Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

Title: The Ever Circling Path

Part: 1 of 8

Author: Roguie etc.

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Pairing: Killian/Emma

Rating: Let's go with T for now.

Spoilers: Just assume everything up to date is fair game; AU from Shattered Mirror on unless I get really creative.

Summary: Tired of the distance between them, Killian challenges Emma with an adventure, one that he controls entirely, at least until the final leg of the journey.

Disclaimer: OuaT isn't mine, has never been, probably will never be unless someone out there is feeling generous and wants to hire a poor girl. Until that day… yep, not gonna make a cent.

A/N: Don't yell at me! Don't yell at me! I intend to get back to Innocent Hearts shortly; my muse is just being stubborn. If it helps any, this one is completely plotted out from beginning to end; all I have to do is fill in the filler. ;)

Oh and I totally stole the basic idea for this story out of Kristy Bromberg's novel Crashed. If you haven't read Driven, Fueled and Crashed and you love an epic steamy romance with characters that will gut you from page one and never let go… yeah, read the trilogy; time well spent! Anyway, I've shamelessly stolen a little idea out of her great creation, just to give credit where credit's due. And yeah, okay, so it's not the same circumstance, and really has nothing to do with anything, but yeah, she gave me the idea. (*cough* read Driven *cough*)

Stroke the muse if you want chapters faster, just remember there are only 8, so the faster you ask for them, the faster this will be over. :)

~~~?~~~

It was quiet in Storybrooke without the threat of the Snow Queen looming over their heads. Days had passed without event, the ice wall surrounding the town had melted away, and life returned to the normal dull chaos that was natural for the transplanted fairy tale icons.

Emma's days grew together in mediocrity: climb out of bed in the morning, shower, dress, meet Mary Margaret in the kitchen for coffee, play with Neal, head to the station, organize paperwork or stare at the walls. At lunch she'd meet Killian at Granny's; they would walk through town, steal a few kisses, talk about nothing important until he walked her to the station and they parted ways.

She wished she could say that they'd moved forward from the initial days of awkwardness following their return from the past. She wished she could say she'd easily forgiven him for his secretive doings with Gold. She wished she could say he'd forgiven her for not realizing his heart no longer beat in his chest, no matter how desperately he'd tried to make them both believe nothing had changed. In the end, trust had fractured between them both. They'd built their relationship on the understanding that each could read the other like an open book, that their thoughts, their emotions, their very souls existed on display for the other to understand, and yet, they'd failed each other so completely that her heart had yet to recover. He'd dealt in secrets and betrayal, and she'd failed to see beyond the mask behind which he'd taken cover. He didn't trust in their love enough to believe she would stay, and she didn't believe enough in their love to trust the whispers in her heart that told her something beyond Ingrid's mirror dark shards was tearing him from her arms.

The progress they'd made in the days before he'd traded his heart for his hand was all but lost in the days that followed normality. Fortunately, the energy that grew between them couldn't be fractured as easily as trust, and rather than lose each other entirely, they started over at square one. Coffee dates at Granny's took the place of candle lit dinners. Slow, chaste kisses filled in for make out sessions that had once tested their will power and left them panting for more. Their talks, which had once consisted of private, painful details of their well protected histories, now skirted along the edge of acquaintance; how was work, how is Henry, is Killian looking to move from the bed and breakfast, does Emma still wish her own place? So on and so forth they circled each other, once again caught in an uncertain dance that left them both sad and alone, neither willing to make the first move to put them back on track.

The stupidest part was that she'd already forgiven him his mistakes; she just couldn't find the words or actions to show him that she finally understood. Everyone's emotions get the better of them at some time or another in their lives, the only difference with Killian is that when his emotions cloud his judgment, it's Killian's emotions clouding Captain Hook's judgment. The result of Hook making emotion based decisions was never less than messy, especially when fear of loss, something of which he was intimately familiar, was the dominant feeling he'd struggled to control.

