Emma heard the bells on the door jingle their cheerful tune, causing her to turn around in her seat at the bar of Granny's. To her great surprise, it was Captain Hook himself, walking through the restaurant door, looking as confused and out of place as ever. It only took a few seconds for their gazes to lock on each other, and soon Killian was walking towards her, taking the seat to her right. "Fancy meeting you here, Swan", he said, his expression shifting into a smirk.

"I could say the same to you", she said, taking a sip from her mug and placing it back down on the counter.

"What is that strange liquid?" Killian said, pointing to her mug.

Emma laughed. "It's called coffee. It's actually really good. Ruby!" she said, calling her over from across the counter. "Another coffee, please."

"Coming right up!" she said, adjusting her tied-up shirt. Emma noticed Killian staring at her, as all of the men in Storybrooke seemed to do. She just rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee.

Ruby slid the coffee across the counter, and Killian, startled, instinctively grabbed it.

"Drink it", Emma said, prompting him.

Killian raised it to his lips and took a sip, placing the mug back on the counter. "Not bad", he said, looking her in the eyes.

His eyes…they were such an electric blue that it seemed as if they were pools of water, reflecting his soul. His words brought her out of her trance. "R-right. So, what are you doing at Granny's?" she asked, trying to shake off the awkwardness that had just occurred.

"I was told there was good food. Every man enjoys good food", he said, drinking more of his coffee.

"Hmm." She looked around the diner, noticing that there weren't very many people. It was a slow morning. "So I haven't seen you since the hospital. Are you feeling better?"

He snickered. "I thought I was 'dead guy of the year'. Why do you care, love?"

She raised her eyebrow. "And I thought you were done with me," she retorted, spinning around in her chair.

He cleared his throat. "About that…"

As his face turned a darker shade of red, Emma laughed. "We're hopeless," she whispered.

He smiled to himself. "Well happy Valentine's day, Swan", he said, smirking.

Emma laughed. "Right, here's to yet another year of being single on Valentine's Day."

Killian leaned against the counter and said, "I'd have thought a girl like you would be spending it with someone special."

Emma could feel herself blushing. She looked away from Hook. If he saw that he had made her blush, he would hold it against her until the end of time. "You are sadly mistaken."

"Ahh, I see. Well, how was your trip with…the crocodile?" he said, the words sounding forced.

She shook her head. "Long story. For another day." She definitely wasn't in the mood to tell that story. Besides, she had to leave soon. There wasn't enough time to explain to him all of the events that had occurred.

"Why did you go anyway?" he said, sipping his coffee and readjusting himself in his chair.

This caught Emma by surprise. "I…I thought you knew already. I thought maybe Rumpel would have told you."

Killian laughed. "I'm not necessarily on speaking terms with him." In fact, he hadn't seen the crocodile since the car accident when his face was beaten in with a cane. Oh, how he remembered that thoughtful moment. No, he definitely was not on speaking terms with the…man.

Emma's tone shifted to a more serious one. "He…threatened to kill you. I did it to save your life", she said, in almost a whisper. It sounded as if she was avoiding the occurrence of him possibly hearing her.

Killian was startled. Swan was saving his life? How was he supposed to believe that the same woman who had left him at the top of a beanstalk to fend for himself was saving his life? "Why?" was the only response he could come up with.

Emma sighed. What was she supposed to say? I think I really, really like you and don't want you dead despite my previous words and actions? Well, it was true. But she definitely wasn't telling him that. "I…don't really want you dead."

He laughed, running his hand through his hair. "Alright, then. Thank you for your kind words."

Emma didn't know what to say, so she just took a sip of her coffee. Luckily, he took it as an acceptable response.

"Well, while I'm here," he said, "I've been meaning to tell you something."

The tone in his voice sounded serious, which prompted her to ask, "Do you want to go sit down in a booth? It might be a tad more private."

"Booth?" he asked, puzzled.

Emma laughed once again. "Just follow me", she said, standing up. She picked out a booth and sat down, motioning for Killian to sit down on the other side.

Killian sighed. "I wanted to tell you about my past. It's…it's what makes me who I am. I thought you might care to know."

Emma checked her watch. "You have five minutes before I have to go."

"Alright, love. I'll make it quick."

She smiled. "Wait, does this have anything to do with your tattoo?" The thought had just popped in her head. He had never explained it before, and it left her curious. She wanted to know.

