They walked in eerie silence the rest of the way, only the sounds of Neverland filling the air around them, accompanied by the quiet echo of their footsteps. She had tried to pry, figure out what the hell had just happened between them, but ever inquiry was met with silence from Hook, along with the persistent pacing of his steps. After a third failed attempt she stopped trying all together.

Glancing upwards, she noticed the clouds tightening in the sky, fading to a dark shade of gray. She shuddered at the idea of getting trapped in a rain storm, especially with the newly confused tension between her and Hook, but continued following close behind him.

"Appears it's going to rain," he mumbled under his breath, surprising her at first.

"Ye… yeah, it does," she finally stuttered out, keeping her head down as they kept walking. "Guess we should hurry up and get back."

"Probably won't make it back in time. It's closing in fast. We're going to need to find shelter."

Emma tried her best to hide the look of discontent that was threatening on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was be in crammed quarters with him overnight, especially with the amount of tension pent up between them. But the moment the first rain drop hit the tip of her nose she wasn't entirely surprised. Of course. With a few miles still to walk, and the quiet fall of the rain quickly turning into a torrential downpour, she realized soon enough that they wouldn't be making it back to the ship anytime soon.

She raised her hands above her head to shield herself from the rain while closely following after Hook, keeping in time with his hurried steps. To her initial surprise he veered off the path, through the brush, and into a small cave-like inlet that was well hidden behind the densely clad forest. Once safely under cover and out of the downpour, Emma began shaking her hands off and wringing out her hair, letting her eyes fall shut at the absolutely madding coincidence that she would get stuck in a small cave with Hook right after he kisses her without an explanation.

"We should be safe here until the rain lets up," Hook spoke while shrugging off his leather jacket, laying it flat on the ground to dry. Emma leaned against the wall before sliding down and sitting, a sigh of exhaustion left her lips. She watched carefully as Hook took a seat opposite her, their gazes never meeting, even though they still managed to watch one another.

"So…" she started, getting his attention. "Are you going to tell me what the hell that was now?" She shuddered at the agonizing silence that fell between them, letting out a huff in frustration. "Hook, we have to talk about it sooner or later."

"Actually lass, we don't," he snapped sharply at her, and she tried to mask the sudden look of hurt that flooded her eyes.

"Are you seriously giving me an attitude right now?" All Hook responded with was an overdramatic eye roll, causing Emma to scoff. "What's your problem? YOU kissed ME."

"That I did lass, and unless my memory fails me I told YOU to figure it out." He kept his gaze to the opening of the cave, never once faltering towards her.

She angrily crossed her arms across her chest, suddenly fighting the urge to scream at him, hit him, doing anything to make him react. "Come on, are you seriously going to be this difficult right now?"

He smirked at her, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Figure it out."

A groan echoed in the small cave, resounding loudly off the walls. Hooks eyebrows shot up, eyeing her carefully as she leaned her head backwards. "You're unbelievable."

"Thank you darling," he drawled out with a devilishly proud smile, and she fought hard to ignore the way her body burned as their eyes met.

"It wasn't a compliment," she said flatly.

He responded with a shake of his head in amusement while crossing his legs at the ankles. "Whatever you say, lass. Now, unless the weather lets up soon we'll be spending the night here, so I suggest-"

"WHAT?!" Emma shrieked, causing Hook to tense at the piercing sound that quickly filled the cave.

"Well, what would YOU suggest we do, as you seem to be so knowledgeable in how to handle such situations?"

Emma stayed silent, twirling her fingers back and forth in her lap, watching Hook from under hooded eyelashes. She tensed at the way the sarcasm dripped so easily from his tongue, each word laced with it to the core and rattling her more than normal. "I don't know..."

"Exactly." Hook shifted back and forth before continuing. "Now, as I was saying, I suggest you get some sleep. We're to be heading back to the ship at sunrise."

"You really think I'm going to sleep? I have no clue where I am or what's out there," she said while gesturing to the front of the cave.

"Well, fortunate for you, I do." Emma rolled her eyes at the blatantly cocky tone, narrowing her gaze in his direction.

"Well aren't I just the luckiest girl in the world." As soon as he opened his mouth she raised her hand in his direction, stopping the quip he was all but ready to say from coming out. "Can we at least start a fire so we don't freeze to death."

"There's quite a number of things we could do to keep warm," he responded with a smirk, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Emma groaned leaned her head against the jagged wall, closing her eyes in annoyance. "I seriously give up with you."

The silence that then fell over them lasted an uncomfortable amount of time. Emma began shifting nervously, wishing, hoping he would say something. She knew they needed to talk about what happened; she herself at least needed to know why. But at the moment it was looking like a lost cause. With a sudden cold shiver rocking her body, she began rubbing her hands back and forth, the warmth of the friction helping keep her comfortable. She didn't know how cold it would get during the night, but by the way Hook was persistently watching the cave entrance with a longing look in his eyes, her gut was telling her all the things he fears were screaming; and catching her death in a cave wasn't exactly on her agenda.