The whole Killian situation is how she found herself leaving the Sheriff's station alone that night, where normally Killian would have walked her home just to steal a few moments of privacy away from their over filled lives. Instead, she twirled the keys to her bug around her fingers, fighting the urge to call Killian and beg him to forgive her obstinance.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that when her phone buzzed with Killian's text tone, the keys she'd been spinning on her fingers flew out of her grasp and landed a scant inch from the sewer grate in front of the building. She couldn't keep her instant scowl off her face as she dug the keys out of the slush filled puddle, shaking them off briskly.

"Captain Hook, my ass; Captain Bad Timing more like it," she muttered to herself as she pulled out her phone, quickly reading the text, frowning and then rereading it to make sure she understood.

_Where as normally good form would see that I escort you home, princess, I was hoping, instead, that you'd be up for a bit of an adventure. If so, see the window of your yellow vessel. I look forward to your response, love, and perhaps your attention throughout this evening._

Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved towards her car, noticing the carefully wrapped box that lay on the dash within. She climbed into her driver's seat, shutting the door behind her, before reaching out to take the small box in her hands. Before opening it, she shot a quick text back to the pirate.

_What're you up to, Killian?_

It only took seconds before he replied.

_Just an adventure, love, nothing more. Don't you trust me?_

His words were like a knife through her heart, and her fingers sped across the virtual keyboard, answering as quickly as she could to avoid any accusation of hesitation.

_Implicitly._

She could almost feel the sudden warmth that came through with his final text, a small smile lighting her face as she definitely could feel the tension beginning to bleed from her body.

_Then I suppose I'll see you at the finish. Happy adventuring to you, Swan._

Without further delay, she tore the small bit of paper from the box, her brow furrowing in confusion as she held up a single bean, wrapped in an ornate metal clasp, dangling from a silver chain. Beneath it lay a folded paper, Killian's distinctive scrolling penmanship visible between the layers.

Emma,

Due to circumstance, I fear I cannot ask you to return to the very first adventure we shared. With only one bean remaining from my trade of the Jolly Roger, I cannot promise that if we returned to our beanstalk we'd ever again see the shores of Storybrooke. So rather than tempt the cruel mistress of fate, perhaps you would find it in your heart to return, instead, to the fields in this world that once grew fertile with beans, and tempted your return to my lands. At the center of the field you will find your next leg of our adventure. A woman as astute as yourself should have no trouble recognizing where I have placed your next clue.

With great affection and respect,

Yours,

Killian.

A small tremble coursed through Emma's body; it had been many long days since they'd been on a level that spoke of love rather than acquaintance. It seemed the adventure he set her upon was his version of taking the first step out of their seemingly unending neutrality and back onto the path of something more.

For the first time in what felt like forever, a genuine smile reached her eyes as she turned over the engine and headed just out of town to where the old bean fields remained. A shimmer of excitement flushed her cheeks; she couldn't wait to see what he had in store.

~~~TBC~~~

**Coming Soon:**

"_As you once imprisoned me, love, I, too, imprisoned you. How far have we've come in our battle to deny our hearts' desires? These last days with you, yet apart, have shown me that nothing again will come between us; you have imprisoned me once again, love, only this time you've taken my heart and locked it far away. Further than even the impish fingers of Rumplestiltskin could ever reach. Would it be poor form to tell you that I truly wish for you to never set it free? Perhaps we could negotiate a prisoner exchange of sorts? If you find yourself willing, I would carry your heart with me in place of my own, always."_

**How soon it's posted is entirely up to you!**

Remember, much like magic, all muses come with a price. This muse's price is that little box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it's a bloody awful waste of her time, and just makes it that much longer between updates.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Ever Circling Path

Part: 2 of 8

Author: Roguie

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Characters: Killian/Emma

Rating: T – for now.

Spoilers: Probably – AU from Shattered Mirror onwards unless I get creative.

Summary: Tired of the distance between them, Killian challenges Emma with an adventure, one that he controls entirely, at least until the final leg of the journey which is completely out of his hand.

