Your Heart, My Hands

She had done it. The Savior had defeated the Dark One.

He wasn't dead – Gold had been quick to remind Emma of Henry's feelings on the matter but he hadn't been quick enough for her not to have already thought of that and have Belle on hand to deal whatever judgement she saw fit on her lying, cheat of a husband – but, this time, he had lost.

And so, with Killian's heart balanced precariously in her hands, Emma had escaped the post battle cheers and headed straight to the Sheriff's Station where Killian, locked in a cell, laid out stone-cold on a cot.

He hadn't anticipated the trick lipstick Emma had worn in their final moments before confronting Gold. Once he'd told her what had happened and she knew that Killian couldn't be trusted as long as Gold had his heart - no matter how much he fought the compulsion to do everything his puppeteer whispered to his core – Emma had seen to it that Gold couldn't get to him. With one short peck, Killian was dead to the world.

Holding his heart to her, Emma unlocked the cell and stepped in, kneeling beside where he lay. Softly sweeping her hand across his head, Emma's fingers brushed into the flick of his fringe and Killian jerked to consciousness in a flash.

"Hey, hey, calm down..." Emma said quickly, as he grunted in confusion, "You're okay, Killian, you're safe."

Looking sharply at her, her name, "Emma?" rolled tentatively from his tongue.

Emma smiled gently at him as he reached his hand to her hair and lightly spun a tendril around his finger, "What happened?"

She shook her head, still smiling, and replied, "All you need to know, for now, is that it's over. We won."

Still seeming a little bewildered, that was enough to satisfy him and he nodded.

Emma stood on the spot as Killian kicked his legs over the side of the cot and sat up straight; only then did he spot the glow in her hand. Looking to her and back, twice, he finally pointed and said, "Is that...?"

Holding it out, Emma looked to it too and nodded, "Yeah. It's yours."

A pregnant pause stretched as they watched it rest in her hands; the faint beat growing loud in the silence.

Killian scoffed as he realised the very imagery he was looking at; his heart in her hands.

Emma's eyes narrowed at the slight smirk on his face, "What?"

He nodded at the heart, "Somewhat poetic, don't you think, love?"

Her eyes rolled and she scoffed just as he had, "Something like that, yeah."

The gentle laugh between them soon petered out and Emma stared, unable to hide the sudden flush of frustration inside her, "Did you really think it mattered that much to me?"

Killian got to his feet and sighed with defeat when Emma edged a step away from him in her anger.

Finger and thumb against the tip of his hook, he replied, "No. I didn't think it mattered to you."

"Then, why?" Emma's voice echoed in the stillness of the office, "Why would you make a deal with him? You of all people know that everything to do with Gold comes at a price!"

"Because it mattered to me!" Killian yelled in returned, "Can you blame a man, that when, for the first time in three-hundred years, he finds a lady – a lady he absolutelyadores– for wanting to touch her, hold her, with both hands?"

Emma's shoulders drooped and she murmured a soft, "Killian..."

"You deserve a better man than me, Emma, but I wanted to be just a little bit closer to being that man. A complete man, Emma, do you understand that?"

"And look where it got you! Without a hand and a heart. So much for complete!" Shaking her head, she glared at him again, "Don't I deserve the man I want? The man that Ithink makes me happy?"

Killian scoffed with something between a smile and a grimace, "Oh, Emma, you deserve so much more."

Emma gasped a shaky breath and didn't deny the short whimper that escaped her. Her grasp on his heart flexed momentarily as her own heart grew tight in her chest. Poised, Emma nodded once and shuffled on her feet, narrowing the small gap between them.

Nose to nose, Emma looked from his heart to his eyes, "Will it hurt?"

Killian's lips turned up slightly, "Much less so than taking it did, darling, I assure you."

Emma winced. She knew the pain of a hand in her chest but the idea of someone succeeding and ripping her heart from her, taking what wasn't theirs... Emma shuddered and looked back to his heart, glowing in her hand – the brightest she'd seen it since it had come into her possession, like it knew it was safe, like it knew it was so close to home – and her fingers tightened again, just so, for a securer grip in a single hand.

Containing herself, Emma glanced down further to his hook. Dangling by his side and inches from brushing her leg, she lowered her free hand and seized it.

Inching closer, the toes of Emma's boots nudged against Killian's, his breath brushed warm against her cheeks and Emma held his eyes to hers defiantly.

Killian mirrored Emma as her chest heaved a breath once.

"I love all of you, Killian," Emma said quietly, sharp with determination, and sighed as she repeated, "All of you."

Emma crashed her lips to his, leaving no room to argue. Killian's tongue swept through, battling selfishly with hers and as he sucked at her bottom lip between his own, his chest tore.

Killian hissed against Emma as her hand moved inside him and just as he tried to tug away from her, she pulled him back, the hand on his hook rising like a shot into his hair, massaging his scalp and holding him to, her mouth hot on his still.

A growl escaped his throat as he and his heart become one once more and his unhooked hand wrapped around Emma's back, holding her flush against him while her hand left his chest, smoothed over his shoulder and joined the other in his hair.

Slipping away for air, they rested forehead-to-forehead. Killian's arms around her tightened and Emma's thumbs caressed his cheeks.

"The man I want is standing right here, Killian," Emma murmured, her lashes brushing his as she blinked frantically against the tears, "Hook or hand, I don't care, you don't need to change anything about you to make me love you because I already do. The Hero andthe Pirate."

Emma watched as his eyes creased together and she held him to her as he tried to pull back, his eyelids flickering as his eyes danced below. Then his eyes opened and something had changed, a light had come back on, and Emma's grip relaxed, an infinitesimal gap coming between them.

Killian's heart pounded in his chest, rumbling against hers, and a look of childish wonder graced his face. "You love me, Swan?" He muttered in disbelief.

And against the tears, Emma laughed so freely that Killian joined in too.

"Yeah, Killian. Yeah, I do."

A.N. Hmm, that ending sucks, I'm sorry. And I think I might've swapped which of his hands is a hook. Oops. Anyway, this has been on my mind since the episode and here it is. I can't believe this is my first Captain Swan fic in over a year. I missed them.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and I think you should tell me if you did (hint, hint).

Jessica.