I apologize for the delay in this. It has been hard to balance my writing, work, my home life, and some other things that have come up recently. I hope this being a longer chapter makes up for it. This one is a bit dialogue heavy, but the action heats up next chapter. Thanks again for reading, commenting, and the like.

The rain may have turned to a soft drizzle and then to just low hanging clouds, but the road back toward the palace of Mist Haven was still treacherous. The horses struggled to pull the weight of the gilded carriage through the thick mud that mired the way. Twice already the driver had issued apologies to the three passengers for the delay as the horses rested.

"It does seem to be slow going," Elsa mused, adjusting the lap blanket over her own lap and Emma's. "Do you think we'll make it before nightfall?"

Emma peered out the window, her expression thoughtful and worried. "I was thinking that perhaps there was a spell or something I could do to conjure up some dryer weather. Do you have any…" She stopped, realizing she had not mentioned to Killian that Elsa also had powers of magic. It was Elsa's tale to tell, not hers. She knew from her own experience that she would not want anyone to share that information with just anyone.

"I could turn this mud and muck into ice, but I don't think that would be much better," Elsa commented dryly. Her lips twitched with an emerging smile. "We could skate to your home?"

Emma giggled, trying to ignore the curious stare of Killian who was clearly trying to understand the exchange. "I seem to remember us doing that one day and getting in all kinds of trouble with my parents."

"The ball room is no place for ice skating, ladies," Elsa boomed in a voice meant to sound like Emma's father. "I would suggest you take your shenanigans outside." The usually cool demeanor of the queen broke apart as she too laughed uproariously, holding a gloved hand over her mouth. "I haven't thought about that day in years."

"We did have fun when we were children," Emma said, her shoulder brushing her friend's. "Anna always trying to catch up with us."

"We spent half of our time hiding from her. You never did understand how draining it could be to have a little sister. She always wanted to do everything I did. And the fact that we were hiding my abilities to…"

"She knows now and she loves you all the more for it," Emma consoled. "And you were probably right. Anna cannot keep a secret. She becomes so excited about everything. If she had seen some of the things we did as children, she would have told everyone just with her exuberance."

Elsa's laugh wasn't as strong or high-spirited as before, her expression almost regretful. Her eyes flashed with that sentiment as she looked toward Killian. "Emma's not the only one with magic, Captain. That's why I'm here. I'm to help her or at least serve as a bit of diversion toward the enemy."

Feeling proud of her friend for her admission, Emma held her head a bit higher. "Between the two of us we should be able to come up with something to thwart his magical threat. And I believe Killian will be able to combat him physically. We all have a near army by our side to support the endeavor."

"Believing in oneself is admirable," the Queen said with a cautious smile, "but don't forget who we are going up against. Anyway, from your parents' letter I thought that the plan was simply to intimidate him. He's the one that told them the prophecy that you would snuff out the darkness. He wouldn't have forgotten that."

Killian's eyebrow quirked questioningly and Emma tried to smile back at him reassuringly. It was a weak result, but she turned her attention back to Elsa. "That is the plan, but we have to be ready if it doesn't work. We have to know that he may be irrational enough to wish to go head to head. I have to be prepared." She looked to the window with marked sadness. "One would think that with two of us with magic, we could solve a simple problem like mud and rain."

"Perhaps the solution is not magical," Killian suggested, his hand resting upon his leather clad knee. "How far are we from the palace? A trek by foot might be more efficient?"

While Emma seemed to consider this, Elsa was more adamantly against such an idea. Wrapping the lap blanket tighter around her thighs, she patted her friend's arm. "You are better suited to that. I think I will stay and hope for fairer weather. You could send some help for me later?"

***AAA***

Granny slammed the bottle on the counter and frowned deeply at the woman who Snow had introduced her to as the head cook. The woman was sloppy and careless, leaving behind more yield on the fish that she was cooking for dinner than was necessary. Waste was not something the older woman could abide by, especially when it came to food. The Widow Lucas could not stand for such a thing.

