Emma had been sitting at that bench for at least one hour, looking at the children as they all ran around, from swings to slide to rope to tunnel. The cup of coffee had grown cold in her hands as she grinned nostalgically, her mind wandering off into memories of her own. She had once been a child that size, but she had never really been able to enjoy this particular kind of entertainment; at the home where she had spent most of her life after the Swans decided to 'give her back', they only had a large, square patio, a few hula hoops (that all the orphans usually fought for), a few tires and maybe a couple of old balls to kick around. The jump rope she had brought back with her had been stolen and cut into pieces by other jealous housemates; her Raggedy Anne Doll had been practically disemboweled as well.

For the most part, she was a loner.

She looked on as the children played, shoved each other around and laughed as they slid down and ran back up for another go.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Came the gasping sound of Killian, as he sat next to her.

Startled, she turned to him. It was always reassuring to find his kindly grinning face at her side, and she returned the gentle smirk as she allowed herself to fall into his embrace. He chuckled. "I reckon that if you did, I'd be rich within a minute. What's going through that mind of yours, Swan?"

"Hmm…" she sighed, nuzzling into his shoulder. "Just… reminiscing."

"I see. And what particular recollection has placed you in such meditative state, love?"

Emma grinned. "Do you remember telling me about… you and Liam and Moirin, playing by the pond?"

"Aye…"

She sighed. "Well… I was never that lucky."

Killian didn't say anything; it was plain to see that this was one of those wonderful, precious occasions where his best course of action was to simply sit and listen. And it was precious; it wasn't often, even now, that Emma was in the mood to talk about her achy past. So he simply tightened his grip around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Why's that, darling?" He whispered.

Emma turned her eyes to the children again and sighed deep.

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Being an orphan was bad.

But being the orphan that had been returned by her adoptive parents was even worse.

When Emma was a baby, she had been taken home by George and Carolyn Swan. She was a beautiful baby, but after her third birthday, the Swans had finally managed to conceive, something they had originally thought they'd never be able to do. Now, normal people would have grown profoundly fond of their adoptive child, but somehow, the Swans had never quite warmed up to little Emma. They weren't terribly cruel; she was fed, clothed, had toys and a roof over her head. But she hadn't been entirely loved, wither, and proof of that came when, as soon as Carolyn Swan learned that she was carrying, she and her husband immediately contacted the Group Home in Boston, to arrange the return of the child.

She may have been young… but she never forgot that. It marred her as the unwanted little girl who was 'given back'.

The other girls were usually not mean; except for Meredith and her little posse. Yeah, even orphans form posses.

And those three were Emma's worst nightmare.

Since she had been returned to the home, she had been labeled by the others; she was the notoriously beautiful girl with the flowing golden locks that had rapidly been cut off into a bob cut (a standard procedure in State Homes for Orphan Children). The 'unwanted' swan… and for five years, they had been constantly reminding her of it.

"Hey, ugly duckling!"

Emma was eight when the shit hit the fan for the first time.

She huffed and turned around, walking away from Meredith, Allie and Kate, the three bullies who had been relentless in their harassing habits since she was three.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, 'Ugly Duckling'!"

Emma continued walking but was well aware of the gan's footsteps behind her, when a sudden shove landed her square on the floor. "Are you deaf aside from ugly, you 'ugly duckling'?" Meredith barked.

The young blonde girl looked up at her from the floor and stood sheepishly, dusting her hand-me-down trousers. She groaned as she saw a hole on the left leg. "Really?" she moaned.

Those were her only jeans.

"Ooooh, did you hurt yourself… 'ugly duckling'?" Kate teased.

"The poor little princess put a hole through her pants!" Allie chipped in. "And now she's even uglier than before!"

"Shut up!" Emma spat back, dusting herself.

Meredith cackled. "Oh, well, make us!"

"One of these days I might just thump you, Meredith." She moaned, teary eyed.

"Oh, I am trembling in my boots!" Meredith teased back.

Emma stopped and turned to her aggressor. "What do you want?"

The blue-eyed, dark haired Meredith walked to her and stood an inch from her face. "Your chocolates." She shoved Emma by the shoulders. "And… maybe you can take of your pants and get them stitched by Mrs. Laughley… while you wait in the courtyard."

"Screw you."

Meredith shoved Emma again. "What did you say?"

"I said 'SCREW YOU', Meredith…" she grinned a sarcastic little grin. "Are you deaf aside from ugly?"

Meredith huffed through her nose and grabbed Emma by her collar. "I won't say it again… 'ugly duckling'. Your chocolates."

