Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Emma had been avoiding him ever since they came back from Neverland. It wasn't like she had meant to run away whenever she saw him – no, that was a lie, she ran like hell. They had gotten closer while they were in Neverland, a lot closer. He was there every time she needed him. He could read her like an open book. Emma was starting to fall for him hard, so she did what she did best: run. She built her walls back up twice as high.
"Mom," Henry said, pulling Emma out of her thoughts.
"Yes?" Emma answered and ruffled his hair. She was so glad he was back with them in Storybrooke. Mostly thanks to Killi - Hook. If it wasn't for him they would have still be in Neverland searching for Henry, or most likely, dead.
"Do you think Captain Jones would want to teach me how to sail?" Henry asked. Emma almost dropped the glass she was holding.
"I don't think he has time for that, kiddo," she said after taking a huge breath. She tried to stop her heart from skipping a beat whenever she heard his name, but that was in vain. Henry shrugged and said, "Well, he promised he would.'
"He did? When did he do that?" Emma asked. She hated that she had sounded surprised because, of course, he would promise that to Henry. Emma had seen him change throughout their journey in Neverland. He went from a villain to a hero in no time and it made her like him even more, but then they found Neal and Emma was utterly confused.
"When we came back from Neverland," Henry casually said and shrugged again. "I didn't ask before, because I knew dad wouldn't like it."
Emma tried to keep her eyes from rolling. Of course, Neal wouldn't like it. He hated Killian, despised him.
"We'll have to ask him when we see him, kid," Emma said, silently hoping they'd see him soon. She missed him to be honest and yet she did her best to avoid him at all cost. Her head was totally messed up. Henry smiled up at her and nodded. "Okay. Are you ready to go? Dad is already waiting for us." Emma fought the urge to groan out loud. She really had no patient to sit through another dinner with Neal, but it made Henry happy so she dealt with it. "Sure, kid," she said and grabbed her jacket. Henry took his jacket as well and they left for the diner.
Dinner was uneventful and Emma was tired of Neal's attempts to 'fight' for her. She was sick of him trying, because she knew it wasn't going to work. She found herself often thinking about a certain pirate instead.
"Are you okay?" Neal asked while reaching out for Emma's hand. Before Emma realized, she had retreated her hand and laid it on her lap so he couldn't reach it. It was a cowardly move, but she didn't want him to touch her. Every time he did, she was reminded of all the pain he caused. She could have been a real mom to Henry, she wouldn't have been so broken and closed off.
"I'm fine," she said and smiled tightly. Neal sighed and leaned back.
"I don't know what else to do, Emma," he said and shook his head.
"What are you talking about?" she answered.
"I don't know what to do anymore to get you to love me again," he said. Emma felt guilty and cast her eyes down.
"I will always love you, Neal," she started. "But I'm not in love with you anymore. After everything that has happened, I can't bring myself to do that anymore."
Neal slowly nodded. "This has nothing to do with Hook?"
Emma suddenly looked up at him, like a kid who had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She quickly snapped out of it and shook her head.
"No, of course not, Neal," she said.
"I just want you to be happy," Neal said with a sad voice. "But I'm starting to see I don't make you as happy as you should be."
"Neal, I-" she started. He was right. He didn't make her happy, he made her feel pain and sadness instead. It wasn't fair to him, but then again, was him leaving her fair? "I understand, Emma," Neal said and smiled weakly.
At that very moment, Henry came running back to the table after helping Granny out. "Ready to head out?" Neal asked Henry while paying the bill. Emma, Regina and Neal had set up a weekly schedule, so that everyone could spent equally as much time with him. It was tiring for Henry, but he didn't mind because he loved all of them. "Yup," Henry replied and smiled before hugging Emma. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mom."
Emma kissed his forehead and ruffled through his hair again.
"Goodnight, kid. I'll see you tomorrow."
She watched them leave before she got up, waved to Ruby and headed out.
While heading home, she took a small detour passing the docks. Seeing his ship made her smile every time, because it meant he was still here and that he hadn't left her. When arriving at her apartment, she couldn't help but feel alone again. Snow and David had moved out a week ago and with Henry being with Neal. Though, unlike before she didn't feel lonely and that was a big difference. Emma eyed Killian's coat that was hanging over the chair. She forgot to give it back to him after they came back. She ran her hand over the fabric. It still smelled like him; like leather and rum. Emma sighed and laid down in her bed, throwing the coat over her.
She thought about what Neal had asked about her, not loving him because of Killian. She knew deep down that it was true. It wasn't only because he had hurt her beyond repair, but also because of her feelings for Killian. Yes, she just had an epiphany that she indeed had feelings for him.
She smiled thinking about their kiss in Neverland. She had felt alive and set free all at once because of that kiss. She had no idea why, but she did. If someone had told her two years ago that she would find her son and her parents, go to the Enchanted Forest, go to Neverland and kiss with Captain Hook, she'd say they were mentally ill. She cuddled closer into the coat and fell asleep fast.
The next morning, Emma went to get her daily cup of coffee while waiting for Henry and Neal. The chime of the bell made her look up thinking it would be them, but it was Killian. Her mind went in overdrive. There was a voice in the back of her mind that still said: "run, run as fast as you can," but she couldn't. She tentatively smiled at him as he nodded back.