Disclaimer: OuaT isn't mine, never has been, never will be. Not that I'm not willing… I'm very willing… but somehow I think I'm the only one. :P~

A/N: So, as you may have noticed, my writing time is very, very limited right now. Some how about two and a half weeks ago a promotion was dropped into my lap. Stupidly, I said the first thing that came to mind, which was hell yes! I think that was the last full night I slept. LOL! For those who want Innocent Hearts updates, I'm trying! For those who want Circling Path updates, I'm doing it! For those who want Permanent Measures updates, yeah, um, gimme a while on that one. I will finish it, but just not right away. Every fic will be updated as time allows – maybe after the Christmas season passes I can get back to non 70 hour work weeks. That would be nice.

~~~?~~~

The road to what had once been the town's bean fields was free and clear of what had become the ever present danger of ice and snow. Emma drove with a smile on her face, Killian's teasing note enough to lighten the stress and boredom of her day as she traveled closer to whatever he had in store for them that evening. She parked along the side of the road, setting her four ways on to not tempt any kind of ill willed fate on the dark night before she made her way in to the shriveled remains of the stalks the town had once slaved over growing.

He'd said she'd know immediately where he'd hidden her next clue, so with a quick eye she scanned the field for anything out of the ordinary. Dark shadows hid the field further from her view, and as she stood looking out into that darkness, a small frown of confusion marred her pale skin. All she could see were the charred and lifeless remains of stalk after stalk, and on the edge of the field, trees that provided even further darkness and shadow to what was already a murky pool of black.

It was the third time that she scanned the field that she realized all but one of the trees on the furthest edge were nearly identical, your every day basic deciduous variety of branch and bark. The one tree in the center, however, stood rounder and grew far more awkwardly upwards with no branches to be seen.

"What the hell?"

Emma wasted no time in moving across the field, her step sure with her certainty that the random shadow was exactly what Killian had been talking about. As she grew closer, her frown turned into a smirk which developed into a full on grin just steps before she stood at the base of a small beanstalk. The green foliage of the stalk spoke to the borrowed magic that surrounded the impossible plant. Emma could practically feel the touch of Regina in the air around her, and she grinned wider. As heart broken as the Queen remained, it spoke volumes to the changes she'd made in her life that allowed her to give this favor to Killian, a man she admittedly has nothing in the way of warm feelings towards.

Pinned to the center of the stalk was a small, handwritten note.

**"Climb me."**

Emma giggled out loud before covering her mouth and glancing around to ensure she was truly alone. She hesitated only a moment before reaching up and finding a hand hold on the stalk, beginning the short climb to the small platform she could now see about twenty feet over her head. The platform was made of old deck wood, similar to the planks aboard the Jolly Roger, which only served to remind Emma of the sacrifices the pirate had made to be in her life. She sighed quietly, biting her lip before climbing fully onto the boards, her eyes suspiciously misty in the moment before she wiped a quick hand across her face and visibly steeled herself for what was to come.

In the center of the platform lay a long box, tied together with a handkerchief she couldn't help but recognize. He'd cleaned it since the day she'd given it back to him, stained with grime and a small amount of blood, but the shredded ends proved it was none other than the piece of cloth with which he'd tended to the beanstalk inflicted wound she had incurred the very first days they met. She was helpless against the laughter that bubbled from her lips, defenseless against the salty tears that blurred her vision as she reached out and drew the box into her lap, resting her back against the thick root of beanstalk that pierced through the center of the crafted platform.

Her fingers trembled as she untied the handkerchief that she could hardly believe he'd kept, and continued to shake slightly the entire time that she forced herself to fold it neatly and tuck it away in the breast pocket of her jacket. If it had meant enough to him to keep the cloth years ago, she'd not let go of it now.

Carefully she opened the box, a snorting bit of laughter escaping her as her eyes landed on the silver flask that lay within. The flask lay nestled beneath the fragrant bloom of a long stemmed red rose, atop its thorny stem, the rose's leaves curling around the metal as though holding it in a gentle embrace. A message was engraved into the silver in scrawling calligraphy. **"Drink me."**

