#captainswanluver

…

Officer Rogers didn’t sleep a wink that night.  He couldn’t get the mystery woman out of his mind and he certainly couldn’t explain the strange connection he felt towards her.  

Once at work, he spent hours searching through missing person reports from all over the West Coast. Nothing matched their Jane Doe.  Maybe her husband wasn’t looking for her.  And maybe she didn’t want to be found.  

His heart ached at the thought.  Could she really be so alone that no one missed her?  That no one cared enough to file a missing person report?  It was still possible that she was from farther away.  So Officer Rogers entered her information into their national database for missing persons.  He spent the rest of his shift searching through the reports of women who matched her general description.  But none of them were her.  Any report surely would have included the heart tattoo on her wrist with Killian, along with the flower one on her other wrist.  

It was official.  As of now, she hadn’t been reported missing.  

…

“How is she?” Officer Rogers asked Dr. Truman.

The older doctor shook his head.  "Not well, I’m afraid.  We can’t find the cause for her condition. And this morning she slipped into a coma.“

Officer Rogers felt his heart sink into his stomach, as he slowly nodded and turned away from the doctor.  He walked into her room and sat down beside her bed.  He took her hand in his again.  

"I’m Jason,” he said.  "My friends call me Jay.“

The name never seemed to leave his lips easily, as if he felt it didn’t truly belong to him.

"I wish I knew who you were.  I wonder if you have people out there who love and care for you.  It seems you have a husband.  Do you have children?  Parents?  Friends?   I’m afraid I haven’t found any missing person reports that fit your description.  I’d hate to think of you being all alone in this world, love.”

Although he certainly understood how that felt.

…

Weeks passed with no change.  Jason continued to monitor new missing person reports that came in, but none matched her.  He found himself visiting her everyday.  He would visit her before his shift or after.  Sometimes before and after.   Visiting the mystery woman had replaced frequenting the bar after his shift.  She gave him a reason to avoid his lonely apartment.  

He would spend hours talking to her, telling her about his life.   Not that there wasn’t much to tell.  He had no family and his friends were relegated to the officers he worked with.  He worked so many hours that he didn’t have much time for a personal life.  

Despite his good looks, he didn’t even have a girlfriend.  He wanted a wife and children, but he was beginning to wonder if it was in the cards for him.  He dated occasionally, but no woman ever captured his interest enough to make him want more than a couple of dates with her.  His fellow officers teased that he was too picky, but he knew better.  He knew that when you have a connection with someone, you feel it immediately.  When you know, you know.

He stared at the beautiful, blonde woman.  He couldn’t deny the immediate connection he felt towards her. Jason shook his head.  It was ridiculous.  How could he feel a connection to a woman he’d never even met?  A woman who was unconscious, who had never spoken a word to him?

Jason sighed heavily, silently scolding himself.  But he realized in that moment, that he’d spoken to the woman lying in the bed more than he’d ever spoken to any woman he dated.  He had told her more about himself than he had ever told anyone in his life.  

…

Officer Rogers placed the vase of flowers on the end table beside her.  He had taken to bringing her flowers every Sunday.  He was the only visitor she ever received.  Other patients had flowers and cards and Get Well balloons that filled their rooms, but all she had was what he brought her.  He hoped that somehow she could hear him talking to her and knew that she wasn’t alone.  He wanted her to know that there was someone out there waiting for her to wake up.  

Jason sat down beside her bed and took her hand in his, just as he had done everyday for weeks.  Sometimes he didn’t talk.  Sometimes he just admired her.  He admired her beautiful lips and wondered what her smile looked like.  He admired her long eyelashes and imagined what her eyes must look like.  And he pondered for hours on end what her voice might sound like.  

He wondered what her job was and the kinds of things she liked to do.  He imagined the kind of personality she might have and her likes and dislikes.  

The other officers had started to ridicule him about spending so much time with a complete stranger.  They told him that there were no signs of any foul play.  Without a missing person report and no leads, there was no case to investigate.  He had done his duty.  But Officer Rogers insisted that it was his job to help people and he wouldn’t rest until he had helped her.  

Of course, he would never admit that there was something inside of him that just couldn’t leave her.

His thumb brushed across the skin of her hand as he held it in his.

“I know what it feels like to be left all alone.  My father abandoned my mother, brother, and me when I was just a lad.  My mother died shortly thereafter and my brother passed right after I turned 21.  He was killed during a mugging gone awry.  I moved to the states and joined the police force one month later.  I knew I didn’t want other families to go through what I went through.  I wanted to help people, try to make the world a bit safer.”  

Even as he said the words, Officer Rogers couldn’t quite shake the feeling that his memories weren’t his own.  He always felt as if he were relaying someone else’s life whenever he spoke of his past.  There were parts that felt more real to him, like his father abandoning him and losing his mother and brother, but the rest often felt like he was telling a story.

He sucked in a deep breath and then said, “I promise I won’t leave you.”

…

“Did I ever tell you I like sailing?” he asked, his eyes scanning her face appreciatively.  “I don’t have much free time, but the time I do have I like spending on the water.  I have a small sailboat.   I can spend hours out there, watching the waves.  It’s always helped calm me and distract me from whatever is occurring my life.  I’d like to take you someday.”

Jason snapped his mouth shut and squeezed his eyes closed, as he ran his hand down his face.  What was he doing?  Making plans with an unconscious stranger?  

But she didn’t feel like a stranger.  Truth be told, she never had.  And the more time he spent with her, the more deeply connected he felt to her.  

Yet he knew it was ridiculous.  You can’t have a relationship with a woman in a coma.  

…

It had been almost two months when something occurred to Officer Rogers.  His building had a security camera right above the stoop.  He hadn’t even thought to check it for clues about what might have happened to her because it seemed as if she hadn’t met with any foul play.  Still, he scolded himself for overlooking something so obvious.  He knew that he had let his growing feelings for her interfere with him doing his job.

Luckily for him, the security tapes had not yet been erased.  Officer Rogers found the one for that night and fast forwarded to an hour before he returned home.  There was nothing until about 45 minutes in.  Suddenly, she appeared at the foot of the stairs.  His breath caught in his chest at seeing her conscious for the first time, even in grainy black and white.

He watched as she pulled a piece of paper out of a hidden interior pocket in her jacket, one he had failed to notice.  She looked down at the paper and then back up at the building.  He saw a small smile appear on her lips and he could have sworn she mouthed the name “Killian”.  

He continued watching as she stuffed the paper back in her pocket and walked up the stairs.  She was just about to knock, when a flash of light appeared out of nowhere.  His eyes widened as he watched her fall to the ground.  

Officer Rogers must have replayed the footage fifty times, trying to determine what had happened to her.  Had she been struck by lightning?  Impossible.  The weather had been perfect that night and the doctors found no signs to indicate that.  In fact, they still couldn’t find anything wrong with her.  Not even an infection.

Jason’s eyes lit up, as he realized that the paper must still be in the pocket of her jacket at the hospital.  Perhaps it held some clue to her identity.  He hurried to the hospital and requested her belongings.  He dug the jacket out of the bag and slipped his hand into the interior pocket, smiling as he felt the paper.  He pulled the paper out and unfolded it.

