A/N: First of all, THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who has read this story. It has truly been a pleasure to write.

I also need to give a special shout-out to daniellm, because without them, this chapter, and the next few after, would not have been possible.

Yes, this adventure will take a few chapters. I know, I'm evil.

It was finally here: the day that Killian was going to propose to Emma. He was beyond nervous. Will she like the surprise? Will she even be surprised? Or will she assume something is amiss? Will she say yes? That last question had been plaguing him since he first met Henry that day at Granny's. Luckily, he had Henry's blessing, as well as that of her parents. Asking them was difficult enough; to actually look Emma in her gorgeous green eyes and profess his undying love for her will be most scared he's ever been in his life—and he's gone up against the Crocodile on multiple occasions.

Henry had been the one to suggest the idea of the proposal, that day at Mary-Margaret and David's apartment. He had to admit, he was a clever lad.

"How about a scavenger hunt? It would be fitting, you being a pirate and all. Mom can search for clues, and it will eventually lead to you! You can even put an 'X' to mark the spot and everything!"

"Henry, what a brilliant idea!'

"We can call it Operation Swan Princess!"

Killian was taken aback. "But I thought the whole 'Operation' code name was something you did with your mums?"

"Guess what, Killian? You're about to be my step-dad. That means you get to join the club!"

Henry will never know how much that had meant to Killian, to include him in on the code names. Just another thing to add in the list of their bonding moments, each of which he would be forever grateful. He was equally as happy that he wanted to be included in the scavenger hunt, as well as his grandparents. Mary-Margaret could barely contain her excitement at the thought of being included in her own daughter's proposal. Killian also sought the assistance of Miss Ruby and Granny, and also Miss Belle to help out as well.

He and Belle have been getting along much better now that The Dark One was no longer in the picture. Not only was she teaching at the high school, but she took over full ownership of the library, thanks his hopefully future mother-in-law, the mayor. Killian was also honestly happy to see her with Will Scarlett, even if he was a thief. He made her laugh—something he could say he never saw her do when she with Gold. No doubt he was better match for her—not perfect, but better.

Everything was in place for the big night. He just had one stop to make before he started getting himself ready for the end of Emma's journey.

Knowing that Emma always took her lunch break at 12:30, he was not surprised to find her office at the Sherriff's station empty. He placed the initial clue on the top of her desk, in plain sight. She knew his distinctive handwriting, so she will have little doubt as to who they came from.

All the clues had been placed; their clue-givers informed of their tasks; now it was time for Killian to go prepare. 5pm couldn't come soon enough.

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Emma entered her office at 1pm, just after another satisfying lunch at Granny's. She loved taking at least that half hour of the day to catch up with Ruby and Granny. They had always been so kind to Emma ever since she came to Storybrooke. They were like and extended family to her. She hated leaving the diner every day, but she knew she would just be back to see them the next day, like clockwork.

As she made her way to her desk, she noticed a piece of paper that was not there when she left. Curious, Emma sat in her chair and examined the folded-up parchment, noticing immediately Killian's handwriting. My sneaky pirate, she said to herself, as she opened up the missive. She began to read:

My dearest Swan,

Tonight is no ordinary night. Tonight is a night you will go on an extraordinary adventure. Reminiscent of the tales of the great Captain Hook himself, you will have to find a very valuable treasure. Alas, I will not be there to guide you, but fear not: there will be help along the way. Your guides will lead you to what you seek. Your first clue will be hidden somewhere that many tales are kept, much like the one in which you are about to embark. Your adventure begins at 5pm.

KJ

Emma had no idea what to make of this letter, but what she knew for sure was her night just got a whole lot more interesting. She did have a laugh at the reference to Captain Hook; she got a kick out of him mentioning himself in that fashion, because she really didn't see him like that anymore—not for a very long time.

She still had four hours to kill until her "adventure" began, so tried to distract herself with as much busy work as possible—not just paper work, but cleaning as well—in order to pass the time. As hard as she tried, she couldn't help but look at the clock each time a task was complete.

Minutes slowly but surely turned to hours, and much to Emma's delight, the clock finally struck 5pm. Eager to get her evening started, she put all of the completed paperwork in its proper place, put on her red leather jacket, turned off all the lights, and locked up the station for the evening. Emma took the paper, her first clue, and looked at it again.

