A/N: This was requested FOREVER ago by villains-happy-ending . I am so so sorry this took so long. This is part 1 of 2, I hope to have the second one up by the end of next week. Huge thanks to o-u-a-timer and the-lady-of-misthaven for looking this one over! Enjoy!


August 2002.

Her tennis shoes scuffed the concrete of the walkway as she followed closely behind her caseworker, Ms. Regina Mills. She didn't want to be here, she wanted to be anywhere but here. Her head was bent, her eyes focused on the faded red of the converses she'd had for far too long, the ones Regina had bought her almost four foster families ago. They were the only pair she had and she knew she would have to make them last for a lot longer.

Even at fourteen, Emma Swan knew that she didn't get nice things. She didn't get the normal things girls her age did. There were no pink tulle prom dresses in her future, no brave nights, or tiaras. Most of the time she was lucky if she got a home cooked meal at night. Sometimes, she was lucky if she even had a warm place to stay.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she continued to follow Ms. Mills to her newest foster home. It was the 75th one she'd been in since she was left on the side of the road, the third in the past six months and she knew that she wouldn't be here long. She never was, no matter how much she hoped.

And, a part of her still did hope. A part of her still wanted a family, a mom and dad to call her own and maybe a little brother or sister too. She may try her best to hide it, but it was still there in her chest every time she went to a new family.

"Miss Swan." Regina's sharp voice rang out and she snapped her head up to meet her gaze. "Stay outside while I go over all the paperwork with the Smiths." Her eyes ran the length of Emma's body. "You could use a little sun."

Emma's head cocked to the side and she stomped her foot in front of her. "I want to go inside, Regina. I don't want to stay out here."

"Then it is a good thing we are not in the business of doing what you want." Regina deadpanned, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "Stay here. I will come get you in a minute."

Emma opened her mouth to complain again, but Regina turned on her heel and walked into the house leaving her behind. Rolling her eyes, she huffed as she sat down on the bottom step of the stoop and looked at her shoes once more. Stupid Regina and her stupid rules. Her caseworker was a lot of things, but nice was never one of them. Sure, Regina made sure Emma had the necessary things to survive, but she didn't actually care about her. No one cared about her. No one...

"Hi!" A perky voice interrupted her thoughts and Emma raised her eyes to find a dark haired girl, who looked about her age, standing at the end of the walkway waving.

Tilting her head to the side, Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Who was this girl and why was she talking to her? Why… The girl moved forward until she stood directly in front of Emma. She wore a simple yellow sundress, nicer than any of the clothes Emma had ever owned, and a pair of white sandals. Her hands gripped the edge of the porch. What did this girl want?

The girl stuck her hand out. "I'm Belle. I live next door. I saw you sitting all alone and I thought we could…"

"BELLE! Bloody hell, where are ya, lass?" A worried voice stopped the girl's, Belle, from continuing.

Belle rolled her eyes. "Sorry, that's my brother. He is so annoying. Hold on…" She turned so her back was toward Emma. "Liam." Belle yelled. "I'm over here at the Smith's house talking to the new girl they mentioned was coming!"

Emma's eyes went wide as she bit her lip. Had the Smith's really told their neighbors she was coming? Like, really? She shook her head. She wasn't one to make friends easily. In fact, she'd never really had a friend her entire life. She just figured that was normal, given her situation, and was used to it by now. She was used to being alone.

Not even a minute later, there were two boys standing in front of her. One was tall, dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a flannel, and had light brown curly hair. The other was just a little taller than her or Belle. He also wore a pair of jean, but his were paired with a plain black t-shirt. His hair was a little darker than Belle's and stuck up in all different directions. All three of them had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.

"Belle, you know better than to sneak away without tellin me. What do you think Father would have said?" The taller one said.

Belle looked at Emma and rolled her eyes. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Liam. I don't need you watching out for me all the time. Besides, I was just saying hello to our new neighbor."

It was that moment that the boys seemed to notice Emma sitting on the stoop in front of their sister. Both of their eyes turned in her direction and Emma wanted nothing more than to disappear. She hated being the center of attention, especially when she didn't know the people.

