"I declare… This Ball… Officially over," said Neal Cassidy, as he closed the door to their room behind him.

"Thank Heavens," Emma replied, sitting at the edge of their bed as she got rid of her dress shoes. "Even Henry is getting tired of these parties, and he used to love them."

"Is he staying at Regina's for the weekend?"

"Yeah..."

"Gotta say, though… your parents know how to entertain a crowd."

"You mean the dancing?" she asked. "Or the Secret Valentine thing?"

"Both. It's a Valentine's Ball, after all," he said, with a careless shrug. "It's only fair people are given a means to… vent their feelings."

"Oh, I see…" she replied, eyeing the man before her with a suspicious glance. "Speaking of which, turns out someone was a hit among the ladies tonight…" As she spoke, she fished a handful of tiny pieces of parchment from her cleavage. "Fifteen invitations for a dance, eight for a drink and two… for very specific arrangements," she said, gently crumpling the slips in her hand. "I didn't even know there were so many single ladies in the Enchanted Forest."

"Maybe they're not single… Not all of them," he replied with a smirk, chest stuffed as he rearranged the scarf around his neck. "Can't blame them, though. Must be the cape," he added, studying his reflection on the mirror. "I think it suits me, don't you?"

"Don't let it get to your head, Casanova," she said, throwing a pillow at him. "It's not as if they had that many options anyway…"

"Oh. What does that say about you, then?"

"What do you mean?"

"'Not many options?' Is that why you picked me?"

"Perhaps…"

"Well, now that we are talking about options…" he muttered, his expression showing a certain amount of annoyance as he fumbled with something inside his pocket. "Turns out you got your fair share of messages as well," he added, showing her the crumpled messages he had been carrying around. "Sixteen, to be precise, and judging by the nasty handwriting, all from the same person."

He cleared his throat before unfolding the first slip.

"'Swan, I know you want me as much as I want you.' Spoke Captain Charming," he added, with a snort. "Oh, bad choice of words. I didn't mean to offend your father." He unfolded another slip. "'Why stop at a kiss when you can have it all?' Ooh, I'm swooning!" And then, another. "'I might have only one hand but trust me, my sword won't let you down.' Now isn't he a poet? And my personal favorite, 'Come meet me by the garden - Neal doesn't need to know.'"

He crumpled all of the messages into a ball and tossed them away.

"Well, what can I do?" said Emma, shrugging as she watched Neal put his hands on his waist. "I have already told Hook I'm not into him, but he won't give up."

"Of course he won't, Hook is a relentless idiot," Neal replied, a slight shadow of despair clouding his face for an instant. "I thought you knew that about him!"

"I do. I mean…"

He whipped his head around when she paused, looking hesitant.

"What?"

"He's changed, you know."

He felt his eyes would pop out of his skull. Either that or he was about to have a stroke. Was she really defending Hook?

"You can't be serious," he whispered, his mouth gaping a little.

"Neal. come on. He has. You said it yourself the other day."

"Whatever…" That was true. He had thanked Hook for putting his life on the line for his family more than once. Of course, deep down, he knew why Hook was being so brave, and it only made him even angrier at Emma's condescending remarks. "I just… I just wish you hadn't kissed him, that's all."

"And I wish you hadn't gotten engaged…"

"Oh, please, Emma, don't bring my engagement into this…"

"Why not? I kiss Hook and you get pissed, you bring Tamara to Storybrooke and that's okay?"

"It's different."

"Of course it's different, at least Hook didn't kidnap our son!"

By the time she dropped that comment, he was already pacing up and down, fidgeting with his scarf as he always did when he was particularly nervous. She knew Tamara had nothing to do with the reason why she had kissed Hook in Neverland. Payback had never been on her mind, and it was not as if she would have been able to get back at Neal even if she had wanted to - not when, for all due purposes, he was still "dead". But the fact Neal was trying to pass judgment on her for being with another man just didn't sit well with her, not after everything she had been through while Tamara was in Storybrooke.

"You're out of your mind."

"Wait, I'm out of my mind? I'm out of my mind? Look at me," she shrieked, standing up to grab his arm. "Hey, look at me!"

He was clenching his jaw, as if chewing on words he seemed intent on letting out.

"Yeah I kissed Hook, when I thought you were dead. And you slept with Tamara, knowing I was two houses away!" she continued, a very noticeable note of hurt in her voice. "You think I don't know?"