After realizing that the silent conversation wasn't going anywhere, Emma finally let out a sigh and eyed the dirty cave floor, slowly shrugging off her jacket. She glanced up quickly, noticing the way he was watching her so intently, and when her eyes caught his, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Smoothing out her jacket, she rolled her eyes once again and gave him a pointed look.

"Stop whatever you're thinking, I don't really want my head resting on the floor."

"I thought you didn't want to freeze."

"Yeah, well, I don't really have a choice do I?" She snapped at him while slowly laying back against the jacket, fidgeting and settling against it best she could. "Someone didn't want to build a fire."

"Emma-"

"Save it Hook. You're right; I do need to get some sleep. I honestly just want to get back to the ship tomorrow and forget today even happened. Goodnight." She turned her back to him, wrapping against the jacket best she could to try and conserve her body heat, never once looking back. She silently hoped that being stubborn back would help him open up to her, but a little voice in her head told her the whole situation was a lost hope.

But the more she tried to sleep, tried to force her eyes shut, the longer she stayed awake, her thoughts running wild and keeping her up. And while she wanted to forget today even happened, as it would make her life easier, she knew she wouldn't be able to. It baffled her that he would even kiss her; especially in the way that he did. There was so much passionate force behind the kiss, full of something she couldn't quite put her finger on, and it was going to drive her insane until he told her why he did it. She shifted a bit, trying to find a comfortable position, when the sound of his voice pulled her from her attempted slumber.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"Yeah since you keep talking..." She mumbled out, shutting her eyes but keeping her ears open.

"Do you really not understand why that happened today?"

Emma shot up in her spot, turning to him, and the look in her eyes softened when she saw the small hopeful glint in his eyes. "I... all I know is that you... you kissed me." Admitting it out loud wasn't nearly as frightening as she thought it would be, but the fact that it happened really started to sink in once the admission left her lips. "And I mean... you KISSED me Hook. Not some random peck to my cheek; that was a lot more. And I have no clue why it happened."

"Because you're insufferable."

Her eyes widened, mouth falling agape, at what she heard as an insult. "Excuse me-"

"You're a bloody stubborn woman, probably one of if not the most stubborn I know. You have a short temper, especially when you don't get your way, and you worry too much for your own good."

She could only watch him as he talked, because she knew it was true. Every last word. "Hook... I mean I guess I'm sorry for what I had said but-"

"I'm not finished. You may be all those things, Emma Swan, but you're also brilliant; you know what you want and will fight tooth and nail until you get it. You love your son unconditionally and family is something you treasure. Watching you fighting so hard the past few days has opened my eyes to everything, Emma. I've been fighting revenge for years, only wanting to kill the man that killed my love, without realizing I was keeping out so many opportunities to love again. And I'm not sitting here saying I'm in love you Emma, but I'm saying that after everything that has happened and realizing how much we truly understand each other, I think that if I actually let you in, that I could. And it terrifies me lass. I haven't felt like this for someone in a long time, nor have I considered the thought of opening myself up to something I've cut out of my life for so long. That's why I did what I did earlier. Because ever since the beanstalk I've been ignoring these... feelings I have for you. And today, listening to how stubborn you were, and seeing how you were putting up that same wall, I decided to hell with it and kissed you after dancing around wanting it to happen. I didn't want it to happen that way, but it did. Darling, you're bloody impossible, but you're so much more than that, you're a brilliant, beautiful and loving woman that fights for what she wants and its one of the most attractive traits one could find in a woman. And there's your reasoning you so badly wanted."

The tears started brimming in her eyes halfway through his confession and by the end she was letting them fall gently down her cheeks, staying quiet, just listening. She wanted to hold back her emotions, she didn't want him to see this side of her, but as everything he said filled her ears she couldn't stop them from coming. She couldn't deny she felt the same way; but she also could barely admit it to herself. Her lip began quivering and she quickly wiped her cheeks, taking a few calming breaths and ignoring the way his gaze was falling intently on her, waiting for her to make the next move.

"Hook... Hook I..." her breath was caught in her throat, and she couldn't find the words to say. "I… It's just…"

"I know, lass, none of what I just said changes anything, right?" He finally cut her off, a sigh slipping past his lips. "I get it. Whatever this is between us isn't anything. Don't feel like anything has to happen, trust me darling, the past 300 years of my life have served as a reminder that nothing of the sort will ever happen in my life again."

She frowned, eyes fluttering as she leaned forward and away from the wall. "That's… that's just a lot of information to take in, Hook."

"Well you wanted to know and now you do." He waved his hand in her direction before turning to face the front of the cave. "Go back to sleep, lass. I'll keep watch."

"Yeah I'm definitely going to sleep after that," she said under her breath while anxiously smoothing out her shirt, glancing at the area around her, contemplating what to do next.