"And does our new neighbor have a name?" The short one asked, an eyebrow cocked as he looked her over.

Emma swallowed, her eyes falling to the ground as she whispered her name.

"I'm afraid we didn't quite catch that, lass." Liam spoke, while the three of them stepped forward.

She raised her head and bit her bottom lip. She could do this. "My name is Emma, Emma Swan."

Belle smiled. "Hi Emma!" She smiled and plopped down on the porch right next to Emma, their shoulders bumping slightly. "It'll be nice to finally have another girl in the neighborhood. I'm always stuck with these two." Belle tilted her head toward the taller of the town boys. "That's Liam." She pointed at him and he gave a little wave. "And, that's Killian. We're twins. We live with our papa across the street."

Belle pointed to the house across the street and to the right of them, but all Emma could see was Killian. Her cheeks flushed. He was cute, like the cutest boy she'd ever seen and she'd seen a lot of boys because she'd moved around all the time.

"So, want to come over and hang out?" Belle questioned, her eyebrow arched. It must be a family trait.

For the first time in her life, Emma found herself wanting to say yes. She wanted to get to know this family who seemed so nice, this family who wasted no time in trying to include her. But, just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door slammed shut behind her.

"Miss Swan." Regina called from the doorway. "They are ready to meet you."

Belle's face fell. "Perhaps another time, then."Emma watched as her potential friend stood up and moved next to her older brother.

"It was lovely to meet you, Emma." Liam smiled in her direction. "We won't keep you any longer." He nodded once to Killian, shooting him a look with an arched eyebrow before he and Belle turned. He lead her across the yard, his hand resting on the small of her back and, after a brief pause, Killian followed behind without a word.

Of course, Regina chose that moment to come out. It was like she didn't even care that, for once, maybe she could make some real friends here. Emma stood up, a frown on her face, and turned toward the door to find Regina looking at her expectantly.

"Tick tock, Miss Swan. I do have other children to get to today." She tapped her watch.

Emma wanted to roll her eyes but didn't because she knew Regina hated that. It would be best to just hurry…

"Oi! Swan!"

Her head pivoted to see Killian running back up the walkway. What the… She turned back around so she could meet him and her heart skipped a beat as he held his hand out to her, a hand that held a single daisy between his fingers. A single flower for her.

Her mouth fell open as she stepped forward, butterflies forming in her stomach. Her hand reached out timidly to take the flower from his fingers and pull it back to her chest. She could feel her heart thumping wildly in her chest. No one had ever cared enough to give her a flower. Little orphan girls didn't have such luxuries.

"Welcome to the neighborhood." He smiled, ducking his head. "Emma." He pivoted on his heel quickly, shoving both hands into his pockets while making his way across the street. She didn't even have time to thank him.

She looked at the flower in her hands, his retreating back, and felt her lips curl. Turning towards Regina, she couldn't keep her heart for thumping wildly. Her one thought was that maybe this place was going to be different.

Maybe.

Hiking her backpack strap over her shoulder once again, Emma sighed and bit her lip. She could feel her heart beating quickly as the panic seemed to settle in her chest. Damnit, why was she so nervous? It wasn't like this was the first time she'd been the new girl at the school. It wasn't like this was the first time she had to walk into a new classroom dressed in her scuffed red sneakers and hand-me-downs. It wasn't like this was the first time she would be pointed at while the whispers of the other kids started.

No, at this point she should be an old pro at this.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath before releasing it and walking through the door of the classroom. Thankfully, the rest of the kids were still busy talking to one another as the bell hadn't rung for to begin the class. Without anyone noticing her, Emma slid into the desk closest to the door that did not have a name tag on it and scanned the room quickly.

It seemed that Mrs. Nolan preferred bright, primary colors to decorate, but other than that the room looked basically the same as every other classroom she'd been in over the course of her fifteen years. The teacher's desk, complete with a shiny red apple on the edge, sat in the front of the room and the chalkboard behind it. There were rows and rows of books lining the wall to her right, while the wall to her left was full of windows, and of course the back of the room had some kind of sitting area set up. The desks were arranged in pairs of two down three columns.

