Once Upon a Time Breaking the Curse

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I know I promised I would have a Dramione fic out soon, and I promise I am very close to that happening (only another month or so if everything goes to plan) but I had to write this after watching this week's Once Upon a Time episode. I swore I would never find a couple I ship as much as Dramione, but Captain Swan has now taken over my heart and tied with Dramione for my ultimate OTP. I swear this couple will be the death of me….

Anyways, this is un-betaed so any mistakes are completely my fault, and I am very sorry.

Hope you enjoy!

The last thing Emma Swan expected her lips to meet was the cold nothingness that assaulted her. She opened her eyes in surprise, a small gasp escaping from her lips. Killian's eyes held her own, burdened under the weight of something Emma did not know how to describe.

He had rejected her. Just as she had leaned in to kiss him, he pulled away. What did that mean? Had she waited too late? She knew that she had taken far longer to do this than she should have, but there had been Henry to worry about, and then Neal, and most recently Zelina. But Emma was tired of waiting.

Neal had told her to find her Tallahassee, and this was it—this pirate who had slowly crept into her heart without her realizing it, this pirate who she had begun to rely on far more than she ever intended to, this _man _who she was completely in love with.

But now he didn't want her…? What was going on? Had he found someone else in the missing year? Was that what he wasn't telling her? But then, why would he come back for her? Why rescue her? Why flirt with her? Why make her fall even harder in love with him than she ever was before the curse?

Something didn't add up…

Ignoring the hurt building in her stomach, Emma did something that went against her very nature. She opened herself up and gave him another chance. Her eyes drifted close, and she leaned forward again, this time much more forcefully.

This time the blunt side of a hook to her chest stopped her from moving forward as Killian practically fell backwards to avoid her kiss.

Rejection stung her very core as her eyes filled with tears. Stupid, she was so stupid.

"What?" Emma pleaded, furiously swiping the tears from her eyes. "What is it?"

Killian met her gaze with hooded eyes, regret shining on his face. "Lass, I, uh…"

"Have I lost my chance? Did I wait too late?" Emma demanded to know.

"Aye," Killian said softly after a long pause. "Aye, lass, you did. You can't have expected me to wait around forever."

"So you don't lo—care for me anymore, then. Is that it?" Emma asked, completely oblivious to the tears now.

Killian avoided her eyes now, instead choosing to look over her shoulder, knowing that he would not be able to look her in the eyes and lie to her. But he knew about her gift. He would have to make this believable. He steeled his heart and put on his most haughty face.

"Love you?" he scoffed. "Was that what you were about to say? You honestly believe that I would love you after everything you put me through? Maybe a year ago I would've, but things have changed. I have changed. I do not love you. You're a friend, Swan, but nothing more. Not anymore."

He turned on his heel and stalked away, barely able to hold it together as Emma fell apart behind him. She was devastated. She knew now that this man, this wonderful man, was her true love. But she had missed her chance. All of that fighting, all of the time wasted. The words replayed like knives in her head. _You honestly believe I would love you after everything you put me through? You can't have expected me to wait around forever. I do not love you. Nothing more…not anymore._

The words struck a cord in her mind as her gift alerted her to what her heart had been trying to tell her all along. He was lying.

"Killian!"

Killian paused, now several yards away from her. He took a deep breath and turned around.

"What, Swan? What more could you possibly want from me?" he huffed.

"I want to know why you are lying to me," Emma demanded, her jaw set in a furious line.

"What? I'm not—"

"You know as well as I that I can _always _tell when someone is lying to me, and what you just told me set off every bell in my head. Now tell me the truth."

"I did tell you the truth," Killian asserted weakly.

"Fine. Then answer me this point blank. Do you love me?"

Hook gazed into her eyes. He was stuck in a no-win situation, but he had to protect the woman he loved.

"No, lass, I don't," he answered quietly with a sigh.

Emma gave him a curious look, then a gentle smile teased at the corner of her mouth.

"You're lying," she whispered, almost to her self, before saying louder and more firmly, "You do love me."

Killian remained silent, knowing that to say anything more would be to bring down Zelina's wrath on Emma and her family. He couldn't tell her the truth, but it appears he could not lie to her anymore either.

He stared at her silently, neither denying or confirming her words.

Emma began to pace back and forth as she mulled over everything and talked quietly to herself.

"You love me, yet you refused to kiss me and then lied to me about your feelings. What's the motivation?" Emma paused and tapped her finger on her chin as she thought, then uttered a single word. "Henry. You're protecting me by lying to me just as I've been doing to him."

"Swan, listen to me. You need to stop. Please trust me," he pleaded.

"What would a kiss do, Killian?"

He sighed, accepting the fact that she wasn't going to let this go.

"Kissing me would strip you of your magic," he answered reluctantly.