A week earlier the home had received a donation from the Hershey Company and all girls had been given a small share of candy bars, a luxurious treat if ever there was one. Meredith had woofed through her share, wanted more… and Swan had always been an easy target.

But not today.

She rolled her eyes and pushed Meredith away. "Get lost."

She continued to walk away, but Meredith cut her off. Say that again, 'ugly duckling', I DARE you."

"I said…" Emma replied, standing on the tips of her toes, facing the older girl who towered over her. "Bite… me… Meredith."

The older girl chuckled and turned a disbelieving glare at her friends. "Did you guys hear that? The ugly duckling says to bite her!" the others laughed. "Well, that can be arranged!" Meredith said, and grabbed Emma by the hair, pulling her and sinking her teeth into her shoulder… hard. Emma screamed and turned with a blunt punch to Meredith's eye.

Enough was enough.

Mrs. Pritchett ran from one side of the courtyard to separate the quarreling children. She was stunned to see that Emma, small and thin, had actually managed to grab twelve-year-old Meredith by the hair.

"EMMA!" Came Mrs. Pritchett's holler as she pulled the girl away by the waist. "Let her go! Emma, let Meredith go!"

An angry and teary-eyed Emma struggled to continue kicking Meredith's butt; the brunette sat on the floor, really laying it on thick with tears rolling down her cheeks. Emma's hand had her hair firmly gripped. "I'm not done with you!" she shouted angrily. "I'm sick of you and your stupid friends and your stupid attitude and…"

"EMMA ENOUGH!" The adult woman shouted as Emma finally released her grip on Meredith's hair.

"She stole my share of chocolates!" Meredith wailed. "She did! I saw them in her crate!"

"NO!" Emma wept hysterically. "Those are mine! I was saving them! You liar!"

"It's true, Mrs. Pritchett!" Allie cut in. "I saw Emma sneaking out of our corner with Meredith's chocolates!"

Kate also cut in. "True! And I saw her eating her own all alone in the bathroom! She's greedy!"

"And she's attacking Mere because she asked for them back!" Allie added.

Emma shook her head, teary and wide-eyed. "No, no, it's not true! Those are mine, Mrs. Pritchett! I swear!"

"Oh, Emma." Mrs. Pritchett shook her head. "But they saw you, honey…"

"THEY'RE LYING!" She freed herself and once again pounced on Meredith, but she was once again stopped by the older caretaker.

"Ok, enough!" she shook Emma by the shoulder. "You acting out like this won't spare you your punishment, Emma. You can't be taking people's things and then lashing out at them when they want them back. Now, you will go directly to Mrs. Evans' office for detention." She turned to Meredith. "Do you know where the chocolates are, Meredith?"

"Y… yes, Mrs. Pritchett. I can take you…" she sniveled.

Emma was grounded; three days she went without her late supper, going to bed on an empty stomach. It didn't matter… tears usually quenched the hunger, anyway.

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It didn't shock Killian to see Emma's eyes shining with tears unspilled, but it did make him ache. He cradled her and kissed her golden head. "Well, seems that that was one naughty little girl…"

"It's ridiculous that I should be still whining over a bunch of chocolates at thirty. I'm a grown friggin' woman, for god's sake…" Emma sighed.

Killian breathed into her scalp. "It's not the chocolates, Swan. It's the unfairness and abashment that you were submitted to. Alas…" He shrugged. "You must understand, these girls were not very much unlike you."

"I know that now, Killian… But when you're eight years old and you have a bunch of kids mocking you and calling you an ugly duckling…""What was that about?" Killian frowned. "Why 'ugly duckling', love?"

Emma sighed and told Killian the fairy tale of the Ugly Duckling. The tale of the little unwanted animal who was shunned for its unsightly feathers, and who didn't know himself that he would eventually grow to become a beautiful swan.

"Well, I chuckle at the irony, darling…" Killian grinned. "Turned out to be prophetic, did it not? You are a Swan. A very fine Swan. MY Swan." He tipped her face up with his hook and deposited a gentle little peck on her lips. "And beautiful in every feasible way."

Emma grinned and simply nuzzled up against him. "I know that fate is what it is and that it leads you to where you have to be… but sometimes, I just wish I could… you know, go back. Make things different."

They shared a brief silence, until Killian spoke softly. "Perhaps you can, Emma…"

She giggled. "Don't you be getting any more time portal ideas, Jones…"

"Wouldn't dream of it, my love." He laughed. "I was only thinking it would be a rather good thing for you if you maybe located this… Meredith girl, and contacted her." He shrugged. "Maybe just close that particular grievance of your past."