Her feet bounced below the desk and she really tried to calm herself. It was just… she hated this. She hated starting in a new house, in a new town, in a new school. She hated being the one everyone looked at, she hated being the one everyone noticed. She hated…

Sighing again, she leaned forward to drop her forehead on the cool surface of the desk. It didn't matter what she hated. More than likely she wouldn't be in this place long anyway, more than likely she would be gone before the teacher would even remember her name. That was what always happened, there was no reason to believe that this place would be any different.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she bit the inside of her cheek to try and stop them. There was no reason to believe that these people would actually want her, no one else ever had. No one…

"Fancy seein you here, lass." An accented voice spoke next to her.

She wiped her eyes quickly, attempting to hide the tears, and jerked her head up at the sound. Her green eyes widened quickly at the sight of the boy she met yesterday, of the boy who gave her a single daisy, of Killian beside her. Her heart dropped to her stomach. A part of her felt excited that she knew someone in the class, it wasn't like that happened often, but the other part of her, the part that seemed to be the largest, didn't understand why he'd approached her. It wasn't as though they actually knew each other or were actually friends. No, he likely saw her and felt bad for the poor little orphan sitting at the desk all alone.

Well, she didn't need his pity. She didn't need anything.

Her eyes narrowed in his direction. "Well this is a school and since education is required, it shouldn't surprise you at all." She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice hard. "Why are you talking to me anyway? Don't you have something better to do than to pity the new kid?"

Killian's eyes widened, both eyebrows arched and he shifted his feet before pointing at the desk. "You're, uh well, you sat next to my desk."

Her eyes fell to the desk he pointed to and she felt herself her annoyance deflate. It figured she would pick the desk next to his out of all the desks in the room. His behavior had thrown her off guard yesterday. She hadn't known what to make of it, what to make of the the boy with the ocean eyes and a a daisy, what to make of his family that seemed so interested in knowing her.

So she'd done what she always did and convinced herself that they were just being nice, that they hadn't really wanted to be her friend, that she had been seeing things when she saw shyness as Killian handed her the flower. And, it seemed, she was right. He hadn't come over here to talk to her because he wanted to or because he pitied her, he'd come over here because she chose the seat next to his. Nothing more and nothing less.

"Sorry." She mumbled in his direction before turning away from him and focusing on Mrs. Nolan, who'd just entered the classroom.

For a moment, he just stood there. His fingers pulling the hair at the nape of his neck. Then the bell rang and he sat down without a word.

Mrs. Nolan brought the class to attention the same way every other teacher she'd ever had did. Thankfully, she hadn't required her to stand up and do that stupid introduction crap some teachers liked, instead just introducing Emma herself before asking the students to pull out their calculators to begin working on their equations.

Emma's fingers gripped her thighs tightly at the mention of a calculator. She didn't have one. Why would she? She never had anything she needed, she never had…

Her eyes lifted as she heard something slide across her desk from Killian's direction. There, in the middle of her desk, was a blue calculator. She felt her heart speed up as she tilted her head in his direction. He was already looking at her, a comforting smile on his red lips.

"Thank you." She whispered, her hand closing around the object.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I've an extra. Use it whenever you wish. After all, what are friends for?"

The way his eyes lit up at the word 'friends' had her heart skipping a beat. She knew in that moment she'd misread him. He wasn't anything like what she'd believed.

She nodded, the corners of her lips lifting into a small thankful smile, which only grew wider as he returned hers with one of his own. Turning to the worksheet Mrs. Nolan had just placed on her desk, she bit down on her lip and tried to lower her expectations. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the glimmer of hope that rose in her chest.

The hope that this place would be different.


October 2002

The rain landed in her eyes and she swiped at her lids fruitlessly. She shouldn't be surprised that is was raining, pouring actually, as that was her luck this evening. Actually that was just her luck always. The rain mixed will the tears falling from her eyes and... and she should've known this would happen. Her arms wrapped around her middle as she rushed from the front gate to the street. She should've known that the first two months at her new placement was just a facade. She should've known that eventually the truth would come crashing down, the truth that Mr. Smith was an alcoholic who had no trouble putting his wife in her place.

