Chapter One

'Of course it's raining,' Emma thought, he hands smoothing over the black dress her mother handed her.

"Emma, sweetie, it's time to go," Snow said softly from the doorway.

"I.. don't think I can."

"Mom, he would want you there most of all." Henry appeared by Emma's side, taking her hand and gently pulling her towards the door.

David drove them towards the graveyard, seeing a small crowd of Storybrooke citizens already gathered around the fresh gravesite. "Looks like there's already a fair amount of people here," he said softly, opening the door for Emma and letting her hold onto him. Henry took her other arm, helping his grandfather stable his mother as they arrived to the newly erected gravestone.

When they reached the plot, everyone ducked their heads, sympathetically looking at their savior. David and Henry walked Emma so she was standing in front of the elegantly designed stone reading "KILLIAN JONES." Letting herself grieve for the first time, Emma collapsed against David's chest, gripping the lapels of his jacket, tears falling down her cheeks. Snow and Henry joined David in holding her up, knowing that there was nothing they could say to make it better.

Regina, Zelena, and Robin with the baby stood to the side with some of the dwarves. Granny was there standing by Archie. Smee hovered towards the back of the crowd gathered, wringing his hat in his hands. He had seen Killian in his darkest moments and watched as he changed into a hero willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone else. They had been through hundreds of years together as captain and first mate, and while Killian wasn't always the best captain, Smee never blamed the other man. He looked out for Killian whenever he drank too much and passed out; he tried to help him anyway he could to give him a future.

"We should get started," Snow said softly to get everyone's attention after Emma was able to stand again, leaning on David and. Everyone nodded, turning to circle around the gravesite, looking at Snow.

"Killian Jones. He and I didn't get off on the best foot when we first met. Emma figured out that he was lying to us about who he was and when he discovered that he was Captain Hook, I admit, I was leery about trusting him. We all were. But I don't know a man who deserved better than him. When he came back to help us save Henry, I knew he was different. I knew something in him had changed. At the time, I didn't know what it was, but it didn't take long to know what cause the change in him. It was Emma. Together, they pushed each other to become stronger. Their love grew as she showed him that he could be a hero and that is exactly what he is. He sacrificed himself for all of us and that sacrifice will never go unforgotten." Snow finished by picking up the shovel, scooping a pile of dirt and letting it fall onto the casket. She returned to David's side, taking his place helping Emma stay standing as her daughter trembled in her arms.

David stood in front of everyone and sighed, "I was hard on him. I told him that Emma would never go for a pirate like him. He turned into someone who would protect my daughter as much as I would. I always thought that he would end up my son-in-law. I was hoping that he was. If I was going to trust Emma with anyone, it was going to be Hook—Killian. He'd do anything to protect Emma. I've seen that now. He fought for her even after I constantly threatened him. He became one of my closest friends; someone I would want by my side for any adventure. Thank you, Killian, for everything." He added another shovel full of dirt, stepping back to his family's side.

Robin stepped forward, "He was my best friend. We had adventures together. He looked after my daughter. I thought, one day, I might be able to return that favor. Killian didn't always have it easy, but he found redemption. He found a home that wasn't made from wood on the ocean. He learned to let people in and trust again. He put his revenge behind him when he found something more worth fighting for. He showed me that I should never stop fighting for what I believe in. I'll miss you, mate." When he finished, the only sounds were the dirt hitting the casket and Emma's silent sobs into her mother's shoulder as she realized how much she wanted a future and family with Killian.

"We didn't always get along, but we learned to work together and become a team. He fought by my side when I needed him. He believed that I could change and I believed that he could change and together, we both tried to change our endings," Regina began. "We both learned what it was like to be a hero and I saw him morph into one. I thought that he had a bright future ahead of him."

When it seemed that everyone had said what they wanted to, David went to fill in the rest of the dirt. "Grandpa! Wait. I.. want to say a few things," Henry said softly, still at Emma's side. "I didn't always like Killian. I had to get used to someone else being in my mom's life who wasn't my dad. But…I ended up liking the time I spent on the Jolly Rodger. I liked spending time with Killian. He taught me a lot while growing up. I'll miss you…Dad."

Silently, David finished filling in the dirt as everyone left flowers on top of the dirt and filed away to go to Granny's, leaving Emma and her family. "Can…I have a moment..." Emma said, her voice just above a whisper. Snow and Henry hugged her before walking back to their car, David kissing her head before slowly moving away.

Kneeling beside the fresh dirt, Emma couldn't stop her tears as she looked at the name on the stone. "Killian…thank you for…saving me…loving me." She clutched Liam's ring on the chain around her neck, fresh tears spilling down, "You gave me Liam's ring. I thought you were proposing. I would have said yes."