Disclaimer: Reluctantly I have to admit that I don't own these characters. They are property of others far luckier than myself.

I began writing this story right after Emma and Captain Hook's kiss. Everything that has happened on the show afterwards wasn't known when I wrote this, so there will be some creative license taken.

I want to give credit to my beta Lori2279. Be on the lookout for her own story hopefully to be published soon.

This is my first attempt at Once Upon A Time, so be gentle. I hope you all enjoy this journey.

There had been a fight to free Henry. In the chaos of the fight, Killian managed to pin the nefarious boy to the ground with a sword to his throat, using squid ink to temporarily paralyze him. The helpless boy made a plea for his life, vowing to give Killian anything he asked for. Killian's bargain had been specific. "Safe passage back to Storybrooke for myself, Henry, Baelfire, Mary Margaret, Emma, Regina and David." There was no mention of Gold, and no one really expected there to be. They all thought that leaving his crocodile in Neverland was a fitting revenge that he couldn't pass up, but the only problem was that hadn't been Killian's true intention.

As the Jolly Roger set sail, Emma stood at the bow of the ship as the wind whipped around her. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders in an effort to keep warm. She had tried everything she could think of since they'd returned to the Jolly Roger to get warm but even the jacket she'd left on the ship couldn't keep the chill away.

"Are you cold, Love?" Killian's arrogant voice cut through the song of the sea, "I'll be happy to keep you warm."

Emma turned to see the cocky grin of a certain pirate fixed in place. She was about to put him in his place when his eyes softened, the same soft eyes that had searched hers the one time they'd kissed. The memory of that moment brought about the heat she'd been missing.

So much had changed since their stolen moment. Neal was alive and wanting to fight for her. They'd rescued Henry with Killian managing to get the upper hand on Peter Pan in the process. As Emma owed Killian more than she could ever put into words, she decided to let Killian's suggestive comment go as she brushed past him on the way to her cabin.

"Sleep well, Love," Killian spoke, mostly to the sea before he returned to the helm of the ship where Neal was pouring over the star charts. They'd clearly left Neverland's realm as the stars didn't align with the map, but no one had expected that Pan would have sent them right back to Storybrooke. They could be in any realm. They would eventually make it back to Storybrooke safely, but there might be at least one adventure more to get them there.

"We're in the right realm," Neal told Killian.

"How can you be certain?" Killian glanced at the charts.

"These stars align," Neal pointed to a series of stars on the chart and then to the clear sky above.

"Aye," Killian agreed as he studied the charts, "But we're nowhere near Storybrooke."

"About as far away as he could put us," Neal agreed as he pulled out the rolled up map of the globe Killian had procured during his brief stay in Storybrooke and pointed of the coast of Australia. "We're about here. There's a passage here, through Panama, but there is no telling how long it will take us to get home even with perfect weather conditions."

"Is this island safe enough to stop for supplies?" Killian asked. He was in uncharted territory. He had to rely on his travel companions to guide them to safe ports. He didn't like the idea, but he knew that Neal wouldn't jeopardize the safety of his son or Emma.

"Should be safe enough," Neal nodded.

"We'll drop the sails for the night and start towards this Australia in the morning," Killian stated. They were all tired after their exhausting rescue mission. Rest was needed more than a replenishment of supplies.

Neal nodded as he made his way below deck to the cabin Henry had claimed for the two of them, leaving Killian to drop the sails and secure the ship for the evening.

"Need a hand?" David's voice called to him from the other side of the ship as Mary Margaret made her way below deck.

"Maybe just one," Killian nodded once.

"You said I couldn't leave Neverland," David reminded him as they worked together to lower the sails, "How long until this poison returns?"

"It won't," Killian assured him, "That was part of my bargain with Pan. He has control of who leaves Neverland, even after being infected with Dreamshade and drinking the restorative water."

David was at a complete loss for words. Killian had given him his life back without strings.

"I don't know how to thank you," David managed after several moments.

"I didn't do it for you," Killian avoided eye contact.

"Emma," David realized.

Killian forced the lump in his throat down as he nodded once more.

"You're a better man than I've given you credit for," David stated.

"You aren't the first to sell me short, Mate," Killian replied as he pulled his flask after their task was accomplished and took a long drink before offering it to David, "And I'm sure you won't be the last."

"So what happens now?" David asked as he found a solid surface to sit on as he took a drink of the offered beverage.

"We make our way back to Storybrooke," Killian shrugged.

"Will you be sailing away on your next adventure after that?" David asked.

"I never think that far ahead," Killian smirked slightly, "It's quite dangerous in my line of work."

"For what it's worth, I take back what I said about you in Neverland," David replied.

"It's not worth much now that Neal's back," Killian sighed in defeat, "And I won't complicate Emma's life."