His eyes widened in shock at what he found written on the paper:  Officer Jason Rogers.  Hyperion Heights, Seattle.  1129 Delancey Street.  

He shook his head in disbelief.  She had come to see him.  But why?  They had never even met before.  

A smile suddenly appeared on Jason’s face as he stared at the paper.  She had held it in her bare hands, which meant they could get her fingerprints off of it.  The hospital had a policy against taking the fingerprints of incapacitated patients without a warrant, which he had tried and failed to get.  But now he could get her fingerprints off the paper and run them against the national database.  If she had ever been fingerprinted before, be it for committing a crime or for a standard background check, then her prints would be in there.  

Officer Rogers smiled.  Maybe he was finally about to find out who the mystery woman was.

…

He sent the paper to the lab and they were able to lift two clear thumb prints off of it.  Officer Rogers plugged it into the national database and, moments later, got a hit.  Her picture, a mugshot from when she was a teenager, popped up.  

“Emma Swan,” he read softly, a smile upon his lips at finally knowing her name.

And there it was again.  Another jolt of recognition as the name left his lips, as if he’d said it a thousand times before.

His eyes scanned the record.  She had been arrested for petty crimes before serving time in prison.  There was nothing more recent.  

Officer Rogers took her name and ran it through their national information database.  It included criminal, marriage, death, birth, and employment records.  He decided to try the marriage records.  A hit came up.  A marriage license issued in Storybrooke, Maine.

“Storybrooke,” he whispered, trying to ignore that pang of familiarity again.

His eyes scanned the license.  It was issued to an Emma Swan and Killian Jones.  So the Killian from the wrist tattoo was her husband.   Yet he hadn’t filed a missing person report.  He wondered if perhaps he was dead and the tattoo was in honor of his memory.  

Officer Rogers ran his name through the death records, but nothing came up.  On a hunch, he ran his name through the criminal records.

He smiled as he got a hit.  He had been arrested in New York City years earlier.  His mugshot suddenly appeared before his eyes and Officer Rogers nearly fell out of his chair.

The man staring back at him was…him.  Yes, he had guyliner on and his hair was a bit different, but there was no mistaking it.  It was him or someone that could pass as his identical twin.  

Officer Rogers frantically searched the database for any other information about Killian Jones.  But the only thing that came up were two birth records where he was listed as the father.  He and Emma had two children: Liam, age 8, and Ella, age 6.    That meant there were two children missing their mother.  

And there it was again when he saw their names.  Something felt so familiar.

He returned to his criminal record and looked at his fingerprints.  His mouth dropped open at what he saw.  There were only fingerprints for his right hand.  A notation stated that he was missing his left hand.   Officer Rogers stared down at the glove that covered his prosthetic hand.  

  His mind was racing.  Could this be possible?  Could he really be Killian Jones?  Could his wife be Emma Swan, the mystery woman that had occupied his mind for two months now?  Could he really have forgotten about a whole life?  About two children he’d had?  None of it made any sense.  

  But, then again, there were things about himself that had never felt quite right.   His memories didn’t feel like memories.  They didn’t feel like he had lived them.  They felt like stories he had read or scenes from a movie he had seen or even vivid dreams.  He stared down at his hand.  Had he really lost it in a lawn mower accident at age 19? Because he couldn’t actually remember the pain he must have felt and when he replayed the memory in his head, it was like watching someone else.  Every memory was like watching someone else’s life.  

  And this would explain why he felt such an immediate connection to Emma.  It would explain why he felt a familiarity when he saw the name Killian tattooed on her wrist, when he heard the name Emma Swan, the town of Storybrooke, and the children’s names.  

  Officer Rogers ran his hand down his face, as he shook his head in disbelief.  

  …

  He tossed and turned all night long.  Emma’s face kept filling his mind.  When he squeezed his eyes closed, he could imagine her smiling at him, her eyes twinkling in delight.  He even felt like he could hear her voice saying Killian as she looked at him.

  But it was impossible.  It was his mind conjuring things.  It had to be.  He had never seen her smile or look at him or heard her say that name.  Or had he?

  “Bloody hell,” he groaned, as he covered his face with his hand.

  …

  Jason sat down beside her bed and took her hand in his.

  “Emma,” he said softly.  

  He could have sworn he saw her eyelids flutter and felt her hand squeeze his at the sound of her name.  

  He had done a bit more research and found that she had grown up in foster care and had given a baby up for adoption as a teenager while serving time in prison.   He knew now that she had known what it felt like to be abandoned and alone, just as he had.

  She had switched gears after serving time in prison and had become a bail-bondsperson.  He figured she must have used the skill set she acquired doing that job to track him down.  

  Jason shook his head, as he lifted his hand and stroked her cheek.  “I can’t explain it, but I felt a connection to you right from the start, Emma.  And then I saw a picture of your husband, Killian.  I look just like him.  But it’s not possible, is it?  I couldn’t possibly be your husband, could I?”

  Jason gasped as he felt Emma squeeze his hand.  This time, he was certain he wasn’t imagining things.  

  His tongue slowly licked at his lips.  There was only one way for him to be sure that the seemingly impossible was actually true.  In his heart, he believed that if he kissed her, then he would know right away if his lips had ever touched hers before.  

  Yet his heart was at war with his head.  Kissing a woman in a coma?  Even if he did suspect he could be her husband, he wasn’t sure it was right.  

  But then he thought of all of those fairytales he’d read as a child and the Disney movies he’d seen.  The ones where the prince wakes the princess with a kiss.  

  He shook his head, scoffing at his own overactive imagination.  This wasn’t a fairytale.  Life doesn’t work like that.

  He closed his eyes for a long moment and suddenly an image appeared. He was sitting outside at a table and Emma was sitting across from him, smiling.  And then she was leaning forward and kissing him.  Jason brought his hand to his lips, his fingertips brushing across them.  

  This was the first time that a memory he had experienced felt completely real.  It didn’t feel like a dream or like a scene from a movie or like it had happened to someone else.  It was as if he could feel her lips on his.  

  Jason opened his eyes and his gaze flitted across her face again.  Slowly, he stood and leaned down towards her.  He hesitated a moment and then brushed his lips across hers.  He pulled back and waited.  He waited for her to open her eyes and smile at him.  But nothing happened.  He shook his head, feeling foolish for believing in such nonsense.  

  He let out a heavy sigh, realizing in that moment that he had become obsessed with this woman and that obsession had clouded his judgment.  He couldn’t explain why he so closely resembled her husband, but he knew there must be some rational explanation.  They say everyone has a doppelgänger.  Maybe Killian Jones is his.  Maybe this was just a bizarre coincidence.  Of course, that still wouldn’t explain the fact that they were both missing their left hand or why she had shown up on his doorstep looking for him.

  He took a deep breath and shook his head again.  He needed to take a step back and clear his head.  He needed a break from Emma Swan.

  “Goodbye,” he whispered and then turned on his heel.  

  His hand was on the doorknob when he heard it.

  “Killian.”

  It was so soft he was sure he had imagined it.  Slowly, he turned back around and found Emma staring at him, a huge smile upon her face.

  “Killian,” she said again, this time in a stronger voice.

  “Emma,” he whispered.

  He didn’t know what came over him, but he crossed the room in two steps and found himself cupping her face, as he pressed his lips to hers again.  

