A quick short because I've been procrastinating even though I really shouldn't be. Enjoy!

Dreamcatchers

He always liked being the one to break down her walls.

Those same walls often caused him a significant amount of pain, but when he finally broke through, he only fell more in love with his Swan. Granted, she was always sort of an open book to him, but he still needed her to fill in the blanks where he didn't know the specifics. He may have been able to tell how she was feeling and when she needed him by her side, but the questions of why remained.

"It's called a dreamcatcher" she told him once as they were curled up in her bed in the loft. "It traps bad dreams."

He ran his fingers over the item, his other arm wrapped around her shoulder, holding her close. "And where did you get such an object?"

"Neal gave it to me" she said after a moment with a sense of finality. He knew talking about Baelfire was difficult for her, just as it was for him. They rarely talked about it, and her tone alerted him to the fact that she probably didn't want to elaborate, so he didn't push her. She surprised him though, as she did so often, "We found it when we were hiding out in a crappy motel and we took it. It stayed in the bug for a while, but I didn't see it again until you had me go to his apartment when I was in New York. So I took it."

"Not the sentimental type, huh?" he kidded, nudging her in the side a bit and earning a snort from his girlfriend.

"I may be sentimental, but I'm not overly sentimental, Mr. "I Keep Everything I've Ever Owned" she returned quickly, leaning her head on his shoulder while looking up at him.

Setting the dreamcatcher down on the bedside table, he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer so their legs were entwined and she could settle her head in the crook of his neck, her breath blowing softly onto his skin. "For your information, I may keep everything, but I also traded it all away for this blonde lass who stole my heart."

"I thought I put your heart back in your chest, not the other way around?" she questioned.

"That may be, but it'll always be yours regardless. And as for those nightmares" he continued, "you won't have to worry about having a dreamcatcher anymore."

"Oh yeah? Why would that be?"

"Because you have me now, and as long as I'm beside you, I'll keep the demons at bay." Killian followed his promise with a soft kiss to the top of her head as she settled in against him.

He turned out to be right after all, about keeping the demons at bay, because even when the darkness consumed her, he was still her dreamcatcher.