I started shipping Emma and Mark after reading the prologue of CoHF so yeah, here is a little contribution to my OTP. This is a short oneshot, also I am trying to keep the characters as close to the originial as possible. Please excuse my English I am not native, but feel free to correct me and show me my mistakes! It's been a long time since I've wirtten anything so this is my comeback!
WARNING HEAVY SPOILERS!
You've been warned!
Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~

She was under the water again. Under the deep blue ocean, that scared her so much. Her mouth was shut, afraid to open it to scream, while clenching her teeth and wrists with a furious force. She was facing the surface, she could still see the blue sky above her, could see the stars which were shining like seraph baldes in the darkness. The moon the biggest witchlight she's ever seen.

Emma was sinking and she felt a heavy weight on her chest pushing her down. She was out of oxygen. The unknown source of the pressure on her chest felt like a huge rock that was pressing the air out of her lungs and taking her deeper into the ocean, the pitch black void she was both fascinated and scared of. She was trying to push the rock away, but there was nothing to push away, there was just the heavy sensation on her chest, that was suffocating her. The stars above her and the moon were going further away from her, she was sinking, slowly but steady. Her body was numb, unable to move or struggle. She was trapped in her own body, only her thoughts fighting.

She woke up with a startle and sat upstraight, taking in a deep breath. Her forehead was wet and she was starting to adjust her breathing. A nightmare, it was all but a nightmare. She took in her surroundings and saw a hand on her lap, bellow her abdomen. Julian, she tought, but after gazing at the person beside her she realized. It was Mark's. She let out a sigh and moved his hand gently away from her lap then got up.

Mark was sleeping on his stomach and didn't seem to have notcied Emma's movements. His face was burried in the pillows and his curly, blond hair covered it. The blanket on him was covering his lower back, Emma could see the tight black t-shirt he was wearing and the lean muscles benaeth it, which he got after training regularly in the Institute with his siblings and Emma. She went to her closet, fished a sweatshirt, put it on and was about to go to Jule's room to seek comfort, when Mark's muffled, sleepy voice stopped her.

''Where are you going?'' Mark's face was still burried in pillows and blankets, he didnt bother to move much, she could only see one eye, shinging bright in the dark room, illuminating everything like a light of hope. That typical blue-green Blackthorn color staring through her with expectation and something challenging. Emma didn't know what to say.

''I- to get some fresh air.'' she said in the end.

''Or you mean Julian's fresh air.'' He said still through covers and blankets and who knows what else he was covered in. Maybe he had another t-shirt beneath the one he was wearing, like last time. For a moment she tought there was a plush toy under his chin. Maybe in the end he did mange to find his old belongings and the toys he used to have and play with. He looked both sleepy and fairly aware of what was happening. Bad for Emma, he was not sleep talking for sure.

She had forgotten about their plan, more like her plan. She coudn't go to Jules, not like that. She was not allowed to do that. She was with Mark now and she should try and seek comfort in him, or at least fake it. Lie about it, just like she had asked him to lie about theit relationship.
She pulled the sweatshirt from her head and let if fall on the floor. He was still loooking at her, challenging and even though she couldn't see his other eye, she still could see the wildness in him. The fearie in him, the Hunt.

Mark, still lying oh his stomach, patted the empty spot beside him with his hand. The hand that was on her chest a while ago and was making her think she was drawning. She couldn't remember when or how or even why he got in her room. Was it with her consent? She couldn't remember, it was all a blur.

She went back to him and laid on her back, staring at the ceiling.

''Do you want to talk about it?'' He asked gently still in the same position, still in the same muffled voice. Emma shook her head in answer. In turn Mark put his arm around her waist. She arched a bit to the side, surprised by the touch. Mark put his arm away and moved so that he was hovering over her, one arm supporting his head, his eyes concentrated on hers.

''I can go if you want me to.''

''No!'' She said a little too fast and a bit too eagerly. ''Don't go, yet.'' She added after a while. Mark nodded.

''I just had a nightmare, nothing unusual.'' She explained with a silent, tired voice.

