Chapter 18 - Acceptance

Killian was propped up on one elbow as he watched Emma sleep in the slight morning light that was coming in through the windows of her bedroom. They had move to the room sometime after midnight, if time meant anything here. Her skin seemed to be slowly changing back into the human form he knew.

She was beautiful no matter her skin and he couldn't find sleep as he watched the slow changes. Her claws were gone and pink nails were left in their place. Only the tips of her hair was still the jet black it was before, the rest was the corn silk blonde. The tiny horns on her forehead had receded about an hour ago. Now her skin was starting to swirl back into the perfectly tanned color it was before. He lifted a finger and trailed it down her side. He couldn't resist touching her. The previous night had been full of passion. Especially after they had both said they loved each other. He would have thought it was a dream if he had slept.

She started to stir when she felt his light touch. Sighing in her sleep she snuggled closer into his chest. She murmured something that he couldn't really hear as her arm came up and wrapped around his waist. Tugging slightly she pulled their bodies closer. He felt the response start to course through his body at her touch. He was never sated with her, he always wanted more. It was an addictive pleasure.

With her eyes still closed her hand started to travel up his side, she grazed the puncture holes in his neck and the slight tingle of pain made him hiss. With the sound of his pain her eyes popped open and her blue gaze found the marks on his neck. "I'm sorry." She whispered her voice thick with sleep.

"It is okay love, I enjoyed it too." He chuckled thinking of just how much he had enjoyed it all. He would welcome her doing it again right now if she wished.

"I just wish it didn't cause you pain."

"It doesn't." He responded automatically.

"Liar." She swatted at his bare chest, but she was smiling. The fangs were gone now too. He kind of missed what she was when she was in her other form. "What?" She asked alarmed. His expression must have passed on some of his thoughts.

"It's nothing." He brushed her question away. "Your skin is back to normal now." He informed her instead.

"Oh-" She looked at her hand as if seeing it for the first time. "I've been trying to make the change. Nothing I did was working. Looks like I must have had some pent up emotion."

"Well you can release your pent up emotions on me anytime you'd like." He grinned at her. "I am at your service." Leaning towards her he kissed her nose lightly.

"Well—if that is the case—I have something you can service right now pirate." She told him as she pushed him onto his back, her hand grazed down his chest and gripped his hardness in her hand. She let the feel of his silken manhood glide over her palm as she stroked him. The slight gasp he let out made her want to increase the pace but she held herself back. "I have a craving for something only you can give me." She rolled her thumb over the head and he arched into her hand. She felt the sides of her mouth lift into a sly smile. The fact that he accepts her even when she feels and looks like a monster made her want to pleasure him. Not only did he accept her, he loved her.

"Tell me what it is love and I can see what I can do about that." He groaned in pleasure as she continued the movement of her hand and rolling her thumb over the top and back down. "Like I said I'm at your ser—" His words were cut off as she sucked his length into her mouth and flicked her tongue over the tip.

"You were saying?" She looked up at him. His eyes were closed and his hand was clutching the sheet beneath him. "You can touch me."

At her words his hand came up to rest on her head as she continued her sweet torment. The only sounds to fill the room for the next few minutes were his inhalations and gasps of breath. "Emma, I'm going to—" He gasped as she sucked harder on him at his words. His fingers tangled in her hair and he held himself back from holding her head to him. "Emma—" He warned her again. She gripped his behind and held him to her mouth and increased her pace. He went over the edge and pulsed into her mouth. Still she didn't stop until he was completely spent.

She moved back up his body and pressed into his side. "Thank you." She told him.

"That was—" He started.

"—yummy?" She responded with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"Not exactly what I was going to say." He laughed. Gently he ran his hand up and down her back. "I should be the one to thank you."

"Killian, you accepted me when I didn't even accept myself. I wanted to do it."

"Of course I accepted you. I love all of you. Every part."

The knocking on the front door pulled Emma away from him and he felt a slight jealousy of the outside world intruding into their little paradise. "Be right back." She told him as she pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before going to answer the door. He stayed where he was for a moment before getting up and pulling on his pants when he heard Ash's voice coming from the other room. Damn.

"—It is good to see you've got the change under control." Ash continued to talk as Killian walked into the room. Emma walked over to him and leaned into his side the moment he appeared.

"I'm actually not sure how it happened. I woke up this way." She admitted. "I think feeding had something to do with it." She tapped Killian's chest lightly and smiled.

Ash looked between them knowingly and smiled. "I'm glad. Should I return later?"

"No." Killian responded before Emma could say yes. A sharp pain stabbed through her at his sudden need to escape her presence. "We should go back. Can you take us back?"

"I can take you back. But I've told Emma she can stay as long as she'd like." He looked at Emma and then at Killian. Maybe the issues between them hadn't been resolved like he had hoped.

"Emma?" Killian turned towards her now, she had stepped away from him at his words. "Don't you want to go back?"

"I don't even know what I'm capable of yet. I can't go back. I could hurt you. I could hurt other people." She cried.

"Oh love, no, you won't. Didn't Ash tell you? You are to be a balance for the world, a balance so that evil doesn't out weigh good. You could never hurt anyone." The faith in his voice was her undoing. She couldn't. She didn't want to prove him wrong. She remembered the feeling of what she had become, of the predator that was also inside her. Hurting people was part of what she was made for. And hurting the one person that loved her was the last thing she ever wanted. It was better if he went.

Her head started to shake in denial before she found her words, "I—no, I just can't. But you should. I will send Ash when I need you." She told him. Pain filling her at her own words, the look of betrayal on his face was a knife to her stomach. She kept the tears from her eyes as Ash reached out with a look of regret and took Killian from the room in a flash. Only then did she fall to her knees and cry. The choice had been made and he would never forgive her for it.

A/N - Dang my angst is really coming out. Well... uh... that wasn't planned. What can I say, they just took over. What do you think? I know it's short. But I like sharing. ;)