Sorry for the delay on this ... real life kicked my ass over the last week.

Someone pointed out to me that this story isn't a Canon Divergence fic since I'm not really changing anything. And of course they're right. This is more a 'Canon Expansion' fic, or a more accurate name would probably be a 'Canon Dive'. When I started this story I didn't really know where I wanted to go with it so I called it a Canon Divergence fic first. It turned out to be more a diving into Emma and Killian's thoughts during 3B with the addition of more mature content.

Enchanted Forest - Day 30

This had definitely not been part of the plan. This got a hell more complicated than he'd expected. Emma being captured by the Evil Queen was only one of many obstacles they needed to overcome during their adventure in the Enchanted Forest.

One thing was for sure ... it got never boring by her side.

Now he was trudging once again through the forest. This time in search of her parents. He needed help to get into the castle and find Emma. And hopefully then they could finally go home to their time.

He hoped she wouldn't run back to New York the moment they were back in Storybrooke. During their waltz yesterday he had the feeling that her walls weren't as impenetrable as before anymore. She'd relaxed in his arms, even smiled once or twice. Even teasing him. He hadn't seen her this relaxed in a very long time. Actually he couldn't remember ever seeing her like this. He wanted that moment back. Wanted a lot more moments like that with her. There was this one second after he'd put her hands in the right position and locked eyes with her ... he could swear there was something there. In the air between them. Something more. He'd lost his breath for a moment, fought the urge to lean forward and press his lips on hers, to just let himself be swept up in the moment. But he'd been afraid. Afraid to push her too hard. Afraid he'd misread the signs. He just didn't want to ruin the moment.

The flicker of hope he'd felt during the dance was still there, though. He could feel it burn low in his gut, a steady flame that couldn't be doused by any negative thoughts. He saw a chance for them, and he would bloody hell take it and hold on to it as soon as they managed to portal back.

"I told you I'd find you. No matter what you do, I will always find you."

He stopped dead in his tracks upon hearing the prince's voice, lingering behind a tree and observing the scene before him. Emma's mother was trapped in a net hanging from a tree branch and David stood only a few feet away with a big grin on his face.

"Is this the only way you can catch a woman?" Mary Margaret called down to David mockingly. "By entrapping her?"

"It's the only way to catch thieving scum."

"Aren't you a real Prince Charming?"

He grinned as he listened to their conversation. Emma definitely inherited her gumption from her mother. Snow White had obviously been a hellion back in the day, too.

"I have a name, you know."

"Don't care. Charming suits you. Now cut me down, Charming."

"Why would I do that?" David held up the same wanted poster Emma and he had seen pinned to a tree after they'd tumbled through the portal. "Snow White." Mary Margaret visibly recoiled, apparently fearing the worst. Though Killian knew David wouldn't rat her out. Or at least he hoped they didn't change the past that much. "Relax. I'm not gonna turn you in. All I want is the ring you stole."

"Not the jewelry type," Mary Margaret shot back.

"Indeed. I noticed."

"I don't have your ring."

"Then why don't I believe you."

It was time for him to enter the scene and hope Emma's parents were willing to help him.

"You should," he said, stepping out from behind the tree. "She is telling the truth, mate." He bowed slightly, realizing he should probably introduce himself. "Prince Charles. Lovely ball the other night. The mutton was a tad overcooked, but that happens." He gestured to Emma's mother still trapped in the net. "Snow White doesn't have your ring. But I can tell you who does. My princess. And I need your help to get her back."

"She has my ring?" David asked. "That's two women who robbed me. Where is she?"

"Well, that's the problem. The Queen's castle."

"Actually, that's not a problem at all," Snow White told them. "I know it well. It used to be mine. I can get us in there, but not from up here." She looked at him and said, "So you let me down, you get your princess ..." Her eyes shifted to David and she added, "... you get your ring and I never have to see your charming face again."

David hesitated only for a second before he shrugged his shoulders and unsheathed his sword to cut the cord holding the net up. "All right. We have a deal."

-xxx-

It definitely was weird to sit at a fire with the father of the woman he hoped would thaw up to him very soon. Back in the future David didn't really approve of him, though their relationship got a hell of a lot better after he'd saved the prince from certain death in Neverland. But still, he was sure David wouldn't like it one bit if he found out that his only daughter had enjoyed the more enjoyable activities with a pirate like him. In David's eyes he was probably not good enough for his daughter. And maybe the prince was right. Maybe Emma deserved someone better. Someone who didn't carry the scars he was carrying. Someone who wasn't tarnished by the bad things he did in the past. He'd been a pirate through and through, lost sight of the man he wanted to be when his brother was still alive along the way. Until Emma stepped into his path and changed everything.

Since he wasn't willing to fall down the rabbit hole that were his conflicting thoughts about the future of his and Emma's relationship he decided that it was better to start a conversation with the prince.

"You're excited for your nuptials?"

"I'm marrying Midas's daughter," David replied. "What's not to be excited about?"

"I don't mean to pry, mate. But you don't exactly look like a man who's doing this by choice."

