She cannot believe what is happening at this very moment, it feels like someone ripped her heart out and dangled it out of reach. Frustration and helplessness overwhelms her but she knows she has to hold on. For him, she has to. She knocked him unconscious just as he was about to lunge at Gold. He doesn't remember anything or her, especially her. He's back to the vengeful pirate captain with nothing but revenge for Rumplestiltskin. There's nothing she can do but stare hopelessly as Captain Hook is carried into one of the cells at the station, at least nothing for now.
"I think it's safe to leave him here for the time being, at least he'd be out of trouble. Oh and I'll take the hook." David says as he leaves the cell and goes up to coat rack to hang Killian's hook. "Hey, I think we should go home, to at least settle you down a little bit. I think the dwarves are able to watch him at least for the night."
Emma nods because she couldn't think of what to say to what should be a very simple response. But before she follows her dad out the office, she grabbed the hook off the rack and keeps it close.
It's dark outside and her parents, Regina and Gold as well as Elsa, discuss what to do about the rogue pirate. Emma finally found her voice. "What is happening to him, what did that woman do?"
"She said she took out his light which is you I'm guessing, and left whatever there is that's left. His dark side", Regina says surprisingly sympathetic.
The discussion is making Emma even more upset and so she decides to cover her ears behind closed doors. As she finds some peace, she takes out his hook from her pocket and uncontrollably starts sobbing. She feels a sudden rush of anger not only towards the ice queen but also at herself for not being able to keep herself together. She now realizes that she needs him to keep herself from falling apart. She hugs the shiny metal closer to her chest and hears the door creaking open. Her dad stands at the door, to her rescue.
"Oh Emma", says David as he takes her in his arms and holds her head just like he always does. "Everything is going to be okay and while it may seem bleak right now I believe it's going to be okay."
As her dad says the following words, she sobs just a bit more, suddenly feeling like a little girl. "You're saying that because you have to." Emma replies.
"Maybe", admits David. "But he just got you, I don't think he's willing to give you up just yet. But you just have to hold on and be patient and most importantly you have to fight."
Fight, she will. It's around midnight so he must probably be up by now, she thinks. In the dark she tiptoes through the living room making sure that her parents are not disturbed and starts the car. She parks the car in front of the station and readies herself. As she steps in, getting ready to put any of the guards to sleep, she hears snoring and realizes that Sleepy is actually guarding. Phew.
"He's quite a guard isn't he?" A voice purrs from the dark side of one of the cells. Killian.
"Well he seems to be doing his job properly, I mean you're still here" she replies. She knows that that man is not the same Killian who was willing to chip off an ice wall using his hook to get to her, but seeing him makes her feel safe and secure. She probably shouldn't, she thinks to herself.
"Trust me, I'm not trying. A town full of people thinking I'm someone I'm not makes me want to throw up, so I'd rather stay here. What are you doing here? Seeing that I'm the one with the bump on my head, you should probably be anywhere but here." Killian replies almost threateningly.
Keep it together, Swan.
"You ARE not who you think you are and since telling you it, would not do anything, how about you ask me who you are." Emma explains.
"You are a strange lass Ella."
"It's Emma! Wow she did a number on you didn't she."
"I wouldn't know, I don't actually remember anything." he grins in a way that upsets her more than she thinks.
Emma can feel tears pooling in her eyes but then again she knows she has to stay strong because she needs him there, she needs him to be okay again.
"ASK," Emma says more demandingly this time and takes a seat on the floor in front of his cell. She watches carefully as he leaves the mattress and sits opposite her, cross legged and at ease.
"Well aren't you persistent. Alright then a basic one lass, how did we meet?" Killian asks.
"Umm it was at the Enchanted Forest a-"
"I asked how not where." Killian states.
He never cuts her off, "I wasn't finish. At the Enchanted Forest and you were under a pile of dead bodies. You were working for Cora then and I was trying to stop her."
"Under a pile of bodies?" He scoffs. "Well aren't we just the most adventurous people and you said you were trying to stop her? So we were enemies." He seems to find joy in pointing out that they use to oppose each other and it makes Emma mad.
"We were not enemies! It got complicated. I called you on your lies and then we working together and then we didn't and then we did again and, and it's complicated." Come on Swan, don't give up, she thinks to herself.
She notices that he took up on the fact that it was her who called him on his bullshit and sees that it intrigues him even further. "You called me on my lies? You actually caught me? I can count the number of-"
"People who bested me on one hand." Now it's Emma's turn to cut him off. "I know that's what you said."
"Then why DID we stop working together?" he asks.
"Because I left you up on the beanstalk." she answers him hopelessly and as she tries to figure out what he is thinking, he seems to be doing the exact same thing, reading her and this gives her hope more than anything.
The hope then vanishes as he asks with what seems to be sorrow and arrogance, "Why would I give time for someone who would leave me up there to die, let alone chase her?" There is sadness Emma senses in him that no doubt comes from all the abandonment and people leaving him. It doesn't matter how much fearlessness he uses to cover up that grief, just like he can, she reads him like an open book. This might not be the Killian she knows but the hidden scars were still there and she just reminded him of his wounds.
"Because you and I, we understand each other. I'm just like you and you saw that. You wanted to remind me of what it's like to have someone there." Emma says and the tears starts pooling again.
"I am the pirate captain, not some loved up puppy blindly chasing a woman who seems to well, not reciprocate the feelings." Killian says.
"You're right, you're not. I know exactly who you are."
"Then tell me!" He demands.
"You are a good man, who's had his heart broken too many times. So you made sure that it will never be broken again. I know exactly who you were too. You cover yourself with all these hatred and instill fear in other people so they don't ever cross you."
"And all you did was dig the scar deeper and push me away?"
"No-I mean yes I did try to push you away." He looks at her as if to prove a point. "I tried fighting it but you kept coming back for me". Emma can't help but smile however the smile was not returned.
"Why? I mean if I matter to you as much as you are making me feel at this moment, why did you push me away?" He asks.
"Because good things rarely happen for the savior. What I want for us, and myself were not in the cards as I saw it. When I saw you, I was terrified. You actually made me feel like I can do anything. So I tried to push you away before you can be taken away. I didn't want that feeling of having something important and then have it vanish, it sucks just like now".
"But then you decide to care now, why?"
"Because I know you would do the same thing for me. And I'm just sick of having people I care about be taken from me. And I know you are the fearsome Captain Hook and I know you know that. But I don't think I can forgive myself if I let you forget Killian Jones." Says Emma. He stares at her intently and stays like that for too long to her liking so she continues. "I'm going to do for you what you once did for me and I won't give up because it's one of the things you taught me, is to never ever give up on the people you care about".
"So you now care?" he says quite cynically.
"Killian" she sees that he is moved by her use of his name and continues, "I've always cared about you, you just need to remember that it's a lot". With that, she could've sworn she saw a soft smile.