"What do you want from me, Emma?" he asked suddenly, his voice rising in frustration. "You wanted to know so I bloody told you, and now you're mad that I did. Do you think any of that is easy to admit?"

"I'm not MAD, Hook, I just wasn't expecting you to say THAT."

"Well why else would I have kissed you?" He turned his head to face her, locking his stare with hers, his eyes reading her effortlessly.

Emma stayed silent, her chest slowly rising and falling, her stare never leaving his. "Honestly I don't really know. It just surprised me is all. Maybe..." She stopped, running through the scenarios in her head. She had been fighting feelings for him for so long, maybe it was time to push away those doubts and take that leap of faith. What she was considering doing was stupid, maybe even crazy and she heard the way that little reminding voice in her head was screaming at her to stop. But with his confession and her tired eyes, the way the rain fell steadily outside the cave, and the way the air around them was full of the tension that was constantly building between them, she took that leap. Without a second thought she rose to her feet and paced towards him, stifling a laugh at the horrified and confused expression on his face. "Maybe it shocked me because… because I've been fighting the same feelings."

Hook furrowed his eyebrows at her but before he could question what she was doing, Emma fell into his lap, her legs resting soundly on either side of his thighs. "Emma…" he breathed out, a near whisper, while his hand subconsciously rose to her hip. "Darling, you don't have to do this."

"Don't talk," she said before tentatively leaning forward. This was all sorts of wrong, but she was too far gone to care; that voice could berate her all it wanted, she wasn't stopping now. In a matter of seconds, breathing in each other's scents, their lips met in a sweet and gentle kiss and it took everything in her not to let her body fall against his chest. He instantly returned the kiss, lips moving in sync, never once parting as the two of them got lost in the other. She pressed herself against him as much as she could, savoring the feel of his arms wrapped around her. The way his fingers were ghosting up and down her back sent a chill throughout her body and she sighed quietly when they moved down to grip her side once again. This was all sorts of wrong, but it felt so right.

She pulled away, their labored breathing filling the space between them, and she ran her fingers lightly through his still damp hair. "This… whatever this is… isn't nothing."

His fingers tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear and she tilted her head into his palm, letting her eyes fall closed. "I do believe you're right, lass."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier," Emma said, her lips grazing the top of his once again.

"It's alright, love. I understand. You're worried about your lad. But I swear to you Emma, I won't leave this island until he's back in your arms."

"I know," she said with a smile, running her fingers along the nape of his neck. "I trust you."

A genuine smile, one she hadn't seen since the beanstalk, spread across his face, telling her everything she needed to know, thanking her with the look in his eyes. She leaned in, capturing his lips with hers once again, the gentleness starting to fade as his tongue slipped across her bottom lip. She parted them, granting him entrance, groaning when he tightened his grip on her hip. Her mind was racing, nothing seeming coherent anymore, and instantly her hands found the trim of his shirt before slipping under the material and running along his scared chest. To her surprise Hook pulled back, grabbing her hands with his.

"Not here, darling," he said with a hushed whisper and she cocked her head to the side. She opened her mouth to protest but was silenced when his finger brushed over her lips. "Not like this. You deserve much better than a filthy cave floor."

Emma's lips curved upward and she nodded, aimlessly looking around at their cramped surroundings. "Maybe we should sleep…" she suggested, a questioning tone underlying her statement.

"Aye, that we should." With his hand steading her she removed herself from his lap, sitting beside him as the same tense silence fell around them again. Hook slowly lowered himself onto the floor, laying on his back so his stare met the ceiling. Emma bit the inside of her lip and as she began moving back to where her jacket was laid across the floor she felt a strong arm encircle her waist. She fought the smile threatening on her lips as Hook pulled her into his side, his hand resting in the small of her back. Placing her free hand on his chest she glanced up at his face, her eyes questioning him, and he responded with a chuckle. "Well, I said there were other ways to keep warm."

Emma playfully rolled her eyes as she positioned herself against him, letting her arms wrap around his waist and head lean on his shoulder. "I think this is better than the fire." Emma let her eyes fall closed, his steady breathing relaxing her. "Thank you Hook," she said quietly and the soft kiss he planted on the top of her head was enough of a response from him for her to finally let sleep take her over.

She knew when she woke up in the morning things wouldn't be the same. There would be unresolved questions and lots of confusion but she didn't care; she actually welcomed it. Because for one of the first times in her life she decided to start breaking down those walls, let herself open up to the person that could give her the happiness she was desperately looking for. It was going to be challenging, frustrating, and a roller coaster of emotions, but she knew deep down she needed that. She needed someone that wasn't going to roll over and give her everything, but showed he loved her with everything he did. And, although her parents were going to protest, she knew Hook would be the one to give it to her. This whole ordeal was only the beginning; the beginning of something crazy and terrifying. But she was ready for it; for whatever it decided to bring.