A/N: And I've got another chapter for you! Also, you guys are good guessers ;) In response to one of the reviews, I plan to have between 7 and 10 chapters in this. Right now I'm thinking there will be 8, so just two more after this one, but that might change a little.

Thanks again to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. You all make my day!

Enjoy!

"You?" Emma asked, her voice incredulous. Not that she should be surprised, really. It wasn't as though they hadn't been in this situation before.

Belle dragged a reluctant Will Scarlet by the elbow, until he was in front of Emma. Not that he was fighting her, but he didn't look particularly happy to be there.

"Ah, it seems our positions have been reversed. Bad luck, mate," Will said, looking entirely too smug at seeing Killian behind bars. The pirate didn't respond, which surprised Emma. Usually, Killian would take any chance to shoot back some kind of witty reply. Particularly in a situation like this.

"Tell her," Belle said firmly, a hand on Will's shoulder. The thief looked slightly antsy, but there was a clear look of guilt on his face. And something else, too, when he felt the pressure of Belle's hand touch him, though Emma couldn't quite read what it was.

"Alright, fine. I did it. I was feelin' a bit tipsy one night, as it happens, and the lights were all off and I thought I'd look for the owner. Get meself a drink. But they weren't there, see, and I couldn't give up such an opportunity." Will's admittance would almost have brought a smirk to Emma's face, if it wasn't for the fact that her – the – pirate was in handcuffs in a cell because she'd made a misjudgment.

No, that was wrong. Emma knew it wasn't even a misjudgment. If she were honest with herself, she had known from the beginning that Killian hadn't taken the money or the rum. But she'd wanted to believe he had, to give herself a real reason to push him completely out of her life. And worse than that, she'd wanted to hurt him, like he'd hurt her.

It hadn't been fair, and she knew it. But she wasn't about to admit it.

"There. You have a bloody confession. Can I leave now?" Killian's voice held a barely concealed anger, a tone so different from moments ago, clearly trying to cover up the hurt he felt at being locked up unjustly, now that they both knew it. And by Emma, of all people. He'd tried hard to change, she knew that. And then she'd turned around and done this. It wasn't proper protocol, and it wasn't right.

"What about the flask?" Emma said anyway, ignoring Killian, grasping at straws so she didn't have to feel so guilty. She could hear a brief intake of breath from behind her, and knew exactly what she would see if she turned to face the pirate. Pain. Because, rather than simply apologize and let him out…she was making this worse. Suddenly, she began to see how Killian had felt with Gold, even if this situation was quite different.

Will shifted on his feet. "Right. Well, the bloody pirate and I have had a few run ins and when I found it on the docks…I saw my chance. Not that I'm a revengeful man, mind, but it was too perfect." He shrugged slightly, as though to say what can you do?

"Swan?" Killian's voice was impatient now. "You have your proof."

Finally, Emma turned around and unlocked the cell, trying to push back the pain in her heart when the former pirate simply held out his cuffed hand and brace with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't nearly the first time she'd put him in such things, and the other two occurrences brought memories she'd rather push back.

"You're not normally releasing me from these, eh, love?" Killian asked, though his voice held anything but humor. Instead, he simple held out a hand, and Emma did as he silently requested, collecting his hook from her desk and handing it to him. Only a second later, a familiar click told Emma that it was back in place.

She still couldn't meet his eyes, and her voice held little emotion as she simply said, "You're free to go."

Killian didn't respond, but simply turned and left the room, not even bothering to make a smug remark back to Will. It was so unlike him, not to say something sarcastic, not to give her some longing look as he passed her by. It was almost as though she'd lost him for good. Emma tried to push the thoughts away, to remind herself that this was better, anyway. He'd still broken her trust and this would make it easier for them to part ways. This time, though, she wasn't nearly able to convince herself. Instead, the pirate left Emma with the real thief and a feeling of guilt and sorrow unlike anything she'd recently experienced.

Killian had gone immediately to the docks, reaching for his flask for a drink before recalling that David had taken it yesterday, and he had yet to reclaim it.

Bloody hell…

Ultimately, he knew it was probably better that he deal with this without alcohol, but that didn't make it any easier.

Emma's expression, the way she chose not to trust him even after Will had confessed…it hurt more than Killian had ever thought possible. He had really, truly, lost her trust. Every ounce of it. He couldn't decide if that was fair or not, but he also knew that it didn't matter. Emma would do what Emma would do, and if she didn't want him around then he had no chance.

For the first time in years, the waves did nothing to calm Killian. Perhaps it had never been only the waves, but a mixture of that and his rum. Now that one of the two was missing, it didn't help at all. Or, it could simply be that this kind of pain was something that couldn't just be brushed off by an ocean breeze.