"It does actually." He sipped his coffee before he continued. "I was once in love with a woman named Milah. She was Rumpelstiltskin's wife. Milah and I…we had something. Something he was jealous of. Something he had never had. It was true love. Then one day he came onto my ship, took my hand, and crushed Milah's heart, right in front of me, as slowly as possible. She died right there, in my arms. It was as if he was digging a knife into my heart. That's why I want my revenge. And that moment made me who I am today." He sighed. "I…I just thought you should know."

Emma almost choked on her coffee. "I had someone die in my arms, too. Someone I…loved. They say it was natural causes…with Regina around, I don't believe that one bit." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, who knew I had so much in common with a 300-year old pirate? You and me…we're like the same souls, but in different bodies and situations. It's strange."

He smiled slightly. "Yeah. Who knew?"

She smiled, checking her phone to see a message from Henry. She answered it quickly, and looked back at Hook, this feeling of shock hitting her for half a second. He just looked so out of place here. He didn't even bother to wear normal clothes. She was okay with that, though. It suited him better.

"You know, Swan", he said, placing his arm on the table, "You remind me a lot of Milah. You and her…you're strong…willing to fight to get what you want. I admire that."

Emma looked down at the table, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"You're beautiful, just like her…courageous…"

Emma checked her watch. As much as she loved being flattered by the pirate, she was supposed to be at the office now. "Crap", she said, getting up from her booth. "I gotta go", she said, slapping a five dollar bill down on the table.

Killian frowned. "Why so soon?"

"I have to work to make money", she said, zipping up her jacket.

"We should do this again sometime", he said, standing up.

"So long as you're not done with me", she smiled, stuffing her hands into her pockets.

"So long as I'm not 'dead guy of the year'", he smirked.

"Every time", she rolled her eyes.

Killian smiled and grabbed Emma's hand, taking it out of her pocket. He kissed it, saying, "Until then, Swan."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him and smirked. "You and your strange customs."

"Me?" he said, offended. "And besides, it's not a custom. It's a gesture."

She laughed. "Right. Well, I'll see you soon…Hook."

"I have a real name, you know. It's Killian." He finally released her hand, not realizing that he hadn't done it sooner.

"I don't care. Hook suits you. Look, I really have to go. Goodbye", she said, walking towards the door.

"Goodbye, Swan", he said, sitting back down once again, where he remained for half an hour, collecting his thoughts on what had just happened. He truly admired her. He believed that she was something worth fighting for.

. . . . .

Fifteen minutes later as Killian collected his thoughts about Emma Swan in that booth, a young boy came rushing through the door of Granny's. "Dang it! I'm late", he said, sitting down at the bar. Killian took a sip of coffee as the boy swiveled around in his chair to face the pirate. A baffled expression spread across his face. "Who are you?"

Killian placed the mug down on the table, the sound echoing across the nearly empty diner. "I'm Killian Jones. And you, lad?"

"I'm Henry. Usually I know everyone here! How long have you been here?" Henry stood up, walked across the diner, and sat in the booth across from Killian where Emma was seated fifteen minutes ago. Strange, he thought. He even kind of looks like her.

"I've been here for about a week", he said, placing his hook-lacking arm under the table. He had forgotten to ask Emma for his hook back. Oh well, he thought, I'll probably see her soon.

"You must be lying…if you had been here that long, I would have seen you by now. I'm really good and knowing when new people get to town. That's why I'm here, actually. I'm looking for my mom. I saw someone new in town and I need to tell her."

"Well, I have been stuck in the…what's it called? Hospital? I've been stuck in there for about the whole week. Oh and…who's your mother?"

"Emma. Emma Swan. Do you know her?" he asked, his eyes filled with desperation.

He knew it. He resembled her all too much not to be related. This kid gave him an excuse to see Emma again and Killian liked it. "Yes, actually I was just talking to her about fifteen minutes ago. Hasn't she talked about me before? Did she mention a…Captain Hook?" Surely Emma would have said something about him.

"No…" he said, cautiously. "How do you know her?"

Killian was taken aback. How did she not mention him? It was such a huge part of their journey. He figured that Emma told her son everything. Maybe he was missing something. "Whenever your mother was sent to another world…well, I was there. We climbed a beanstalk together, slayed a giant…"

"Whoa!" Henry said, sounding impressed. "That's awesome! Why didn't she tell me that?"

"I…I don't know, lad", he said, disappointment lacing his words. It's not like there was anything to hide. So why did Emma seem to think there was? He shook the thought out of his mind. He was thinking too much. "Well, I can take you to your mum if you want. Where is she?"

"She should be in her office. I can go alone you know", Henry said, cocking his head to the side.

