a/n: i know it's been another long wait. i'm just the worse. i had a crisis over this chapter because i realized i had more that i wanted to write for this fic before i ended it. so after a discussion with my beta, i decided to do one more chapter after this one and then the epilogue and then whatever one shots i decide to churn out for this universe because i am trash for it! it's a shorter chapter for me, but it's still nearly 6k words. so enjoy!

also, i must attribute the beginning of this chapter to a reviewer from the previous chapter because she gave me an idea and i couldn't not write it. so thank you, afh105!

Killian propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Emma. "You're ready?"

"Yes," Emma replied immediately, moving to match his position. "It's only a matter of time before we would have to face this and it might as well be now, when we have this opportunity and we have everything figured out. I want this and I'm not afraid anymore. As long as we're together, I'm happy."

Killian swallowed back the knot in his throat because he couldn't absorb the fact that Emma was here and she loved him and she wanted them. "So at this premiere, you want to announce that we're soul mates? That's what you want?"

"Yes," Emma responded, and then pulled her head back a bit with a worried look in her eyes. "Is that what you want?"

"Of course it is, Emma," Killian spoke, scooting forward and his hand falling onto Emma's arm to stroke her soft skin. "I've waited for this day since we met and I don't want to hide us. But that world is brutal, Emma. It chews people and spits them back out and I've seen what it does to people. I don't want that to happen to you."

"You can't shield me from that world forever," Emma said quietly, looking down as her hand covered his on her arm. "I think it would be easier for us to announce it, instead of being caught by paparazzi or something. Let's do this on our terms."

Killian lifted his hand and cupped Emma's cheek, his thumb tracing the constellation of freckles there. He smiled gently, still unable to believe that she came back and was willing to announce their status to the world, after being so afraid for so long. "Then we'll do it."

And a wide smile spread on Emma's face, bright and happy and Killian could not believe that he had been blessed with this angel, who laid in his arms. He couldn't stop himself from surging forward and capturing her lips within his, swallowing her gasp and sweeping his tongue against hers. His hands wrapped around Emma's still-naked waist, pulling her close to him as her arms wrapped around his neck to tug his head closer to hers. Their legs tangled together and Emma gasped against his mouth as she felt Killian hardening against her. Even though they had each other only moments ago, Killian already desired Emma again. He was sure that feeling would never go away.

He hoped it didn't.

Emma's hands moved to his back and her nails dug into the bare skin there, tugging him over her. Her legs fell to either side as Killian hovered over her, his lips moving down to bite at the skin at her neck. Emma's moans made him even harder and he didn't want to wait any longer, blindly reaching for the drawer of the nightstand.

Until there was a very faint knock at his apartment door.

Killian drew his hand back as he furrowed his eyebrows, pulling up from his spot in Emma's neck. He strained his ears, wondering if the noise was just his imagination. He looked down at Emma and although her eyes were dilated wide with lust, he could tell that Emma had also heard the knocking.

"I'm gonna go see who's at the door," Killian announced as he pulled himself away from Emma, as difficult as that was to do. "I'll be back shortly."

"I hope so. I wouldn't want to start without you," Emma responded with a sly glint in her eyes and dear God how did Killian get so lucky?

Killian smirked as he felt the tips of his ears turn red. He roamed around his bedroom in search of his sweatpants as the knocking continued at the front door. Killian grumbled as he tugged them on, slightly tripping on the too long legs of the gray pants that were more than likely Graham's, from when he had to crash at Killian's place during Graham's bed bug days at his own apartment. He exited the bedroom with one last glance back at Emma, who was laying comfortably in his bed with a smile on her face and the blanket strategically covering her. He caught a glimpse of her pale, long legs in contrast against the dark gray sheets and blanket on his bed and Killian practically had to force himself to walk out of the bedroom to answer his apartment door.

Killian's bare feet smacked against the hardwood floor of his apartment as he marched down the hallway and into the entry way. He took a deep breath, wondering who the hell was at his door. He already ran through the list of potential suspects when Emma had come knocking, and none of them seemed likely, even a half hour later. He just hoped whomever it was would leave quickly so he could return to the bedroom and resume where he left off.

His mouth went dry at the memory of Emma splayed out in his bed, her blonde hair in a halo against the pillow under her head, even if he left her there only a few moments ago.

And his mouth went even drier when Killian opened the door and found Ruby and Mary Margaret standing in his hallway.