  This time, a flash of light appeared around them and his mind suddenly flooded with images.  They were memories.  Memories of his life with Emma and their children.  

  He pulled back and met her eyes.  

  “Emma,” he said again, a smile pulling at his lips.

  Tears were now streaming down her face, as she lifted her hand to caress her husband’s cheek.  

  “Killian, you remember me.”

  The smile lit up his face as he nodded.  “Hello, love.”

  “I’m so happy to see you,” she whispered.  Emma swallowed hard.  “I’m sorry it took me so long to find you.  I came to see you, but Lady Tremaine placed me under a sleeping curse before I could.”

  Killian nodded, his eyes sparkling.  “So that means true love’s kiss broke the sleeping curse.”

  “And returned your memories,” she added.

  “I thought it didn’t work on memory loss.”

  “It doesn’t usually.  Maybe this curse is different.”

  Killian shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.  I’m just so glad to have you back and I’m glad to be back to myself. How are the children?”

  “They’re fine.  Liam and Ella are with my parents in Storybrooke.  They miss you like crazy though.”

  “I can’t wait to see them,” he said with a smile.

  “We need to help our family first.  Then we can all go home together.”

  Killian nodded. “Aye, love.  Nothing can stop us now that we’re together again.”

  “I love you,” Emma said, as he swiped at a tear on her cheek.  “I missed you so much.”

  “I love you, too.  When I found you on my stoop, I felt an immediate connection I couldn’t explain.  And I visited you here everyday for two months.”

  Emma smiled. “You did?”

  Killian nodded.  “I couldn’t leave you.  We’re true love, Swan.  I think our souls would know each other anywhere.”

  Emma entwined their fingers.  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Killian leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his wife’s lips.  

  “How did you find me?” he asked, as he pulled back.

  “It wasn’t easy.  The locator spell didn’t work.  I had to come up with a new one. Without Regina’s help, it took months.”

  Killian squeezed her hand in his.  “But you did it, Swan.  You found me.”

  Emma grinned.  “Don’t you know by now, Killian?  We’ll always find each other.”

  He nodded and placed another kiss on his wife’s lips.  They parted and he pointed to the tattoo heart with his name in it.  

  “When did you get that, love?” he asked, running his thumb across it.

  Emma felt tears fill her eyes.  “About a month after you were taken from me.  It made me feel like a part of you was with me.  Whenever I felt hopeless, like I might never see you again, I would look at it and think of you.  I would think of how you never gave up on me, never gave up on us.  And how you believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.”

  Killian lifted her wrist to his lips and placed a kiss on the heart where his name was.  “My belief in you is unwavering, as is my belief in us.”

  “Come here,” Emma said softly, as she blinked back tears.  “I just want you to hold me.”

  “As you wish, love.”  

  He climbed into bed beside his wife and pulled her close to him.  Emma rested her head on her husband’s shoulder, as he dropped a kiss onto her hair.  

  He looked down at his name badge.  Officer Rogers, he thought with a shake of his head.  He’d always known something didn’t feel right.  He’d always felt like something was missing.  

  Then he found the beautiful, blonde mystery woman lying in front of his apartment building.  And it was as if he had found something he didn’t even know he’d been searching for: the missing piece of his heart and soul.  

  …THE END…

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed it.  I’d love to know what you thought. ~Steph

  Emma laughed and then groaned when she looked down at Liam’s feet.

  “What happened to your other shoe, kid?”

  “I lost it,” he said with a shrug.

  “You had it five minutes ago.  It was on your foot.  How did you manage to lose it in five minutes?”

  “I dunno,” he said with a shrug.

  Emma blew out a frustrated breath.  “Go back to your room and put on another pair of sneakers.”

  Liam scampered off, just as Eva dropped to the ground dramatically, her arms and legs spread out on the rug.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Emma asked, turning to her husband.

  Killian shrugged and attempted to make air quotes with his hand and hook.  “In her words, she’s feeling weird today.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “How the devil should I know?  Apparently, it makes it so she doesn’t want to attend the party.”

  “Well, that’s not an option,” Emma said. “Get up, Eva,” she ordered.

  Eva didn’t move a muscle.   Killian bent down to pick up his daughter, but she was dead weight and he couldn’t get her to budge.

  “Bloody hell, it’s as if she weighs more than a barrel of rum,” he said.

  Emma chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a special kind of kid skill right there.”

  Just then, Liam appeared back in the living room.

  “Ready!” he announced.

  Emma looked at his feet.  He was now wearing two different sneakers.

  “Why are you wearing two different shoes?” she asked.

  “I couldn’t find the missing one,” he explained.

  “That’s why I said to put on a different pair of shoes.”

  “I did.”

  “No, you put on two different sneakers.  One is red.  One is blue.”

  He shrugged.  “I like it better this way.”

  Emma rubbed her temple.  “Fine.  Go like that.”

  Killian pinched the bridge of his nose.  “The headache I currently have rivals those I’ve only gotten after consuming several flasks of rum.”

  Emma smiled and patted her husband’s shoulder.  “That’s parenthood for you.  The effects of a hangover without the fun.”

  Killian laughed.  “Aye.”

  They then worked together to lift Eva off the floor.  They thought they were finally ready to leave when they realized Ella was missing.  

  “Where’s Ella?” Emma asked.

  Killian groaned.  “Bloody hell.”

  They heard a giggle coming from upstairs and she appeared at the top of the stairs, completely naked.

  Emma let out an audible groan.  “Seriously?”

  Killian exhaled in defeat and held up his hook and hand.  "That’s it.  I surrender,“ he said.

His wife turned to him wide-eyed.  "What?  I thought you love a challenge.”

“Aye, that I do.  But I am also wise enough to know when to admit defeat.”

“So let me get this straight.  You’ve lived centuries and defeated villains and monsters, broken curses, but our three children manage to take you down?”

He shrugged.  "Defeat can come in the most unexpected of ways and from the most underestimated of foes.“

"Okay, this is ridiculous.  What are we supposed to do?  Never leave the house again?”

“No, we can certainly make another attempt at some point.  But today I believe we must admit the lad and lasses have bested us.”

“So much for never giving up,” she muttered.

“Perhaps if you could use your magic or I could use my sword to defeat them, we would stand a chance.  But, alas, that is not an option.”

Emma groaned and rubbed at her forehead.  "Yeah, this parenthood thing is definitely the greatest challenge we’ve ever faced together.“

“Some days it feels more like a hostage negotiation with a band of drunken pirates than actual parenting,”  Killian said.

"Well, I guess you would know,” she replied with a chuckle.  Emma paused and and shook her head.  "But one thing I know is that we’ve always been stronger together.“

"Aye.”

“The kids outnumber us.  But-…”

He nodded, finishing her thought, “We’ve been outnumbered before and emerged victorious.  You’re right, Swan.  We just have to keep our wits about us, formulate a plan, and work as a team.”

Emma nodded, as she came closer to her husband and snaked her arms around his neck.  "Now there’s the determined pirate I love.  There’s no battle we can’t win if we work together.“

Killian pressed his lips to his wife’s.  Just as they parted, they both felt a tug on their shirts.  They looked down to find Liam staring up at them.

