said the other say that you at least get to control who hurts me, well it's a two way street!" Emma said, stalking forward and backing him into one of the wooden supports. He tried to stifle a smirk; this version of his woman was unfortunately the one that he found the most alluring.

"Don't you bloody laugh, Killian Jones! This isn't funny!" she said, but on the last word he could definitely see a twitch of her lips.

Killian caught her finger that was still pointed at his chest and used it to pull her in. He had his hand and hook placed firmly on either sides of her waist.

"I did go to see him about my revenge," she opened her mouth to yell at him but he put a hand over her mouth to stop her, "but it wasn't to resurrect it. I made a deal with him. He will not hurt you or your family and I will not hurt Belle or Bailey. It's done."

Emma didn't stop narrowing her eyes though, "And what about your safety? Did you make sure of that?" she asked pointedly. He looked down and her eyes widened.

"You didn't! Killian, you idiot –"

"I knew you would call me that –"

"You realise he can kill you –"

"To be honest, I expected you to throw something at me –"

"If your safety isn't a part of your deal –"

"Apparently Bailey has already bargained for my safety –"

"Either way, you should have made sure –"

"Can't you just be happy that it's over –"

"No, you should have told me you were going to see him –"

"But then you would have wanted to come with me –"

"Damn right, I would have wanted to come with you. You don't get it Killian, I –"

It wasn't his words that cut her off this time; it was his lips crashing into hers. She didn't even bother trying to continue talking, instead letting herself fall into the kiss. He made her so angry. But then again, that was probably an integral part of their relationship. They drove each other crazy and somehow it inevitably kept them sewn together.

Killian's hand tangled in her hair as he pulled her close. Her hands moved around to tug at his hair, eliciting a groan from him. He quickly switched their positions, forcing her up against the wooden support as he trailed kisses along her jaw line.

With her mouth unoccupied, Emma took the chance to talk. "Don't think this is over, pirate," she said through heavy breaths. Killian brought his mouth back up to hers for a swift kiss.

"Never thought it was, princess," he said and buried his head in her neck again, whispering against the hollow of her throat, "now, where were we?" His breath tickled her skin, setting every nerve aflame with the one sentence. She trailed her hands to the neck of his button-up and was just about to start unbuttoning his shirt when the sound of the door being unlocked snapped them both to attention.

Killian cursed angrily under his breath as he watched the saviour jump away from him. She was halfway to the door when Henry entered, smiling with his backpack hanging loosely from one arm. Emma couldn't help but smirk when she looked at the man behind her.

"Bloody ridiculous timing," the pirate muttered.

Ah, the Charmings and their wonderful sense of timing. I feel like everything is basically wrapped up – Bailey and Gold are good, Killian and Gold have an agreement, Neal's gone and accepted the facts of his relationship with Emma, Emma's got enough control over her magic to keep it in check and Killian can always help.

I feel so… I don't even know. I just hope I can find a way to put into words how much all your comments and favourites and follows have meant to me over this process and I hope at least some of you go on to do the same for my next story.

Keep an eye out for the epilogue and I love you all.