"Uh—"

"Is Emma here?" Ruby asked, her hands cupping her pregnant belly. Her eyes were tight with worry as she scratched at an itch on her stomach. "We had plans with her at seven and it's seven thirty and we thought that maybe she was here."

"Well—"

"Wait," Mary Margaret spoke up and pointed into the apartment, spotting a black bag on the floor. "That's Emma's purse on the ground."

"Ladies—"

Ruby and Mary Margaret barged into Killian's apartment without hearing another word from Killian. Killian sighed as he shut the door and turned to face the two pregnant women in his apartment, neither of which he wanted to upset or anger in any way. So in a calm voice, Killian asked, "Why are you both here?"

"We had plans with Emma and we would actually like to see her, since she was absolutely freaking out earlier and she probably still is," Ruby rambled on, Mary Margaret standing in the background, as if she believed they shouldn't be there. "So if you don't mind—Emma!"

Ruby called for her friend and marched down the hallway, as if she knew just where Emma was. Killian rushed to intercept Ruby before she entered the bedroom, where Emma was more than likely still under the covers and patiently awaiting his return. They grew closer and closer to the bedroom door and Killian found himself at Ruby's side, trying to block her from the door.

"Uh, Ruby, she's fine—"

Ruby looked Killian in the eye as she reached around his arm, which attempted to block the door, and gripped the door knob. She swung the door open and there—

There was Emma, standing beside the bed with the blanket wrapped tightly around her body.

Emma's eyes darted between Killian, Ruby's grinning face, and Mary Margaret, whose hand was covering her face. Killian saw a blush cover her cheeks and slowly spread to below the blanket and Killian couldn't help himself from wondering just how far that blush went. Ruby looked from Killian to Emma, and back again, her grin widening to an almost comical point.

"Oh yes, Emma's fine," Ruby spoke, looking back at Killian. "I see you've taken care of her real well."

"Ruby, we should go," Mary Margaret stated, her hand dropping to her side. She could barely look Emma in the eyes as she said, "Emma, maybe next time you can tell us you won't be making it for our plans so we don't go looking for you and find you in a compromising position."

"I'll remember that," Emma replied and nodded, her voice two octaves higher than usual.

Ruby pointed at Emma as Mary Margaret took her arm. "I expect details later."

Emma's eyes slid shut as she nodded, and her friends finally took their leave. Once Killian heard the door shut behind them, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He looked back at Emma, whose hand was over her face. She looked through the gaps in her fingers and he couldn't help but laugh at the awkwardness of the situation. And because of his laughter, Emma began laughing too, her chiming laughter joining in with his rough chuckling. He stepped forward and enveloped Emma in his arms, pressing kisses to Emma's bare shoulder as her laughter died down.

"I hope that's the only awkward thing that ever happens to us," Emma said into Killian's bare shoulder.

"Don't count on it. I do have an older brother that has no boundaries," Killian spoke as he pulled his head back to look Emma in the eyes. "There's also the potential of this occurring in whatever future we do choose."

Emma smiled softly and her eyes twinkled. "Meaning potential children walking in on us in actually compromising positions?"

"Exactly."

Emma laughed again and slapped her hand over her face. "I'm never going to recover from this."

"Not with Ruby as your friend," Killian replied as a chuckle burst forth. Killian pulled her hand from her face and rested his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the air between them. "But, we'll recover together."

Emma smiled as she released her grip on the blanket, allowing it to drop to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Killian's neck. "Together."

"So," Ruby began, tapping her foot against the bar stool as they sat at the counter of her restaurant. It was still closed, as were most high-class restaurants in New York City were at this time. It was only noon, but chefs were already bustling in the kitchen, just ahead of the counter, where customers could watch their meals be prepared.

"So what?" Emma asked, sipping on her water and making zero eye contact with Ruby.

"Oh come on, Emma," Ruby replied, crossing her legs at the knees and her heeled boots glinted in the lighting of the restaurant. "You know exactly what I want to hear."

"How do you wear heels when you're about to pop?"

"Don't avoid my question, Emma."

"You didn't even ask a question."

"How was he in the sack, Emma?"

Emma groaned and dropped her head onto the black marble counter, feeling cool to the touch. "Can we just not discuss this?"

