Chapter 5

The next morning, Emma woke up alone in her bed.

She was disoriented, to say the least. Her head ached from the crying she'd done the night before, and her eyes were so swollen she could barely open them. Her muscles were sore and tired, causing her to wonder how long she'd been asleep. She remembered it being quite late when she'd finally found rest for the night; it was probably already early afternoon.

Emma sighed; the last thing she needed was for everyone to begin treating her as though she was going to break. They should've woken her up hours ago. Her emotional issues aside, she still had a job and a family that she was responsible for, and it wasn't up to her parents whether or not she could handle it at the moment. She was the one who needed to make that decision for herself. Unhappily, Emma removed herself from the warmth of her blankets, and picked through her wardrobe to find something suitable to wear. She had to begin to focus on small tasks that could be easily accomplished; she knew it was the only way she would be able to make it through the day.

Emma settled on a comfortable pair of black pants and a cotton shirt, and then pulled her tangled mess of blonde hair into a ponytail. She tried to ignore the blotchy redness that seemed to take over the entirety of her face. Glancing at the clock, she was relieved to find that it was only just after ten. She hadn't wasted her entire morning.

Emma stared at herself in the mirror, focusing on her irritated eyes. She told herself softly but firmly, "You can do this. Just get through today, and then you can break down all you want again tonight when you come home."

Turning away, Emma walked to where her shoes rested in front of her bedside table. She slipped them on quickly, and was just about to leave when she saw something that stopped her heart almost completely.

There, lying by her half-empty bottle of water and a box of tissues, was Killian's hook. Eyes wide, Emma picked it up, noting how heavy it felt in her small hands. It reflected the light in the room, creating an eerily beautiful glow. Emma pressed its cold metal to her cheek; she was nearly knocked backwards by the flood of emotions and memories that overwhelmed her. Killian had gently stroked her cheek with that hook a thousand times, and each time had meant something different to her. Now, she was able to distinctly remember each of those times, and she felt a bitter ache in her heart.

How did she come to possess this? Who gave it to her?

Holding the hook closely to her chest, but being sure not to hurt herself with it, Emma slowly left her bedroom and descended to the lower half of the loft. Emma knew that Henry was at Regina's, as she had been promising Henry a breakfast at Granny's for some time. Henry had probably tried to wriggle out of going this morning, so that he could stay and make sure that she was okay, but Emma was glad that Regina had obviously convinced her son to go do something productive. Henry didn't need to see how hurt his mother was.

Emma walked to the kitchen, and set the hook down on the counter. David and Mary Margaret weren't around, and since Emma couldn't hear the sounds of her little brother crying, she deduced that she was home by herself. This was unexpected, but Emma was so thankful for the alone time. It was exactly what she wanted.

Emma walked slowly to the refrigerator, and scanned its contents until her eyes settled on some iced tea that her mother had obviously made. She removed the pitcher gingerly, and placed it on the marble counter with ease. She found herself a plastic cup with a picture of Spider-Man on the side of it, and began to pour the drink as gently as she could. The last thing she needed was to spill the stupid thing.

It suddenly seemed to become much quieter, and Emma paused in confusion. Why was there suddenly so much less sound? And then the door to the bathroom opened, and Emma realized that no, she wasn't alone, and the reason it was suddenly silent was because the shower had stopped.

Emma sighed; so much for alone time.

She busied herself by drinking her tea, and then beginning to make a pot of coffee. The smell of it soothed her and woke her even further. She was so focused on her task that she wasn't aware someone had joined her until they spoke.

"Good morning,"

The voice was not the sweet chirp of her mother, nor was it the deep voice of her father. It wasn't even the energized, lowering voice of her now-teenage son. It was, however, a beautiful voice, and one she never thought she would hear again.

Emma turned quickly, her breath rushing out of her at the sight of Killian in her father's bathrobe, hair still dripping from the shower he had obviously just taken. Emma's eyes widened, and all she could manage was, "I'm still dreaming."

The smile slide right off Killian's face, and his entire person became weighed down with seriousness. He approached Emma cautiously, reaching out his hand to caress her cheek. He said, "You were never dreaming in the first place, love."

Emma gulped, and closed her eyes as Killian's hand touched her cheek. She whispered, "Yes, I was. Am. You were dead, I watched you die."

If Emma's eyes had been open, she would've seen Killian shake his head. He told her softly, "I didn't die, Swan. The crocodile took me back to that infernal shop of his and hid me away in the back room. He's the one who did this in the first place!"

Emma's eyes snapped open, and she stared at Killian in disbelief. She heard his words about Rumplestiltskin, but those weren't what she was focusing on. She asked in a childlike voice, "You're really here?"

Killian's eyes twinkled as he replied, "You can't get rid of me that easily, lass."