Emma frowned. Finding people is what she did best. "Find her and kick her ass?"

That got a very healthy laughter out of Killian. "By gods, you really do have a lot of pirate in you, Swan! No!" He turned her face to him and grabbed her by the shoulders, still smiling. "Just… settle things. Talk about it. I am sure she was just as lonely and muddled as you were, love. You're both grown women now, Swan. Might do you good."

Emma sighed. "I'd have to leave town for a few days."

"No matter…" He wrinkled his nose. "I'd tag right along with you."

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Lakewood, New Jersey.

A little girl played on a lush, green front lawn. It was warm and sunny, and Emma shed her jacket as she and Killian paced to the front gate. "Hi…" she smiled at the child. "Is this the home of Mrs. Meredith Beaumont?"

The little girl stood and nodded. "Who's calling?"

Emma was about to reply when the voice came from the front door. "Emma? Emma Swan?"

Emma raised her head and looked at the woman before her. It was strange… but she really hadn't changed all that much.

The little girl ran to her mother and clung to her leg. "Who are they, mommy?"

Meredith grinned. "An old friend, honey. Go inside to play upstairs, will you?"

Emma and Killian crossed the picked fence. It was a warm, sunny day, and Emma and Killian were welcomed in the kindest way by Emma's former nemesis. "You're just the way I remember you, Emma…" she smiled kindly. Emma grinned awkwardly when Meredith kissed her cheek, before turning to Killian. "And this is your husband, I presume?" she held out her hand.

Emma didn't get a chance to cut in when Killian reached out with a grin. "Killian Jones, mam. Pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine." She turned her grin back to Emma. "Please come on in!"

"Husband?" Emma mimicked at Killian with a sneer to which the pirate replied with a grin and a shrug, as they followed the woman into a stately-looking home, much resembling Regina's Mayor Office.

"Please, sit down! I was just about to have some tea, would you like some?" Meredith smiled as she grinned.

Killian nodded. "That'd be nice. Emma?"

"Oh… I'm good, thanks."

Meredith spoke to a maid and headed back to the living room with the same grin. Killian was rather stunned; the woman reminded him of…. Someone.

Emma licked her lips with a kind grin. "So…" She folded her skirt beneath her as she sat down on the plush couch. "You seem to… have done well for yourself."

"Oh…" Meredith grinned. "Twice divorced. Not had a lot of luck in that area, sweetie." She smiled. "And you? What do you do?"

Emma grinned. "Oh, I… I'm a sheriff."

"Oh?" Came a risen brow grin.

"Yeah… in Maine."

"Well! So you were taken all the way up to Maine when you were adopted?"

Killian cleared his throat and looked down and Emma pressed her lips into a tight grin. "No, I was… never adopted."

Meredith's grin fell. "Oh… I'm sorry, Emma." She sighed. "It was just as well. The people that adopted me were really no good. My father became a drinker and he and my mom divorced soon after I was adopted. You never know who's gonna take you home."

Emma smiled suddenly. "But I did find my real parents." She nodded happily. "That's why I moved to Maine, really."

Meredith returned the smile, only it wasn't a happy smile any more. "Oh, and they… embraced you back?"

"Yeah." Emma sighed. "They sort of… HAD to give me up for adoption, but never really wanted to. It's a long story, but… we're ok now." She sighed. "I have a son. He's twelve." She reached into her back pocket and produced her wallet to show Meredith a photograph of Henry.

The rich-looking Meredith took the photo from Emma and smiled. "Handsome!" She looked at Killian. "The two of you must be proud."

This time, Emma didn't wish to go into every sordid detail regarding Neal's passing, so she and Killian merely nodded.

There was a brief silence.

"Listen, I came here… because…"

"I… I know why you're here, Emma." Meredith nodded. "I really do. And I get it, completely." She sighed and looked straight into Emma's eyes. "I was cruel. And for the longest while, once I dealt with my own issues, I hated myself thinking how hard I must have made it all to you." She shook her head and looked down to her hands, as she fidgeted on her lap. "I won't use this as an excuse, but… I hope you do at least understand: we were all on the same boat. I was so… angry, so lonely… and you were always so pretty and kind and…" She shrugged. "It wasn't your fault, Emma. I was a bully, but I didn't mean to be. I didn't ASK to be one. I can't imagine how much hurt I must have caused you and for that… I am very, very sorry."

