Happy Daylight Savings! BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HAPPY 20 HOURS UNTIL OUAT COMES BACK OMG I'M GOING TO FREAK THE EFF OUT! Here's a little Captain Swan goddiness to get you through these remaining hours of the hiatus ;)

Emma POV

Emma stopped mid-step. The girl was gone. There was no way she could have ran down the block by the time it took them to reach the corner of the library. She looked at Hook, who was staring, as confused as she was, down the empty street.

"Well that's a bloody inconvenience," he said, eyes fixed in the distance.

"She couldn't have gone that far. Come on," Emma said and took off running. She could hear Hook breathing behind her. As much as she preferred chasing people by herself, she liked the security of having him back there, knowing she had backup if she needed it.

That was the thing about him. He slipped into her life so subtlety that she never realized what moment she began expecting him to be there. Take this moment for example. She had let the girl go on purpose to follow her, but she never told Hook her plan. Then, she had assumed that he would come with her, which he did, but it was like she expected him to know.

Emma shook her head mentally. She needed to focus. Ever since she received a freaked-out call from Grumpy about a suspicious girl hanging around Gold's shop, she had been on high alert. The girl did not help her own case by withholding her name, and what made Emma even more apprehensive was how much the girl resembled Hook.

That hint of jealousy that had formed in the pit of her stomach before was resurrected quickly. In all honesty, she had no right to be jealous. After all, she had Henry, and Hook had never shown an ounce of envy or resentment toward Henry. Maybe the girl would not have bothered her if she did not look so damn much like him. It was already distracting enough having one of Hook around. She did not need a second one.

Emma came to an abrupt stop when she reached the end of the block, but before she could make another move, Hook came crashing into her from behind. His arms encased her in a bear hug to prevent the momentum from knocking her over, and in an instant, her body tightened with anticipation.

She took a step out to steady herself and straightened out again.

"Apologies, Love. It appears as though my reflexes aren't as sharp as they once were," he said quietly in her ear.

It should not have affected her, but he had a way of speaking that made every word sound sensual. That alone would have been enough to rattle her composure, but his arms were still resting casually around her body, as if they belonged there.

"Perhaps I'm in need some practice," he continued and released her slowly from his grasp, taking care to let his fingers graze along her body before returning to his side.

She took a few more steps forward to put distance between them with the added intention of scanning the intersection.

"Yeah, you probably do," she replied, berating herself for not thinking of something wittier. "And it would probably help if you took that coat off," she added, hoping he would take the bait and not notice how much that stunt had affected her.

She heard the leather creek behind her, and she imagined him looking down the length of his body.

"You don't like my coat?" he asked hurt and possibly with a pout.

Emma glanced over her shoulder. "I didn't say that I didn't like it. I was just pointing out that it would be easier to move without it."

He was silent for a moment, and it was enough to make her wary that he was actually offended. She turned around but was only confronted with a mischievous grin.

"Is that the only reason that you wish for me to remove my coat?" he said and raised his eyebrow.

Emma rolled her eyes and walked passed him heading toward the town once more.

She had to admit, it was flattering to have him try so blatantly. She would be lying if she said that she did not like getting the attention that was reserved solely for her, and she could say with certainty that it was. Since his confession in the Echo Cave in Neverland, she understood that he was sincere with his intention even though he expressed his desire for her in such an open and forward way. But that was the interesting thing about him. He did not try to hide his feelings despite his confession but, rather, embraced it. It was refreshing.

Emma felt Hook rush to catch up with her, and he followed her to Granny's, where she was meeting David, Mary Margaret, and Henry. Her mother looked slightly put-off at seeing Hook with her, though she kept her silence, but her father greeted Hook with a handshake and an offer of beer. The men sat together at the bar while Emma, Mary Margaret, and Henry occupied a table.

"It looks like David has found a new friend," Mary Margaret said, glancing at their backs.

"Mary Margaret, please don't—" Emma began but was cut off immediately.

"I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, Emma. Hook's been invaluable through everything lately, and I know that. It just surprises me that they have anything in common," Mary Margaret confessed. "I mean, he's a pirate."

Emma clenched her jaw and looked down at the menu. She had been guilty of calling Hook a pirate a time or two, and each time she was greeted with the same look of disheartenment and dejection from him. It was not fair to him to boil down his personality to a single word, and one that obviously upset him. It was even less fair to continue to associate him with that word even after he had proven his worth time and time again.

She looked over at Hook and David. They were laughing about something, acting as if they had been friends for years. A feeling of envy crept up on her, and she found herself wishing that she could joke around with them too. But as much as she wanted to, her instincts always told her to shut down and bring the walls up. She never wanted to feel her heart be broken again, and if she opened up to Hook, she was opening up to that possibility. It was something that she caught herself considering more than once.

Mary Margaret said nothing more of the issue, and they ate their meals. After dinner, the group split up. David and Mary Margaret returned home in David's truck, and Emma stopped by her yellow Bug, Henry and Hook behind her.