Feeling, all of the sudden, a bit like Alice in Wonderland, she freed the flask from the rose's grip, opening it and tipping it to her lips, her eyes rolling as the warmth of the smooth rum within flowed instantly through her body.

"Of course it's rum. He couldn't forget a single detail, could he? Nope, not Killian Jones. Not the dreaded Captain Hook."

With a groan she picked up her phone and texted him a quick message.

_"Really? Rum?"_

_"What else would you have from me, love? Pirate, remember?"_

_"I'm sitting all alone at the top of a magical beanstalk on what I can only assume is enchanted wood, drinking rum from a brand new silver flask with very Wonderland type instructions carved into it. I'm not sure there's much else I can honestly hope to have from you, Killian. Thank you."_

_"Is the rum keeping you warm, Swan?"_

She grinned before taking another quick sip, dragging out her slowly typed response.

_"Yep. Toasty warm."_

_"Then history shall not repeat itself with the waste of it. Have you read your clue?"_

_"Nope, enjoying the rum instead."_

She could almost hear his warm chuckle as his response lit her screen. _"Perhaps you should wait a while before enjoying any more of that rum. It is a fairly potent alcohol, Swan, and we've not yet come to the point in our evening where you'll be provided a second captain for your yellow vessel. I'd hate to spend this evening worrying for your safety, love."_

_"If you want me to read the note, Killian, just say read the note. There's no need to dress up your demands thinking I won't see what you're doing."_

_"Swan?"_

_"Yes, Killian?"_

_"Read the bloody note, love."_

_"See, wasn't that so much easier?"_

If she'd been in the room with him, she'd not be able to control the laughter that would come with the curses that would drip past his lips in frustration. She could almost hear the words infuriating bloody woman fill the air around her, his voice clipped somewhere between annoyance and amusement, but always softened with an echo of the sweet love she'd fought against from him for so very long.

She plucked the note from beneath the rose, gasping slightly when a thorn pricked at the flesh of her palm, drawing the smallest drop of blood from her skin. Without thinking she pulled Killian's handkerchief back out of her pocket and tied off the small wound, pausing only a moment later to laugh at the ridiculousness of the entire night.

"Let's hope this is the only part of history doomed to repeat itself," she chuckled softly to herself while opening the thin paper, decorated with his scrawling writing.

Emma,

As you once imprisoned me, love, I, too, imprisoned you. How far have we come in our battle to deny our hearts' desires? The last days with you, yet apart, have shown me that nothing again will come between us; you have imprisoned me once again, love; only this time you've taken my heart and locked it far away. Further than even the impish fingers of Rumplestiltskin could ever reach. Would it be poor form to tell you that I truly wish for you never to set it free? Perhaps we could negotiate a prisoner exchange of sorts? If you find yourself willing, I would carry your heart with me in place of my own, always. I care not to relive our days of shackles within the dens of giants or bars tainted by the lingering presence of the crocodile; however, within this land there lays a prison which has failed to contain us both. You'll find your next clue behind those bars, Swan, and perhaps company with which you may share your flask of rum. Safe travels, love, and happy adventuring.

With great love and respect,

Yours,

Killian

She caught herself mid sniffle before realizing the cascade of emotion that threatened to drown her. Quickly she wiped at her face, drawing in a deep, calming breath and downing a slow swallow of rum before climbing to her feet. She tucked the flask into her coat pocket and the box protecting the rose and note into her bag before slipping gracefully off the platform and back onto the thick stalk beneath. It took seconds to climb down to the relative safety of ground, and she glanced back up at the beanstalk and platform for just one moment longer, nodding to herself.

"Thank you," she whispered into the darkness, and as if having heard her, purple smoke surrounded the beanstalk, obscuring it from Emma's view. When the smoke cleared, the stalk was gone, the field returned to how it had been before Killian had asked Regina to alter the landscape.

She trudged back to her beetle silently, slipping behind the wheel as she turned the car around on the deserted road and headed back exactly the way she'd come. Thankfully, she had her keys to the sheriff's office on the same chain as the key to her car, as Killian obviously wanted her to return to the jail. She shook her head as she headed back out into the night, her thoughts never straying far from her pirate and the efforts he was putting into bringing them back together. No one was more eager than she to be back on the same page as the man who could once read her without hesitation. No one was more ready than Emma to be back in Killian's arms.