"Was he that bad?" Ruby asked, her face puckering as her hand rested over her large bump. She sighed and continued on, "It's always the most attractive people that are lousy in the sack. It's unfortunate, to say the least. Except Dorothy. She knew what she was doing. Victor was terrible when we first got together, but he's learned his way around—"

"No—dammit, Ruby," Emma spoke, lifting her head from the counter and looking at her friend. "Why do you want to know?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow, as if that answered Emma's question.

And it did because Emma knew what Ruby was thinking. It was typical for Ruby to badger Emma about her love life, but this was about her soul mate. This was about her soul mate being a fucking Hollywood star and Ruby just desperately needed to know how he was in the fucking sack.

Emma sighed as their food was slid from the kitchen onto the counter in front of them. The man slyly winked at the two of them as he turned back to the kitchen to continue prepping for the day.

"Thank you, Antonio," Ruby spoke as the man walked away, looking down at her dish. "He's our new head chef and this is his first night here, so I'm hoping it goes well. Both of these are on the menu, so I just need to know if he did well or if we need to find a new chef already."

"What's mine again?" Emma asked, eager to avoid the topic of her sex life.

"Just a basic stuffed chicken marsala with Portobello mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, provolone and mozzarella cheese, and a red wine sauce. Oh, and mashed potatoes, of course," Ruby prattled off quickly, which made Emma smile. Ruby really did know her shit when it came to her restaurant. "Mine is an eleven-ounce sirloin—rare, of course—with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus and garlic-herb butter on the side. I'll share some of mine and I'll steal some of yours just so I can get a good taste."

"Shouldn't you have already tasted the menu for tonight?"

"I already did but I just want to make sure that he's good for tonight," Ruby replied and Emma understood why Ruby was making doubly sure of her new head chef.

Ruby had been taking a step back from her restaurant since the news of her pregnancy broke. And ever since she broke the third trimester, Ruby had been needing to spend more and more time away from the restaurant because she couldn't spend all of her time walking around in the four-inch heels she refused to give up. And now that the due date of her baby was slowly crawling closer—just two weeks away—Ruby had to trust that her staff knew what the hell they were doing when she was on maternity leave. And that she had to trust her co-owner to not run the restaurant into the ground.

"Anyways, back to the subject at hand. How is Killian Jones in the sack?" Ruby whispered intensely, leaning in closer to Emma so no one overheard them talking.

"Christ, Ruby," Emma groaned, looking over at her food and stabbing at the chicken, slicing into it quickly to ignore her friend.

"Come on, Emma," Ruby practically whined, turning in her barstool to face her food. "I'm dying. Victor's been doing twenty million hours at the hospital to prepare for the baby, so we haven't done anything in so long and just throw me a freaking bone over here—"

"It was amazing, alright?!" Emma whispered in exasperation. Ruby raised her eyebrows as a smile took over her face. Emma sighed as she dropped her fork and turned to look at her friend. "It was…it was just perfect."

Ruby smiled gently at Emma, her hand falling to Emma's forearm. "And you've figured everything out? With the whole wedding thing?"

Emma nodded and she couldn't hold back her smile as she continued to talk about Killian. She didn't know what she had done in her life to deserve such a kind and understanding man. "Yeah. I went over there last night and I just spilled my guts to him. I told him that I didn't want to be afraid anymore and that I was willing to face my past so he can be my future. And he understood. He wanted me to know that he didn't want to pressure me into anything and that if I wanted to end things, then he would allow it to happen because he just wants me to be happy. And I told him that I just want him. And then…it happened."

Ruby's hand covered her mouth as she looked at Emma with tearful eyes. Emma sighed because she should've known better than to say all of those things to a beyond hormonal pregnant woman. "Don't cry."

"I'm not," Ruby spoke, allowing her hand to drop and taking a deep breath. "This is just…this is huge, Emma. Mary Margaret is gonna be pissed that she couldn't come today."

"Too bad for field trips to the museum," Emma replied.

Ruby turned back to her steak, with her hand on her pregnant stomach and moaning at every bite of her food. Emma turned back to her own food, but realized that she didn't want to stop talking about that night. Even though it was two nights ago, Emma still felt as though she was on cloud nine. That night had been more than she had even imagined. It surpassed every expectation and every want and Emma couldn't believe that she had the very thing she had forced herself to hate. If Emma was told two months ago that she would meet her soul mate and would be happy about it, she would've punched whomever it was who told her straight in the face.

"He invited me to the premiere of Never Landing."