"Well, this is where we part," Hook said regretfully and glanced toward the docks. He seemed to be calculating the distance to return to his ship.

"Do you want a ride?" Emma asked him without thinking. "I'm dropping Henry off at Regina's and then I can drop you off too," she explained, not wanting to think of any other motive she had of offering.

Hook smiled at her and nodded. "That's very kind of you to offer. You have my gratitude."

After dropping off Henry, they sat in the car in silence as Emma drove to the docks. Emma had the entire car ride to think about that girl, and her mind kept picturing Hook holding his sword up to her neck. After coming to a stop at the beginning of the pier, Emma turned the car off and turned in her seat to look at Hook. She had to ask him about it.

"Were you really going to hurt that girl?" she asked and felt abashed at seeing his expression.

"Emma," he sighed, disappointed and turned his head to look out of the window. "Do you really think so lowly of me?" he mumbled to himself more than her. "No. I was merely trying to scare her. We both saw that stubborn look in her eye, and I knew that there was no other way."

He continued looking out of the window but did not move to leave the car. He was waiting for her to say something, and Emma knew her next words were crucial to how their relationship would play out. She could choose to admonish him and hurt any chance of them, or she could open herself up.

"She was scared, too, of that monster she thinks is out there. I know where she was coming from." At those words, Hook turned his head back to her. His expression was so intense that she had to lower her eyes to continue. "She's alone, confused, and afraid. If I could just talk to her, find her, then maybe I can convince her that we can help her. Maybe we can do something for her."

She finally looked up again and saw that his eyes had remained on her. If anything, the look he was giving her was more penetrating than before.

"I believe you will. You will find her, and you will help her," he replied in the sincerest of ways.

His answer was simple, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. After losing the girl by the library, Emma was feeling unsure of herself. She felt like her tracking skills were slipping away, but with a few words from him, all that doubt suddenly disappeared. He always had confidence in her and an unwavering belief. She realized that no matter what she said to him, if she tried to convince him that the sky was purple or that the sea was made out of rum, he would believe her because he believed in her. The realization drew her into silence.

He must have mistaken it for skepticism because he continued with his encouragement. "You can do it Emma. Don't think otherwise." He smiled at her again, faltered after a moment. "Urm- I can see that I'm overstaying my welcome," he said slowly. "My thanks, again." He paused for a moment, considering something and finally continued. "I know better then to ask for a goodnight kiss, so I'll leave you to it."

Before she knew what was happening, her hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder, keeping him in the car. Hook's lips parted in shock, and she swore that they both stopped breathing. Her eyes flickered to his lips for a second, and all it took was his tongue peaking through to moisten them.

Her lips were on his, and the only thing she could think of was how good it felt. No, not good – great. Excellent. Euphoric. It took Hook a second, but once he began, he was all in. He kissed her back like a man possessed, pushing his tongue into her mouth and instantly deepening it. Her body took over, and she lost all control of herself. Her right hand lingered on his neck while her left got lost in his chest, stroking over the hair that was exposed from where the shirt was unbuttoned.

She tried maneuvering into his lap, but the car was too damn small. Her frustrations were getting the better of her until she felt his right hand grab her thigh and try to hoist her up. It was useless, though, as it only succeeded in knocking her knee into the consol. Only, she did not notice because he broke the kiss and began nipping at her jaw, finding his way down to her neck. His tongue darted over the pulse and was replaced by his lips. They urgently explored the soft skin there, and he alternated between both gentle and unyielding kisses.

Somehow during that time, Emma managed to sit sideways with her legs wrapped around Hook, who was still in the passenger seat. His lips carefully lifted from her neck, and he smirked into another kiss on her lips. He was making his move. His left arm enclosed her in an embrace, and he lowered her back onto the driver's seat, making sure to keep their lips locked the entire time.

HOOOOOOOONK!

Emma's eyes jerked open, and her chest jolted up into Hook's and back down on the seat in fright. She tore her lips from his and wildly looked around. She finally saw that his right hand had gotten stuck in the steering wheel and his forearm was pressing against the horn.

"Bloody hell!" he yelled over the sound of the horn.

"Move your arm," Emma said straightaway.

"What?" he tried yelling over the noise.

"Move your arm!" she said louder and pushed his hand through the hole and off the horn.

The quiet was deafening, and she felt a blush creep up her recently assaulted neck and onto her cheeks.

Hook cleared his throat and moved back to his seat, helping her sit up in her own. They looked at each other, embarrassed and not knowing what to say.

Hook's hand abruptly shot out to caress the back of her neck, and he brought her back in for another kiss. This one was slow and passionate and less crazed than the first. It was more like a welcome home than anything. His lips cherished hers, deliberately taking care to capture each movement fully.

When he pulled away, he lingered close to her mouth for a moment and opened his eyes. The most content and genuine smile curved the edges of his lips, and he whispered "Goodnight, Swan" before backing away and leaving the car. She watched him walk down the pier and up the ramp to his ship before disappearing.

She sat there a few more minutes, letting it all sink in.