"I need to talk to her anyways. I can take you. Oh, and by the way…I need some advice."

"You need advice from me?" he asked, confused.

"Yes, yes but it's really simple actually…"

. . . . .

Emma walked into her office and dropped her keys down on the desk carelessly, the sound echoing across the sheriff's station. Sitting down, she unzipped her jacket and placed it on the back of the chair. She scooted closer the desk and reached for the computer mouse, but instead, her hand landed on a box of chocolates. "What?" Emma said out loud, before even thinking. Placed on top of the box was a pink note that read 'I'm hooked on you'. Emma laughed out loud, her laughter continuing to echo for about thirty seconds until someone walked through the door of the sheriff station.

"Is there something funny?" Regina said, as dryly as possible.

Emma cleared her throat. "Sorry."

Regina walked around the desk, circling her until she got to the chocolate box. "Ahh. Clever", she said, smirking. She walked back around the desk to face Emma. "I didn't know you had a lover."

Emma's eyes widened to about double the size they normally were as she quickly blurted, "Oh, he is definitely NOT my lover."

Regina smiled in evil pleasure. "Good." And with that, she left as quickly as she came.

What could Regina possibly mean by that? Good? Did Regina think she didn't deserve love? Emma wasn't even sure anymore. Everything around her was so strange, and she didn't believe that she would ever get used to it. Emma heard the door close, meaning that Regina must have left. Just as soon as Emma had collected her thoughts and started typing, the door opened again. Who could possibly be here? The sheriff's station was always empty except for her. Today was the exception.

Henry walked in, followed by Hook. What was Henry doing out of school? He had texted her about an hour ago, telling her that he needed to talk to her. She texted him back saying that it could wait until after school, but apparently Henry hadn't taken that too well. The reason as to Hook being there, Emma hadn't had a clue. "Wha-what are you two doing here?"

"Emma! I saw August! Remember him? He's back. Emma, what is he doing here? Why is he-"

"I…I don't know, kid. Why did you skip school to tell me this?"

"Well to be honest, I thought that you'd find it more interesting than you did," Henry said, sounding disappointed.

Emma caught herself staring at Hook. She quickly looked away and down at Henry. "I'm sorry I just…I've been distracted lately. Hey, maybe you should head back to school, kid. You can't get out of it that easily", she said, smiling at him.

Henry sighed. "But I already told them that I was sick."

"Well, now you've made a miraculous recovery", she said. "Sorry Henry, I'm just trying to do what's best for you as a mom." She had been new to this whole thing and it was really strange for her. But this time, she knew she was doing the right thing.

"I know, I know. Well, I'll see you later, Emma!" And with that, he was gone.

Emma let out a deep breath and leaned up against her desk, running a hand through her hair.

Hook stood across from her, watching her every move. Oh, how he wished that was his hand running through her hair. She was gorgeous, like a beautiful sculpture. Her figure was perfect. Emma Swan was perfect. He smiled, pulling the flowers behind his back into full view. "Henry said roses were your favorite."

Emma took them, smiling wide. "Thank you! Now I need a vase, I guess…" she said, placing them on her desk. When she turned around, Killian was considerably closer to her. "I…I uh…I was thinking about going and getting some fresh air. Do you wanna come?" she asked nervously.

"Of course", he said, turning around and heading through the front door with Emma trailing behind. Once he walked through the door, he slowed, so that Emma stood next to him.

They walked in silence for a long time, just feeling the cold breeze against their skin. The silence was great and peaceful. Or, for most people it would be. But Emma couldn't stop thinking. She must have been overanalyzing. These kinds of things hadn't happened to her in years. All of the sudden she blurted out, "Why have you been so nice to me? I…I betrayed you. And you just came back and gave me chocolates and flowers and…I don't understand." She sighed. "There's a lot you don't know about me and not enough time to explain but I was once in your place. I was the victim once. He just left me to fend for myself. It was the crappiest feeling ever. And to know that you could do it and then come back and forgive me…I don't understand you, Hook."

Emma saw Killian's breath in the cold air, as he said, "That's the thing, Swan. You'll never understand me."

She grinned slightly. "I suppose not."

Again, there was silence. This time, Hook broke it. "Would it be strange if I said I really cared for you, Swan?"

Emma stopped in her tracks. Nope, this was not happening. Hook felt the same way? Emma was now questioning herself more than ever. "You…you care for me?"

Killian cocked his head to the side. "Happy Valentine's day, lass. How'd you like to spend it with someone?" he said, brushing her hair out of her face.