Then there was the fact she had not seen her granddaughter since that morning. Red had disappeared, according to Snow, to head into town for a few things and to retrieve the queen of some other land. While Granny was sure that Red was becoming a bit stir crazy, Emma had been the one aching to journey away. Still she had watched her willful granddaughter scurry away toward the carriage as if it was her most important responsibility.

Granny had known Snow since she was a young woman still finding her way. Much like Emma, Snow had come to the Lucas cabin with wide eyes and steely determination. Snow's determination had been a matter of survival, but Emma had done so many things out of love and less out of necessity.

"I'm capable of cooking without you looking over my shoulder," the woman practically growled at the widow. "I've been doing it for years."

"Not as long as I have," Granny growled back. Snow would have a fit knowing that Granny was trying to take over the kitchen. She, along with most, was trying to convince the older woman that now was the time to sit back and relax. But she wasn't about to do that. Those who had lived to an old age in her family – far fewer a number than it should have been thanks to the ogre war and wolf attacks – were known to have died not long after they gave into the idea that they had earned their rest.

So it was no surprise to Granny when an infuriated Snow appeared in the doorway with her hand on her hip as the older woman kneaded the dough as though she was beating a demon out of it. Offering no apologies, Granny continued the work as both the Queen and the head cook seemed to watch her. There was a huff from the cook's too small mouth, her face contorting in displeasure, but she was quickly dismissed by the Queen's regal wave to leave them be.

"You shouldn't have to do this," Snow said, sitting on one of the lopsided stools. Even in that state, she had that same royal air that her mother possessed. Maybe it was the way she held her back just so or the jaunty tip of her chin. But most felt the need to bow before her.

"It helps me think," the woman said. "And it's not like I'm much use in this weather. I couldn't track a sparrow in the garden in this rain."

Snow nodded thoughtfully. "You know that you are more important to me than just a tracker. You and Red both. You've been…you've been my family. I don't want you to think I'm just using you for your skills."

Granny didn't respond, her white head moving in time with her hands as she plopped the pale dough back on the wooden table, a cloud of flour rising up around her hands. She punched it twice more before tossing it again.

"Granny, please talk to me. You're not well. I can see that."

"I'm well enough," the older woman said. "You have much more to worry about than my health. You have a grown daughter who is trying to prove to you that she is worthy of this kingdom and your love. She's willing to go up against the Dark One to prove it." She dropped the dough more one time. "But you know that like that dough, if you work love too much then it is tougher and harder. It has to come naturally."

"Granny, David and I love Emma with all our hearts. We adore her."

"You do," Granny said with a nod of her head. "But she doesn't feel worthy of it. She doesn't feel she deserves it."

"Because of what happened with Baelfire?" Snow said reluctantly. She rarely spoke the man's name, knowing that her daughter had lost herself to him. There were no details, no explanations other than his disappearance had been unexplained. Still, Snow had not gone to her daughter and demanded anything. Maybe it was wrong, she thought to herself. Maybe she should have talked to her daughter about it, found out what it was that made her daughter want to forget that she was a princess and run off with the son of the Dark One. But she hadn't. She had been so glad to see her daughter back at home that she had ignored those feelings and just accepted.

"Partially," the woman said, with her head cocked to one side. "She…this is her battle to fight, but she knows that she was wrong to hide her feelings. She loved that boy, but she was scared to tell you or that husband of yours of it. Maybe I can understand that. God knows Red snuck around enough and hid her love of Peter from me, but…"

"I wasn't paying attention, was I?"

"I'm not trying to place blame," Granny dismissed easily. "I am merely saying that I understand the girl's fear of telling you. Perhaps you do too, if you truly think on it. But all of that is in the past. She is a strong and beautiful woman. But don't let that façade fool you. She's still very much your daughter. And she still relies upon you for your approval. Don't forget that."

