A/N: Hey guys, this is the final chapter! Isn't that exciting? Anyway, it's been a long journey, so thanks for sticking with me and favouriting/following/reviewing =).

Enjoy!

"Emma?" Killian's voice echoed in her ears, pulling her back towards conscientiousness. "Love?"

She knew that she should respond, should open her eyes and reassure him that she was alright, but it was too difficult.

Everything felt wrong.

She could feel Killian. Not just his arms around her, holding her up, but also his consciousness, brushing up against hers. She knew that he could feel everything she felt. Everything she thought. And that terrified her, more than she could ever admit out loud.

"Emma, please wake up," his voice begged. There was a pleading note there that was unfamiliar and unexpected, that showed just how concerned he was for her.

Her eyes fluttered open at last, but the brilliant light filling the room made her wince. It was receding, but was still bright enough that her eyes protested.

"Emma," Killian sighed in relief as he looked down at her. "You scared me. I thought…I though you were…"

She laughed weakly. "You can't get rid of me that easily." Shifting in his grasp, she tried to steady herself on her feet, still holding onto Killian to make sure that she kept her balance. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" he asked, pulling her closer to him.

Her brain felt foggy, but she dimly remembered Killian's idea and Rumpelstiltskin's anguished scream. "I gave you the flower," she breathed. "And I'm not dead."

He smiled down at her. "Yeah."

"And now you control me." Her eyes widened. She trusted Killian, but now she understood why she felt his emotions brushing against hers - the flower really did surrender her will to him. She didn't like it; the feeling of helplessness overwhelming her made it hard to distract herself from her terror.

"I'll rip out your heart, pirate," Rumpelstiltskin interrupted, snarling and right up against the barrier of his cage.

"I think not," Killian shot back, then turned his attention back to Emma. "Love, do you realize what this means?"

"That I have to obey you?" she shot back, her unreasonable anger manifesting in the sharpness of her voice. "Great."

"Emma," he protested, "think about it. If your will is mine, how can it be his too?" He gestured to the angry Dark One who was practically foaming at the mouth.

Understanding dawned on Emma all at once. "The deal is void," she breathed. "It's impossible. It's impossible!" She smiled up at Killian, forgetting for a second the consequences of this alternate arrangement. "Thank you."

"How about we get out of here?" he asked, taking her hand. "He's losing it." Rumpelstiltskin's glare was intense on them, so full of hatred that it made Emma shiver.

"Yeah," she agreed, shooting a nervous glance at Rumpelstiltskin. By his reaction, she knew the deal was broken, but his presence still made her nervous.

"Oh, and Emma?" he asked as they walked away, his voice full of warmth. "I don't want this flower." She stopped and turned to him, both surprised and grateful to see him take the dreaded black flower and crush in between his fingers. "I order you to have your will back."

All at once, the feeling of Killian's consciousness rubbing against hers vanished and she staggered against him, feeling all the strength that she had been missing for so many weeks return all at once.

"Why...why would you…?" she asked, unable to stop a bright smile forming on her lips.

"I love you," he whispered, taking her face in his hands. "And I don't want you to have to reciprocate my feelings because of some flower."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "I love you too."

He chuckled and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss and sending tingly sensations through Emma's body.

"And Killian?" she muttered against his lips, feeling him smile against her in response. "Thanks."

…

One Month Later

"Are you sure that this is okay?" Killian asked, looking down at Emma, his expression open and full of love.

She took a deep breath, then smiled. "Yeah. It's what I want."

In front of them rose the newly purchased Jolly Roger, its sails gleaming white in the sun and the deck freshly burnished, just waiting for them to board.

"And your parents? The kingdom?"

She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. "My parents are surprisingly fine with...well, everything," she gestured to the ship and the open ocean, "and I have brothers. The kingdom will be fine."

"Well, then, Mrs. Jones," he fiddled with the bright new wedding ring on her hand, "shall we set off on our maiden voyage?"

She bit her lip, excited to share with him one final surprise before they left. "Yes, but I have something to tell you first."

He turned to her expectantly, and she was struck again by the love for her that was clear in his eyes.

Reaching her spare hand into her pocket, she pulled out a long chain holding a couple silver charms. "Remember this?"

His eyes widened and he released her hand so that he could reach out and take the charms from her. "Emma?" he breathed, his gaze intent on the object in his grasp.
"I felt guilty," she smiled at him, his reaction making her extremely happy, "and so I tracked down the pirate that you traded it to to get us off the island, and I found out that he had sold it, so I found the merchant, who had-"

Killian's lips, insistent against hers, cut off her explanation. "Emma, you don't know how much this means to me," he muttered into her ear after breaking the kiss. "Thank you."

"That wasn't a very convincing thank you," she teased, escaping his grasp. "Try again."

"In that case," he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her tight against his chest, "how's this for a thank you?"

He kissed her, a breathtaking kiss that banished all thoughts from Emma's brain. Completely forgetting about the crew standing on the dock, she threw her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, losing herself in the magical sensations.

"Was that better?" Killian asked breathily, pulling back and looking at her with a tender glint in his eyes.

She grinned up at him. "It's a start."

He leaned in again and captured her lips in another kiss.

Thank you all for reading, and please leave a final review to let me know if you enjoyed it!

~Caitlin51