The Jolly Roger was happy; she didn't know what happened in town to bring them together so quickly, but the details didn't matter to her. Killian was with the woman who would save him. That was all she cared about. The optimistic young man she watched grow into a broken, bitter man now found his path to happiness. He found home.

"Where to?" Killian asked Emma as they prepared to leave the captain's cabin late morning.

She looked at him, startled. "Is it my decision?"

"It's your adventure. Where do you want to sail to? I could pull out some maps, and we can figure out a plan."

"The Enchanted Forest," she supplied easily. Her heart was racing with excitement. She went from having no idea how she could get there or even how far away it was to having someone who could take her on his magical ship.

Killian shrugged, "Sure. Is it somewhere you've wanted to go since you were a little girl?" He had no idea how else she would have decided on the place so quickly.

"No." And here Emma was happy. She could tell him something about her plans, and it didn't involve hiding who her parents were. "The town has an Oracle, and I went to her already. There are magic beans deep in the Enchanted Forest. Remember, I wanted them to send the Evil Queen and the Dark One to another realm —one without magic."

Killian chuckled. "I hate to break it to you, but there are thousands of Oracles out there, and ninety-nine point nine percent of them are fake."

She took his hand and looked into his eyes. "I know, and I have been trained on how to spot them. I can't really go into it all, but I promise, where magic is concerned, I'm not in the least bit naive." She blushed and said, "I'm powerful. And that's the horribly embarrassing part about being attacked. I assumed no one could hurt me."

"What does powerful even mean? I don't know how to gauge that."

Emma took two abrupt paces away from him. With her back to him still, she said, "I can't explain why I have magic… but I will admit to having a lot."

Killian could feel the tension rolling off her at the moment, and he didn't want to spook her. He had the sense that she was on edge and that pressing in the wrong way would hurt his chance to make more progress with her. He tried for complete transparency. "I don't want to know anything that can expose your family and friends. It's clear to me you're protecting them, and honestly, as a pirate, that makes me trust you more. I admire and respect your ability to keep silent. It shows me I can trust you with my secrets." She was in his arms, clinging to him and crying, before he realized that she had moved.

"Th-thank you! I was so upset over not being able to say anything."

"Secrets that seem as deep and as important as the ones you're keeping should be kept. I don't see it as a lack of trust in me. I see it as an act of loyalty to people you hold dear."

Emma smiled up at him with watery eyes. "You have no idea how relieved I am."

"And even in your worry, you protected them. Well done."

She smiled. "Hearing 'well done' from you makes my heart soar. How funny is that? Your opinion already means so much to me."

Emma then stepped back a bit out of his embrace. "My magic. It's hard to explain how much I have. What I can say is that I have been told by someone who has adequate information to know that I am at least as strong as the Evil Queen."

Killian stared at her, not really knowing how to process what he thought to be a ridiculous statement. There was no way that anyone had that much magic. It just wasn't possible. Well, except for the Dark One.

The problem was she had been trying to convince him to believe her crazy statements. And now, not seeming to accept the craziest of them all might really hurt her. But he reflected on how that was impossible. One, he didn't believe anyone could have good magic and be that powerful, or two, no way would someone so powerful drop in his lap.

I brought you to her. Not a mistake.

"What in the hell are you talking about!?"

Emma blushed hard and stuttered. "I-I h-have a lot of magic."

"No," Killian said softly. "I wasn't yelling at you. I was yelling at my ship. I'm going to sound crazy, but she talks to me."

Letting out a cleansing breath, Emma then said, "You don't sound crazy. She talks to me, too."

"What?"

I brought you to the girl.

Registering what they both said, she replied to Emma first. "You didn't say anything."

"She wants us together. I didn't want to say anything. I was mostly arguing with your ship over whether or not I would sleep with you."

Killian looked shocked. "Come again?"

"I'm sure she's happy. She wanted me to sleep with you."

Placing a hand on the middle of her back and pulling her close, Killian said, "I think it was more intricate than that. I know she wants us together, not just sexually."

Emma smiled a bit and said, "Yes, that is true."

"Explain, Jolly Roger, what were you getting at."

Again, only Killian heard her answer. I found her for you. Powerful girl is right—lots of magic.

His eyes snapped to look at Emma. "My ship believes you."

"You don't?"

Killian decided to be honest with her. "I didn't think anyone existed that could come close to the Evil Queen in magical ability. What's the chance that not only do they exist but that she's in my arms right now?"

"Not that it will do me any good. I still was knocked unconscious by someone without a lick of magic."

"I promised to teach you to defend yourself. Anyone can be taken by surprise. We will work to teach you how to be more aware of potential dangers."

Emma placed her hand on his chest, and that drew his attention to how tightly their bodies were pressed together. Still, he was listening when she asked, "You believe me?"

Believe her.

He listened but spoke to Emma. "Yes. I do. But that doesn't mean I can wrap my head around the truth. I don't have a way of comprehending how much magic that means you have."

She chucked a bit and wryly said, "Now you know why I didn't argue when you called me a hedge witch."

"I wouldn't have believed you at the time. You're right. Still," he paused and thought a bit and then added, "We need to keep this between us for a while. I want time to consider the pitfalls of telling my crew. Trusting them and then trusting them with a secret this big are two different things."

Emma said, "I like the idea of having secrets with you. That's probably childish, though."

"Not at all."

He then let his hand drift down to cup her backside. "There are going to be many things that stay between just the two of us."

She pressed her core against his straining member as she whispered into his ear, "Some things between us have to go though. I know our clothes are in my way right now."

He rocked his cock against her a few times. "I wish they were already gone."

"Your wish is my command," she replied, and then white smoke circled them as he felt her bare skin pressing against his bare skin.

His eyes grew wide as saucers. "You can do that?!"

"I can do that."

He shifted and pressed her against the wall, trapping her there with his body. "I love your magic. Now wrap your legs around my waist." She obeyed, and he thrust his hard cock into her welcoming pussy.

He began thrusting into her hard again and again. "You're everything more than perfection."

Emma clung to him, and he took her in a sexual position she didn't even know was possible. What that revelation did was drive her wild and make her wet. Something about being out of bed was just erotically shocking to her.

The way he pounded into her with all his might drove her to orgasm quickly. He shocked her again when his cock stayed hard, and he kept taking her, grunting in pleasure. Quickly, she was again getting worked up, and when he came inside her, she orgasmed again.

With trembling legs, she found her feet. "I didn't know that was possible."

He quickly realized his mistake. She was a sheltered virgin, and he didn't want to push for something that upset her. "Sorry-"

"Don't you dare!" She yelled. "I just didn't know," she then said, softening her tone. "Don't apologize. I want to learn to have sex in all sorts of ways that I didn't know. That was wonderful. Please be patient with teaching me. I'm ignorant."

"Emma. Listen to me. You're right. You don't know much about sex. But you have to know and believe two things. One, I will love teaching you. And two, we've had sex four times now since supper, and it's not even lunchtime. We're a lot of sex, amazing sex. You're going to become very knowledgeable on the subject very fast."

"I please you?" She asked excitedly.

"In all of the centuries I've lived, I've never been this pleased before."

When they set off into the town to eat and then for him to show her around, Killian noted something else. He had never felt so proud to have someone by his side before. With Emma, she was a beautiful woman who he not only cared about, but he knew she belonged to him and only him. And for Killian, he finally realized how much he needed that. The equal commitment between the two of them meant he could rest in her and her affection for him.

At that moment, he vowed to himself that he would protect her at all costs. He was sure with everything in him that keeping her safe and happy was all that now mattered to him.