***AAA***

"Do you think this is wise?" he asked. "The Queen should not be left cooped up there."

"One of the stables for the palace is quite close now," Emma informed him. "I simply thought we might send a squad to rescue her and the guards. She's strong and independent, but I would hate myself if something were to happen to her."

"I see your point," he said, ducking to avoid a particularly heavy branch on the path. "You do seem quite a bit more adept at leaving your guards behind."

"I have more practice at it," Emma admitted with a deceptively girlish giggle. She was trying hard to ignore the way he would glance at her through the dark lashes that framed his blue eyes. Though it was hardly a lecherous stare, he watched her with keen interest that made her both self-conscious and a bit proud at the same time.

He meant to ask her about her comment of sneaking out, wanted to picture the young girl with dolls and playthings. She was undoubtedly adorable in her mother's slippers and her father's arms trying to dance as she had spied them doing. While there was a wisdom and guardedness in her eyes now, he was sure that somewhere under all that was softness of a little girl with big blonde curls who listened to her mother's reading upon an embroidered pillow. Emma's stories never fail to give him that image as she told of sneaking out under the cover of darkness to ride her new pony, though her father had told her not to do so.

Killian's one hand lifted the low hanging branch so that Emma might pass underneath it without harm. She was far sturdier than he might have given her credit for, the long strides of her walk and the firmness she would use in gripping his arm as they made their way through the thicket. She had a determination that intrigued him, made him wonder, and enticed him. While she was certainly delicate in her own way, she had built herself up around that fragility and created a woman that Killian was quite sure he'd never seen the equal of in all his years.

"Did you enjoy your time in the Navy?" she asked, breaking the silence with a breathless question. When he didn't answer right away, she straightened her stance to watch him hawkishly. "I only ask because you rarely mention it."

"I'm not much for taking orders of another," he answered, his eyes flashing with unnamed emotion. "My brother was a great captain and gave me many chances."

"So it was hard to follow his orders?" Emma asked, a bit confused by his answer. How could one hate taking orders but show respect for his captain? Her feet slid a bit on the damp foliage, but he easily righted her. His forearm bushed lightly against the fabric of her chest and she hoped he was unable to feel her heartbeat increasing at his nearness.

"No, love, it is easy to fall into line and follow orders when you are not all that aware of yourself. My identity, my life, was tied up in being that lieutenant for my brother. I was, as many said, an insufferable man with no true skills or direction to lead. I merely repeated what I had heard and hoped that it sounded strong and true out of my own mouth."

He paused to inspect a dip in the path before them, taking ginger movements around it and then guiding her along his same steps. She threaded her fingers through his, gripping tightly to his hand. If he was shocked by her wishing to hold to his hand, he did not show it, instead using his hook to lift the branches and debris out of the way. "I think I should have liked to have known you then," she said, again breaking the silence. "I'm sure you were quite handsome in your uniform."

He chortled loudly, but she couldn't help noticing the pink that rose up is neck and ears. "I would not have even spoken to you in those days, love," he admitted. "While I was competent as a lieutenant, I had no bit of confidence in talking with a beautiful lass, especially not a princess. I would have been a bumbling dolt around you and quite embarrassed myself in the attempt."

"Perhaps I would have enjoyed seeing that," Emma answered. He stopped as she did, his eyes searching her face for something as she rose onto her toes for better position in front of him. Though she knew no good could come of it, she felt her body swaying toward his. He was the first to back away, stuttering something about hurrying along before the weather caught up with them again.

The walk toward the palace was a slow one with areas of their path washed out in the rain and having to stop occasionally to allow Killian a chance to clean off his boots for better footing. When they reached one area that was completely washed out, he lifted her into his arms to carry her across. Her gasp of surprise made him laugh. "I was only trying to save the dress," he informed her. "I should think that ruining two in the same day might be a bit much, even for a princess who can afford to be so wasteful."