"Emma…"

"You two shared a bed at Granny's, you think I'm stupid?"

"We didn-"

"Stop lying to me! I know you, Neal, I know you did it."

"We didn't have time to do it!"

"But you wanted to!"

"Of course I wanted to!"

She felt her heart skip a beat. In some dark corner of her mind, she had nurtured some vain hope that she was wrong.

"I needed to… to feel something, anything!" he blurted out. "Yeah, I tried to have sex with her when she was in Storybrooke, are you happy now? Do you want the details?"

"No, I don't," she replied, trying to ignore the dull ache in her chest as she revisited all the moments she had seen the two of them together. "Because it's past, and I don't care."

"Of course you don't," Neal snorted, before letting out his trademark smirk that always infuriated her when they were having an argument. "She's dead, why would you?"

"Stop being such a bitch."

"Oh, I am the bitch?" He had just reached for the door when her words finally unleashed the ones he had been meaning to say when Hook was first brought into the conversation. "How long did you wait after I fell through that portal to swap spit with Hook? One, two da-?"

Much before he could finish that sentence, her hand had already connected with his face in a loud, stinging slap.

"Get out," she hissed, anger and hurt mixed in her eyes as she struggled to keep her voice steady.

"Emma, I'm s-"

"Get out!"

He staggered backwards when she yelled at him. His heart was racing - what the hell had he done? It had taken her so long to finally let him back in and now he had ruined things again. Slowly but steadily, though, he remembered the last time he had seen Hook and Emma together - all the little smiles, the flirting, his obnoxious demeanor around her - and regret was quickly replaced by another outburst of rage.

"Fine!" he yelled back, before walking out of the room and slamming the door shut behind him.

If it was Hook she wanted, then best of luck to her.

As he made his way to the castle's exit, still cursing under his breath, he heard the door opening and Emma taking quick steps towards the staircase.

"And take your stupid videogame with you!" she screamed, before throwing their Wii at him - and missing his head by an inch.

"Are you ins-"

"And your stupid games, get the hell out!"

He had to dodge a flying Mario Kart to avoid being hit on the face, and again he felt his blood boil.

Emma waited at the top of the staircase, her chest heaving up and down as she watched him turn around and climb two steps, his mouth open as he prepared to yell back.

And then, he froze on the spot, still looking insanely angry but cautiously studying his options.

"Naah..." he groaned, waving a hand as he turned away and resumed going down the stairs.

"Oh no, you won't..." she snarled, raising her dress so that she could rush downstairs.

How dared he walk out in the middle of an argument? No way she would let him have the upper hand.

He quickened his step when he finally reached the lounge, taking a left turn so that he would grab himself some heavy spirit from the kitchen; after the disastrous way his night had ended, he would certainly need a drink at some point.

"Stop making this about Hook, what is wrong with you?" she said, after catching up with him and grabbing his arm to force him to look at her.

"Be honest with me, Emma," he said, holding her stare as he took a step forward. "Because I know you too."

His breath was just as heavy as hers, and the two of them looked ready to jump down each other's throats.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You mean, who do I want."

He blinked, swallowing as the anger on her face seemed to dissolve and give way to annoyance.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"If it were I wouldn't be asking."

"Look, what happened between me and Hook is past. I kissed him because I wanted to, I'm not gonna lie, I-"

"Emma, I don't wanna know."

"You asked me to be honest and I'll be. I was feeling good and-"

"I don't wanna hear it."

"And I missed it, Neal! It had been way too long since I-"

"Emma, please, stop, I get it."

"If I wanted more from Hook I would have gotten it and you know it."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground as he raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"I'm sorry I called you a bitch..." he whispered.

"I'm not sorry I called you a bitch."

When he raised his eyes to her face, she saw the beginning of a smile curl the corners of her lips.

"And I'm not sorry about slapping you either," she continued. "My hand is still burning but you know you deserved it."

He let out an unhappy chuckle, slightly embarrassed by taking things out of proportion but completely unwilling to admit it.

"If I'm allowed to offer a suggestion for your parents' next party, that will be: no more Secret Valentines."

"I say we keep it," she said, after shrugging and crossing her arms over her chest. "I like it when you lose it. I find it hot."

He watched as she leaned against the wall, her eyes full of mischief as she smirked.

