Once Upon a Time 1. Leaving

**A/N:** _post-3x17 (in case you couldn't tell, which I'm sure you all could.) As per usual, I don't own anything you recognize, characters and setting belong to Adam and Eddie._

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"Why?"

He sighed, running his good hand through his hair before turning to look at her. "Why what, Swan?"

"Why have you been pulling away—and _don't_ deny that's what you've been doing," she glared at him when he opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not blind, you know. I can tell. Ever since the night David and Mary Margaret took Henry and you helped Ariel, you've been just…distancing yourself."

"Why do you care? After all, I'm just a _pirate_, isn't that right, lass?" He glanced away, finding it easier to say if he didn't have to look into those green eyes.

She stared at him, mouth hanging open. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He glanced down at his prosthetic, his jaw ticking as he hesitated. "I—nothing, Swan. Nothing for you to worry about, at any rate." He shot her a tight smile before turning to walk away.

"Wait, Killian, stop." She reached her arm out, clutching at his jacket sleeve and just missing. "Please, don't go. Talk to me, tell me what's wrong," she pleaded as she finally got a grip on his arm.

"I can't, Emma! I can't do anything, don't you see that?" His blue eyes blazed with frustration, and just a touch of fear. "I can't help you with your magic, I can't help you with what happened in the Enchanted Forest, and I can't bloody well do _anything_—" he stopped himself before he accidentally blurted out 'about this blasted curse,' "to help you here," he finished lamely.

Her eyes hardened, though her heart had stuttered at the sound of her name on his lips. "So what, you're just going to give up? You're just going to walk out of my life like every other goddamn person I've ever known?"

"No, Swan—"

"Because I _thought_ you came back for me, which I assumed meant that you were planning to stick around, but I guess I was wrong—"

"Swan!" He interrupted her interruption. He stepped closer, his arm lifting of its own accord to grip her shoulder while his blue eyes bore into her green ones. "I am _not_ leaving you. I told you I came back to save you, and I did." His gaze flicked over to where his hand lay on her arm, and slowly he let go, finger by finger, before pulling away entirely. His eyes studied the ground and he sighed again. "I'm sorry I've been distant, love. I just…" He glanced all around, avoiding her stare, his jaw working as he tried to think of the words he wanted—_needed—_to make this right. "I needed to think some things over."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not sensing any lies yet not altogether trusting his response. "But you _are_ leaving, Killian. Every time you pull away, every time you shut down, every time you avoid my eyes," at that those ice-blue irises shot to her gaze, "that's you leaving me."

His eyes clamped shut and his head dropped in shame. "You're right, Swan. And for that, I _truly_ apologize." He licked his lips subconsciously, "I never meant to hurt you."

"You really want to make it up to me?" She waited for him to nod, "Buy me a drink." At the expression on his face, she knew she'd done right in deciding not to push the issue further. "And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't let it be rum."

His soft chuckle warmed her as he nodded, moving to walk beside her towards the Rabbit Hole.


	2. Nothing to Worry About

_I promise you, I will get it back._

Regina smiled as she pulled off her coat, thinking of smoldering blue eyes and the smell of smoke and forest. She glanced at her reflection in the hallway mirror, hair mussed and lipstick smudged and eyes bright. She couldn't stop the grin as it grew, and couldn't help but think that "grin" was the last word anyone, including herself, would have ever thought to apply to her.

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The day dawned dark and cloudy the next morning. As Regina turned her head to look out the window, a feeling of…something washed over her. She couldn't help but think of other mornings, with Graham, where she'd wake up alone, because not even the man whose heart she literally held captive would stay with her. Granted, she was the one who had kicked him out because of Henry, but even she could see through the very effective walls he put up to mask his relief. She stretched, her hands colliding with the headboard. She sat up and let the covers fall to her waist as she looked (more like glared) at the empty spot beside her in the bed. She was about to fling something (what, she wasn't sure yet) when the sound of a soft knock on her front door made her pause.

Threading her fingers through her hair, she dressed quickly and practically tripped down the stairs. As her hand went to the door knob, though, Regina froze, her old insecurities and fears laying claim to her mind. She turned, as though to tiptoe back up the stairs and pretend she hadn't heard, when a small hand pressed up against the glass, and little Roland of Locksley started making fish faces in the window. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face, and her hand rose of its own accord, throwing open the door to Robin and Roland on her front step, a picnic basket in hand. She shot him a questioning glance, but he ignored it, instead leaning in to peck her casually on the lips as he passed into her home, Roland dragging him through the door.

As the pair moved towards the kitchen, the boy's chatter making the house seem _alive_ again, Regina touched her lips in wonder at the effortless, easy way he'd just…kissed her. As if, as if it were nothing, as if they did it every day, as if it were just…normal. He didn't even care that she was the Evil Queen, that she had _killed_ thousands of people in the name of revenge, that she was the half-sister of the witch currently terrorizing the town _because_ of her. She shut the door in a daze, and leaned against the archway leading into the kitchen, watching Roland play with some wooden spoons and pots. She felt the corners of her mouth tilt up as she watched the little boy, so like Henry when he'd been that age. She didn't even notice that Robin had come up behind her until his chin rested heavily on her right shoulder as his arms banded around her waist.