~~~TBC~~~

**Next Time on the Ever Circling Path:**

_A second small note lay with in, salty, warm tears streaking crystal paths down her cheeks as she read his thoughtful words, knowing no hesitance lay within the stroke of his hand. "Not to replace the past, but to invite the future. I'll leave the acceptance of this gift in your hands, love, without a trace of pressure to accept. I, perhaps more than anyone else in your life, understand."_

**Coming Soon!**

_~Remember, much like magic all muses come with a price. This muses price is the little box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it's such a bloody awful waste of her very limited time, don't you think? _


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Ever Circling Path

Part: 3/8

Author: Roguie et al.

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Characters: Killian/Emma

Rating: T – for now

Spoilers: Probably – AU from Shattered Mirror onwards

Summary: Tired of the distance between them, Killian challenges Emma with an adventure, on that he controls entirely, at least until the final leg of our journey, which is completely out of his hand.

Disclaimer: OuaT isn't mine, never has been, never will be. If I were a weaker person I'd cry myself to sleep at night knowing there are no truer words spoken.

A/N: Sorry for the delays in all my updates; as I'd mentioned, I was rather unexpectedly promoted at work, which means I'm working upwards of 70 hours a week right now. That limits my spare time in ways I wish I could avoid, but hey, the money is good, the people are good, and my big boss is on vacation this week so at least I can get a few words written here or there. Don't be shy to talk at me… reviews are my crack and the muse has the IV line already hooked up and waiting for the bag to fill.

~~~?~~~

To say she was startled to find the door to the Sheriff's office opened, mere hours after she'd personally locked up for the night, was an understatement. It took everything in her power not to withdraw her gun from its holster on her hip, some gentle reasoning in her heart explaining that Killian had to have gained access to the station to place whatever clue he'd wanted to place. Instead of panicking, she slowly entered the dimly lit building, treading silently down the hallway until the low sound of a male voice reached her ears.

She was somewhat unsurprised to find that the voice she could hear held all the love she'd come to expect from Killian Jones, but nothing of his accented tones or clipped, old time methods of speaking. Instead, she found her father sitting behind his desk, his feet up on the table, conversing with his wife in a quiet manner. He met her eyes as she entered the room, flashing a quick wave and a grin, nodding his chin towards the jail cell before returning his full attention to his tired wife.

Emma moved slowly through the familiar room, entering the unlocked cell with ease, glancing around curiously. On top of the single cot lay another box, layered in bold blue tissue paper. On top of the box lay a small velvet jewelry case. She moved forward swiftly, picking up the little case and opening it with trembling fingers. The little gasp that escaped her lips filled the quiet room, one hand rising to cover her mouth, one hand shaking as she looked down at the little necklace that lay within. It was a single magic bean encased in a silver setting, shoe strings making up the chain to hold it in place around her neck. Beneath the necklace was a new note:

_Emma,_

_With your penchant for running, love, I have a better chance of keeping you by my side if I provide your escape. Life with me will never be a trap, though together we've faced a few. Where once I traded my ship for a bean such as this in order to bring you back into my life, now I offer you the final bean in my cache to use as you see fit. I can only hope that you will use this offering as a method to return to my arms rather than constructing a path away, however I wish nothing more than your happiness, whatever that may be. Come to where you used your beautiful lips to breathe life back into an old pirate, giving him a second chance at a life I will never again take for granted, knowing the cost, however temporary, you paid to keep me at your side._

_With much love and respect,_

_Yours,_

_Killian._