She rolled her green eyes at his cockiness, but didn't scold him for the sentiment or the action. "You do realize I could have cleaned the other dress with magic, don't you?" she asked as he placed her back on the ground.

Stopping short, he stared back her in surprise. "And why didn't you?"

She passed in front of him, the skirt of her dress swishing against his legs as she moved. "Perhaps I wanted to see your ship again," she said with a wry smile. "I have fond memories of being there."

Thunder cracked in the distance and Killian looked warily at the path ahead of them. "Your memories are not faulty, love, but your timing might just be. We need to get help back to Queen Elsa."

Their steps increased in speed as they darted between the trees and past a small clearing that Emma said as a child she had planned to build a house on because she wanted her own place. When Killian looked toward his companion, he noted the way she chewed her bottom lip and kept her eyes downward. When he asked after her, the answers were short and she did not volunteer much in the way of conversation.

"Did I say something wrong?" he asked when he realized he had been rambling about some nonsense for far too long.

"It's just that I…Do you think about it? Do you think about kissing me?"

Though he knew her question had not come easily, he couldn't help but smile at the vulnerability of her question. "Of course," he answered, breaking off a stick to test how deep the mud laid caked on the dip in the path. "I had never had opportunity to kiss a princess before that moment."

Instead of beaming with pride like he had expected her to do, she looked hurt. "You only see me as that, as a princess?"

His chin tipped upward and his hair fell back against his damp forehead. "Love, I cannot ignore your title any more than you can ignore the life I lead. And while I cannot forget kissing you and do so enjoy your company, I also know that I cannot fool myself into thinking that I would ever be worthy of more than just a passing affection from you. Emma, you're going to lead a kingdom someday. You'll have need of a husband who can help you do that. And by then I will be a memory to you, someone fancied the brilliant princess who allowed him the privilege of holding her that once."

"If you believe that there is no room for you in my life, why did you agree to write to me?" She turned her head to the side in question to him.

"I'm a strategic man, love. And a hell of a captain, but I do have a weakness. And I believe you brought it out in me. I can't deny you anything that you might ask. Emma, I've been chasing after the Dark One for longer than I care to remember. It's been a singular focus of mine for lifetimes, but one request from you and I am playing second fiddle in your quest to take him on. As for writing you, I could not deny that to you either. I know that it will end in hurt for me. There will come a day when the letters cease or your letter is replaced by the announcement of your betrothal and you lose interest in an old pirate. Yet I persisted because it was your request. I would not deny you that comfort when you asked, no more than I would deny you anything else."

"I shouldn't press my luck though," she commented softly. With tiny bob of her head in agreement with herself, she led along the path again, dodging as many of the puddles as she could. With the stable in sight, she again grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed. "I told you we would find it," she announced. "I grew up playing in these woods."

"Your beginnings sound like quite the adventure, love," he said, pulling her into his side in a sort of celebratory embrace. "But care to explain to me how these stables are so far from your palace. I seem to recall that you said the palace is at least another hour away."

"We have more than one stable," she explained patiently. "My parents acquired a good deal of land when they came into power, as Regina…well, she'd acquired it herself. They have used it mostly for agriculture. It seems to give some of the villagers steady jobs."

"I see," he said as she explained the basic tenants of economics in such a way that he almost wanted to laugh. Her grasp on the subject was remarkable, but she seemed to think that someone such as himself would have no such understanding. He stood quietly as she continued her recitation of obviously noted authors when she stopped suddenly.

"You know all this, don't you?" she asked, looking ashamed. "I'm carrying on as though you are some idiot."

"I may have had to endure a few lessons at the academy, love, but your accounts are a good review on the subject. Perhaps we might try another topic later though? It appears we have arrived in time for another passing shower." Sure enough the fat drops of rain began to fall as they rushed into the sanctuary of the wooden structure. The men who were usually working there seemed to be in the fields rather than sitting there waiting for them, but Killian insisted that she warm herself before they looked further. Beating the dust out of a woven blanket, he frowned as he stepped toward her – unsure about such a dirty linen for her.