''I'd say it is unusual if you wanted to go to Julian.'' Emma swallowed. He was able to read her all too well for someone who was a total stranger to her. She should have known better, he was the older brother in the end. There was a time, not too long ago, when he was taking care of his siblings when he had to. He took care of her when she was little as well, he must have noticed things she thought stayed unnoticed. He supervised not only the Blackthorns when they trained or played at the beach, but her as well. She was more or less a big part of the family. She was always welcomed there.

''We do that you know.'' She said after a long pause. ''We go to each other when we have nightmares and try to chase them away. Seek comfort in each other. I forgot I can't do that now. Not like this.'' Her eyes were still focused on the ceiling even though she felt Mark's gaze on her face. She swallowed again and then felt a light touch on her hand. Mark was drawing lines and circles around the bare skin. She giggled.

''Is it ticklish?'' She nodded and scratched her hand on the places where he touched her. For a moment their fingers connected without any one of them moving away. Emma looked into his eyes. She felt lost again. And maybe a little scared and fascinated at the same time. He was something different, something untamed and wild. Mark took her hand into his and gave her a friendly squeez.

''Thank you.'' she said queitly and dreamy, still lost in his eyes.

''For what?''

''For doing this for me. Lying you know. To your own siblings and the people you actually love or at least you're interested in.''

''How come ..''

''You're not the only one who can see things. I've noticed the way you look at Cristina, but also the way you look at Kieran, and in the end you're still doing this for me.''

''I owe you, after what you did for me and my brother. I owe you even more.''

''You don't have to do it. I don't want to force you into anything.''

''You said this is saving Juian, right? You said what we are doing is about him being safe?'' Emma nodded. ''Then we do it.''

The way he said the last sentence had something dangerous and feral about itself. It made him seem scary and foreign. Emma shifted uncomfortably under her covers and his touch.

''Am I intimidating you?'' He asked eyes still focused on her face.

''A little I guess. It's just …'' she trailed off, not shure how to continue explaining herself without hurting or insultig him. Truth to be told he has changed a lot. A lot more then she and Julian and the younger Blackthorns dared to admit, dared to see. He was so fragile, but so strong at the same time, so familiar and then again so foreign. He was not the Mark she last saw five years ago. Not the boy she wanted to go back to when they were cornered by endarkend warriors. Not the one who was in charge of them, the one who was serious and easily annoyed, the one who knew what was doing and was capable of standing his own ground.

Julian was all that. Julian was in chrage, Julian was taking take of everything and everybody. He was running an Institute, he was a father and a mother to his younger siblings and now ironically to his older borther.

''It's just what?'' Mark's voice chased away Emma's thoughts.

''I've never imagined myself in this situation before. This is just different and strange.'' Emma said while waving her hands above her head, in hopes to explain her thoughts better.

''Or do you mean I am different and strange.'' Amused, Mark raised an eyebrow.

''Yes and no.'' Emma said finally.

''Well, you can always tell me when I am overstepping my borders.'' Saying that he turned away from her and laid on his back, one hand behind his hand, the other on his chest, eyes closed.

''Speaking of borders'' Emma said and shifted gto her side so that now she was the one looking over at Mark with one hand proped on her pillow, supporting her head. ''When did you get here? And why?''

They've made the deal to pretend that they are falling in love a week ago, but it was the first time that Mark was showing affection or seeking closeness to her now when they were alone. He was doing a great job joking around with Emma, teasing her unobtrusively, flirtig with her, but also making sure that someone in the house saw the affection and attention he was showing toward her. She was just so worried about it all she let him do the whole job. He took the initiative and she tried to play along as well as she could, but there was a problem to that.

She couldn't play along. She couldn't fake it. Some of it felt too real and he was good at making her forget for a moment. Forget the bad things that have happened, the whole point of starting this relationship. She was going along with his flow and was sincerely responding to his actions.