"I don't think things are as cut and dry as you might believe," David stated.

"They're a family," Killian shook his head, "I've been through that once. I won't tear apart a second one."

"They're a fractured family," David amended, "Neal may be Emma's first love, but their story is complicated. It may not end with a happily ever after."

"But it will be up to them to decide," Killian stated as he left David up top as he made his way to the Captain's Quarters. He knew sleep wouldn't come easily, but there were far less questions for which he didn't have any answers.

Emma had been restless as she tried desperately to get warm. Even out of the breeze, she could still feel the chill. Wrapped up in as many blankets as she could find, her body shivered. Before she could over think her action, she was standing outside Killian's cabin. She was about knocking but she didn't want him to have the opportunity to turn her away. She turned the knob instead and pushed her way inside.

Killian's room was covered in shadows provided by the moon through the portside windows, but she could make out his silhouette on the bed. He appeared to be asleep. She summoned every bit of strength she had as she climbed into bed with him.

She heard his breath hitch as the soft mattress dipped.

"Emma," his voice sounded bewildered yet groggy, "What are you doing here?" He thought his eyes were betraying him as she shifted on his bed to lie next to him.

"I can't get warm," she wrapped her arms around his torso as she settled against him, "I haven't been warm since our kiss. It's like you sucked the warmth right out of me. Don't make a big thing out of this. Don't make any of your usual sexual innuendos, just share your warmth."

Killian didn't comment further as he pulled the bedcovers over her shoulder and wrapped his arms tight around her. They were silent for several minutes as she soaked in every bit of warmth he was offering.

"Where's your hook?" she inquired to break the silence of the room.

"On the table," he motioned towards the ornate table in the corner.

"I didn't know you ever willingly took your hook off," she spoke softly as she pulled lightly at his shirt.

"I'd hate to cut this handsome face," he grinned into the darkness, "I tend to flail about in my sleep."

"You didn't remove it in Neverland," she reminded him.

"I don't have a psycho adolescent after me on this ship," he explained, "Just a pretty lass looking for warmth."

She said nothing but was thankful for the darkness so he couldn't see the blush creeping to her cheeks.

Silence engulfed the room. Emma could feel the warmth seep into her body through every point her body was connected to his, most acutely from his palm flat at her back. She could feel it burning through the thin shirt she'd worn during their adventure. She wouldn't have been surprised to see his handprint burned into her back, but she relished the contact.

"Why are you so warm?" she asked as she scooted herself a fractional bit closer, "Are you sick?"

"It's just my natural heat," he told her, "I've never had a complaint before."

"I'm not complaining now," she replied, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I usually don't have this problem."

"Do you find it at all curious that you came to me and not Neal?" he vocalized the only thought he'd been having since he'd first sensed her presence.

Guilt hit her in the pit of the stomach. She hadn't given it a moment's thought. Neal was supposed to be the love of her life. She'd grieved his loss so deeply when they thought he'd died, but she was in the arms of another man only a few days after he'd come back to her for a second time. She didn't know how to respond to Killian's question, so she let it hang in the air.

Killian let her off the hook, so to speak. They had a long journey ahead of them and time to figure everything out. They needed rest, her probably more than anyone. Her worry for Henry didn't allow for much restful sleep.

"Good night, Killian," she whispered into the darkness.

Those three words spun around in his head for what felt like hours. It wasn't 'Good night, Hook'; it was 'Good night, Killian'. She'd never used his given name before. He nearly drove himself mad trying to analyze what it meant. Was there hope? Did he have a chance? Would it be a mistake to do the honorable thing of walking away so Neal, Emma, and Henry could be a family? He had so many questions but still no answers. All he had was this beautiful woman that was slowly worming her way into the heart he'd locked up several centuries ago.

In the morning, Emma smiled her thanks for sharing his warmth but said nothing as she slipped out of his room. She said nothing more than was necessary to Killian during the day, but that evening as he lay in bed he felt her join him again.

It became a routine. During the day they said only what was necessary, but at night they'd share his bed and his warmth in as innocent a way as there could be. Light conversation was had. Killian was dropping his guard with her in a way he hadn't in a very long time.

Killian noticed during the daylight hours that Emma wasn't allowing herself to reconnect to Neal in the way that was expected. He'd thought that she'd have him wrapped up in her arms and making all sorts of plans for their future together, but she could hardly stand to be near him.

Neal was almost pushy about reconciling. When she was standing against the rail looking out over the horizon, he went to her side. At first he'd put an arm around her waist only to have it pushed away almost instantly. He stopped seeking a physical connection in the hopes of establishing an emotional connection would pave the way for them to reunite.