"I lost my shoes,” he said.  

Emma and Killian sighed, as they dropped their foreheads together and squeezed their eyes closed.

…

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Emma said, as she handed Killian a roll of duct tape.

Her husband’s eyes grew wide. “Love, admittedly I’m still learning about parenting in this realm, but I do believe it is frowned upon to restrain them.”

Emma laughed, shook her head, and then handed him a pair of green sneakers. “For Liam’s sneakers.  Put them on and secure them with a bit of duct tape around his foot.  They won’t be going anywhere for awhile.”

“Brilliant.”

Emma pointed to Eva and Liam. “Both of you on the couch,” she ordered.  

They begrudgingly followed their mother’s command.

She addressed Killian.  "Okay, watch them.  Don’t let them out of your sight.“

"As you wish.”

“I’ll take care of Ella,” she said.

Emma headed upstairs.  She found her naked toddler jumping up and down on their bed.  

“Ella, do you want to play a game?”

Ella stopped jumping and nodded enthusiastically.  "Yeah!“

"Okay, how about dress-up?  You love playing dress-up.”

“Can I be a princess?”

“Yup.  But here’s the game part.  I’m going to time you on my phone.  I’m going to give you five minutes and you have to be fully dressed, including pull-up.  And you have to stay dressed for the rest of the day or you lose.  Got it?”

“Got it!” she yelled and gave her mother a thumbs up.

“Ready,” Emma said, as she tapped the time on her phone.  "Get set.  Go!“  

Ella jumped off the bed and raced to her bedroom.  Emma followed and watched as she ran to her toy chest and began to frantically pull out her dress-up costumes.

…

Killian could hear his wife and daughter upstairs as he guarded their other two children.  They squirmed on the couch.

"I’m hungry,” Eva said.

“I’m thirsty,” Liam announced.  

“Well, loves, if we leave this house sometime this century, then you can have your fill of food and beverages at your uncle’s party.”

“But I’m hungry now.”

“I’m thirsty now.”

Killian waved his hook at them and shook his head.  "I know what you’re attempting to do and your efforts will be fruitless.“

Eva tilted her head and smiled at her father, batting her eyelashes.  "You’re the best daddy in the whole wide world,” she said softly.  

Killian blushed and shrugged.  "Thank you, love.“

"In all the realms,” Liam added, spreading his arms out wide.

“And you’re the funnest, too,” Eva said.  "All of my friends are jealous because their dads are boring.“

Liam nodded. "Yeah, mine too.  Our daddy’s a cool pirate.”

Killian puffed his chest out proudly, his face beaming.  "Well, I can’t argue with that. I’d imagine the other fathers would be rather envious of me.  I can’t say I blame them.“

Eva and Liam slowly inched off the couch and came to sit on their father’s lap. They looped their arms around his neck and each placed a kiss on his cheek.

"We love you, Daddy,” they said in unison.

Killian smiled. “I love you, too.”

“Now can we have something to eat?” Eva asked.

“And drink?” Liam said.

Killian nodded, kissing their foreheads. “Of course.  How could I ever deny my beautiful offspring anything?  You’re such a wonderful lad, Liam, and you’re a lovely lass, Eva.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” they said, as they hugged him, and then jumped off his lap and ran into the kitchen.

…

A few minutes later, Emma came down the stairs with Ella, who was now dressed in a glittery purple princess dress and sparkly pink shoes. The look was made complete with a crown atop her head.

Killian smiled. “Well, lass, you look stunning,” he said.

Ella giggled, as Emma’s eyes widened at the empty couch.

“Where are Eva and Liam?”

“Oh, not to worry, love.  They’re just getting something to eat and drink.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “What? Killian, I told you not to let them move.  Every parent knows you never let a child who is dressed to leave the house eat or drink anything or they will surely require a change of clothes.  How did they convince you to let them move off the couch?”

He grinned.  "We have very sweet children, Swan.  They told me how I am the best daddy in all of the realms.“

Emma groaned. "Of course they did.  They stroked your ego.  Smart kids.”

Killian shrugged.  “It was rather brilliant.  Well played.”

Eva and Lia emerged from the kitchen a moment later.  Eva had chocolate pudding all over the front of her dress and Liam had grape juice on his pants.  Emma stared daggers at her husband.

“Apologies, love.”

Just then, Emma’s cell rang.  She looked down and groaned.  "It’s my mother.“

She answered the phone. "Hi, Mom.”

“Emma, where are you?  Neal’s party started an hour ago.”

“Well, we started the process of leaving the house two hours ago.  Let’s just say it isn’t going well.”

Snow chuckled. “Ah, I can imagine it’s difficult with three young children.”  She paused and said, “Put me on speaker.”

Emma pressed speaker.

“Eva, Liam, Ella.  It’s grandma.”

“Hi, Grandma!” they yelled.

“Do you know what’s waiting for you at the party?”

“What?” they asked.  

“A piñata full of candy.  And there’s chocolate cake.  And there’s ice cream.  Plus, a little present for each of you.”

“Yay!”  

“But you must get in the car within the next five minutes or everything will disappear.  Okay?”

“Okay!” they screamed.

Emma watched as Liam and Eva raced upstairs to change.

Emma and Killian shook their heads in amazement.

“Unbelievable,” Emma said.

Snow chuckled. “Emma, never forget a parent’s greatest weapon: bribery.”

“I thought bribery was frowned upon,” Killian said.

“I’m a big believer in whatever works,” Snow said.  "See you soon.  Hopefully.“

Eva and Liam ran down the stairs a moment later, freshly changed.  "Ready!”

Emma and Killian exchanged a relieved smile.  

Emma looked at them.  "Does anyone need to use the bathroom?“

"Nope,” they said.

Killian grinned. “Then let’s go.”

They filed out of the house and piled into the car.  Emma was almost backed out of the driveway when Liam began to squirm in his seat.

“I have to pee,” he said.

Emma and Killian squeezed their eyes shut, as she put the car in park.  She glared at him in the rearview mirror.  

“Seriously, kid?  I just asked if anyone needed to go to the bathroom not three minutes ago.”

“I didn’t have to go then,” he replied with a matter-of-fact shrug.

Emma and Killian exchanged a look and then simply laughed, as Emma dropped her head onto the steering wheel.  

…

From their booth at Granny’s, Emma and Killian watched their three children attempt to hit the piñata.

  Emma smiled, as she leaned forward and linked her fingers with her husband’s.

  “As crazy as they drive us, I have to admit we created three pretty great kids,” she said.

  Killian nodded. “Aye, love, that we did.”

  Emma’s smile faded and her expression grew serious.  “Do you ever regret it?  Do you ever regret trading life as a pirate captain for like in Storybrooke?”

  Killian’s brow furrowed, as he shook his head. “Not for a moment, Swan.  It was the best decision I ever made. You helped me find the good man I still had inside of me and gave me a noble cause.   And that decision gave me you and our children.”

  Emma bobbed her head.  “I know,” she said.  She waved her hand at their children. “But I doubt when you made that decision back then, you could have imagined what your life would be like now.”

  Killian chuckled. “You’re quite right, love.  I traded battles with pirates over treasure for battles with children over shoes and diapers.”  He paused for a long moment. “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a very small part of me that feared that life as a husband and father in Storybrooke could grow dull and tiresome.  But I had nothing to fear because this life we’ve created together is the greatest adventure of my life.”