She accepted it though, waving a hand over it to clean the faded fabric easily. With a slight rise of her shoulders, she explained that in her younger years she had stealthily used magic to clean her chambers. "It was easy enough," she explained.

Despite her best attempts, Emma was not quite ready to take on Mother Nature as a foe in the realm of magic. She could not stop the rain from falling any more than she could stop the passage of time that seemed to be slipping away from her. She did not quite know what to do with herself, looking about the cramped space in an effort to find some of the staff who might be milling about to help her. Finding none, she took another step inward and collapsed onto a bench there by the door with the blanket about her shoulders.

"We'll simply wait out the storm, love," Killian told her. "No sense in you becoming ill by taking you out into it." He patted her hand and left her sitting there as he poked about the small sized stable that held only two horses. While there were other stalls, they were used more for storage of various equipment and items that neither recognized. There was nervous energy about his observations that she couldn't help but point out as he lifted a saddle blanket for the third time as though something new might be under it. "I apologize. I am afraid I don't quite know what to do with myself. All of these years in planning to challenge the Dark One, I never quite imagined that the battle or preparations would include a beautiful princess or royalty of any kind. To be frank, I have avoided such trappings and to find myself here is at the very least disconcerting."

She nodded her head, smoothing back some of the hair that had come undone from her braid. "You don't have to be nervous, you know?" She crossed her legs at her ankles and smoothed her hands over the skirt of the dress she had borrowed from Elsa. "You have never had issue with talking to me before."

His smile seemed almost meek as he turned on the heel of his mud caked boots to face her. "It is not you who is the worry," he said, his hand reaching up to run in the spot between his hairline and the tip of his ear. It was a nervous tic that seemed to come out when he was imagining something uncomfortable or hiding some embarrassing truth. "But I dare say that your parents will not be very welcoming to me even in the best of circumstances. And here we are again in a situation where you have ditched your guards and guardians to find yourself alone with me."

"You're worried that they won't approve of you," Emma surmised. "I won't lie. They aren't going to be pleased at my bringing a pirate into their home or kingdom. My father is especially wary of those in your line of work, but they trust me, Killian. When I explain…"

A smile cracked his features. "I have no doubt that you could talk them into anything, my darling. You have that way about you, but you must admit this is a bit of strange one for me. I'm far more used to taking from royalty than cooperating. I have somewhat of a track record for avoiding those who could throw me in the brig."

"You could run now. I would not tell. You could head off to handle the Dark One alone or…You could go back to your ship. There is nothing to stop you. I assure you that I'm more than capable of getting help to Elsa and getting everyone back to the palace."

"A man would be a fool to doubt you," Killian said, noting the brilliant intelligence shining in her green eyes.

Her faint smile held a touch of sadness. "I don't know that I trust myself to do this," she admitted. "I have never trained to use my magic this way before. Never had to face such… My step-grandmother and everyone my parents have known with magic other than fairies have succumb to the darkness that magic brings. " She swallowed. "I've never had to do more than mere parlor tricks before. And now I have to face him to protect a child, myself, and maybe this entire kingdom.

"Not Queen Elsa," he pointed out.

"No, that's partly why I have wanted her here. I want her to help me be strong enough for this."

He lounged casually on the stall's low wall, his arms crossed over his chest. It might have been just an act, a ruse to make her think that he was not worried about her. "Emma, I don't know all that much of magic. I've tried to avoid it the best I could. But I feel that I do know you as well as I can. I trust that if this man, this Dark One, thinks that you are a threat, then that is more than enough. Where he is conniving and cowardly, hiding behind the magic that is inside him, you are powerful in that which is inside you. You have no intention of harm or pain. Your good heart is reason enough to believe that you will not allow a power hungry crocodile to take over your life."

"You have so much faith in me."

