"No. You're afraid to talk, to reveal yourself, to trust me…"

So what if she was? After everything Emma had been through in her past it was so difficult to believe this man could actually be truthful. Sure he was attractive, but then again so was He.

The man who completely ruined her life and only gave her one good thing. Henry.

This journey up the beanstalk was going to be a nightmare. She wanted to keep her walls up and not let Hook get anywhere close to her, but somehow he kept trying to break through. And crazily enough, he was able to find the right cracks to pry open.

But how? Was it because she was allowing Henry, Mary Margaret, and David into her life? Was it because he was a pirate and knew how to convince people to talk?

It couldn't be because she had feelings for him. No. That was crazy. There was absolutely no way. He'sCaptain Hook for goodness sake.

Plus, how could she ever have a happy ending? Her childhood was a nightmare. Growing up thinking her parents abandoned her by the side of a freeway only to find out, 28 years later, that happened because ofmagic? At the rate everything in her life was going there was no possible way she could ever end up happy.

Especially after him.

As much as she hated to admit it, he completely ruined her life.

Suddenly, Hook's words registered a bit more compared to the past few moments of their conversation. "Love has been all too rare in your life, hasn't it? Have you ever even been in love?"

Blinking, Emma tried to regain control of her emotions. But it was impossible. Flashes of her past flew through her mind. She and him meeting in the bug, talking about going away together, their kisses, offering to go get the watches from the locker, successfully getting them, only to be set up, arrested, and sent to jail.

Just thinking of his name brought back her broken heart. But she had healed. She forced herself to heal. That was what prison did to people.

But was that actual love? After what she'd observed between David and Mary Margaret, her parents, she was tempted to think it wasn't. But why? Was it just missing that spark? Emma knew at the time she was convinced it was love… But now, she almost refused to think it was. It didn't seem right that people would claim to love someone and then just let them go to prison for something they didn't do.

Then again, that was who he was. He always ran. That's how they met and how he caused her to get into all that mess. It was from then on she no longer allowed anyone to get near her heart.

That still didn't explain Hook. He was getting under her skin, and she liked it. She wanted to be able to trust him. Even after all of the bad experiences she had in the past, she wanted to let him in. But she couldn't. She couldn't bear to go through heartache again. It was horrible almost losing Henry, and she couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like if she allowed herself to love again only to lose that person. It started to happen with Graham, and that tore her apart inside.

But she still didn't let him in.

But maybe there would be a chance with Hook. Why not start answering his questions truthfully?

"No. I have never been in love."

A/N: There's a graphic that accompanies this on my tumblr. If you would like the link, send me a PM!