Treasure

Chapter 52

The next morning... 

Killian woke with the sun warming his face, Emma still fast asleep next to him. She was in for a rough morning. He had enough hangovers to know they never subside as quickly as you hope.

He slowly detangled her arms from his torso and made his way out of bed. He took a long glance at the princess. Her skin flushed with paleness, her golden curls spread all over the pillow. Her blood-red lips slightly parted. Her chest moving steadily up and down. Even in her drunken state, she was gorgeous. He had to admit, it was a slight turn on seeing her zonked. She had been very clingy, very needy. Something she wasn't too often. Her laughter had filled the room as she rambled nonsense. It had been nice seeing her so carefree instead of having her nose shoved in a book, practicing magic.

The captain quickly exited the room to retrieve her some food, hoping to return before she woke.

A few minutes later, Emma opened her eyes to a blinding white light. Her head felt as if it was being beaten. She closed her eyes, pinching them as tight as she could, rubbed her throbbing head while trying to sit up.

"Easy, love..." A deep accented voice advised from the bedroom door.

The princess opened her eyes as best she could to see Killian walking over to her, "What are you doing here?" She mumbled.

He chuckled, "Well this is my ship."

"No." Emma responded, groggily laying back down, "I mean you're usually not here when I wake."

Her words were true. Killian had remained distant for a few weeks, but all that would be changing today... "Normally I would be, but I saw a damsel in distress and couldn't resist the urge to help."

The hungover princess let out a laugh, instantly regretting her choice. She continued to rub her head as she closed her eyes once more, "Don't make me laugh..." She responded with a smile.

Killian placed an apple and a pitcher of water on her bedside table, then took a seat on the bed beside her, "This should help settle your stomach."

Emma opened her eyes once more, this time not feeling as queazy. She looked up to her captain to find a storm brewing in his ocean blue eyes. It was evident he had something on his mind, "You're upset." she stated, placing her hand on his.

He turned his head, looking away from her, "Tired is more like it."

The princess felt he was lying. She felt he had been keeping a secret from her a while now, maybe now was the time to dig for answers. Pushing away the thoughts of her pounding head she found the courage the rum had given her, "You're lying."

Killian shot his head back in her direction, releasing her hand, "What?"

"You're not tired." She responded, "Did something happen last night?"

The captain was relieved she didn't remember the events of last night. "No, nothing happened." He lied, "I just feel this is my fault." The last statement being partially true.

Emma remained dazed and confused, "How so? I'm sure you had nothing to do with it. You seem quite sober."

"Perhaps I should've been taking care of you rather than pushing you away." He boldly stated, gulping down his fear.

The princess's mind went racing, causing her head to pound more. "I said something last night, didn't I?"

"Aye. You did." He said with a straight face. "You confessed you thought I was getting tired of you." He clenched his jaw at the memory.

It was clear as day that Emma was taken back by the statement. She did indeed think at times that Killian was falling out of love with her, but she never confronted him about it. She kept that thought to herself. She had been too scared that her fears would be true and if she brought the conversation up, their relationship would end. "Well, are you?" She asked, not looking into his eyes.

His heart ached for the Princess of Misthaven... "I love you." Killian responded softly.

Tears welled up in Emma's eyes, "Just because you love someone, doesn't mean you'll be together forever."

The crack of her voice was enough to make the captain's heartbreak. How could she think for even a second that he didn't want her... He was so wrapped up with his own thoughts that he pushed her away to the point where she felt unloved and unwanted, and he wanted her more than anything... "I assure you, there is nothing more I want than to be with you..." The princess remained quiet, either gathering her thoughts or in relief that she wasn't losing him. Killian, who had no right to say this, boldly asked, "Why wouldn't you come to me? Why would you keep this to yourself?"

"I was scared." She responded quietly.

The captain understood where she was coming from. He was scared to tell her his secret as well... "Perhaps I am partially to blame." He confessed while grabbing her hand in his, "I apologize for my absence. Sometimes I forget that even though you can take care of yourself, you still need someone to lean on."

Emma smiled, he was always so understanding and forgiving. If roles were reversed she wasn't sure she could remain as composed as him. "My apologies for keeping this from you." She answered, "You are always so honest with me, the least I can do is return the favor."

Her words were like a stab to the captain's heart. The princess believed Killian was an honest man, telling her everything. And he had, up until her parent's secret came into play... What would she think of him if she knew... He gave her a weak smile, "Think nothing of it, Swan. We all make mistakes."

Emma sat up in bed, feeling slightly better than before. "No more secrets." She declared.

The captain felt she was digging for more than just the status of their relationship, but that was just the guilt talking. "I'm afraid I don't understand, I have no secrets..."

She let out a small laugh, "Of course you don't. I meant me." She placed a hand on the back of his neck, "I'm not going to hide anything from you anymore." She responded, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. Killian played along, feeling uneasy from his continuous betrayals. "I love you." She responded pulling him in for a hug.

The pirate swallowed his guilt and returned the hug, having missed the feeling of her in his arms. "I love you too..."

His mind raced with thoughts, he had to protect her. To hell with his guilt. Let this secret be damned. He wasn't going to lose her. Forget his honor, he had been a dishonorable man for years, and if a little dishonor is what it is to protect his Emma, so be it.

Will Killian revert to his old way? Stay tuned to find out ;)

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