Looking quickly, she ran across the street. The sound of her red shoes hitting the pavement echoed through the sound of the rain hitting the ground. She'd bolted before his attention had turned to her, before he realized there was someone else in the house to take his frustration out on. A hiccup escaped her throat as she reached the other side of the street and she hugged herself tighter. Why was this always happening to her? Why couldn't she just have a normal placement for once? Why…

She pushed the gate to Killian's yard open and darted in quickly. In the past two months, Killian and Belle had become her best friends, her only friends. They ate lunch together everyday, they walked home after school, they spent every weekend together. Even Liam had become somewhat of a big brother to her. Which was why she couldn't believe she was doing this, couldn't believe she was knocking on Killian's door at midnight hoping for… hoping for what exactly? Maybe that was her problem, maybe she just needed to stop hoping at all. She shook her head. If Killian and Belle, even Liam, could hear her now they would remind her that things happened for a reason, that they would always be there for her, that she always had a home with them.

She only hoped they hadn't been lying.

Her fist rose to pound on the front door. Biting her lip, she shifted her weight from foot to foot and waited. A half of a second later, she saw the light in the living room turn on and heard the lock on the door turn. She sucked in a breath as the door opened to reveal Liam before her. He was dressed in a pair of navy blue pajama pants and a white henley. His head tilted to the side, eyebrows furrowed, as he took her in.

"Emma?" He questioned running his fingers through his curly locks. "What are you…" His features hardened. "Is everything okay, love?"

She attempted to release the breath she'd been holding, but it came out as a sob and she shook her head. Liam shoved the screen door open, his hand reached behind her to pull her through the door and she followed willingly. Once she was inside, he shut the door behind her and engaged the lock before turning his attention back on her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders.

"Emma, love. Tell me what's the matter. Are you hurt? Did something happen?" His eyes, eyes so much like Killian's, scanned her form likely looking for any injury.

Her breath caught in her throat. She was completely overwhelmed by how much concern he was showing, but how much he obviously cared for this girl he met two months ago. She saw his eyes harden when she didn't answer his questions, likely assuming the worst. One of his hands moved to cup her cheek and she leaned into him seeking the comfort only a big brother could provide.

"Emma Swan, tell me what the bloody hell is going on. You're worrying me, lass. Are you hurt?" His murmured the words as his eyes met hers.

She shook her head, her eyes blinking quickly. "No." She whispered. "No. I'm okay, Liam. I got out of there before he found me."

Liam's body visibly relaxed as he let out a shaky breath. The room was silent for a moment and she forced herself to calm. She was safe. Liam wouldn't let anyone hurt her and neither would Mr. Jones when he returned home from work. She was safe.

Footsteps on the stairs pulled her from her thoughts and she whipped her head in their direction to meet the questioning eyes of her best friends. As soon as they saw her, both Killian and Belle stopped in their tracks. In front of her Liam stood and stepped away, satisfied that there was not any immediate danger.

"Emma?" Belle questioned with a head tilt.

She ran her fingers through her wet hair. "Hey, guys."

Killian was the first to move, he ran the rest of the way down the stairs before stopping in the space Liam had just vacated. His eyes examined her face frantically as a hand rose to cup her cheek. His other hand reached out and intertwined their fingers. His blue eyes were a storm as his features shifted from shock to fear before settling on concern. She felt her heart clench as she tried to remain calm and let him figure out that she was in fact okay.

"Emma." He mumbled, his fingers gripping her tightly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Belle, who had finally made it down the steps and was standing next to Killian, beat her to it.

"Emma, what are you doing here this late?" Just like Liam and Killian, Belle's eyes were full of concern.