Like this morning for example, when he was teasing her in the kitchen and tugging her by her braid, while she was washing the dishes, hands busy scrubbing dirty plates and forks, all wet and soapy. Only Dru and Tavvy were with them and they didn't pay big attention to them, mostly because they didn't know Mark was actually flirting with Emma, while she was complaining and threatening him and trying to spray him with water. Only when he undid her braid and her curls fell on her back and over her shoulders did they notice something was off. Emma was now asking and pleading Mark to tie her hair back so that she could finish her job while actually being able to see what she was doing and not getting her hair wet. She was bad at domestic chores and with her hair in the way it was even a bigger mess. After teasing her a little more he stood behind her and pulled her hair out of her face.

The gentleness he touched her with, threw her off guard. The whole moment has changed in a single second from a children's teasing to something much more intimate. He was standing so close to her she could feel his breath on her neck while he was caressing her hair. His fingers both warm and cold on her neck and jawline.

''Can I try and make a braid?'' He had asked her then, with a quiet and raspy voice and Emma, all flushed and unable to speak just shook her head yes. He had then proceeded on tying her hair into a braid and complimating her soft curls. It was then when Julian and Cristina walked into the kitchen and saw them by the sink, close to each other with Mark's hands in Emma's hair which was let loose. Something Julian loved and something he didn't get to see often. This was not much of a deal if you are Cristina or the kids, but to Julian it was the beginning of a hearbreaking and horrible end. She could see the pain and betrayal in his eyes the moment they made eye contact and he left just as suddenly as he had come.

''I came a while ago. I felt lonely and thought now that I have a girlfriend I should use the opportunity and not spent the night alone.'' He opened his eyes and looked at Emma who was still lost in thought over this morning's memory. ''Do you want me to leave?''

''No.'' She said fast. ''It's just that I thought maybe you heard me and-''

''I did.'' He said. ''I was on my way here and I could hear you from the hallway mumbling something and tossing and turning in your bed.''

Emma felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. She was used to Julian seeing her in her weakest moments and comforting her. This was new to her.

''I shook you a little and you seemed to be fine. I got in bed next to you and patted your stomach lightly since that's how I used to calm Ty and Julian down. It seemed to work so I fell asleep myself. I guess my hand must have moved upward while I was sleeping. I woke up right after you sat upstraight. I was just curious what you were going to do next so I just watched.''

''Okay, that is overstepping your borders. You can't just pretend to be sleeping while actually watching me. What if I got undressed?''

''You actually got more dressed instead.''

''That's not the point. I don't like being seen like this.''

''Like what?''

''Like being helpless and scared and-'' She took a breath. ''In pain I guess.''

'' Emma, I've known you since you were a baby, I've seen a lot of sides from you. This was nothing new. This was a normal human reaction to a scary nightmare. It means you're still functioning right. You should be worried if you wake up indifferent to it all. That will be scary.''

It was amazing how easy it was to listen to him and belive him, how calming he was making her feel. For a moment she felt and saw the old Mark. The one who scolded her and Julian when they messed up and painted the family cat blue, got annoyed at the kids for making too much noise or actually being a caring and resposnsible brother and building them a giant fortress from pillows and blankets anfd playing with them in it. She felt secure and familiar with him. Like someone you can rely on to and let them listen to your problems and help you solve them. She felt at ease.

''Thank you.'' She said quietly and laid down beside him face looking up at him.

''For what?'' He asked and turned his head to hers. They were pretty close to each other now, but it didn't bothered Emma, nor Mark obviously.

''For saying that. It helepd, so thank you.'' She closed her eyes and let a sigh out. She felt somehow lighter now. She felt Mark move beside her and when she opened her eyes, she saw him lying on his side, just like her, mirroring her position and lookig at her on eye level. They were close. Too close.
But little did they know it was a closeness they both seeked, craved and needed in order to mend their broken hearts and heal all the open wounds.

Mark put a hand around her waist and rubbed her back reassurlingly.

''Goodnight Emma.''

Emma shifted closer to him, until her forehead was propped on his collar bone, one hand against his chest with fingers slightly currling in his t-shirt.

''Goodnight Mark.''