Emma grit her teeth.

"That—that _witch," _Emma muttered under her breath, before realizing that she was forgetting about a crucial point. "Wait, but wouldn't she know that you would refuse to do it?"

Killian avoided her gaze as he answered. "Aye." He put a steadying hand on her wrist. "Your family's in danger until either I kiss you and remove your magic or you defeat Zelena."

"What?! My family's in danger, and you weren't going to tell me. If my magic's the cost of keeping them safe, I'll gladly give it!" Emma asserted alarmingly.

"No, Swan! Your magic is the only thing that stands a chance against Zelena."

"Don't you care about them at all?"

"Of course I do! Zelena won't touch them," Killian assured her, gripping her shoulders. "I won't let her."

Emma sunk to the ground with her knees up and her head between her hands.

"How did things get so complicated?"

Killian sat down beside her and pulled out his trusty flask, taking a deep swig before passing it to Emma.

"You mean for the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming who gave birth to the grandson of Rumplestiltskin? Darling, I don't think you ever stood a chance of your life being uncomplicated," Killian answered with a grim smirk.

Emma froze beside him.

"Rumplestiltskin! That's it!" Emma exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Killian eyed her in confusion.

"The Dark One is still under Zelena's control. Unless you have a way of getting that dagger from her, I'm not sure how he can help," Killian replied.

Emma shook her head as the wheels in her head spun.

"No, no, no. We don't need Gold's help. We just need to think like him!" Emma exclaimed.

"I'm not following you, lass."

"Think about it. What does Gold always ensure is in every curse?" Emma asked excitedly.

"A way to make him more powerful than ever?" Killian answered sarcastically.

Ignoring that, Emma answered her question, "A loophole! Every curse has a loophole. We just need to figure out what this one is."

"There is no loophole, Swan," Killian said morosely. "I've thought about this in detail. The only alternative, which I refuse to do, is to strip you of your magic with a kiss."

Emma stopped midstep as she froze and went the last part of Killian's words in her mind. That was it! She had figured out the answer.

"I know what we have to do," Emma murmured.

She took two quick steps until she was only inches from Killian. She could feel his breath on her skin. She took a deep breath and asked the question she had wanted to ask since the moment she had gotten her memories back.

"Killian, when you kissed me in New York, what did you think would happen? You said that you had hoped I felt the same way as you did. What did you mean by that?" Emma asked quietly, holding her breath while she awaited the answer.

"You know what I meant, Swan," Killian answered as he tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

"Tell me anyways."

Killian sighed but did as she requested.

"I had hoped that you loved the way that I love you. But it's fine, lass. You've had other things to worry about—Henry, Neal, your family. It was too much of me to expect that of you."

A tender smiled peaked at the corner of Emma's mouth.

"You do know True Love's Kiss only works when both people have their memories, right?" Emma asked gently.

"What? But I thought—" Hook said in confusion.

"David once tried to kiss Mary Margaret when she was without her memories. It doesn't work like that."

"Emma, what are you saying?" Hook asked, trying to no avail to hold back the hope that was flaring up in his soul.

"I'm saying that I am in love with you, Killian. And if there's one thing I've learned from my parents, it's that True Love's Kiss will break any curse. So you see, all we have to do—"

Emma's words were cut off by Killian's lips crushing hers. His lips tasted like sea salt and run and just the tiniest hint of chocolate. She leaned into the kiss but was only able to enjoy it for a brief moment before she felt the magic being drained from her body. It fled in rushes, each one causing her to gasp in pain at the emptiness she felt. She held on tightly to Killian's arms for support as he pulled her close.

With a shuddering breath, Emma captured Killian's lips again with her own. The pull of her magic leaving her body halted. Emma's hand moved to his hair where her fingers twisted between strands of dark hair. Killian groaned and deepened the kiss, running his tongue along her bottom lip.

Like floodgates opening, Emma felt the magic pouring back into her body. She laughed into Killian's mouth. She was so incredibly and unbelievably happy. She could feel Killian smiling as well.

After one more press of her lips to his, she pulled back slightly. His hand and hook at the small of her back did not allow her to move any further, and to be completely honest, she wouldn't have wanted to anyways.

She smiled up at him. A soft smirk shone on his lips.

"Come on," she said tugging him forward. "We have a witch to defeat."

He took a formal bow.

"As you wish, my lady."

Emma took two steps forward, but Killian's hook on her arm stopped her. With a quick movement, his lips were on hers once more for an all-too-short moment. He pulled back and laced his fingers with hers.

"I've been deprived of doing that for far too long."

They walked together hand-in-hand toward Storybrooke.

"Then, you should plan to make up for lost time tonight."

"Oh, I certainly will, my love. I certainly will."


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Drama, Romance