The ease with which he had been standing there turned much colder as he straightened, the leather of his coat creaking with the movement. He'd asked her several times if she was cold, offering it to her in exchange, but she had said she was well. Stubborn, he liked to think; she was stubborn and determined. Both of those were necessary for her task. Heat creeped up his neck as he felt her green eyes imploring him. "I believe in you, love. I am not wise enough to know what it will take to defeat the Dark One, but I have little doubt that you will succeed."

She did not waver, folding her hands into a ball in her lap. "I should make note of that," she scoffed.

"That I believe in you? I should think that much was clear from my letters." His brow knitted in a confused set of lines.

"No, that you admitted you aren't wise," she said, attempting to keep her mouth a straight line. When he realized her teasing, he laughed loudly and nearly scared the horses. She tittered along with him, her cheeks rising up to nearly cover her half closed eyes.

"It is a rare occurrence," he admitted.

Soon the rains subsided again and the two stable hands were able to make their way to Elsa, the guards and the stuck carriage. Emma had offered to go with, but Killian had pointed out that the job would be best done with fewer to transport. So with the use of one of the horses, he led her back to her home through the path so familiar to her. Dusk was just settling over the freshly washed gardens as they approached the stone pillars that stood in constant guard.

***AAA***

Regina dangled the necklace between her fingers, letting it sway to and fro like a divine amulet. Her chocolate eyes watched it sway, losing her focus in the constant motion. Under her breath she hummed a simple tune, one that her father had sung to her years before.

"There you are, darling," Robin said, bypassing the chairs to approach is wife. "I was beginning to worry about you."

"I'm perfectly well," Regina said, her unfocused gaze still directed at the necklace. "Just thinking."

Dropping into the cushioned seat beside her, he let his own eyes follow the arc of the pendant in its perpetual motion. "I've never seen that one before," he commented. "Is it…"

"It was my mother's," Regina interrupted. "Just a little bauble that she particularly liked. I had left it here in the castle back before when I was queen. Snow found it and gave it to me today."

His right hand raised up to scratch at his jaw. "That was nice of her."

Regina's breathing was tight in her chest, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in harshly. "You didn't know her – my mother – she was…"

"I heard of her, darling," Robin said, attempting to soothe away whatever Regina was feeling about her mother. He had heard the horror stories of the woman who killed for sport and put her desire for social climbing above all else. The woman had been a terror and someone that every villager feared before becoming a legend after her death.

Reaching out her free hand to stop the necklace from swinging, Regina attempted a smile at her husband. "You have a belief in people that most would find naïve. You fell in love with me despite everything I have done. But I doubt you could have found much good in my mother. My mother had few redeeming qualities, but she was my mother. Everything she did, she did for a better life for me. No matter how wrong or horrible, she was trying to make my life better."

"She must have loved you very much," Robin again soothed.

"I don't know that she was capable of love for anyone but herself," she added sadly. "She loved power and prestige. She would hate what I have become."

Robin considered that for a moment, holding his head to the side with a sympathetic tilt. "I imagine most parents have twinges like that. They want us all to be successful and wonderful, better than them. We never quite measure up, though. I still think she would be proud…"

"No," Regina argued. "She wouldn't understand. If she were in my shoes, she'd rather be dead than powerless. I almost wish she was here. She knew Rumpelstiltskin better than anyone. He trained her. He trained me." Stubby candles sat in a dish at the center of the table, their wicks cold from lack of a flame and the knotted evidence of their dripping from earlier dotted down their fat sides. Regina waved a hand over them, but they remained stone cold. "That was one of the first things I ever learned to control. I could make fire with a flick of my wrist. It is practical, but makes a great weapon too."

"They left you with nothing," Robin said as though the realization just hit him. "You are truly without magic."

"Not a drop," she confessed. "I had thought or maybe hoped that they would give me the chance to prove I was worth it now."

