A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers :)
This is sadly the last chapter.
I loved writing this and thanks so much for reading it!
Summary: Emma and Killian put the cheaters in their place (kind of).
Emma sat on her bed, trying not to feel anything. The last month had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and she needed to take a break.
She was full of fear that Killian and her would get caught by August or Mila, anger at August for leaving her, and bliss from the short moments she could have with Killian.
Being numb would be a blessing.
They had set up a date to confront their soon-to-be ex-spouses, at their hotel. The day approached far too quickly.
Emma let her mind wander to the week before, that they'd spent almost entirely together.
Life with Killian was like living in a dream. The way he could show her how much he loved her with a single glance. The way he held her hand when they walked down the street. His little jokes and the dimples that formed when he watched her laugh.
But it also felt like one of those dreams where she'd wake up just as she was getting to the best part.
His personality was always teetering on calm and murderous.
She noticed that he had violent tendencies, he brought his gun everywhere, and was constantly threatening people on the street.
Emma knew she loved him, and him her, but she didn't want to be a witness in court if he killed a man for wolf-whistling at her.
The whole thing made her sick to her stomach. She was constantly debating whether or not she should say something, and even if she should stay with him.
The one thing she knew for certain was that he made her feel alive and happy.
He always touched her gently, like he was afraid of breaking her. He kept their relationship slow and soft. Whenever Killian kissed her, it was definitely with passion, but it was fueled by love, not by lust.
He gave her feelings she had not not had in a long time.
"Are you ready to go, love?" Killian called from the living room of her apartment.
"Yeah, I'll be out in a second." She plucked a black lace dress from her closet and threw it on.
She had overslept, and Killian's knocking on the door woke her up.
Emma walked out to meet her lover and closed the door behind her.
Killian kissed her on the cheek, and said, "You look ravishing, darling."
He noticed her disgruntled expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just that..." She paused, unsure about how to continue.
"I don't want you to get out of control today."
"What do you mean?" He asked, although he knew fully what she meant.
"I don't want you to hurt August or Mila. They may have cheated, but they don't deserve to die."
"If you don't want me to, I won't."
"Do you swear?" Emma asked.
"Of course." He punctuated his sentence with giving Emma a kiss on the nose.
She buried her face in his neck, just feeling his warmth next to her. And then, she felt something cold, hard, and metal.
"Killian, put your gun on the table." Emma said, her voice muffled by his suit jacket.
"No!" He exclaimed.
"Yes!" Emma insisted. "I want to be sure that you won't hurt anybody."
"Can't you take my word for it?"
"As much as I want to, I can't. I've seen how you get when you're mad. When you barely knew me, you were willing to kill to defend my honor. Now you know me very well, and we're going to be in a room with two people that have caused the both of us a lot of emotional pain. I don't want you to do anything you'll regret."
"First, I'll have you know I would never regret killing the man who broke your heart and left you. And second, what if we get mugged? What if I run into a past enemy of mine? I have a lot of those, by the way."
"The likelihood of any of those things happening is very low. I am asking one thing of you, and one thing only. Leave. The gun. Here."
With an exasperated sigh he reached into a pocket in his suit and placed it on the table.
"Thank you." She threw her arms around him, before saying, "We've got some cheaters to bust."
They stood outside the hotel, hand in hand.
"I'm not sure if I can do this." Emma said, her voice shaking.
"It's okay. I'm here to do this with you." Killian grinned warmly at her.
She gave him a half smile.
As they walked in, Emma tried to conceal her excitement. It was just like she imagined it would be. It had soaring ceilings, gold pots inhabited by exotic ferns, and chandeliers that glittered with a million crystals.
They rounded a corner to see rows of marble check-in counters.
"Can I help you?" A prim-looking older lady asked.
"Yes." Killian said automatically.
"We're visiting some friends, August Wood and Mila Jones." Emma chimed in, like they rehearsed.
The lady typed away on a silver computer.
"I have reservations for August Wood and Mila Shepherd in 44B. Is that the couple you're looking for?"
Killian winced.
"Yes." He said through gritted teeth. "That's them. Come along, love."
Once they were safely in the elevator, he told Emma, "That was her maiden name."
They sat in silence for the rest of the ride up.
They finally reached the right floor, and she gave his hand a little squeeze.
It was the second door down on the right, and they drew out every footstep until they came to the door.
It had a little "Do not disturb" sign which they both ignored.
Killian went straight to work, trying to pick the lock. It gave in after the fourth try.
They walked in on Mila and August practically on top of eachother, mid-make out.
They turned around like deer caught in the headlights, and gasped.
"Sweetheart, it's not what it looks like!" August said desperately.
Please. How dumb did he think she was?
"Shut up. We've been trailing you for weeks." She pulled the laminated photo of August and Mila's kiss from her purse.
"You should know better than to cheat on a private investigator." Killian said, his voice devoid of emotion.
August got up.
"William Smee?" He growled.
"Peter Weaver." Killian spat.
August pulled a pistol from a table next to the couch they had found him on.
"What are you doing with my wife?" He barked.
"What're you doing with mine?" Killian said in the same tone. "And before you ask, you took mine first." He pulled a long knife from his suit pocket.
"I told you not to bring a weapon!" Emma hissed.
"No, you told me not to bring my gun! I had to protect you!" He replied.
"You think you're so noble." August chuckled.
"You're no different from when I met you. You're a villain." He released the safety on his gun.
"No!" Emma screeched.
She leapt in front of Killian just as she felt a burning sensation in her left shoulder.
The last thing she saw was Killian's worried face hovering over her.
She heard someone crying, somewhere far away.
And then she realized that he wasn't far away, he was right next to her.
Her eyes snapped open and she tried to turn her head to see Killian, but she was hit with a wave of burning pain in her collar bone area.
"You're awake! Thank the gods, you're awake!"
His face popped into her blurry vision.
"I thought I'd lost you! Emma, oh my gods."
He took her hand in his.
"The doctors said it was too late, they said they couldn't save you but they did!" Tears of happiness ran down his cheeks. He brushed some hair out of her forehead and kissed it, gently.
"What even happened?" She managed to croak out.
"Well, you jumped in front of me when August tried to kill me, and I lunged at him with the knife but he pinned my hand down, took the knife, and, well..."
He held up an arm which should've ended in a hand, but instead it was covered in layers of bandage.
Emma gasped.
"I'm pretty sure you needed that!" She said, flabbergasted. "Are you okay? You poor thing! At least I was unconscious, but you had to suffer for I don't know how long!"
"I'll be okay. And it's been six hours."
"Where's August?" Emma asked.
"I don't know. He left with Mila the second he cut off my hand."
"What did he mean by 'William Smee?'"
Killian cleared his throat.
"August used to be a part of the resistance, under the pseudonym Peter Weaver. I was sent to kill him when I worked for the mafia, but I failed. I worked with the name William Smee. He then became in charge of killing me. He followed me for a year, and saw every kill I made. Including my last."
"You know I'll never see you as a villain, right?" Emma said. "I never have, and I never will."
"I know, but... That doesn't go for both of us." Another tear trickled down his face.
"It should. You've done nothing but protect me and love me. And if I can see the good in you, it means that it's in there."
She reached up to touch his face.
"I love you, Killian."
He gave her a weak smile.
"I love you, too."