She lifted open the top of the larger box, sifting between the thin layers of tissue paper, startled by her own giggle as she gently pulled free another rose, careful this time of the thorns. Beneath the rose lay a white gold charm adorned with a white gold swan pendant, wings spread, diamonds for eyes and a small ruby heart in its chest. A second small note lay in with the charm. Salty, warm tears streaked crystal paths down her cheeks as she read his thoughtful words, knowing no hesitance lay within the stroke of his hand.

_My love,_

_I know the thoughts that are running through your head, and I know your fingers are torn between fondling the swan at your neck or the bootlace on your wrist. Please understand the intent behind my gift. This trinket is not meant to replace the past, nor the memories of the men behind your current adornings, but to invite a future with the man who would kneel at your feet for nothing more than the touch of your fingers upon his cheek. I'll leave the acceptance of this gift in your hands, love, without a trace of pressure to accept. I, perhaps more than anyone else in your life, understand._

_With much love and respect,_

_Your Killian._

Through tear blurred eyes she attached the small charm to the bootlace necklace holding her magic bean. She had told Hook barely anything with regards to Graham, and looking back, he knew very little of her history with Neal, yet the man saw through her without hesitance. He understood the meaning behind the charms she wore so faithfully with no trace of jealousy or self doubt with regards to his position in her heart. They had passed from her life with no more than a whimper, leaving a storm in their wake that battered her broken heart with merciless thunder; Killian fought to come back to her at every turn, even in the face of the loss of all hope. He was here, standing strong, vowing to never leave.

Trusting Killian's promise to survive, she slowly removed Neal's keychain turned necklace. Trusting Killian's vow to stand by her, trembling fingers untied Graham's bootlace from her wrist. Her voice was raw and broken as she turned her head towards her father, who, with a quick goodnight to his wife, immediately appeared by her side.

"Can… can you please put this on me?"

Her father's eyes were warm and loving as he brushed her hair from her neck, taking the necklace from her grasp with gentle fingers, closing the clasp with a well practiced twist.

"Better?"

Wordlessly she nodded, wiping the errant tears from her cheeks, smiling at her father through every hard won emotion that rolled through her sea green eyes.

David inclined his head towards the door to the station, pulling his keys from his pocket and twirling them around his finger, making them jangle loudly in the silent space that surrounded them.

"Get a move on, daughter of mine. You have an impatient pirate waiting for you, and the man invited me to drive."

A sharp chuckle broke through Emma's tears, earning her a full on Charming mega watt smile as she repacked her rose and gathered the boxes into her arms.

"Well if he invited you to drive, then I guess we'd better get started, Grandpa. We don't have all night, now do we?"

David stared at her for a long moment as she walked purposely through the office and paused at the door, glancing back at his stunned face.

"What?"

Her father chuckled, shaking his head. "Children were never so insolent to their parents in my day."

The light, happy laughter that filled the space between them lifted David's heart. "Yeah, and in your day you still traveled by horse and buggy. I still have the calluses on my ass to prove it, too."

"Just remember, by all rights and purposes, we are technically the same age."

"So?"

David grinned. "So, hello pot, you're black."

"Potato, potahto. I'm not the one who slept through 28 years."

"Keep it up and I can arrange that for you."

Emma laughed lightly, locking the door behind David and walking with him to his truck. It was different having an honest to God, kind, loving family. She didn't have to worry that one of her offhand comments would send them away, not now, not ever. She was free to use her cutting, sarcastic wit, knowing she'd get back just as much as she dished out, and she was okay with that.

No, she was fantastic with that.

Hell, she was bloody brilliant with that.

She only regretted how long it took her to understand, both about her family and about Killian. Thank God, through curses and comas, time jumps and time freezes, they would have the time to make up for her reluctance to let them in.

"C'mon, old man, let's go see what the pirate has in store for us next."

For once, she couldn't wait to see what was around the next bend.