"And what has you so deep in thought this early in the morning, my love?"

"Mm, 'my love'? Yesterday you were still calling me 'my lady'," she kept her voice light and teasing, though her heart stuttered at the ease with which he'd said the words.

He pressed a kiss into the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent of 'just-woken-up' and smiled. "Well, I just figured that with all that's happened recently, we ought to start on making new names for ourselves, don't you?"

"Yes, I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" She smiled softly, her eyes drifting closed as she leaned back against him, relishing in his warmth.

"In which case, my love, I demand that you refer to me now solely as your knight in shining, green leather armor," he teased, tightening his arms around her just a tad.

Her laugh shot out of her like a bark, and a hand came up to cover her mouth as her shoulders started shaking. Roland looked up at them and grinned, joining in the laughter that suddenly rang through the once too-quiet house. He raised his hands above his head to be picked up, and on instinct, Regina scooped him into her arms and set him down on top of the counter, still laughing. And she knew, from that minute on, as she caught the heavy look Robin threw her when she held his son in her arms, that she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize**

**A/N: by the way, prompts (and reviews and _constructive_ criticism) are welcome :) Enjoy!**


	3. They Say Love is the Ultimate Cure

She'd lost her sense of time ages ago. If you asked her, she wouldn't be able to tell you how long it had been since she'd parked on the hilltop-in fact, she wouldn't even be able to recall how it was that she got there exactly. The only thing playing in her mind was the look on their faces...

_"Emma!"_

Hadn't Mary Margaret _realized_ she hadn't done it on purpose? Why had she acted as though it had been anything more than an accident? She'd looked at her as though...

"As though I'd struck out with the _intent_ to hurt David. As though..." Emma dropped her head back against the head rest, the tears falling freely down her cheeks now. "As though I were some kind of monster."

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It's a while before she comes back to herself, before she comes back to the world. She's still sitting in the Bug on the edge of the cliff, but it's nearly dawn, and the sky has started graying slightly in anticipation. She sits up, rolling her shoulders and cracking the kinks out of her neck, and it's then when she sees that she has company.

His new leather jacket is folded up and stuffed under his head, and she can't help but wonder how he isn't freezing. His position on the ground does nothing to give it away, if anything, he looks the picture of ease, with his hand and hook folded across his stomach and his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. His eyes are closed and his face is peppered with stubble, and despite everything that's happened (or maybe because of it), she can't help but feel envious of how seemingly relaxed he is. She lets herself watch him for a little while longer, lets herself trace his features and burn them into her mind (not that they weren't already, but she'd yet to see him quite like this-so, vulnerable, and, well, peaceful) before sighing in resignation.

She opens the door, taking care to keep it quiet despite the fact that the hinges squeak and the bottom edge tends to scrape against the frame. He still wakes up though, blinking his eyes open and staring at the tree tops for several seconds as if to remind himself of where he is before pinning that blue gaze on _her._ The corner of his mouth lifts in that infuriatingly adorable smile he reserves just for her and his eyes are soft. And when she sees that, she feels the pinching in the back of her throat and the stinging in the back of her eyes and _dammit she is Emma Swan and she does not cry twice in one day_. Something in her face must alert him to her thoughts because the next thing she knows, he's standing up and pulling her into his arms and his hand is in her hair and the edge of his hook is resting against a strip of skin exposed by her sweater riding up and she's crying _again._

She feels him press a kiss to her hair and whisper reassurances as he runs his hand up and down her back. She doesn't catch more than "Swan" and "love," but then again she's not paying much attention because she's having a goddamn mental/physical/emotional _breakdown_ and all she's aware of is the sound of her breath hiccuping and the wetness that are her tears soaking his shirt and neck. Eventually, though, her mind and her body and her heart quiet and she finds that she's lined up her breathing to match his, and the realization is oddly comforting in a way that his arms around her-though _very_ comforting-aren't. She sniffs a lot and raises her arm to wipe her face when the motion is arrested by a gentle hand beating her to it and brushing a black cloth over her eyes and nose, a black cloth she last remembers tied around the palm of her injured hand. Green eyes clash against blue, and somehow, despite the fact that the look of fear in her own mother's eyes is still imprinted in her brain, the heat from that first adventure with this man drops her belly in a swoosh, and she can't breathe for an entirely different reason.

"There's my Swan." His gaze is full of that intense emotion she knows the name of but isn't quite so ready to accept yet, with more than a touch of concern mixed in with it. "For a moment I thought I'd lost you. For real, this time."

She takes a step back and blinks at him, hearing what he's saying but not understanding because it almost sounds as if..."What?"

That infernal eyebrow lifts. "I've been looking for you. First with your father and then on my own." He breaks their eye contact and looks down at his hand, where he's twisting the black handkerchief around his fingers in an uncharacteristic sign of nervousness. "I didn't want you to feel as though everyone you...care, for, had abandoned you-again."