The thief's pinched face showed that he was holding something back. Swallowing hard, he held his hands on the table, palms up. "I've never had magic, my dear, not a bit of it. I've never been a fan of it actually. And I think that Snow and David are making a mistake to keep you from yours. If they intend to win against the Dark One, they need everyone with magic on their side. But you cannot put your self-worth on such a thing. I'm quite handy with a bow and arrow, but what if tomorrow I couldn't see or I lost a hand. Would I be less of a man for not having that skill at my ready?"

Her eyes went upward in a defiant response. "It's not the same thing," she said angrily. "I can't be like them. I don't sit here hoping that Rumpelstiltskin will somehow just go home with his tail between his legs because Emma can do a few tricks. I don't hope for the best when there is an emergency. I fight. I prepare. I do everything I can to make sure that…I would not be relying on faith and trust that good will win. Sometimes it doesn't."

***AAA***

Killian did not quite know what to expect as Emma told him to wait in the sitting room area just off the main hall of the palace. It was not a large room or particularly plush and comfortable, but the space was adequate and normally provided a spot for visitors to gather themselves and their thoughts together before meeting directly with the royal family or some other dignitary. A warm fire was burning despite the date on the calendar, as the room had seemed chilled with the weather turning so dank.

"I'll be back in a moment," she said, her fingers curling around the brace at his left wrist. "I need to see to my parents and alert them as to your presence."

Even through the thick leather he could swear that her touch was warm to his skin and practically burned him. But he assumed that was just his imagination. He could list more than 100 reasons that she should not affect him, that he should not allow her to do so. However, he couldn't help but feel a little weaker each time she smiled and a little stronger each time she said his name in that rolling way that she spoke.

"Love, I shouldn't be here. I'm not welcome. I'll take my leave and set up came a few miles from here. There will be no issue then…"

Squaring off her shoulders, she frowned with displeasure. "My parents have house guests that include a thief, an evil queen, two werewolves, children, an ice queen, and several dwarfs. A pirate is hardly an issue. Besides, you're my guest. I want you here. As my friend, I want you here." Her hand still gripped his wrist as though to implore him to do this for her.

His breath was shaking, as it often was before he entered a fight or combat, that intake before his body lunged forward. "Emma, I don't wish to say no to your request, but this might not be the best of ideas. Your parents have made very strong and clear edicts about outlawing men like me. While I am certain your intentions are good, love, I'm not so sure that your parents will see past my profession and title."

"Leave that to me," Emma said firmly, taking on his usual confidence. While he could certainly take on any number of foes, she was adept at her parents. She only needed to talk to them. "You are here to help me. It's not as though you were asking something more personal." Dropping her lashes quickly, she hid the emotion that flashed there. "I will explain your knowledge of the Dark One is something we could use and would benefit us."

One corner of his mouth quirked up. "I almost believe you that you see me as an asset." When she didn't respond right away, he sank a bit lower in his boots with disappointment, though he could understand her lack of response.

"How could I not?" she finally queried, her own smile a bit dimmer than she felt. "Besides, my brother would be quite disappointed if you did not at least stay long enough to say hello to him. He is sure that your frequent calls to us at Granny were about your desire to see him."

Chuckling, Killian's gaze swung over her tenderly before he averted his eyes in answer to her questioning response. "I should like to see the lad," he admitted. "He's an amusing fellow and a great entertainment with his tall tales."

"I should warn you that my step-grandmother has brought two children as well. Two young boys, a few years less than Leo. They will probably be just as enamored with you as my brother and myself." His eyes grew at her slight confession. "I mean not the same way as I…You know what I mean." She took a stuttered step backward, her hand lingering on his wrist before she wrenched it away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to come out that way."

"Love, I don't see any issue with your statement. I wouldn't question your sanity for being enamored of me, but more think you were setting your sights below your means. You are meant for princes or noblemen, not pirates." The tenderness in his tone and the hooded look of his eyes said he was testing her resolve.

"Leave me to worry about what I am meant for," she said as though he had suggested something much more minor. "I will fetch my parents."

Thoughts?