  Emma smiled as he leaned forward and placed a kiss to her knuckles.  

  “And there’s no one else I’d rather go on this adventure with,” she said.

  “It’s my turn!” Eva suddenly yelled.

  Emma and Killian groaned, as they turned to find Eva and Liam in a tug-of war over the plastic bat being used to hit the piñata.  

  “No, it’s not!  It’s mine!” Liam screamed.

  “Duty calls, Swan,” Killian said, as they both slid out of the booth.

  Killian grabbed Eva and Emma grabbed Liam, pulling them apart until they dropped the bat.  Ella giggled as she picked it up from the ground and began swinging it haphazardly.

  Eva and Liam squirmed in their parents’ arms until they were finally released and set on the ground.  

  Eva pointed at Liam.  “He stole my turn!”

  “She stole my turn!” he yelled.

  Emma and Killian sighed heavily, preparing to launch into their upteenth lecture on sharing.  But just as they opened their mouths, Ella screamed, “My turn!”

  Unfortunately, she was only two and her aim left a lot to be desired.  She swung and missed the piñata entirely.  But what she didn’t miss was her father’s face.  The plastic bat hit Killian square in the nose.

  “Killian!” Emma screamed, as he fell backwards and landed on the ground, his hand going to clutch his nose.

  “Bloody hell,” he muttered, as his nose began to throb.  

  Emma stroked his cheek, as Snow ran off to get ice.  

  Ella walked over to her father and touched his cheek. “Sorry, Daddy,” she whispered in his ear.

  Eva grabbed Killian’s hand, while Liam took hold of his hook.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” Eva asked.  

  “I’ve been better, love,” he mumbled.  

  Snow arrived with the ice and Emma pressed it to her husband’s swollen nose.  

  “You’ll be fine, Daddy.  You’re a big, strong pirate,” Liam said.  

  Emma smiled at their children, as they attempted to comfort their father.  

  “Thank you, lad.  You’re right.  I’ve endured far worse.  I’ll be just fine,” he said.

  Emma helped him up and then ushered him back to their booth.   She scooted all the way in and then motioned for Killian to placed his head on her lap.  He lay back, settling his head in his wife’s lap as she placed the ice back on his nose.

  “Has the handsome finally been knocked out of me, love?”

  Emma caressed his cheek. “I told you.  No one’s that powerful, not even our kids.”

  Killian laughed and then winced in pain.  

  Emma brushed his hair off his forehead and placed a kiss on it, as she met his eyes.  “So still no regrets?”

  He shook his head.  “Not a one.  I wouldn’t trade our life together for all of the treasure in all of the realms.”

  Emma smiled, as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips.  

  Just then, all three kids appeared at the booth.  They started to climb on top of Killian.  

  “Careful!” Emma said, as Liam kneed him in the crotch, garnering another groan from her husband.

  “We just want to hug him,” Eva explained.

  Emma’s face softened. “Okay, but be gentle.”

  Eva flopped down on top of her father’s chest as Liam took up a spot beside her.  Ella managed to climb on top of her siblings.  

  Killian smiled and tightly wrapped his arms around their little brood.  Emma found his hand and slipped hers in it, as they exchanged a smile that said it all.

  …THE END…

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed it.  I’d love to know what you thought. ~Steph

  “Hmm,” she said, scooting closer to him.  “So many choices.”

  She brought her hand up to his chest and allowed it to trail down his shirt.  She skirted it along his arm, pausing to caress his hook, and then moved to his thigh.  Emma’s fingers danced along his thigh until she allowed her hand to rest on his crotch.  Killian sucked in a breath as she palmed him through his jeans and felt him begin to grow hard.  

  She leaned towards him, her face nearing his, her breath a whisper on his skin.  Her lips bypassed his and then came to rest on the scar on his right cheek.  Killian’s eyes fluttered closed as his wife gently pressed a kiss to the scar.  It surprised him that this was her favorite part of him.

  She slowly pulled back and he opened his eyes, meeting her gaze.

  “My scar?  I had no idea,” he said.

  Emma smiled, bringing her thumb up to run along it.  It wasn’t until about a year into their relationship that he revealed how he had received the scar.  Emma had always assumed it was the result of a fight during his pirating days.  She couldn’t have been more wrong.  He had suffered the scar at eight years old while enslaved on a ship.  He had missed a spot while scrubbing the deck, so his master had taken a shard of glass from a broken bottle and punished him by slicing him across his cheek.

  Killian dropped his eyes. “I detest it.  Every time I look in the mirror, it makes my stomach turn.”

  Emma brought her hand to his chin and lifted his head so he met her eyes.  “You are the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, Killian.  And this scar only makes you more beautiful to me.  It’s a reminder of the terrible things you had to endure, the darkness that you had to battle, and how you came out on the other side of it all.  It’s not something to be ashamed of.  You should be proud of it.  You should wear it like a badge of honor.”

  Killian felt his lips slide into a slight smile.  “I suppose I never looked at it that way before.  You always have helped me see things in a different light, love,” he said.

  Emma smiled and then lowered her voice.  “Maybe later I can show you my other favorite parts.”

  “I look forward to it,” he replied with a grin.

  “Your turn,” she said.

  “Dare,” Killian said, as he pulled a piece of paper out of the bowl.

  “Whisper something in your spouse’s ear that will turn them on,” he read.

  Killian’s eyebrows darted upwards and his tongue lashed at his lips.  Emma felt herself getting turned on just by the sight of her husband.  He leaned forward, his warm breath on her ear sending shivers down her spine.  

  He purred into her ear. “I want to taste every part of you.  I want to hear you scream my name with my head between your thighs and my tongue inside of you.”

  Emma felt her panties flood with arousal at his words.  She sucked in a deep, calming breath.  Killian pulled back and smiled, as her skin grew heated.  

  “You okay there, Swan?” he asked.

  Emma nodded.  “Yup, fine.  Uh, truth,” she said, needing a moment to recover from his dare.

  She pulled out a truth slip and read, “How soon did you realize you were in love with your partner?”

  Emma smiled, as her tongue clicked at the roof of her mouth.  She scanned her husband’s face.  “Well, I’d say there was a lot of denial going on for a long time.”

  “I’d say that’s accurate.”

  “But I think I knew in my heart when you admitted you traded your ship for me that I was in love with you,” she said.

  Killian smiled.  It was the moment their relationship really began.  He would still have to knock down many more of her walls and they would have to overcome many obstacles, but that was the moment when everything changed.  

  “I knew how important the Jolly Roger was to you.  It was your home.  And to know that you sacrificed it to find me, to help me and my family.  It showed me that you truly had changed and it allowed me to open my heart to you, despite how scared I was.”

  Killian linked their fingers together and then lifted her hand to his lips.  He placed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

  “And I will be eternally grateful you did,” he whispered.

  Emma smiled as Killian released her hand and then dipped his into the truth bowl.

  “What is your favourite thing about your spouse?” he said.

  He lifted his eyes to his wife’s.  “I couldn’t possibly pick just one,” he said sincerely.

  Emma tilted her head to the side and shrugged her shoulders.  “I guess you lose then.”