And Ruby nearly choked on her mashed potatoes, looking over at Emma with wide eyes. "What?! He invi—what?! Are you gonna go?!"

Emma nodded as she speared her fork into her mashed potatoes, looking back to her food. "Yes, I am."

"So soon after the wedding fiasco? Are you sure? That might be a lot to take in, Emma."

Emma nodded again as she chewed on her mashed potatoes. Once she swallowed, she looked back at her friend. "I'm positive. Actually…we're gonna announce we're soul mates there."

"Emma, you cannot bombard a pregnant lady with this information," Ruby spoke, both of her hands resting on her baby bump. "Baby Lucas is going nuts."

"Sorry?"

Ruby took a deep breath and rested on the edge of her bar stool. "You're really gonna announce it there?"

Emma nodded and Ruby smiled again. "That's amazing, Emma. And you're sure that's what you want?"

Emma nodded again. "It was my idea."

Ruby's teeth fell to bite at her bottom lip in excitement. "I cannot believe that Emma 'Soul Mates Are Stupid' Swan is embracing her soul mate status."

Emma shoved Ruby in the shoulder, twisting in her seat to face her food again. "It's easy when you love them."

Ruby looked over at Emma, the smile still on her face. "You love him?"

Emma nodded. "I do."

"And he knows?"

Emma nodded again. "He does."

"And he loves you back?"

Emma smiled widely at Ruby and Ruby let out a little cheer as she leaned over and hugged Emma. "You better take me wedding dress shopping with you."

"Oh shut up," Emma said as Ruby pulled away. "But I do need you for trying on premiere dresses tonight at Fae."

"I'm already there," Ruby replied and they sat and ate in companionable silence.

The wire of the hanger dug into Emma's hand as she reached for the doorknob to Killian's apartment. Her dress for the premiere of Never Landing was in her hand as she swung the door open, and she wanted to keep it away from Killian's eyes. She wanted the dress to be a surprise for that night in a week and a half, so Emma asked Celeste for a garment bag to cover the dress. She ran her hand over the black material of the bag as she closed the door behind her and chucked off her shoes. Killian and she had made plans to meet over at his apartment after her appointment at Fae, so she knew he would be home.

"Killian," Emma called out into the apartment, and there was a muffled "in here" response coming from the bedroom.

Emma kicked off her Converses and plopped her purse on the entry way table as she walked back toward the hallway that led to the bedroom. She could hear the shower running as she turned the corner and found the bedroom door, nudging it open to find a messy bed and an even messier floor. It smelled of sweat and Emma knew that must've been due to Killian filming a fighting scene. While she imagined the possible suspects Killian could've been fighting during filming, Emma turned to the left to go to the large closet. It was nearly filled to the brim with Killian's clothes, leather jackets and jeans and several suits that Emma was sure Killian rarely wore. She found a spot at the far back of the closet and shoved her dress there, making sure it was out of Killian's sight, so he wasn't tempted to go looking for it.

While Killian continued to shower, Emma exited the bedroom and decided to relax in the living room, turning on the large flat screen TV mounted above the fireplace. She flipped through the channels, through endless seas of sports and reality shows until she found Star Wars: A New Hope. Emma relaxed into the leather couch as she propped her feet onto the coffee table in front of her as she watched the classic movie. It wasn't until ten minutes later that she heard the shower shut off and she removed her feet from the coffee table, knowing how much that bothered Killian.

As she heard Killian walk into the main area, Emma spoke up. "Wanna order some pizza for tonight? I've been craving pepperoni."

"Sounds fantastic, love," Killian responded quickly as his footsteps grew closer to the living area. "Maybe a Caesar salad to go along with it?"

"Sounds awesome," Emma said, twisting herself in her seat to look over the back of the couch to look at Killian. "Wanna order Tony's or someth—what the hell happened to your face?!"

Killian sheepishly scratched behind his ear and ducked his head down, trying to draw attention away from the particularly large shiner on his eye. "Bit of a mishap during filming today. Instead of the fake punching we all know and love, someone got a little too eager and got me right in the eye."

"Killian," Emma began, standing from the couch and circling around it to stand by Killian.

"Don't worry about it, Swan," Killian spoke, wincing when Emma pressed the warm skin around his eye. "This isn't the first time this has happened. I'll be fine."

Emma turned on her feet and marched over to the fridge, yanking open the freezer. "You really don't have any ice packs?"

"Emma, I'm fine. They'll just put extra makeup on me tomorrow."