"You'd been meaning to slap me for ages, hadn't you?"

"More than you imagine."

He rocked back and forth on his heels, wetting his lips before speaking again.

"You have no idea how much Hook pisses me off."

"Oh, I do. Guess I'll have to thank him personally for that."

"Emma, if you keep talking about that man, I-"

"You'll what?" It was her turn to take a step forward, tilting her head to the side. "Spank me?"

"Do you want me to?"

"What do you think?" she whispered into his ear, before walking past him to lean against the kitchen table.

He closed his eyes, letting her perfume fill his nostrils as his lower stomach clenched in anticipation. He glanced down at his lap, fully aware that the blood supply in his brain would soon be lacking as all of it seemed to be flowing downwards - a certain bulge in his pants becoming more noticeable at each intake of breath.

"I think that dress needs to go..."

"Not gonna happen," she shrugged.

He turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow, just in time to see her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. When her eyes locked with his, he felt his muscles contract again - her stare was a silent, and yet very obvious invitation.

"But I'll give you some help," she said, before raising her arms with her eyes closed, until a wave of magic covered them both and all entrances and exits to the kitchen were covered in a familiar force field. "No interruptions."

"You think you can impress me with your magic tricks?" he asked, approaching her by the table and when until their faces were separated by nothing but an inch.

"I'm sure I can."

He saw her move a finger in the air, and when he glanced at his lap again, he saw the zipper to his pants being slowly pulled down.

"No?" she asked quietly, when he swallowed in a mixture of apprehension and surprise.

"I… I'm not a huge fan of magic."

"Not even mine?"

He was still looking down when her slender fingers reached for his erection, rubbing it through the layer of fabric that was still covering it.

"You should know by now…" he whispered in response, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer to him, so that his mouth was brushing against the soft skin of her neck. "All magic comes with a price."

One of his hands travelled down to her lower back while the other reached behind her head.

"You ready to pay yours?" he asked, after biting her earlobe and giving her hair a gentle pull to tilt her head upwards.

"Yes."

"What was that?"

"Yes!"

His lips claimed hers in a fervent kiss, his tongue invading her mouth as she moaned under her breath. By the time they pulled away from each other, his cock was pulsating against her stomach, searching for her skin amidst layer over layer of satin.

"I'm gonna fuck you so hard the entire kingdom will hear you scream…"

Emma gasped, her body responding accordingly to his words. A long, fierce contraction of her sex made her shudder, and several seconds went by before her muscles relaxed again and she felt the familiar tingle between her legs.

"You want me?" he asked, the lust in his voice making her breath catch in her throat.

"Yeah..."

"You want my cock?"

"Yeah."

"Are you wet?"

"Dripping."

She made to touch him again, but he simply pinned her wrist against the table as he licked her neck, stopping at the skin over her pulse to bite it gently.

"Yeah?" he moaned. "Show me."

"No."

"Take off the dress."

"No."

She escaped his grasp, and made sure to pull away every time he tried to get hold of her arm. She loved when the two of them fought for dominance, and she loved it even more when he tried to, and succeeded in, overpowering her.

"I'm not asking," he said, finally grabbing her arm and putting her back in place, while she still struggled.

"I don't care."

"Take it off."

Her eyes locked with his, and again her muscles clenched so hard that she couldn't help but moan.

"Make me," she hissed.

When he pulled his cutlass out of its sheath, though, her face went serious.

"Whoa, I think you're taking our roleplay way too seriously."

"My father says bodices suck..." Neal said, looking almost apologetic as he looked from the blade to her dress.

"So he just… cuts them off?"

"He doesn't have to. He has… magic."

Again, his puppy eyes disarmed her.

"Well, let's do it your way, then," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips as he flexed his fingers over the hilt of the cutlass with a serious look in his eyes.

"Don't move," he whispered, before carefully lodging the blade inside her dress.

"Ooh, cold!" she exclaimed, when steel met the warm skin of her back.

With one swift move, Neal cut past the strings that were holding her dress together, and watched as it slid to the ground.

"All this time, and you were not wearing underwear?" he asked, as his gaze dropped to her hips.

"Guilty as charged..."

She saw him smile before kissing her lips, and then letting his mouth fall to her collarbone and from there to her left breast. When his tongue flicked across her nipple, she slid her fingers across his scalp, tugging gently at his hair as he sucked and licked. She felt his fingers going up her inner thigh, and she parted her legs to grant him access to her sex. Much to her disappointment, though, his hand stopped a few inches from its final destination.