Emma laughed, a smile spreading across her face. "How is this even real right now?" She had had dreams about being with Hook before. Every time she woke up, she shook it out of her head and denied its existence. But now that they were actually here…like this…she knew that she shouldn't deny it any longer. "You're so bad for me…we're so bad for each other. But every time we're together, there's something that I've never felt before. It's like…we're inevitable. As much as I try, I can never stay away from you."

"I've thought the same thing all this time too." It was slow and lingering. Time slowed down as his lips collided with hers and stayed there for far too short of a time. Everything was interrupted by the sound of Regina Mills clearing her throat.

Emma jumped as she tore herself away from Killian. "Regina, I-"

"I don't remember paying you by the hour to do this", she said, crossing her arms. This was possibly one of the worst things that could have ever happened. Flashbacks of Graham clouded Emma's mind.

"You. I remember you", Killian said, looking at Regina.

. . . . .

"This man needs to go to jail! It was attempted murder, Regina!" Rumpel said, infuriated and unable to even look at the man.

"There's no proof that he tried to kill her", Regina said carelessly.

"The gun, Regina, the gun! Care to explain that?"

Regina laughed. "He's not guilty. Just look at his face", she said, drawing Hook's face closer to hers. "Does this look like a murderer to you?"

"Yes, actually, he does! Regina, you don't know this man, but I do."

"Well, you'll have to take up this argument with someone else. For now, pirate", she said, grabbing Hook's face between her fingers once again, "you're free."

Though Hook felt incredibly uncomfortable around her, he knew that he could get what he wanted by seduction. Winking at her, he said, "Thank you, m'lady."

. . . . .

"No!" Emma screamed. As soon as they reached the office once again, she was suddenly thrown into a desperate and vulnerable situation. She didn't know what to do. Regina was squeezing Hook's heart harder. This was both of them on the line here. The sounds of his pain were becoming even more distressed by the second. "Regina, stop!"

She laughed the same evil laugh she had heard Cora laugh not too long ago. "Love is weakness, dear."

In that moment, she remembered something that proved to be more useful than ever before. She wasn't sure how well it would work out, but before she knew it, she was holding fire in her hand. "What do I have to do to make you stop?"

Regina's eyes widened. "That…that's no normal fire. How did you do that?"

Emma looked at the fire in her hand and noticed it flickering different colors. "I…I don't know."

Regina gave Hook his heart back instantly and put her hands up in surrender. "You can have him back, but please don't hurt me. Bringing that kind of magic into the town doesn't end well for anyone."

Emma let the fire die out in her hand and dropped it to her side. "O…okay?" She was so confused. What kind of magic had she conjured? Apparently, it was something so powerful that made even Regina Mills cringe.

Killian was now trying to get his breath back, doubled over in pain. Regina walked out of the sheriff station, and Emma walked over to Killian. "You okay?"

"You saved me", he said breathlessly.

"Yeah. It's kind of our thing, saving each other", she smiled.

He laughed, and stood up, finally being able to do so. "Swan, whatever you did, it was bloody brilliant."

"I don't even know myself what I did." Whatever it was, she never wanted to have to use it again. Using magic seemed terrifying to her.

Out of nowhere, Killian began to kiss Emma. They stayed that way for a while, no one able to interrupt them. When they finally moved away from each other, Emma laughed, "This is the strangest Valentine's Day I have ever experienced."

Killian laughed along with her. "I can say the same, lass. But one of the best", he said, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

As he did this, Emma looked down, noticing she still hadn't given Killian his hook back. "Oh!" she said, pulling herself out of his grasp. She missed the warmth as she flipped through her purse, finally grabbing the hook.

Killian laughed. "You kept it in your purse? For what? Just in case someone tried to jump you?"

Emma blushed. "Don't judge me." She turned around and placed the hook in his hand.

He attached it and looked up at her. "Thank you, lass. I've gone a whole week without it." Going that long without the hook killed him. It was really the only thing he had left in remembrance of Milah.

"Well, you're welcome…Killian", she said, smiling.

"Ahh, I see you're finally using my real name for once. It sounds good when you say it", he whispered.

She smiled, his forehead against hers. She could remain in that moment forever. Everything about him drove her crazy. She couldn't believe that she had gone so long without someone like him.

Pulling away, Killian asked, "You know that brown drink you introduced me to this morning? What's it called?"

"Coffee?" Emma grinned.

"Yes, that. It was delicious. Do you want to go for another with me?"

Emma smiled, looking at the stacks of paper lying on her desk. Work could wait. "Of course I do."