Just where in the hell in this city is a place that holds many tales? She knew Henry's book had pretty much every fairy tale known to man inside, but that wasn't a place…

Then it dawned on her: the book held many tales, but there's a place that could hold volumes and volumes of books just like it. With this knowledge in hand, she made haste for the library.

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The bell above the library door rang to signify someone had entered. Emma was surprised to see it so empty—it was usually teeming with life, even at this time of the day. Belle was such a hospitable person; she exuded positive energy, especially now that Mr. Gold was no longer in her life.

Everyone loved being around her, so it was no wonder that she was the first choice the town picked to take over the schooling for the children. With Mary-Margaret as mayor, plus being a mother to a toddler, it was hard for her to keep up.

The children, although now teenagers, took to Belle immediately; she was fair, but firm, in her teaching style. Her eyes lit up every time one of her students wanted to discuss a book in even more detail. She enjoyed teaching, but books would always be her first love.

Belle peeked at Emma from librarian's just off to the right of the entrance.

"Good evening, Emma! Ready to begin you adventure?" Belle was practically bursting with happiness, but Emma couldn't understand why. Belle must know something I don't, she thought.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I know I'm supposed to be here, but I don't know why."

Belled reached down onto the desk to lift a piece of paper, and gave it to Emma. "This is what you're looking for, I believe."

It was another note. Emma opened it in front of Belle, and read out loud

My dearest Swan,

If you are reading this, then you have found yourself in the place where all great tales are kept for generations to enjoy. But there is one in particular that you need to look for, which will lead you to your next destination. The only thing I can tell you about this tale is that it features a place that is very important to both of us. If you look in your heart, you already know the answer.

KJ

A place where we both have been, and that is very important to us both? What?! Emma began to wrack her brain to come up with a solution to the clue.

Belle, always trying to help, asked, "Well, where have you been together?"

"Well, we've been together in the Enchanted Forest? Maybe he's referring to the time we climbed the beanstalk together? That was when we first started talking."

"That is one idea. Where else?"

Emma answered, "Well, was in New York, but we were there with a bunch of other people…"

"There has to be somewhere else…" Belle said, trying to pry the answer from Emma.

Yeah, she knows something.

"We went to Neverland together, to get Henry back from Pan..."

Look into your heart, and you will know the answer.

The line from Killian's note echoed in her mind just as the thought of Neverland came to her mind, and it was suddenly clear. That was where they shared their first kiss. That was where he confessed to having feelings for her. That was where, despite her misgivings, where she realized she had feelings for him.

"Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: Where is it?"

Smiling triumphantly, Belle led her to the children's section of the library.

Once she reached the shelf, Emma pulled out the only copy and opened the cover. There, laid inside, was another letter.

She was so happy she was able to figure out this particular riddle, because it brought back the memories of the first initial feelings she had for Killian, and Emma smiled, because he thought to include those thoughts in his clues.

Placing the book back on the shelf, she opened up the next clue and read aloud to Belle:

My dearest Swan,

If you are reading this, then your heart has led you to the place where we shared many firsts. I am so fortunate to know that those firsts weren't just, as you said, "a one-time thing." You are quite good at solving my riddles thus far, my princess. Let's keep going, shall we? For your next clue, you will need to journey to the lair of the wolf. I eagerly await you reading my next missive.

KJ

Even Emma was stumped. "The 'lair of the wolf?'" she yelled, "What in the world could that possibly mean?!"

"Honestly, even I couldn't tell you," Belle chimed in.

"Well, there goes my run at solving these clues fast enough…"

Belle came beside Emma to offer her a hug. "Don't worry, Emma. You're smart. You'll figure this one out, too. Maybe you could go to Granny's and think it over?"

"You know what? That doesn't sound like bad i…"

The lightbulb in Emma's brain went off. The lair of the wolf. Ruby was a werewolf in the Enchanted Forest!

"Belle, you're a genius!" Emma exclaimed as she flung her arms around the brunette and squeezed until she was gasping for air.

"Sorry about that. Gotta run!" With that, Emma dashed out of the library and headed towards the diner.