"Touch me," she whispered, the throbbing between her legs making her pulse quicken.

"Not yet."

"Please..."

"No."

His eyes were smiling at her as he kissed her breasts, his hand still going up and down her thigh. When she whimpered in return, he lifted her from the ground and made her sit on the edge of the table, parting her knees so that he could stand between her legs.

His eyes lingered on her engorged labia before his fingers finally reached her glistening folds, one digit probing at her entrance and then two; his eyes searching for hers as they slid in and out of her.

"Don't stop," she panted, feeling a surge of pleasure boiling in her lower stomach. "Oh God, Neal, don't stop."

He bit his lip, trying his best to keep his focus on her despite the suffocating heat that was making him sweat profusely. After all, she was entirely naked and resting that lovely bum of her on some cool marble surface, whereas he remained stuck in a dozen layers of clothing, his family jewels still restrained by his underwear.

When she threw her head back, clutching the edge of the table until her knuckles went white, he sighed in relief. What a sight, to see her climax while his fingers were still inside her, her muscles pulling them in with each contraction.

He took one step back, feeling slightly dizzy as he pulled his fully erect penis out of his pants and penetrated her with a long, smooth stroke, making her writhe even more over the table.

"Fuck, Emma..."

His eyes darted around for a glass of water, or anything he could drink. His mouth was dry and at each thrust he felt he was one step closer to spontaneous combustion.

He had to lose at least some of his clothes.

Wiping away the sweat that had just dripped from his forehead to his eye, his shaky fingers reached for the buttons that were holding his cape together.

"Don't… Don't take it off," he heard Emma pant. "Keep… Keep the cape on."

His eyes went wide, but he remained quiet.

"And your pants… Keep everything."

"You want me to have sex with you… with my clothes on?"

"Yeah… Please."

His thrusts lost some of their energy as he blinked. On one hand, how flattering that she liked his outfit that much. On the other, did she have to like his outfit that much?

He felt her fingers reach for his butt, touching it gently before grabbing it to bring his hips closer to her.

She smiled, and for a moment he completely forgot he was melting - probably dehydrating. Who cared, anyway. What mattered was her blissful face as they fucked each other into oblivion.

"Look," she panted, after a glassy mirror covered the wall by their side after another of her magical tricks. "A knight fucking his princess."

His eyes studied their reflection, her slender legs wrapped around his waist as his fully clothed-figure held her beautiful, naked body in his arms, his cock glistening with her juices as it slid in and out of her.

"Oh, Emma..."

She kissed his neck, and then let her body slide out of the table and onto to the ground, where she knelt before him to take his cock into her mouth.

"Fuck..."

She let out a chuckle when he seemed torn between looking at her or at their reflection, and with another quick movement of her hand, the mirror disappeared.

"You're beginning to scare me," he whispered, his breath catching at his throat as her hand moved up and down his shaft, her tongue flicking against the head.

"Don't worry," she purred in response, pressing a kiss to his sex before standing up again. "I promise I'll be careful."

"I know," he replied, bringing her mouth to his and licking her lips before the two of them engaged in another breathtaking kiss. "I trust you," he panted, when her lips finally left his.

She chuckled into his mouth as she wiped a droplet of sweat away from his brow, and only then did she realize how awfully hot his skin felt.

"Neal, you're burning!"

"Yeah..."

"How many layers of clothing are you wearing?"

"Many..."

As quickly as she could, she helped him get rid of the cape, the leather vest, the belt, the shirt... hoping he wouldn't pass out before they were done.

"My God..." she whispered, her eyes going wide when she glanced over at the pile of clothes that had accumulated by their side. "Neal!"

"Hey, I'm still a knight," he muttered. "Only, a naked one."

"Not totally naked..." she replied, pulling him closer as her hands traveled up his chest. "You still have pants and boots on."

"No time to waste here," he said, pulling his pants down to his knees. "More urgent matters to take care of."

With a mischievous smile, he turned her around and pressed his erection against her lower back, before whispering on her ear.

"On all fours, princess."

"As you wish, sir."

"Wait."

She was about to kneel when he grabbed his cape and spread it on the floor.

"That should make things more comfortable," he said.