Emma was stunned, but was unable to control the tears that welled in her eyes and slid down her face. Killian reached out and all she was able to hold was his prosthetic hand. She swallowed hard and sniffed. "Thank you."

She didn't even have to do any explaining.

Later that day, Emma drove back home, with a rather sizeable basket of chocolates sitting in the back seat.

Killian gave her a wistful stare from the side seat, and Emma turned to him from the road with a grin, before looking back to the road. "What?"

"Oh, nothing Swan." He reached with his right hand and mussed her hair to the back of her shoulder. "I'm just bloody proud of you."

The savior smiled and nodded. "I have to say, you always seem to know exactly what I need to do."

"Open book."

"Oh, shut up…" she smiled.

"Look, life has a way of balancing itself out!" He shrugged. "There's this lonely woman, with a huge house, a child, heaps of wealth… and twice divorced. You're lucky."

"Yeah, because you're my 'husband'?" she chuckled. "You're a piece of work, Hook."

"Come now, love, would that be such a bad thing? We already sleep together, anylord, so it wouldn't really change much…" He turned a very playful, loving stare at her. "Except you'd be Mrs. Jones, which, if I do say so myself, is quite the name."

Emma sighed. "Twice divorced. That's a scary notion."

"Here we go again… Emma!" Killian moaned. "You don't necessarily have to be the one to whom all conceivable tragedy occurs, you know?" He turned on his seat. "Know this: If I were to marry you, and I will, someday, you'd sooner know that you'd be stuck with me, love. I'd never leave you."

There was a brief silence, which Emma broke suddenly. "I feel like a frozen Latte. You want a frozen latte, Killian? I'm sure we can find some Frozen Latte somewhere…"

Killian huffed and shook his head. "My love, I'm sure you know what you're talking about, but I'm truly lost. A frozen What'eh?"

Emma giggled nervously and pulled over suddenly.

She simply sat behind the wheel, holding it – no, gripping it, and huffing out her mouth.

"Emma?" Killian sneered.

"Let's do it." Emma nodded, looking blankly ahead of the road.

Killian raised his eyebrows and looked around him. "Erhm… call me old fashioned, darling, but don't you think the setting's rather uncomfortable? Small car, open road, police passing by…"

"No, I mean we should get married."

Killian stopped breathing suddenly. He knew Swan to be a little on the wild side, but in his entire life, not once had he ever heard a woman actually sort of… propose. The ring in his pocket began to throb alive.

"C… come again, Swan?"

"Yeah." She looked at him, smiling. "Like you said, we're living together, been a year like that, we're practically already married, what's the big deal?" She turned to him completely. "The thing is, Killian, I don't think I've ever… ever felt so comfortable around someone. I like waking up with you, I like sleeping with you, travelling, eating, fighting with you, making up, making love, walking, laughing, crying, fending off strange fairy tale villains… we do make quite the team, in every sense." She shrugged. "We've practically done it all, Killian. So… I think we're pretty set." She smiled and sighed. "I'm sick and tired of looking at what could go wrong every time, especially when I know, in my heart, you'll never do wrong by me. I know you're never going to leave me, at least not because you'd want to. So…." She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Let's just do it. Let's get married."

Killian was stunned cold. He rolled his eyes to the side and sighed as he freed his hand from hers and reached into his pocket for the large blue ring he had planned to use sometime soon… and placed it on his own pinky finger, before turning to her with a funny smirk.

Emma frowned. "And… what the hell are you doing?"

Killian laughed. "Well, I was going to do the gentleman thing, and go down on one knee and all that, but you being Emma Swan, I should have figured out you'd do the whole proposing and leave me to twist in the wind with my dashing plans, so…" He shrugged. "I just… thought maybe I should wear the ring instead…"

Emma's face contorted into a cute wince, like she was looking at a litter of newborn puppies. "Killian… you were going to…?"

"Well, not precisely today, but next week… at the lake. Had it all set up, Swan. Damn you, woman, can't you just let me do the gallant thing for once?"

Emma laughed and jumped to him, grabbing his face between her hands and kissing him. "You are such a beautiful dope!" she continued giggling, kissing his nose. "We'll do your lake thing anyway, Killian, no problem."

Killian kissed her back soundly before grinning. "Never mind, darling. I don't care. Whether it's me or you, no matter. As long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you, I'm good. Here…" He removed the ring from his pinky and placed it on her finger. "There. And yes, I accept your proposal, Emma Swan. I'll marry you, you… bloody thunder thief."