  His eyes widened. “I suppose I will have to force myself to choose from the hundreds of things I adore about you then.”  He paused for a long moment.  “Your strength,” he finally said.

  Emma smiled, as she brought her hand up to his cheek and stroked it.

  “You are the strongest woman I have ever met, Emma.  You have been through so much in your life.  It would have destroyed most people, but it only made you stronger.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “Dare,” she said, pulling out a strip of paper.

  “Take off your spouse’s shirt using only your teeth,” Emma read.

  Killian’s eyebrows danced in delight.  “I rather enjoy the dares,” he said.

  Emma’s brow furrowed.  “Well, this isn’t exactly fair.  You’re wearing a vest and a shirt.”

  “Are you admitting defeat?” he asked.

  Emma shook her head sharply.  “Never,” she said firmly.

  Emma shifted on the couch and maneuvered herself so she was straddling her husband’s thighs.  She gave him a devilish grin before dipping her head down to his chest.  Her hands moved to grip his hips, as Killian sucked in a breath and tangled his hand in her golden locks.  Thankfully, his vest was held closed by a zipper.   Emma’s lips wrapped around the zipper pull and then she took the metal between her teeth.  Slowly, she lowered the zipper until his vest fell open.  She then moved her mouth up to his collarbone, pausing a moment to lick the skin there and then place a kiss at the chest hair peeking out.  As her mouth moved to the first button, her hand moved from his hip to his clothed cock.   She rubbed him through the material, as her teeth gripped the fabric of his shirt and then pulled so the button slipped through the hole.

  “Bloody hell,” he breathed, as he cupped the back of her head.  

  Emma continued moving downwards.  She held the button between her teeth and slipped it through the next hole, as she continued to stroke him.  Killian’s head fell back and his eyes slipped closed.  After a few more minutes of her delicious torture, his shirt fell open, revealing his glorious, toned chest sprinkled with dark hair.  Emma smiled and pressed a kiss to his skin.  She trailed her kisses all the way down, pausing at his belt buckle.

  “You better stop now, love, or this game is going to be over very soon,” he said.

  Emma looked up at him through her lashes.  “Would that be so bad?  We can continue tomorrow.  Remember, we have the whole weekend.”

  Killian’s lips slipped into a grin.  “Brilliant idea.”

  Emma smiled and quickly pushed his shirt and vest off of him.   She dropped to her knees before moving to his belt, undoing it, and throwing it behind her.  She undid the button on his jeans and then pulled the zipper down.  She smiled as his cock sprung free.  Every once in awhile he still liked to go commando.  

  Emma wasted no time in placing her mouth on him. Her tongue ran along his shaft and then swirled around his head.

  Killian moaned, as he cupped the back of her head.  Emma bobbed her head, taking in as much of him as she could.  

  “Want to come inside you,” he managed to say.

  Emma smiled around him, as she released him with a pop.  She crawled back up his body, pausing to lift her dress and drop her panties to the ground.   She then settled over her husband’s lap.  Killian brought his hand up to her cup her mound and then slipped a finger inside her.  

  “So wet already,” he groaned.  

  Emma sighed, as his thumb moved to her clit and he added another finger.  But his fingers weren’t enough.  She pushed his hand away and took his cock in her own hand, lining him up with her entrance.  Slowly, she sank down onto him.  

  “God, you feel so good,” Killian breathed as his wife began to ride him.

  Emma moved up and down on his cock, using his shoulders for leverage.  She rotated her hips, until she felt him hitting that spot inside her that always made her see stars.

  “Fuck!” she moaned, as his hook came up to rub at her clit and she soon felt her belly begin to tighten.

  “Come for me, love,” he whispered.

  And with that she fell over the edge and he soon followed suit.   Emma dropped her head onto his shoulder for a moment, before moving her lips to his and slipping her tongue inside his mouth.

  “That was amazing,” she breathed, as she pulled back and rested her forehead against his.

  “I love this game,” Killian said with a grin.

  Emma laughed and kissed him again.

  …

  The following night, Emma found her husband in their bedroom.  He had put on pajamas: a t-shirt and plaid lounge pants.  She came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  “Ready for bed already?” she asked, pressing a kiss to his back.

  He turned around in her arms and dropped a kiss onto her forehead.  

  “Actually, I was hoping we could continue our game from last night and I figured that perhaps these clothes could make some of those dares a bit easier.”

  “Ah, I see,” she said.

  Killian slipped his hook under the strap of her tank top and caressed her jean clad hip with his hand.  “Perhaps you could slip into something that provides easier access too.”

  Emma smiled and shook her head, as she took his hand and led him to their bed.  She gently pushed him down onto it and then came to stand between his legs.  

  “Easier?  Now where’s the challenge in that?” she asked.

  Killian licked at his lips and then watched as she disappeared for a few minutes and then returned with the two bowls.  She sat down on the bed beside him and placed the bowls between them.

  “It was your turn,” she said.

  “Truth,” he said, as he dipped his hand into the bowl.

  “If you had never met your spouse, where do you think you would be?” he read.

  Killian’s eyes lifted to Emma’s face and his voice softened.  “I’d surely be dead,” he said.

  Emma felt tears fill her eyes and she lifted her hand to caress his cheek. “Why do you say that?”

  “I was on a mission of vengeance, love.  I wanted to kill the crocodile.  I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.  But, as you know, he is far too powerful.  If I had continued on my mission, then he surely would have killed me eventually.”

  Emma smiled sadly. “And I’d be lost without you.”

  Killian took her hand in his.  “You saved me, Emma.  In so many ways.  I was already dead inside and you brought me back to life.”

  He leaned forward and placed a kiss on his wife’s lips.  When they parted, Emma cupped his face.

  “You did the same for me,” she whispered.

  Killian smiled and then nodded at the bowls.  “I believe it’s your turn, love.”

  “Truth,” Emma said and pulled a slip out.

  “What is your partner’s most annoying habit?” she said.

  Emma’s eyes danced in delight, as Killian’s lips turned downward.

  “You know, love, you can say pass.  You can’t argue with perfection,” he said.

  Emma chuckled.  “Humble as always.” Emma tapped the paper against her chin. “Now let me see.  Ah, I’ve got it.  You’re a bit of a neat freak.”

  Killian’s eyebrows lifted. “I fail to see what’s annoying about that.”

  Emma shrugged.  “You like everything just so.  I mean, I could never duplicate the way you make our bed,” she said, gesturing to it.  

  “A tidy bed was a requirement in the royal navy.”

  “The sheets are so tight I can barely get into it,” she said.  “And heaven forbid I move a pillow.”

  Killian ran his hand along a wrinkle in the comforter, smoothing it out.  “I suppose you can take over the making of the bed then.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, that’s okay.  I’d hate to take away something you enjoy so much.”

  Killian smiled and bobbed his head. “As you wish.”  

  Without a word, he put his hand into the dare bowl and pulled out a slip.  “Turn your spouse on without touching them or saying a word,” he read.

  Emma smiled, as she waggled her eyebrows. “Hmm, I like that one.  It’s quite a challenge.”

  Killian leaned in close to her, his breath brushing across her lips.  “Aye, that it is.”