The astonishment at seeing her pirate blush (because even though she might not be ready to put a name to her feelings for him, she'd _long_ given up on fighting against the admission that she was his and he was hers) is almost enough to distract her from the painful feeling of hope that's risen in her crumpled heart. Almost. "You...but, what I did..."

"Was not you." Here he brings his eyes back to hers and holds them, a fierceness she recognizes from the early days of their acquaintance hardening his gaze. "You are not a monster, love, and I would dare anyone to contradict that-then see how long they live after I'm through with them."

"Hook-"

"No, Emma, let me say this." It's the use of her given name that stops her from protesting-she can count on one hand the number of times he's done so since they first met, which means whatever follows is incredibly important. "You have magic. And because you do, that makes you dangerous," his hand darts out to take hold of her when she tries to pull away in hurt, "hold on, wait, let me _finish_-it makes you dangerous...but _only_ if you let it get away from you." He brushes her hair away from her face and holds her in place so she can't look away. "And _you_, Swan, are too strong for that."

"How do you know?" She whispers, transfixed by the intensity in his blue eyes.

"Because you once told me that we understood each other. And I still believe that." His gaze softens only slightly. "I understand that right now you feel like a monster, like you've failed-because of the things your parents did or didn't say, because of whatever the Ice Queen said that got under your skin and into your head, because of how you lost control outside the sheriff's station. But you're wrong. You're no more a monster than," he casts his eyes around and to the sky as though he's looking for the answer in the trees, "than, Henry."

"But I-"

"You're not, Swan. You've trusted me before. Do me a favor and trust me again when I tell you that the last thing in the world you could be is a monster."

She doesn't say anything for a while, just stares into his eyes, watching him watch her and wait for her, just as he's always done. And it hits her. He _has_ waited for her. For over a year, he'd waited for her, and he's still waiting for her. Waiting for her to let go and to trust him and to...to love him. The way he loves her. Because looking at him now, and remembering what they've gone through to get to this point, there's no doubt in her mind that he loves her. And she's starting to believe the that she might...

"I love you." Um, okay, Emma, way to blurt that out there with _no_ warning...

He blinks. Then blinks again. Then apparently notices that his jaw has dropped and he closes it. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. And then swallows again. There's a tightening of his jaw as he tilts his head and takes a tiny step closer to her. That infernal tongue of his darts out and smooths itself over his bottom lip, the corners of which have twisted up into a sinful grin-that coupled with the wicked gleam in his blue eyes sends a flare of heat knifing through her belly and a wave of deja vu flooding her memories. It's the only warning she gets before he invades her space and hooks his arm around her waist. "What was that love? I didn't quite hear you."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, stumbling only slightly (though she'd never admit it) when he pulls her impossibly closer to him, her hands coming up to rest against his chest. She gets lost in his eyes and the heady feeling his proximity brings, and they're both leaning into each other when he flinches back, pain flashing across his face. They both look down to a spot just above his heart where the material of his shirt has been burned through, and Emma rears back in horror and self-recrimination.

"My God, Killian..."

"Swan-"

"No, this is exactly what I was talking about-"

"Swan-"

"-you have to stay away from me, I can't-"

"Swan!" His hand and hook come up to grip her shoulders and his eyes fix onto hers. "You're not running away again-I won't let you."

"Hook-"

"Swan, whatever this is, whatever needs to be done, we'll do it together. Do you understand?"

"Hook..."

"I love you. I'm _in_ love with you." He holds her gaze with determination before pressing a hard kiss to her lips.

His arms pull her into him roughly, and she feels everything he must be feeling conveyed in this kiss-his frustration, his worry, his love. And she kisses him back, her fingers fisting in his jacket as she tries to close the non-existent distance between their bodies even more. His hand reaches up to slide through her hair, and he tilts her head to deepen the kiss. It slows them down, transforming the roughness into a tender, simmering heat that she feels down to the tips of her toes. When the need for oxygen outweighs the need for his lips, she pulls back and he leans his forehead against hers, his hand at the back of her neck keeping her from moving too far away. Their breaths are mingling and her eyes are closed when she hears him whisper her name against her lips. Opening her eyes slowly, she drags her gaze up to his and when they meet he speaks again, quietly and slowly, as though he were trying not to frighten her away. "I am in love with you, Emma Swan, and I'll be damned if I let you go through this alone, do you hear me?"

Tears prick the corners of her eyes but she nods once. And this time, she lets herself believe it.

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**A/N: Sooo, this is a tag to 4x07, I think...the episode before that two-hour episode that I still haven't finished watching all the way through (blame my teachers and the craziness that are the weeks before Thanksgiving)...which obviously means that it's AU, since what happens here is definitely _not_ what happened on the show (I'd gotten at least that far in the episode). Anywho, hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope you'll let me know what you think! If you don't have time, that's okay, too, I'm just happy you made it here. :)**

**Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there, and I promise-I'll do my best to finish out the rest of the episode over my break. :)**

**~Clara**


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Once Upon a Time, Friendship, Romance