"Killian," whispered Emma fearfully. She reached her hand up to touch his. His skin was so warm, so real, and for the first time, Emma felt hope swell in her chest. Not thinking twice, she hurled herself into Killian's arms, pressing herself against him as hard as she could. He was surprised at first, but then without hesitation, he wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close.

She couldn't get close enough to him; it seemed as though, dream or not, she wasn't about to let him go ever again. She clung to him for dear life, tears cascading and heart pounding. She heard him trying to explain what happened, but all she was aware of was the steady rise and fall of his chest. It was the surest sign that he was alive, and it was the most soothing thing she could hope to have from him. Though, once she'd calmed down a bit, she was able to focus more on his words.

"...and once he'd said that you were relieved, of course, I began to rethink..."

Suddenly, David's words from the night before rang through her mind, and she interrupted Killian mid-sentence.

"Gold," she breathed angrily, her eyes flickering up to Killian's. Heat flashed through her pupils, and she felt hatred begin to boil in her heart. "He did this to you?"

"Aye," nodded Killian, his own eyes darkening as well.

"Why didn't you say anything when we found you with Belle?" growled Emma passionately, tears forming once more, this time from anger. Killian sighed, still enraged, but not as obviously as Emma was.

"Because I thought I was dying," said Killian slowly, trying to explain himself but realizing how foolish it all sounded once he was saying the words aloud. "And I knew that the crocodile's vengeance had nothing to do with the lass. She deserved her happy ending; I owed her that much."

Emma felt herself soften at Killian's gentle words, but that moment of happiness was quickly eradicated by her growing need to find Gold and set him on fire. She detached herself from Killian's arms, as painful as doing so was, and made a beeline for where her car keys were carelessly laying on the counter. She grasped them quickly and made for the front door, only to be blocked by Killian's body.

"Get out of my way," Emma said sourly, hating that she was being mean to Killian but knowing that she had to go after Gold. He was not getting away with it this time, oh no. Not when his actions almost rid her of the thing she loved most, next to Henry. Emma was going to make him pay.

"We need to think this through, Swan," reasoned Killian stubbornly, refusing to move. "If you'll recall, I carried a vendetta against Rumplestiltskin for three hundred years - you can see how well that's worked out."

"I don't care!" screamed Emma in disbelief, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her entire world had almost been destroyed by the man her son called "Grandfather". "It's different!" she insisted. "He almost killed you!"

Killian's eyes suddenly filled with sadness, and he pleaded with Emma to understand. "He did kill Milah. And I was as determined to kill him then as you are now. You see what happened." Killian pulled the sleeve of his bathrobe up to show Emma the stump where his hand used to be. Emma had seen it before, but tried to contain her surprise that she'd forgotten the reason it was there. Killian continued, "Please, don't just barge in there blindly, love. As it is, he thinks I must have left town last night."

"He is not getting away with this," growled Emma, dropping her keys and walking back towards the coffee. Killian exhaled and joined her. She was still angry, as she had every right to be, but she at least seemed more sensible. Killian was outraged as well, but for the moment, only allowed himself to be overwhelmed by the feeling of being with Emma again.

As Emma poured the coffee for herself and Killian, her eyes trailed to where his hook was still resting where she'd placed it only minutes before. She put down the pot, and picked up the gleaming piece of metal. She approached Killian slowly, and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to face her, immediately noticing the object she held.

"I believe this belongs to you." she said quietly, handing the hook to its rightful owner. Killian gave her a fleeting smile, and tucked the hook away into the pocket of the bathrobe.

"Thank you for keeping it safe," he whispered in the most charming way he could muster. The sound of it took Emma's breath away, and subsequently, Killian chuckled. He pulled Emma into his arms once more, holding her to him so tightly that, in that moment, nothing short of the apocalypse could have ripped her away from him. And then he was kissing her, twisting his good hand through her hair and showing her how much she was loved. Emma responded eagerly, not caring that his hair was still dripping wet, only focusing on the heat of their bodies in that precious minute of joy. They kissed with more passion than they ever had before, and as they pulled away and looked into each other's eyes, only one thought crossed Emma's frayed mind.

"I love you."

Awe! I seriously went overboard on the fluff while writing some of this. Let's hope for a Captain Swan "I love you" coming up in the show soon, please! Sorry this chapter took so long to post, I have been so unbelievably busy with an event the last two weeks, I've hardly had time to do anything. Now that it's over, however, I should finally get some free time back to write :) Thank you so much to all of my wonderful fans! Your reviews have been both kind and encouraging :) I don't think I'm going to make this story very long - only a few more chapters at most. But I have just posted a Captain Swan one-shot this afternoon, and I plan on beginning a full-length Captain Swan multi-chap with chapters much longer than this. Would you guys be interested? I haven't settled on a plot yet, but I'll let you guys know when I do. Okay, that's enough of this irritatingly long author's note. Thank you a million times for clicking on, and don't forget to review! Ciao :)