  Emma watched as he brought his hand and hook to his shirt and lifted it above his head.  He tossed the shirt onto the floor, as Emma’s eyes roamed his bare chest.  She ached to touch him, to run her fingers through the hair and over his hard muscles.  Killian grinned at her and then slipped his hand beneath the waistband of his lounge pants.   Emma watched as his hand slowly disappeared.   He began to stroke himself, his head lolling back and his eyes slipping shut.  Emma felt her panties flood as she watched him harden, his arousal tenting his thin cotton pants.  

  His eyes opened and he grinned at her, as he slowly stroked himself to completion, mouthing her name silently.  He removed his hand, reached over to the night table and grabbed a few tissues.  He slipped his hand back into his pants and cleaned himself up as best he could, before discarding the tissues.

  “So, love,” he began, turning to her, “did I meet the challenge?”

  Emma shook her head. “Nope, did nothing for me.”

  Killian’s tongue darted out, moistening his lips.  He reached out, his hand dipping down between her legs.  He could feel her wetness even through her jeans.

  “Liar,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to her lips.

  Emma giggled, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed his palm against her center, the rough material scraping her clit.  

  “Fine, you win,” she admitted.

  “The game?” he asked, pulling back.

  “The round,” she clarified.  

  Killian pulled back and nodded. “Your turn.”

  “Truth,” Emma said and pulled out a piece of paper.  “What is the sexiest thing about your spouse?” she said.

  Killian grinned, as she smiled at him, her eyes scanning his body. “Now that is a challenge.  I don’t see how you could possibly pick one thing.”

  She ran her hands down his chest.  “You possess many physical attributes that are sexy as hell.”

  “Aye,” he said.

  She tilted her head, as she lifted her hand to stroke his cheek.  “But the sexiest thing about you is the way you love me,” she said softly.

  Killian arched an eyebrow.  “Is that so?”

  She nodded.  “Yes.  You love me unconditionally, Killian.  You embrace my flaws.  You build me up when I am down.  You make me feel safe.  I don’t mean physically, but emotionally.  Before you, I could never open myself up to anyone.  But you broke down my walls and showed me it was okay to be vulnerable. That it didn’t make me weak.  It made me stronger.  And the way you believe in me even when I don’t believe in myself is amazing.”

  “You’re the amazing one, Swan,” he said, pressing a kiss to her lips.  

  Emma smiled and then watched as he pulled a slip from the truth bowl.

  “Which of your spouse’s body parts do you love the most?” he said.

  Killian’s tongue slowly swiped across his lips, as his eyes washed over his wife’s body appreciatively.  

  “Well, now that is an extremely difficult query,” he said, as Emma blushed under his gaze.  “So much to love.”

  He reached out and brought his hand to her face.  His thumb swept below her eye.  “Perhaps it’s your beautiful eyes and the love I see in them when you look at me.”

  His thumb moved down and ran along her lips, as she sucked in a shaky breath. “Or perhaps it’s your mouth.  The way your lips feels against mine or the wicked things it does to me.”

  His hand moved lower, cupping her breast through her tank and brushing his thumb across her nipple.  “Or perhaps it’s your gorgeous breasts.  How they feel in my hands and the way your nipples feel against my tongue.”

  Emma moaned as he dipped his head down and latched onto her nipple through her tank and lace bra.  She brought her hand to his head to keep him there, but he was soon on the move.   He kissed his way down her stomach, pausing at her most intimate area as he looked up at her.

  “Or it could be your cunt.  How warm and wet it is when I am inside you.  How you feel wrapped around my cock.  How we fit perfectly together.  How you taste on my tongue.”

  “Oh God,” Emma said, as he placed a kiss to her center and she felt her clit begin to throb.

  She felt his hand move behind her, cupping her ass.  “Or maybe it’s these perfect globes.  How they fit in my hand.  How they look when I am taking you from behind.”

  His lips moved to her thigh and he kissed down her leg.  Emma wanted to shove the jeans off so she could feel his lips and the rough scrape of his whiskers on her skin.  

  “Or it could be your long legs and how they feel wrapped around me as I thrust in and out of you.”

  Emma sighed, threading her fingers into his hair.  “Pick one,” she breathed.

  He kissed his way back up her other leg and pushed her tank up to just below her breasts.  He pressed a kiss to her flat stomach, his thumb running across the faint stretch marks left from her pregnancy.  

  “But if I had to choose, I think I’d have to pick your stomach, love.”

  Emma’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at him.  “Really?  Why?”

  “These,” he said, tracing his finger across the stretch marks.  

  “The stretch marks from my pregnancy? But they’re so ugly.”

  He shook his head. “On the contrary.  You may see them as the one imperfection on an otherwise flawless body, but I don’t see them that way at all.”

  “How do you see them?” she asked, as he brought his hook to one and gently ran it across it.

  “As a symbol of your strength.  You were a scared teenager all alone and pregnant in jail.  And you did the hardest thing any mother could ever do.  You gave your child up so he could have a better life.  You may think that meant you were weak, love, but it was a sign of strength.  And every time I look at them when we make love I think of how much you had to overcome.”

  Emma shook her head, as she blinked back tears.  “Only you could make me appreciate my stretch marks.”

  He bobbed his head and pressed a kiss to one.  “And now that we’re married, when I look at them, I think of how one day you will carry our child, but this time you won’t be alone.  This time, you’ll get to experience all of those moments you missed with Henry and we’ll share them together.”

  Emma cupped his face and dragged his body upwards until his lips met hers.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too.”

  She gave him one last kiss before saying, “Dare,” and pulling out a slip of paper.

  “Give your spouse a lap dance,” she read.

  Killian’s lips spread into a huge grin. “I need to thank whoever came up with these.”

  Emma smiled, as she climbed off the bed and Killian scooted to the end.  She turned her back to him, bending over so he had a good view of her ass.  Killian brought his hand up to caress it.

  “I think you’re wearing far too much clothes, love,” he said.  

  Emma swatted him away. “No touching.”

  “Bloody hell, woman,” he whined.

  Emma laughed as she lowered herself down onto his lap.  She ran her bottom over his cock, smiling as she felt it spring to life again.  Spreading her legs, she ground her center down on him.  She felt her panties flood again as she rotated her hips and had to bite her lip to stifle a moan. She slowly turned around and looped her arms around his neck, as he brought his hook and hand to her hip to guide her movements.  This time, she didn’t chide him for touching her.  Emma pressed her body down onto his cock a few more times and then stepped away.

  “What the devil are you doing?” he asked.  

  Emma shrugged.  “You get what you pay for,” she said.

  Killian groaned, as he brought his hand to his covered cock.

  “Your turn,” she said with a sweet smile.

  “Give a man a minute, Swan,” he grumbled.  

  Emma waited patiently and then watched as he finally said, “Truth,” and pulled out a piece of paper.

  “How many days could you go without your spouse?” he read.

  He reached out and pulled his wife back down beside him on the bed.  He met her eyes.  

  “I’ve had to go out with you far too many times, love.  Every time we are separated it is worst than the last.  Pure torture.  Waking up without you, falling asleep without you in my arms.  I never want to go a day without you again,” he said.

  Emma smiled, as she reached up and caressed his cheek. “Me too.”