Killian didn't think it was his place to pry. They'd banter back and forth for a few minutes each evening and then fall into a restful sleep but their conversations never went there. The future was never discussed. The benefit he found of having Emma sleeping next to him was that his dreams didn't haunt him in the way they usually did.

"You're quiet, Captain," Emma approached him as he studied a current map, "And I'm not the only one noticing."

"What am I supposed to be doing?" Killian asked as he chanced a glance in her direction, "Run around the ship obnoxiously."

"That would be more your usual personality," Emma stated as she caressed his arm. It wasn't meant to feel intimate, but they both felt the electricity pass between them, electricity that had been building for the weeks they'd been aboard his ship.

"I'll try to be more obnoxious around everyone," Killian flashed his familiar grin as their fingers tangled together for a few moments. Everyone aboard the ship was too preoccupied that no one noticed their moment.

"We're close to Storybrooke, aren't we?" Emma concluded as she glanced at the map over his shoulder. His markings were getting closer and closer to their destination.

"A day or two depending on the wind," he confirmed.

"It will be good to step on solid ground again," she sighed as she pulled her hand away as Henry's voice wafted towards them. Killian couldn't tell if she was relieved or disappointed in his news that they would be home soon. "I have to admit, I'm beginning to understand your love of the sea. It's intoxicating."

"That's the rum, Love," Killian held out his flask to her.

"Bloody pirate," she rolled her eyes, imitating his accent as best she could as she pushed the flask away.

Henry came up and asked if they could resume their sailing lessons.

"Grab the wheel, Mate," Killian encouraged him as he went about putting Emma's son through the paces. Henry was thoroughly enjoying his time as Killian's first mate in the same way Baelfire had during his brief stay aboard.

Emma watched the pair's interaction with fascination. Killian was different around Henry. He'd dropped his cocky 'pirate act', the same one he'd dropped at night with her, and Henry found the pirate captivating. He's soaked up the pirate's stories in a way that was usually reserved for his book of fairytales.

As Emma glanced across the ship her eyes found Neal's as he spoke with Regina. She knew being with him made more sense. He was Henry's father and her first love, but he was also the man that left her when she was seventeen to take the fall for his crime, the man that had knocked her up and left her to give birth in prison. She was beginning to wonder if when she was grieving on the island for him if she was grieving for the good times they'd had together. Now that he was flesh and blood again, she couldn't see past all the ways he'd hurt her, all the ways he'd let her down.

It made things worse that Neal was trying so hard to be that person Emma needed him to be. She tried, but she couldn't see the man that she'd remembered, the one that she'd planned to drive to Tallahassee with. They had both changed so much.

"You looked torn today, Love," Killian told her when she'd joined him that evening for their ritual evening's sleep. Neither could shake the feeling that this might be their last opportunity.

"I am," she admitted. The future was coming soon. They had to get things out in the open before it was too late.

"If I'm complicating things…" he began.

"Don't you dare offer to do the noble thing now," she hissed.

"Are you wanting me to complicate things?" he asked as he tangled his fingers in her hair. The sincerity in his eyes erased any composure she had.

"What if I say I don't know?" she asked as tears welled in her eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked gently.

"I don't know," she buried her head in his chest as the tears came. She hated showing anyone this emotional side of herself, but she couldn't stop the flood. The emotions of the trip were simply too much. She needed to let them out, and she felt safe with him. "I worry that when we get back to Storybrooke you're going to punt us off this ship and just sail away."

Killian had to admit that had been his original plan, but she was complicating things. As conflicted as she was about what she was feeling, he was equally so. He'd convinced himself after nearly three hundred years that he'd never find anyone to chisel away at his stoned heart. Then he'd met her. Things changed, slowly. Little by little he felt himself returning to that man he'd once been, Killian Jones, not the hard edged Captain Hook coined himself.

"The sea will always be waiting for me," he told her, "I can stay in Storybrooke…for a little while."

"For how long?" she asked as her eyes dried slightly.

"Until you tell me to set sail," he offered as his thumb wiped away a tear from her cheek.

"Why would you do that?" she asked.

"You know why," he told her as he tilted her chin slightly, giving him a better angle as his lips pressed against her. He was gentle, giving her every chance to pull away. Their last kiss had been aggressive, leaving them both out of breath and slightly dazed. This was a kiss that warmed her to the core as their limbs tangled. She sought more, but he held a piece of himself back. He couldn't give her everything she was searching for, not yet.

"Killian," she whispered into the darkness as she caressed his chin when their lips separated. He could hear in her voice what she was truly asking for.

"When you decide," he vowed as he pecked at her lips lightly.

She nodded as she held him close. "Good night, Killian."

"Good night, Emma," he pressed a kiss to her temple.

TBC...

Reviews are encouraged.