"Just let me help, alright!" Emma exclaimed at Killian, whose hands were now tucked firmly in the pockets of his sweatpants and whose lips were drawn in a firm line. "I'll just run down to the corner store to get an ice pack or two while you order our pizza. I'll be back soon."

Emma walked back over to Killian and pressed a kiss to his cheek before he had a moment to protest. She hurriedly slid on her shoes and grabbed her purse from the entryway table and exited the apartment, hoping that the corner store carried ice packs. She snuck out the back door of the apartment building, as there were still some paparazzi lurking around since the wedding photo went public. She wanted to keep a low profile until the premiere came around, so she was willing to do anything to keep their relationship quiet for now.

A soft breeze blew by, lifting Emma's hair and twirling it about. She took a deep breath as she walked down the sidewalk toward the corner store, hoping that Killian would be okay. There was a knot in her heart, ever since she saw him with that black eye. Even though Killian had said that it wasn't anything to worry about and that it had actually happened before, Emma didn't like seeing him like that. She knew it must hurt and she didn't want to see him hurting. She had caused him enough pain in this relationship, given her skittishness and fear of her past; she just wanted to try to help him ease the ache of a physical pain.

It was the least she could do.

Emma weaved around the countless people walking down the sidewalk during the summer evening. There were couples cuddling and businessmen talking on their phones and a few street performers, trying to catch a buck or two. But Emma kept her head down as she navigated her way down the street, nearly at the store. She ran her hands over her red mini skirt, self-conscious while she was surrounded by the impeccably well-dressed people who lived in the Upper West Side. She figured she would need to start packing a spare pair of yoga pants to bring with her to work when she planned on going to Killian's afterward. A red mini skirt was not inconspicuous.

Finally, Emma reached the corner store and stepped inside the air-conditioned building. She nearly sighed in relief at the cool blast of it, seeing at the day was still humid outside, even with the rare breeze. She made eye contact with the man behind the counter, who was clearly enjoying her outfit, and went to search for ice packs. She went searching for the first aid aisle, knowing that was where the ice packs would be. And right between the medical tape and gauze were instant ice packs. She grabbed three and grabbed two of the gel ice packs, making sure that she'd toss it into his freezer once she returned to Killian's place. He'd be needing it if this black eye business happened as regularly as Killian led on.

Emma took a deep breath as she gathered the things in her hands and made her way back to the counter, to the leering man who reeked of body odor. She dropped the things onto the counter and fetched her wallet from her purse as he rang everything up, going as slowly as he possibly could. He continuously glanced up at her with a smirk on his face and Emma had had enough.

"Is there a problem?" Emma asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Not at all, sweetheart," The man replied and Emma fought the urge to punch him in the face.

As soon as the man announced how much she owed, Emma swiped her card and waited for the machine to process the payment, while the man placed her things into a plastic bag. She dropped her wallet back into her purse after the payment was approved and quickly took the bag, rushing out of the store before the man said something gross. She turned right once she exited, heading back toward Killian's apartment. Not a few moments after she exited the store, she heard a voice call for her.

"Emma?"

And Emma stopped in her tracks, ice freezing her blood and her limbs. She knew that voice. She hadn't heard it in years. Not since he left that night to buy cigarettes and never came back.

She didn't want to turn around. She didn't want to look at him or hear him out. She wanted to run. But she was frozen. She couldn't move. His voice was just echoing in her ears and she just wanted to run.

"Emma."

She let out a deep breath and her hands wrapped around the bag to keep them from shaking. Her heart pounded against her rib cage as Emma found the strength to turn around and look Neal in the eye. He looked exactly the same as he had that night three years ago, save for the designer suit he was now wearing. He even had his trusty cigarette sitting between his fingers.

And a wedding ring on his left ring finger.

Emma swallowed back the knot in her throat and spoke, "I thought you were going to quit."

Neal chuckled softly and Emma's heart lurched. "I tried, but it didn't stick. Tamara hates it."

"Tamara?" Emma questioned, even though Emma knew who she must be.

"My soulmate," Neal responded simply, as if he didn't remember how he had met his soulmate. The life he had left behind when he ran off with her.

"Ah, yes. The woman you left me for."

"Ems—"

"No," Emma interrupted him, stepping forward and holding up a finger. "You do not get to call me that anymore. You lost that right the minute I found out that you weren't missing after not hearing from you for three days. You lost that when you sent me a goddamn postcard two weeks later. Did you just expect everything to be okay after all this time?"