~~~TBC~~~

**Next Time on the Ever Circling Path:**

"_You have brought me back to life in ways you'll never fully understand. My mind, my body, my heart and dare I say my soul; as a whole, I am here today for you, because of you. You may be called the Savior by the town, but, my love, you are my own personal savior in every way that matters."_

**Coming Soon!**

_Remember, much like magic, all muses come with a price. This muse's price is that little box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it seem such a bloody awful waste of her time, don't you agree?_


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Ever Circling Path

Part: 4/8

Author: Roguie et al.

Fandom: Once Upon a Time

Characters: Emma/Killian

Rating: T

Spoilers: Yep.

Summary: Tired of the distance between them, Killian challenges Emma with an adventure, on that he controls entirely, at least until the final leg of our journey, which is completely out of his hand.

Disclaimer: Definitely not mine, if they were – well, hiatuses just would not exist.

A/N: Half way to the finish with this fiction… that's the one thing I love about having something entirely plotted out before starting the actual writing – it's so much easier to pick up writing when I know where I'm going! :P~

~~~?~~~

The road to the old farmhouse was well worn from their attempts to free Rumpelstiltskin, to destroy Zelena and most recently to shut down the time portal that had opened her eyes to her home and family, and the love a certain pirate held unassumingly in his heart. Less than a mile from the farmhouse, David pulled to the side of the road, shrugging as he climbed out of the truck.

"Half the ground between here and the farmhouse is frozen solid. I'll rip off the bottom of my truck if I hit a pothole." He offered as explanation as they began the familiar trek to the old farmhouse. It didn't take them long to skirt around the house to the back where the worn pool lay unassumingly innocent in the midst of the frozen field.

Emma shuddered immediately as she laid eyes upon the pool, all the emotions of the long moments between pulling Killian's unresponsive body out of the water and the most welcome sight of his open, confused, angry blue eyes as they met her own while he rose from the dead, overwhelming her for a single frozen second.

"He's fine, Em. You brought him back. He didn't bring you here to focus on his death, but what your actions that day meant to him." David rested a warm hand on his daughter's shoulder, his voice a warm comfort in the wake of such cold memories.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. It's just, if I hadn't been such a bitch to him that day then maybe…"

"Maybe he wouldn't have followed you into danger? Yeah, because that sounds like Hook."

"No, I mean, maybe we would have been more alert if we weren't fighting like a couple of five year olds. Maybe…"

"Emma, stop," David sighed in exasperation. "Listen, my mother used to say that nothing ever happens that isn't meant to happen. No matter what was said between you that day, it would have changed nothing. Killian would still have drowned. You would have still brought him back. Regina would still have stepped up and defeated her sister. You still would have traveled through the past, and you would still be standing here today on the verge of something huge. Everything that happens is meant to happen for a reason, Em."

Emma sniffed quietly, turning to hug her father tightly. "When did you go and get all fatherly on me?"

David chuckled, making a show of checking his watch. "Oh, I don't know, thirty years ago, give or take a week." His arms tightened around her as he held her close. "I may not have always been there for you, Emma, but I've always been your father."

"I know." Her voice was small and muffled by his thick suede jacket, but it brought a huge smile to his face anyway.

"Now, get over there and find out what your pirate dragged our asses out into the cold for."

Emma approached the pool slowly, moving around the metal structure until she saw the dress bag on a hanger, dangling from the side of the pool. A note is pinned to the outside of the bag, carefully done so as not to rend the fabric within.

My Dearest Emma,

You brought me back to life in ways you will never fully understand, love. My mind, my body, my heart and dare I say my soul; as a whole, I am here today for you, because of you. You may be called the Savior by the town, but, my love, you are my own personal savior. Come next to where your walls began to thaw and finally allowed an impatient old pirate a glimpse of hope. Oh, and Swan? Put the bloody dress on, love. The sight of you in such finery forces this old heart to pound out of rhythm and reminds me, with every aching beat, that I am indeed alive.

