For those wishing for me to write a sequel to this fic, the prologue is up! Please check out "Missing Pieces" to see what happened after they arrived in Storybrooke and how their night together changed their future.

I've included a blurb from the sequel below, but all of it is posted under "Missing Pieces".

Enjoy!

Swan was going to kill him.

Figuratively speaking.

Killian stared at Emma, willing her to look his way across the diner. To give him a sign, any sign that she welcomed his presence and he could approach her.

Look at me. Let me in.

Not a word.

Not a look.

Nothing since they'd arrived in Storybrooke.

Like he ceased to exist, faded away until only a ghost.

Please.

Her eyes flicked toward him and for moment—a tiny moment—the hope in his chest grew.

It was over with a blink, her eyes back to her boy.

Bloody hell.

Her actions were not a surprise, even expected.

He'd believed himself prepared for her to withdraw, to shove him away after allowing him so close.

But that bloody hope. Refusing to go away.

Her taste on his lips, his tongue. Her body and eyes telling him…

Whatever alcohol he swilled was not strong enough for what he had to do.

I'm making the right choice.

For the boy.

She and Baelfire have unfinished business.

She won't let him in.

Most likely.

She already allowed me to see inside, to glimpse her heart.

She will again.

But she's afraid to trust me.

I just have to wait.

Assuming the wait doesn't bloody well kill me.

"I didn't think they served rum at Granny's." Bae—Neal slid into the stool next to him.

Killian steeled himself, knowing what he had to do—his heart screaming as his lips moved. "Don't worry, I'm not here to pursue the Lady Swan."

"I don't care where you go boys, but you can't stay here. It's closing time." Granny shooed Killian, the dwarves, and a handful of other party goers out the door.

Bloody hell, what do I do now?

He couldn't go back to his ship—one step in his cabin and he'd be assaulted by memories of their night together.

The bearded dwarf—Grumpy, was it?—clapped him on the back. "The Rabbit Hole doesn't close until two."

Killian nodded at him. "By all means, mate, lead the way."

He hoped this "rabbit hole" was a tavern of sorts and served rum.

Perhaps if I'm drunk enough I shall forget the way she wrapped her body—

Bloody hell!

He followed the dwarves down the street, careful to keep his jovial façade in place, welcoming the cold air as it permeated his body.

It matched the chill in his heart, the image of her smiling at Neal all too clear in his mind. Killian cursed his inability to fight for her thanks to his conscience.

You did the right thing.

You're in it for the long haul. What are three hours, three days, three months, three years—however long it takes Swan to realize you will not leave her like all the others have—compared to the three hundred years spent seeking revenge?

She's worth three thousand.

But it hurt no less, this helplessness, the waiting, the small chance his gamble would fail and he'd be left in pieces, only living for her happiness. It would bring him joy—her smile able to light even the darkest part of him—but it would also slowly break him.

Better than revenge, mate.

Is it?

The warmth of the tavern rolled over him as they entered, Killian very thankful his guess as to the nature of The Rabbit Hole was accurate.

Playing the patient suitor would require a lot more rum than he currently possessed.

Tomorrow, he would torture himself all over again when she met Bae for lunch at Granny's and without alcohol, he might do something very, very stupid.

You can read the rest under "Missing Pieces". This is the last time "Leaving Neverland" will be updated and is now marked as "completed". I hope you enjoyed the tale. :-)

Feedback and reviews always welcome.