Biting her lip, she shrugged her shoulders. How do you explain to you best friends that you ran away from home to avoid getting smacked in the face, or worse? How do you explain to the only people who had ever shown any concern for her that her life was so much different from their own? That while they may not be well off, they still had a father who loved them, who would protect them with his life, and she… all she had were the three people in this very room and sometimes she wasn't even sure she had them. She shook her head. She couldn't, she couldn't tell them this, she couldn't….

Her eyes met Killian's hard ones and a her heart stopped in her chest. He knew. He'd once told her on the way home from school that she was an open book to him, that for some reason he just knew what she was thinking and feeling. Of course she hadn't believed him at the time. But now, now, looking into his eyes, she knew he hadn't been lying.

Her eyes shifted back to Belle quickly before finding Killian's once more. His eyes softened as he squeezed their joined hands and shook his head. Belle didn't know and he wouldn't be telling her. The corners of her lips lifted slightly and she pressed her cheek into his palm. Liam and Killian may know the truth, but Belle did not and she didn't know why that comforted her, but it did.

"Emma?" Belle questioned once more and Emma remembered she hadn't answered the question.

Killian dropped his hand from her cheek, but their hands remained tangled. She turned toward Belle and opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her tongue. Thankfully, Liam saw her distress and stepped in.

"Bloody hell, Emma! I'd forgotten that the Smith's had asked me this morning if you could spend the evening with us. I meant to tell you after you returned home from school. I'm glad you finally figured it out when they'd yet to return home." He ran his fingers through his locks, his eyes begging her to follow along.

She nodded, a fake smile on her lips. "Yeah. Good thing. Just don't forget next time Liam."

Liam moved to stand next to her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "Aye. You have my word, Swan. Never again. Not if I can help it." He led her over to the couch and Killian followed as he refused to part with her hand.

Belle stared at them suspiciously, as if she didn't believe them - and really who would, it was a horrible lie - before she shrugged and sat next to her on the couch. "Li, I'm not tired. Let's watch tv for a bit?"

Liam nodded and turned the tv on to some reruns of The Simpsons before settling into a recliner next to the couch with a blanket. Killian reached behind them and pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over the three of them, his hand never letting go of her own. After a few minutes, her eyes began to droop and her head lolled to the side landing on Killian's shoulder. She felt his lips press into her hair, but she didn't say anything.

She also didn't say anything when he took a deep breath and spoke for the first time since she saw him on the steps, whispering into her hair. "You're safe, Swan. Papa will protect you. Liam will protect you. I will protect you. I'll never stop protecting you."

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She'd never felt the way she felt right now, she'd never felt safe or loved or anything. But right now, sandwiched between her best friends, her head on Killian's shoulder and her hand held in his between them, with Liam keeping watch in the chair next to them, she couldn't help but feel those things.

In that moment, she knew this place was different.


December 2002

The snow crunched under her feet as she made her way up the steps to the porch of the Jones' house. Christmas was right around the corner and the weather had definitely caught on. It was early morning and the wind was sharper than usual so she pulled her jacket, the light summer one Regina had gotten her seven months ago, tighter around her in an effort to stave off the cold.

Reaching the door, she wasn't surprised to find the it unlocked. Since coming home from work to find his three children and Emma asleep in the living room, Brennan Jones had taken to leaving the door unlocked just in case she needed a place to go. He had also taken to making sure she stayed with them for dinner each evening and breakfast each morning before school. At this point she may as well live with them, not that the Smith's noticed. Not that anyone noticed actually.

Shutting the door behind her, she shrugged out of her jacket and placed it on the floor next to the door. Making her way into the kitchen, she found the entire family at the table eating their various breakfasts. Between Killian and Liam there was an empty seat with her blueberry Poptarts waiting for her on a plate, just as there was every morning, and she wasted no time before sitting in the seat.

"Mornin everyone." She took a bite of her Poptart with smile.

"Morning, Ems!" Belle said while taking another bite of her oatmeal.

Liam reached over and ruffled her hair. "Good morning, lass. How was your evening?"