"I always thought I'd marry for love. And here I am about to enter into what amounts to a business transaction. A merger of two kingdoms. I don't know ... this whole ordeal makes me wonder if there is even such a thing as true love."

"I once felt as you did, mate," he replied, staring pensively into the fire, remembering the first time he'd laid eyes on Emma. He'd felt like he'd been struck by lightning when he looked up at her, which turned into a burning fire inside of him the more time he'd spent with her. She was his savior, too. In more than one way. "All it took was meeting the right person and everything changed."

"Princess Leia," David said knowingly. "The one we're rescuing?"

"Aye." Princess Leia, indeed. His swan, his savior. The woman he was head over heels in love with. "I'd go to the end of the world for her. Or time."

"And she for you, I take it?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. Because he didn't know. He didn't know how she felt about him. Didn't know if he really had a chance to start a relationship with her. If he was worth it. If he was able to bring down her walls.

"What's the problem?"

"There are many complications."

"Family? Because my father is making things quite difficult for me."

"Aye, there's that." He suppressed the chuckle wanting to bubble out of him. Since one part of Emma's family was currently sitting beside him without knowing that they were talking about his daughter. Bloody hell, this whole going back in time was rattling his brain. "I'm not so sure her parents approve of me."

"Given the length you've gone to save her, they'd be crazy not to."

He would do anything for her. Would give up his life for her. Though he wasn't sure he'd obtain David's approval even if Emma's father would remember this conversation. But maybe he would.

"I hope you remember that."

-xxx-

He rushed through the tunnels, hoping to find Emma down in the dungeons. There was always the possibility that Regina had taken her somewhere else. But before he could come up with a plan to search the whole castle without being noticed, feet pounding on the hard-packed floor were heard around the corner. He slowed down and raised his sword, ready to struck anyone who stood in his way to find Emma. But when the person rounded the corner he exhaled a breath of relief.

"Swan."

"Hook."

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his knees going weak with the relief to see her unharmed. "You're depriving me of a dashing rescue."

"Sorry," she replied, grinning up at him. "The only one who saves me is me."

He was trying to come up with a fitting remark while he sheathed his sword again. But she was faster, closing the space between them. Before he could register what she was about to do, her hand snaked around his neck and he was pulled down. Her lips pressed on his for a brief moment, the contact rocking through his whole body. Thankfully, he found his wits again before she could step back. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her closer, taking her lips in a searing kiss that was reciprocated by her without hesitation.

"Swan?" he whispered with a shaky voice when they needed to come up for air, wondering if the kiss meant what he hoped it meant.

When she pushed him back softly he was prepared for the worst, expecting to see her walls go up again. He was definitely not prepared for seeing her soft smile as she cupped his cheek and brushed her thumb over his bottom lip.

"Later, Killian." The words slammed into his chest, the promise in these two words robbing him of breath. Again. He felt dizzy for a moment, trying to not lose sight of their mission. They didn't have the time to go down that road just now. Apparently, she knew that, too. Her fingers fell from his cheek a moment later, her voice hard with determination as she said, "We need to find Snow White first."

"Aye," he murmured, brushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek for a few precious seconds before letting her go. "Let's get to it then."

They'd been searching for a few minutes for any sign of Snow White when he came to a halt in front of a big window overlooking the court.

"What is it?" Emma's breathless voice came from behind. He wished he could spare her from seeing what was happening down there. But he couldn't. "Did you find her?"

"I'm afraid so," he told her as she came to a stop beside him, seeing her mother being bound to a stake.

"We have to get down there before it's too late."

"I don't think we can," David said and he felt Emma starting to shake beside him.

"No." The word was barely above a whisper, her body sagging against his as she watched her mother go up in flames. He could do nothing else than hug her to his side, knowing the pain that was ricocheting through her right in that moment. He knew how helpless you felt when a person you loved died right in front of you and you weren't able to stop it. He knew too damn well.

His heart broke for her as her fingers dug into his skin, as she held onto him with such a strength that his ribs shifted under the pressure. But he didn't move. He would gladly endure a few cracked ribs if it eased at least a small part of her sorrows.

There wasn't much he could do other than hold her.

Enchanted Forest - Day 31

He was exhausted, ready to see the end of this adventure. He thought they'd screwed up the past indefinitely when he saw Snow White go up in flames. Fortunately, Emma's mother was very resourceful and used the fairy dust on herself to escape. But then they had to chase after her again to make sure that the story of how Emma's parents fell in love stayed on track. And it looked like fate wasn't being deterred by a little meddling from the future.

They were hidden in the trees, watching Emma's parents talk from far enough away to not be detected. When he risked a look at Emma by his side he saw tears trail down her cheeks. This time it were tears of joy, though. He could only imagine how moving it might be to watch your own parents fall in love.

"It's okay, Swan," he said softly, wanting to wrap his arm around her and pull her close. But he was still not sure if he was allowed to touch her so freely. He didn't know if they'd taken the next step in their relationship or not. So he contended himself with having her so close by his side. "Not everyone gets the chance to see their parents fall in love."