"Always a gentleman..."

"Not so much, baby..." he muttered, kneeling behind her and holding her hips in place. "Not so much."

With no further ado, he entered her with a long, fierce stroke that made her gasp.

"Fuck!"

"How about that spanking now?"

He pulled her hair with just enough strength to make her head tilt to the side, and the smile on her face couldn't make it any more obvious that she was enjoying every single minute of it.

"Huh?" he asked, before slapping her bottom ever so lightly.

"Oh my God, Neal"

She burst into laughter at his feeble attempt to rough her up.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"Is that the best you got?"

"You want it harder?"

"Yeah."

He slapped her again, this time with an added amount of strength.

"Harder," she hissed, moving her hips to meet his thrusts.

He dug his fingers into her waist, closing his eyes as a wave of pleasure swept his body. He knew he wouldn't last much longer, and she seemed to be close as well.

"Come on, Neal, give it to me!"

He looked at the ceiling, wondering how much harder she was expecting him to hit her. He moved his hand once, twice, as if rehearsing his blow, and then, he did it - and the loud smack it elicited this time, together with the reddish contour of his fingers on her skin, left no doubt whatsoever that he had, indeed, hit her harder - much harder, as a matter of fact.

"Ouch!"

"Baby, I'm s-"

"Don't be," she panted. "It felt great."

She reached behind her to bring his lips to hers, sweat starting to trickle down her temple.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I.. I l-love you... t-toohh!"

He squeezed his eyes shut when his muscles clenched and released as he spilled his seed inside her.

"Oh my God, Emma..."

They remained still for a minute, chests heaving up and down, before collapsing onto the ground in a fit of giggles.

"Neal…"

"We should fight more often..." he said, trying to stifle a yawn as he pulled her into his arms. "Though... Next time... Try to be more careful with our possessions."

She raised her eyes to him, too happily exhausted to pay any mind to his complaint.

"I will miss the Wii..." he added.

"It's not as if we would have electricity for that much longer," she said, stretching lazily as she let an arm fall over his chest. "I hear Whale... I mean, Dr. Frankenstein," she pause, to roll her eyes, "is leaving the kingdom and taking all his crazy machinery with him."

"Awww... That means we'll be back to stone age?"

"I suppose..."

"I'll miss him," he replied, his eyes already closed. "And his science."

"Yeah..."

From under a counter, not that far from where Neal and Emma were lying, a very annoyed Captain Hook frowned.

That was not what he had envisioned when he convinced Tinkerbell to join him for a drink in the Charmings' kitchen.

"Wow... They fell asleep, finally!" said the fairy by his side, who was also hiding under the counter. "I didn't know Bae had so much stamina… and talent." She stuck out her neck to steal a glance at the man's nether parts. "No wonder Emma was screaming all the time..."

"Will you shut the hell up?"

"Well, I'm just saying. With all due respect I don't think you can compete with that…"

"With that what?"

"Oh, never mind. I'll give you the benefit of doubt."

"Funny, last time we were together I don't remember you complaining about my talent."

"I'm not complaining about you, I'm just pointing out Bae seems to know what he's doing…"

"And I don't?"

"Don't put words in my mouth. She just… looks pleased, that's all."

Still looking thoroughly annoyed, Hook's eyes drifted back to Emma, and the blissful, post-orgasmic smile on her sleepy face left no room for doubt.

That was the face of a woman well-fucked.

"Let's just get the hell out of here, shall we?" he groaned, standing up and walking towards the door at the far end of the kitchen.

"Hook, the shielding sp-"

As soon as he touched the door, he was thrown into the air by an unseen force and opened his arms just in time to dive on his way down, kissing the floor after a very loud thud.

"What was that?" asked Emma, waking up with a start.

"What?"

Neal, however, was way too sleepy to notice anything unusual.

"A thud. Didn't you hear it?"

"No, I didn't," he replied, blinking slowly as he lifted his head from her bosom. "But now that you're awake I can think of something to do…"

"Nooo..." Hook whimpered, letting his head fall back to the floor when he caught a glimpse of the two lovebirds preparing to engage in another round of lovemaking. In the meantime, Tinkerbell was still trying to be as quiet as she could while she dragged his feet to hide him under the counter again, laughter rattling inside her chest as she too glanced over at the two adults rolling on the floor wrapped in Neal's cape, among giggles and moans.