  She then pulled the last piece of paper out of the truth bowl.  “If you could fix one body part on your spouse, what would it be?” she read.

  Emma met her husband’s eyes, but he quickly averted them.  “It’s okay, Emma.  You can say it,” he said softly.

  Emma ran her hand down his arm, stopping at the brace that held his hook in place.  He usually removed it when he slept, but he hadn’t yet.  Gently, she undid the straps that held the apparatus in place. She slowly removed the hook and dropped it to the bed.  Emma’s hand caressed the scarred stump.  She lifted his arm and brought the stump to her lips, placing a soft kiss on it.

  She then met his eyes.  “You’re perfect just the way you are,” she whispered.  “I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  He tilted his head to the side, purposely not looking at his ragged flesh.  He hated the sight of it.  

  “Love, you can be honest.  I know how unseemly it is.  If I could change it, I would.”

  “This is a part of who you are, Killian.  And I love every part of you.”

  “Emma, I was able to hold you with both hands for the briefest of moments.  What I wouldn’t give to be able to hold you the way you were meant to be held, make love to you the way you deserve.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding?  Killian, I have never felt deprived.  It’s always incredible.  You are quite adept with that hand of yours and you know your hook turns me on.”

  He swallowed roughly and nodded.  “I just wish I could be whole for you.”

  Emma cupped his face and lifted his eyes to hers.  “You are everything I could have ever wanted and more.  Never doubt that.”

  She then pressed a kiss to his lips.  

  “Thank you,” he whispered.  He then pulled a slip out of the dare bowl.

  “Give your spouse a hickey somewhere they wouldn’t expect,” he read.

  Killian’s eyebrows darted upward and Emma giggled as he quickly trailed his mouth down her stomach.  He lifted her tank top, bunching it up below her breasts.  He then pressed his mouth to a spot just above her navel.  His lips pulled the skin into his mouth, applying pressure, until his wife was writhing beneath him.  Emma threaded her fingers into his hair and pressed his head down.  He nipped at the skin with his teeth before sucking it into his mouth until Emma moaned.  Killian pulled back and looked at his handiwork, smiling at the red mark on her skin.  

  Emma smiled down at him and said, “Dare,” before pulling out another slip.

  “Give your spouse a strip tease,” she said.

  Killian’s eyes lit up.  “Aye, that’s what should have accompanied the lap dance.”

  Emma grinned as she stood.  “Better late than never.”

  She stood just out of his reach and began by slowly inching her tank top up over her stomach.  Killian’s eyes became hooded with desire as he watched her.  She lifted the tank over her head and then dropped it to the floor.  His tongue darted out to moisten his lips at the sight of his wife standing before him in her black lace bra.  Emma slid her hands across her chest to cup her breasts, before trailing them down her sides.  They rested on her hips for a moment before she reached for the button of her jeans.  She popped the button and lowered the zipper.  Killian watched as she slowly slid the jeans down her hips and legs until they were pooling at her ankles. She reached down and pulled her boots, socks, and jeans off in one motion.  

  Killian sucked in a breath as he felt himself harden again at the sight of his wife standing in her bra and matching black lace panties.  She turned around and slid one strap down her shoulder.  Then she slid the other.  She reached behind her and flicked the clasp.  The bra dropped to the floor, as Killian swallowed roughly.  Emma looped her thumbs into the sides of her panties and slowly lowered them down her hips.  She bent over then, giving him a nice view of her ass as she kicked them free of her.

  Emma slowly turned around to face her husband, smiling at the slack jawed look of awe on his face and how he was stroking himself again.

  “Bloody hell,” he breathed at the glorious sight of his bare wife.

  Emma blushed at the way his eyes looked as if they wanted to devour her.  She brought her hands up, squeezing her breasts and toying with her nipples.  

  “Come here,” he growled.

  Emma laughed as she practically pounced on him.  She settled on his lap, straddling him, and shoving her tongue into his mouth.  

  “I need to be inside of you,” he managed, as his mouth moved to her neck.

  Emma pulled back and nodded at the bowl.  “There’s only one more left.  It’s a dare and it’s your turn.”

  “Forget the game, love,” he mumbled against her skin as he sucked a mark onto the skin of her collarbone.

  Emma tugged his hair so he looked up at her. “So you’re forfeiting then?”

  “You win,” he grumbled, moving his mouth to the valley of her breasts.

  Emma laughed, as her eyes slid closed and she threw her head back.  She could feel his cock pressing against her clit as she rocked against him.

  “I happen to know what the last dare is.  I think you’ll want to do it,” she panted.

  Killian looked up at her, his lips swollen and pupils blown wide.  Emma reached over to the night table and opened a drawer.  She pulled out a bottle of chocolate syrup and a towel.  

  “Let’s just say it involves this,” she said, holding the bottle up.

  Killian’s eyes widened and he quickly dug his hand into the bowl and pulled out the last slip.

  “Pour chocolate syrup on your spouse and then eat it off of them,” he read.

  His lips spread into a grin as he threw the paper behind him and tossed her onto the bed.   Emma giggled as he spread the towel over the sheet and then grabbed the bottle from her.  He pulled the cap off with his teeth and then hovered over his beautiful wife, who was now spread out before him.  

  He tilted the bottle and poured a strip across her collarbone.  His mouth quickly followed, licking her clean.  Emma laughed as he swirled the chocolate around each nipple.   His lips closed over the rosy buds, his tongue circling them until the syrup was gone.  

  He moved down her body, drawing a heart on her stomach.  Emma threaded her fingers through his hair and held him to her skin as he made his doodle disappear with his tongue.  He continued south until he was between her legs.  Killian drizzled some over her center and then quickly licked her clean.   He was about to continue his ministrations there, when he felt Emma tug on his head.  She pulled him up to her.

  “I need you inside me now,” she whispered, as she pulled the bottle out of his hand and tossed it on the ground.

  “As you wish,” he replied.  

  He quickly shed his pants.  He then grabbed ahold of himself and lined his cock up with her entrance.  

  He pushed in, slipping in easily, as Emma clawed at his back, moaning his name.  She threw her head back, as his mouth ran along her jaw.  Emma wrapped her legs around his hips and gripped his ass with her fingernails, pushing him into her more deeply.

  “Fuck,” Killian groaned, as his lips moved to her neck and then her breasts, his teeth nipping at her erect nipples.  

  “Killian,” Emma breathed, as she felt her belly begin to coil.  “I’m so close.  Don’t stop.  Please, right there.”

  Her husband reached down to where they were joined and thumbed at her clit.  “That’s it.  Come for me, love.”

  A moment later, Emma screamed his name and then he spilled his seed within her.  Killian grinned as he collapsed atop her, but made no move to extricate himself from her body.

  Emma smiled, as she ran her fingertips down the muscles of his back.  

  “That was a really fun game,” she said.

  “Aye, love, we must play it again soon,” he replied.

  They fell silent for a moment, until Emma broke it.  “Promise me we’ll always be like this.”

  His brow furrowed. “Like what?”

  “Like this.  Never able to get enough of each other.  Adventurous. Vulnerable.  Honest.  Intimate in every way.”

  Killian lifted his head and placed a kiss to her lips. “I promise.”

  Emma smiled and stroked his scruff.  “Good.”

  …THE END…