"Swan," he said.
"Ki- Hook," she replied, trying to cover up her slip. He looked at her curiously, but decided not to comment on it. She frowned as he sat down a few seats away from her.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, still frowning.
He looked at her and smiled sadly.
"Nothing, Swan," he said and turned to Ruby, ordering his breakfast.
"Te-," she started, but was cut off as Henry and Neal entered the diner.
"Hey mom," Henry said before realizing Killian was sitting there as well. "Good morning, Captain!"
Killian turned around and smiled at the boy, which made Emma's heart flutter.
"Morning, lad," he said and nodded. Emma glanced at Neal and saw that he didn't like it one bit. It made Emma shake her head.
"Can I ask you something?" Henry asked Killian.
"Of course, lad," he answered with a genuine smile. It made him look so young and boyish. Emma did her best to not get up and kiss him.
"Do you remember what you promised me on our way back from Neverland?" Henry asked. This made Killian laugh and said, "I do and the offer still stands. A pirate never breaks a promise."
Henry looked at Emma with a broad smile and hopeful eyes, hoping she wouldn't refuse him from spending time with Killian. She smiled and nodded, thinking that it might be a great opportunity for her to spend time with him as well.
"Come by whenever you feel like it, sailor, " Killian said and saluted him. Henry saluted back and laughed. "Mom, can we go to the docks today?"
"Wait a minute," Neal started, but stopped talking as he saw Emma's glare.
"Sure, kiddo," Emma said, smiling at Henry before nodding gratefully at Killian.
"I'll see you later today then!" Henry said excited. Emma got up and mouthed a thank you to Killian before leaving the diner.
"What was that about?" Neal asked when they were outside.
"Killian promised to teach Henry how to sail," Emma said and shrugged.
"What?" Neal asked, raising his voice.
"Henry really wants to learn how to sail and he asked Killian to do so. Don't be an asshole about it," Emma snapped.
"So, it's Killian now huh?" Neal replied. If they were in a cartoon, there would be steam coming out of her ears. Neal saw her expression and sighed. "That was out of line, I know. I just wish you would love me instead of him."
"I'm not in love with him," Emma said, feeling guilty all of a sudden because she knew she was lying.
"It's okay, Emma, really," Neal said. He hugged her tightly before going up to Henry and kissed his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, kiddo,"
Emma watched Neal as he walked away and felt confused. Had he just given her his blessing to date Captain Hook? It was nice of him, not that she needed his blessing.
"What do you want to do, kiddo?" she asked Henry with a smile, because she already knew what he was going to say.
"I want to sail," he said, trying his best not to jump up and down.
Emma laughed and nodded as they made their way to the docks.
"Let's go," Henry said excited and ran up to the Jolly Roger. She hadn't been back on his ship since they had come back from Neverland.
"Hello again, lad," Killian said as they came closer to the ship.
"Captain," Henry said with a big smile. "Permission to come aboard."
"Aye, lad. Come on up," Killian said with a smile. Emma loved seeing his smile. "You can come up as well, Swan. If you like."
She knew he was pissed off at her and he had every reason to be so.
She sighed and followed Henry and Killian.
Emma sat down while Killian showed Henry what to do and soon they were sailing away from Storybrooke. Seeing them work together made Emma smile. She frowned as she realized, he hadn't even made one single innuendo towards her. She missed them. It was all her fault though. She shouldn't have ignored him like she did.
When Henry went below deck, she reached out for his arm to make him stay.
He turned around, his face giving nothing away. "What, Swan?"
"I'm sorry," she said. Killian frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but she wasn't finished yet. "I'm sorry that I ignored you. I didn't mean to, but my head and my heart are messed up. I just needed time to figure things out and I'm really sorry that it might have hurt you in any way." She drew out a long breath and realized her hand was still resting on his arm.
She saw anger, hurt, confusion and then understanding rushing through his eyes. He sighed and shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for, lass. I understand."
Emma smiled at that, of course he would understand.
"I have to admit, it hurt me a lot when you started to ignore me. I tried everything to forget about you, I can't shake you," Killian said and sighs. "I just can't."
"Then don't," she answered. Before she knew what was happening their lips crushed against each other. Just like the first time, their lips moved synchronically and a spark ran through their bodies. She ran her hand through his hair and pulled him even closer. Only after her oxygen had totally run out she pulled away from him, resting her forehead against his.
He smiled that boyish smile and she couldn't help but smile back. She felt as if a weight had fallen off of her shoulders. "I guess it wasn't a one time thing," Emma said which made Killian chuckle. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me, Swan. It's been a long time coming," he said. Emma rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop her smile from widening. He brushed his lips over hers again, giving her a loving peck. It was pretty awkward, as neither of them could stop smiling. "I love you, Emma Swan," he said and hugged her closer. Her heart was fluttering at his words and she kissed him softly. "I love you too, Killian Jones."
They knew it wasn't going to be easy, but they had each other and for now that was enough.
A/N: I hope you all liked it. I'd love to read your reviews. This has been my second try at a CS story so I hope it's any good.