With great respect and admiration,

Always,

Your Killian.

Emma covered her mouth as she chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes before unzipping the bag and revealing a delicate champagne coloured cocktail dress that would mesh perfectly with the white gold and diamonds in her new necklace. She couldn't help the tears that spring to her eyes as her thoughts turned to the trouble he would have had to have gone through to procure the perfect dress; learning her size, shopping, finding that absolutely perfect match to each piece of her outfit he'd given her that night. The traitorous tears escaped down over her cheeks as she re-zipped the dress bag, holding it to her chest with trembling hands.

"Ridiculous pirate," she muttered to herself, wiping at her eyes. Slipping her phone from her pocket with her free hand, she quickly pulled up Killian's name.

_**The dress is beautiful.**_

_I am truly pleased that you feel so, love. Perhaps you will finally agree that your beauty deserves to be adorned by the most delicate finery in all your lands?_

_**I'm not gonna go that far, Killian, but I admit you have good taste.**_

_You are dreadfully hard on yourself, Swan. Would that you could only see yourself as I do._

_**With raccoon makeup and hair that could rival a scarecrow's?**_

_Eyes like the brightest jewels, hair like spun silk, incredibly flawless skin, a smile that could stop hearts._

_**Shut up. You're a crazy man.**_

_I admit I am afflicted, love, but not it is not an affliction of the mind, rather an affliction of the heart._

_**Is that why you created this scavenger hunt? To force me to accept your ridiculous gifts?**_

_Gifts you admit to admiring, Swan._

_**Whatever; all girls like pretty things. C'mon, though, be honest?**_

_I am always honest with you, love. You'll understand the point behind this grand adventure when you've reached the final clue. It would be poor form to give away the ending when you are no more than a few steps from the end._

_**I have no shoes to go with this dress.**_

_Oh, Emma, love. You have brought tears to my eyes from laughter. Your concerns are as irrelevant as the frost upon the ground - I guarantee that they will be gone by sunrise._

_**What does that even mean?**_

_It means wait for your next clue, Swan, and stop being so bloody determined to know the end of the book before you have read the journey within the pages._

_**Fine. But understand this: I'm coming for you, Hook.**_

_Aye, love. That you shall. _

Emma blushed bright red, a strangled giggle escaping her lips before sheer determination filled her eyes. She glared at the phone for just a moment before pocketing it, clutching at the dress bag and turning to face her father, hoping the heat of her cheeks faded before she was in distance of the man who had helped create her.

Fearing himself forgotten, David watched silently as his daughter crumbled just slightly, pulling her phone from her pocket and texting whom he could only assume to be the pirate himself. In moments, her back went ramrod straight, her fingers no longer trembling as she wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks to clear her face of any trace of emotion. By the time she turned to face him, her green eyes were dancing with excitement, the dress held in a death grip, and determination fed her every single step towards him. Without a word he let her pass, purposely not mentioning the hot flush that stained her face a pale pink, something she could attribute to the chill of the wind but David knew better. He'd seen the same look on her mother's face far too many times to mistake what emotion caused the blush that now set the green of her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

"C'mon, Dad. Looks like your duties as chauffeur aren't over yet."

"Where to, Mistress?" David grinned and bent forward in an exaggerated bow, laughing as Emma rolled her eyes, slugging him lightly in the shoulder as she walked by.

"The town line."

~~~TBC~~~

**In the Next Part:**

_All of my broken pieces found their proper place inside me on that cold night, my love, the night you allowed me to hold you close to my body and give you my warmth. I had thought those pieces fell into place with you, as well, but still you have made me fight for what I want. Bloody infuriating woman._

**Coming Soon!**

_Remember much like magic, all muses come with a price. This muse's price is that little review box down below. Please don't make her chase you for payment, it seems a bloody awful waste of her time, wouldn't you agree?_


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Romance