He cocked his eyebrow in her direction and she knew there was more to his question than he let on. He wanted to make sure nothing had happened while he'd been unable to keep his watch over her. Since that first night, Liam had taken it upon himself to become her personal bodyguard, Killian and Brennan had too for that matter. They walked her home everyday after dinner making her to glare at Mr. Smith until she was safely in in the house, they picked her up every morning if she didn't arrive at their house by a certain time. Belle had figured out what was going on about a week after she stayed the night the first time, it was hard to keep the secret when her brothers and father made such a point of protecting her.

At first, she had no idea how to handle their behavior and she'd often pushed back. In her experience, leaning on others was a weakness and she couldn't afford to be weak. Yet somehow, in the past two months, they'd worked their way past her walls and … and she trusted them. For the first time in her life, she had people she trusted and she didn't know how to deal with that. But, she was trying and Killian played a huge part in that.

Killian's hand over hers pulled her from her thoughts and she quickly realized there were three sets of eyes focused on her, three sets of worried eyes. She could feel the tension in the room rise. They must have jumped to the wrong conclusion when she hadn't answered right away.

"Emma…" He whispered, his voice hard and tight. "What happened?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing! Sorry, I was just thinking. Nothing happened. Nothing. I promise. I'm fine." A collective sigh could be heard throughout the kitchen as they all relaxed and she ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you all. I didn't mean…"

"Emma…" Brennan sat his paper on the table. "It is fine, lass. The boys worry, Belle worries, I worry. You'd let us know if something were amiss, aye?"

She nodded her head quickly. "Yes." She whispered before looking from Belle, to Liam, to Killian. "I promise."

"Good." He said. "Now, finish your breakfast or you'll all be late."

The rest of the meal was finished quickly and in silence. Once they were all finished they worked collectively to clear the table before moving into the living room to put on their jackets. Killian and Liam eyed her flimsy coat while she shoved her arms through the sleeves and she felt her cheeks warm in embarrassment.

"Love." Killian spoke quietly and made his way to the closet. "It is much too cold for that coat."

"I'm fine, Killian." She waved him off. "I've been through worse."

He opened the door to the closet and pulled out another coat. "Emma, the coat you have is barely usable. You'll get sick."

It was the pity in his eyes that did it. Suddenly, it was all too much. Their concern, their friendship, the way they treated her as if they were a family, all of it was too much. She'd never had this, never had a group of people who cared, and there was a reason for that. No one wanted her, no one wanted the girl they found on the side of the road, and why should they be any different? Eventually, they too would realize that they didn't want her, just like the Swans did, and what would happen to her then? She would be alone, like always, and when that happened she would have to take care of herself.

"I said I was fine, Killian." She turned and yanked the front door open. "I can take care of myself." She mumbled as she walked through the door, leaving her friends behind.

The moment she stepped off the porch the wind blew and cut her to the bone, but she ignored it. She didn't want them to know that Killian had been right. She should've taken the jacket he had offered. It was just… Just, sometimes she didn't know how to act with them. Sure, they had never made any indication that she was unwanted there. They had never made her feel less than either. But a part of her was always waiting for the other shoe to drop, apart of her would always be waiting on the other shoe to drop. Not to mention, she hated relying on people because people always let her down and even though she really thought they were different, sometimes she was scared to take the chance. Sometimes….

A hand clasped her shoulder just as she made it through the gate. "Swan, stop."

Of course he would follow her. "Killian, leave me alone. I'm a big girl. I do not need your help or you pity."

Killian moved to stand in front of her, his thumbs looped in his belt. "You think I pity you, Emma, you think I truly believe you could not handle yourself? Lass, you are the toughest girl I've ever met."

She inclined her head and waved her arm in the air. "Oh shove it Killian, I saw it in your eyes. I saw the way you looked at me. Poor little orphan girl who doesn't even own a proper winter coat."

Killian stepped into her space and licked his lips. "What you saw in there, Emma Swan, was concern. I was worried about you, about you getting sick. Bloody hell, what kind of boyfriend would I be…."

Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. All of her previous anger drained out of her as she focused on the one word she had never expected to hear. Boyfriend. He said he was her boyfriend. She ran her hand through her locks. When had… sure they were close and they held hands a lot and they spent all their time together and she trusted him more than she'd ever trusted anyone and… and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to be Killian Jones' girlfriend. She wanted nothing more than...

"Emma. Swan, are you even listening any longer lass?" Killian brushed his thumb across her cheek, his way of getting her attention.

Her eyes focused on his and she licked her lips. "Did you mean it?"

His eyebrow arched. "That I was worried about you catching your death? Aye, of course."

She shook her head, her hand darting out to find his. "No. Did you mean it when you said boyfriend. I don't remember you asking."

She felt the grip on her hand tighten and his free hand lifted to pull at the hair behind his ear. "Bloody hell. I didn't mean, I mean I do, but I didn't…" He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I meant to officially ask you months ago, but I was frightened you thought of me only as a friend. Albeit a close friend, but a friend nonetheless."

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. "Ask me now."

Her heart was beating rapidly, her palms sweaty. Killian nodded to himself, his eyes blinking quickly. Why were they both so nervous? Perhaps it was because three minutes ago she'd stormed out of the house after snapping at him or perhaps it was because they had been playing this game for months. Perhaps…

"Emma Swan, will you be my girlfriend?" He murmured.

She could feel his breath on her lips. "Yes." She surged forward and pressed her lips to his quickly before pulling away. "Yes."

Behind them, she could hear Liam and Belle's shouts of joy, she could hear Brennan chuckle in happiness, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was the way Killian smiled at her, as if she were the entire world, all that mattered was the way they swayed back and forth, as if they never wanted to let go of each other, all that mattered was the way Killian whispered her name over and over, as if it were the only word he ever wished to say again.

She giggled, her lips grinning widely. She never expected this. Never expected to come to this placement and find these people, this family, to find Killian. She never expected that, for the first time in her life, she would be wanted by not just one person, but four. In the past four months, Killian (and Brennan, and Belle, and Liam) had shown her that sometimes people were different, that sometimes people could be good.

They'd shown her that not only was this place different, but she could be too.


February 2003

The hallway was empty as she made her way down it, all of the classroom doors were shut, the teachers delivering their lectures. Her and Killian had only been at school for ten minutes before her name had been announced over the speaker telling her to report to the office. Without stopping at her locker, she'd walked Killian to their first period and left with a promise to return as quickly as possible.

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she couldn't stop the smile that formed at the thought of Killian. It had been two months, two months of holding hands, of sneaking kisses, of movie nights and dates. It had been two months since they had become a them. And, they had been the best two months of her life. Warmth spread through her body. She'd never thought she could be this happy, be this content. She never knew that she would find a true friend in Belle, that Liam would be like the big brother she'd always wanted, or that Brennan would show her that it was never too late to have a father figure.

She never knew how much Killian would come to mean to her. He made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl in the world, helped her forget that she was just a lonely lost girl. Being with Killian reminded her that she was worth something. He made her smile and laugh. He made her happy.

She bit her tongue to keep herself from smiling even wider. Happiness was something all too rare in her life, but lately it was all she was feeling. Lately…. The person in front of her stopped her progression forward, pulling her from her happy thoughts of Killian.

Her eyebrows furrowed at the sight of Regina standing in front of the door to the office. Why was she here? Their check in wasn't for another two weeks and she'd been doing well. She hadn't been getting in trouble, she's been going to school and getting good grades. There was no reason for Regina to be here, unless…. Her eyes widened, a sob catching in her throat as her hand covered her open mouth. No. No no no. Not now.

"Regina?" She choked the question out, hoping that she was wrong, hoping that this was just an early check up.

Regina's gaze locked on her form with a roll of her eyes. "There you are, Miss Swan. Hurry up. Time to go."

Pain rippled through her chest as tears pricked her eyes. "Go? I don't… I don't understand. I don't want to go. Please, Regina." She swiped at her eyes as the tears fell to her cheeks. "Regina, I like it here. I've…" She rushed forward, stopping right in front of her caseworker's form. "Regina." She begged. "Regina, I've found a family here. A home. Please don't take that away from me." Her arms hugged her middle and her shoulders shook from the weight of what was happening, as the weight of leaving Killian, settled over her. "Please don't take him from me."