"Emma, I want to apologize," Neal spoke and Emma clenched her jaw, crossing her arms over her chest. "I had imagined what I would say to you if I ever ran into you again, but now it seems like it isn't enough."

"Well, try."

Neal sighed and flicked his half-burnt cigarette to the ground. He looked down as he stomped it out and he said, "I was a coward, Emma. What I did…it wasn't the right way to do it. And I'm sorry for the pain I caused you. I didn't want it to happen that way."

"Well it did and it still hurts," Emma replied, trying to ignore the burning behind her eyes. "For three years, I couldn't trust anybody. Because you left just like everybody else did."

"And I'm sorry. Every day, I still feel guilty about it," Neal spoke. "Tamara has wanted me to reach out to you since then, but I never had the guts. I don't want you to hate me, Emma. Because what we had was special. I really loved you, Emma. I really, really did."

Emma huffed out a deep breath. "I hated you for a long time, Neal. For a very long time. Because I loved you so much. I didn't care that we weren't soulmates. That didn't matter to me. And you knew that. But I'm done with being angry about it. I've moved on, as I should've a long time ago. Just live your own life, Neal. I'm done trying to forget the past. Because right now, I'm the happiest I have ever been. I have my own soulmate and the pain you caused me back then has been a real pain in the ass with our own relationship."

"Is there anything I can do?" Neal asked and Emma could tell he sincerely meant it.

"I never want to see you again."

Neal nodded. "I guess that's the least I can do."

And Emma nodded shortly at the man she used to love. "Bye, Neal."

"Wait, Emma," Neal called to her as she stepped away, and Emma turned around to look back at him. "You're really happy?"

Emma nodded and she couldn't stop the smile from spreading on her face. He smiled back in response and waved, and then turned back to jog across the street before the light changed. Emma began walking back to Killian's apartment, the heaviness of the conversation weighing on her shoulders. She had imagined what she would say to Neal over and over again. She had imagined she would yell and scream at him about the pain he had caused her and how the hell could he do that to her. She had imagined that she would punch him right across the face. But none of that happened. Emma told him the things that had always been on her mind when it came to his departure, but no screaming. No dramatics.

An actual, somewhat civil conversation with the man who left.

Emma felt an odd sort of clarity as she walked back into the apartment building, saying hello to the polite doorman and waiting for the elevator to arrive. She felt…lighter, as if the weight of Neal's departure was gone from her life, never to return. It felt as though she was free from her past—free from the pain of the foster system, free from the pain of Diane's wrath, free from Neal, free from everything. Emma felt as though she was a new person, with only an exciting future lying ahead.

When Emma entered Killian's apartment, he was sitting on the couch, just where she had left him. He was hypnotized by Star Wars, which was still steadily going. Emma kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse, which seemed to bring Killian out of the movie.

"The pizza will be here in twenty minutes or so. Got us a salad and each of us a drink," Killian began speaking as Emma walked down to the living area with the plastic bag in hand. "I got your Dr. Pepper, of course, because I remember how much you lo—"

Emma interrupted Killian by dropping the plastic bag to his side and straddling his hips quickly to kiss him deeply. It didn't take him long before his hands tightened around her waist and his tongue tangled with hers eagerly. His hand found its way up to tangle in her hair, his thumb swiping at her cheek, and he pulled away to breathe deeply.

"Not that I'm complaining, love, but what was that for?" Killian asked with his voice an octave deeper.

"I just…I needed to," Emma replied with her eyes still closed and her forehead pressed against his.

Killian's other hand came up to cup her cheek and he pulled her head away, urging her to open her eyes. And when she did…God, all she saw was love and adoration swimming in their depths. "Emma."

"I ran into Neal."

Killian's eyes widened to an almost comical level and Emma had to fight the urge to laugh. "What? Where is he? I need to go punch that ponce in the face—"

"He's gone, Killian," Emma replied and for the first time, it was completely true. "Everything's okay."

"What happened?" Killian asked as Emma ran her thumb over his cheek.

"We talked. He apologized. I ranted for a little bit. I told him I never wanted to see him again. He accepted it. And we parted ways."

"And you're alright?" Killian asked genuinely and Emma nodded with her face in his hands. "Then everything's alright."

And for the first time in a very long time, Emma knew that to be true.