He was rewarded with a shaky smile, his heart skipping a beat as he let himself look at her for a little while longer. He was so in love with her that he didn't know how he could go on without her if she decided to leave the life of the savior behind once and for all and go back to New York. He didn't want to lose her, but if it was her wish he would let her go. Even when he thought that running away from her destiny was a mistake. But it was not his decision to make.

He forced himself to look back at her parents, his heart doing another skip in his chest when they parted ways. "They're heading away from each other."

"No, it's okay," Emma told him, her smile still shaky but her whole face was glowing, telling him that everything was all right. "That's how it happened the first time. It took my parents awhile to accept their feelings."

"Must run in the family," he replied without thought, cringing inwardly when he realized what he'd just said.

She would probably rip his head off, or erect her walls again and pushed him away. But she surprised him again. She didn't say anything in return, just stood up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his cheek, throwing him a mischievous grin before she reached for his satchel and pulled the storybook out. His heart was hammering like crazy in his chest and his cheek prickled where her lips had touched it only a moment ago. He was just watching her as she turned the pages, still reeling from the unexpected kiss. He wondered if there'd ever be a time when she stopped surprising him.

"Look," she said, showing him the storybook. The pictures reappeared on the pages right in front of his eyes. "We did it."

"Aye," he replied. "We did it."

-xxx-

"No." Her voice was full of anguish as she looked around, already searching for an exit out of the place the crocodile had sent them.

"At least he did us one favor." He looked at his reflection, hoping his remark would relieve some of the tension she must be feeling. "I'm devilishly handsome again."

"Wait!" she shouted as he took a vase out of a cupboard. "Don't touch anything. If Rumple is afraid of this stuff, there's gotta be a reason."

"I'm just trying to figure a way out," he told her, putting the vase back down.

"I don't think there is one," she said defeated. "And what's the point? You heard what he said."

"But you can." He stepped towards her, hoping his voice was carrying the faith he had in her. "All he said we need is magic." He'd never seen her fail yet. And he wouldn't let her fail now. "You're the savior, Swan. You can do it."

"Not anymore. I lost it."

"When Zelena died, all of her spells were undone," he tried to reassure her, knowing that it was her own doubts that were keeping her magic from coming to the surface. "Your powers should have been restored."

"Believe me, if I could make it work I would," she told him, her voice harsh with exasperation and anger. "You think I'm faking it?"

"I think not having magic makes it a lot easier for you to run back to New York and pretend to be somebody else." She needed to hear the hard truth. Because if they wanted to get out of here she needed to face the fact that being without magic was her choosing. "But listen to me, Swan. You're not. It's time to stop running."

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped, her eyes going glassy with unshed tears as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. "Yes, I run away. That's how I always survived." He balled his hand into a fist to keep himself from reaching for her. Pulling her into his arms now wouldn't help anyone. It hurt him to see her this distraught, but it would hurt her more if they were stuck here. If she wouldn't get back to her son. She needed to work through it for herself. It was the only way out. "But believe me, I want this to work. I wanna go back. I wanna stop running."

"What's changed your mind?" he asked, the flicker of hope he'd harbored deep inside of him bursting into a bright flame as he waited for her answer.

"Watching my mother die. Thinking she was dead. You saw what happened. I was so relieved when she was okay. And I hugged her. And you know what I saw in her eyes?" Her lips trembled, making it almost impossible for him to stand back and not haul her into his arms. "Nothing. She didn't know who I was. I had saved her and lost her, too. And that's what I've been doing to her since I met her. It's got to stop." He saw the fierce determination in her eyes, saw the woman he fell in love with. The woman who didn't shy away from a fight. The woman who was willing to fight for what she wanted. "When Henry brought me to Storybrooke he told me I was the savior. I didn't see what he was really doing. He was not bringing me back to break a curse. He was bringing me home." He was so proud of her. She finally stopped pushing everyone out, she let herself feel again. "Neal was right."

"About what?"

"You don't have a home until you just miss it. Being with my parents the last few days, but not really being with them ... I've never missed them more. Storybrooke. That's my home." He hoped that there was a place in her home for him, too. That she was ready to let him in. But first they needed to get back to that home. And it looked like they could now. He smiled as he saw the light crackle over the wand. She did it. She got her magic back.

"What?" she asked, probably wondering why he was smiling when it looked like they were stuck here.

"Look down," he said, grinning at her as he waved his hand toward the wand. "I'd say you've got your magic back. Now, shall we go?"

She smiled up at him, surprising him once again by grabbing him and pulling him down to give him a passionate kiss. He was breathing heavily when she released him, the mischievous grin on her face promising him there would be more of that passion when they were finally back in their time.

Closing her eyes, she lifted the wand and concentrated all her power on opening a portal. It took only a few seconds before the portal appeared in front of them. He took a last look at her before he stepped into the portal and let himself be pulled back into the future.

Into a future that held so much promises now.