Regina waved her hand in the air with exasperation. "I simply do not have time for this, Miss Swan. Mr. Smith has been taken into custody and Mrs. Smith is in the hospital. I need to get you to your next placement before the end of the night and it's a three hour drive to get there. Now, move."

This time she was unable to hold back the sob, unable to keep herself in check. Her face crumpled as she struggled to breathe, struggled to to even hold herself upright. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not when she'd finally found them, finally found the family she'd always wanted. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. Tears poured out of her lids and streamed down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to find Killian and wrap herself in his arms and forget that she'd even chosen to wake up today.

She looked up to the ceiling, swallowing yet another sob before returning her gaze to Regina. "Please, Regina." She whimpered. "Please don't do this."

Regina stepped forward as compassion filled her eyes, her arm reached up to clasp Emma's shaking shoulder. "I am sorry, Miss Swan. I do not, however, have a choice in this matter. We must go and we need to leave now."

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hands, Emma ran her fingers through her hair while nodding. Regina was right, there was nothing she could do. There was nothing anyone could do. She knew this. She'd lived in the system long enough. Besides this was her fault. She'd been stupid to think that this place could be different, that Killian and his family could make it different. She'd been stupid to think that she could have been happy.

"Okay." She muttered, biting the inside of her cheek. She would leave with Regina, it wasn't like she had much of a choice anyway, but she wanted to say goodbye to Killian first. She didn't want him to worry, she didn't want Liam or Belle or Brennan to worry either. Inhaling deeply, she attempted to soothe the despair in her heart, to repair the hole that was already forming. "Okay, I understand. It's just…" She paused, her eyes closing as she pictured Killian's face, pictured his smile and his laugh. More tears fell from her eyes as she attempted to form the words to explain to Regina what she wanted, needed, to do.

"Miss Swan." Regina's sharp voice broke out. "I am very sorry, but we must go."

Regina's hand reached out to grip her elbow and Emma yanked on it quickly, her features turning hard. "I said I would go Regina, but please please let me say goodbye." Her fingernails dug into the skin of her arm where her hands clenched. "Please."

"I'm sorry, Miss Swan." Regina sighed, her red lips forming a thin line. "We simply do not have time. Now, please do not make this harder than it must be. We need to go."

A wail fell from her mouth and it felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces, into a million tiny pieces that would never be repaired again. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The walls of the hallway were closing in and she was helpless to stop them, just like she was helpless to stop Regina from making her leave.

Regina walked forward and took her by the elbow once more, leading her from the building as quickly as she possibly could without causing a scene. Tears ran down her face the whole walk to the car, but it wasn't until she was in the car, away from the prying eyes of her classmates, that her control snapped.

Emptiness settled into her chest as her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. She couldn't see through the tears falling from her eyes as she hunched over herself in the backseat of the car. All she could think about was Killian. Would he be upset? Would he miss her? Would he move on? Her chest heaved as she tried to breathe through her break down. She pressed her fingers into her scalp before grasping the hair and pulling. She missed them already. She missed Belle's friendly smile and how she was always there to talk to, she missed Brennan's unwavering love for a girl who wasn't his own, she missed the way Liam ruffled her hair and made her feel like no one would ever hurt her again.

But most of all she missed Killian.

She missed his hand in hers, always there to remind her that he wasn't going anywhere, she missed the way his eyes lit up the moment they landed on her form, she missed the way his fingers twirled the ends of her hair as they watched a movie with his siblings. But most of all she missed they way he made her feel like there was nothing in this world she couldn't overcome, like she wasn't defined by her past but by the future that only she could decide.

She lifted her head and press her face against the window of the door and watched as they reached the town limits, as they passed the sign that welcomed those into the town.

Storybrooke, Maine.

The town that could've been different, the town that was different.

Until it wasn't, until it was just like every other town she'd ever been too.

(She didn't even get to say goodbye.)


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