Still, he sat there for a good hour before finally standing and moving along the beach. Perhaps a walk would help him gather his thoughts and decide what to do. He knew he owed Belle a gesture of gratitude for getting him out of there – he'd all but ignored her on his way out of the station – but he was in no mood to talk to anyone at the moment. The crisp fall air had him wishing he'd brought his jacket, but he didn't feel like walking back into town to recover it. Perhaps the cold would help numb his pain.

Emma sat at the desk in the Sheriff's stations, her legs propped on the wooden surface, her phone in her hand, when she heard the ding that told her she had an email. It was a welcome distraction from the agony of her thoughts, from the knowledge of how greatly she had screwed up this situation, and yet also from her complete uncertainty of how – or if – she could or wanted to fix it.

The email was one she had been waiting for, but her hope of it taking her mind off of Killian was quickly shattered when she read the subject line.

Re: Recovered Voicemail

She'd sent an email to her phone company a few days ago, when this whole mess had started, finding that she needed to know whether Killian had told her the truth about sending her a message. Now, part of her wished that she hadn't done so. Whether he'd been telling the truth or not…it likely wouldn't make this situation any easier.

Still, she opened the email and, sure enough, there was an audio file attached. The file was entitled 'Voicemail – Killian Jones', and Emma's breath caught in her throat when she read the words. So, he had been telling the truth. But, about everything? Emma forced herself to click the file, playing back the message he had sent her the night that Gold had stolen his heart.

"Swan, it's Killian again – " So, this was clearly not the only message he had sent, though it was the only one her company had sent her.

"You have to listen to me. I know that you went to see Gold, I saw what you did. And if he's promised to get rid of your powers, don't listen to him. He doesn't want to help you. He wants…he wants to collect your powers in a bloody magic hat and when he does, you'll be sucked in too. I don't know what he's planning, but I know that he's been lying to Belle. The dagger he gave her is a fake. I only know all this because…" There was a pause, and Emma could hear the clear confliction in her pirate's voice as he seemed to struggle with what he had to say next. "Because I'm afraid I've been lying to you too."

And there it was. The honesty that Emma had desperately wanted from him. She paused the recording for a moment, her eyes staring blankly at the phone. Her stomach was starting to churn all over again, as the reality of how harsh she'd been with the man settled in. Yes, she'd had a right to be angry. But for the first time she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she'd taken it too far. That she still cared for him. And that he cared for her and wanted only the best for her, nothing more. Emma felt a stray tear slip down her cheek as her finger hovered over the delete button, not wanting to listen to the rest. However, she knew that she owed it to Killian to finish his message.

"Gold blackmailed me into helping him, he knew…he knew I'd do whatever it takes to be with you and he used it against me. I just wanted to be…a better man for you, Swan. But I failed. And now because of that I might lose you." Another pause, this one not quite as long as the first.

"I'm sorry. But I hope that you never forgive me, because that means you'll get this in time to save yourself." He paused again, before choking out a "Goodbye," and hanging up.

Killian's voice sounded so conflicted, and so in pain. The genuine anguish and remorse he felt over what he had done was clear in his voice. Emma hated hearing him like that, particularly when speaking such heartfelt words. And hearing him say that he'd rather give her up completely - have her never forgive him - than lose her...it was an entirely unselfish plea. One that she hadn't expected from Killian, and yet one that she was beginning to realize he had been trying to show her since they'd met. That he would do anything for her, no matter what it cost him. The message broke her heart all over again, and for the first time since this whole mess had started, she knew what she had to do.

Killian knew he had to be nearing the edge of town when he felt his talking phone ring in his pocket. He tugged it out, seeing the picture of Emma that she had added to the device flash on the screen.

For a brief moment, his heart lifted, before it crashed right back down. Whatever she had to say, it couldn't be good. And right now he didn't feel the need to deal with anymore heartbreak. He shoved the talking phone back in his pocket, ignoring its ringing. Finally, it stopped, and he continued walking.

Only moments later, the ringing began again, and Killian couldn't help but pull the thing out once more. Emma's face flashed up at him, and he scowled. Part of him wanted to be angry with her, for locking him up unjustly, for pushing him away so easily…but he couldn't. He knew he was certainly as much at fault for this mess – probably more – than she was. Still, he couldn't talk to her. Not now.

Holding down the button that he remembered the blonde telling him 'off'd' the phone, Killian waited until the screen shut down completely. He was quite sure that meant he wouldn't have to hear the annoying ringing if it occurred again.

Forcing thoughts of Emma away, he continued walking. He needed to clear his head, before he let himself dwell on his next course of action with the blonde.

A ruffled and exhausted Emma entered the apartment later that evening. She'd tried calling Killian what seemed to be a hundred times, but he hadn't answered. Either he really hadn't figured out his phone, or he didn't want to talk to her. Normally, she would have known the right answer to that dilemma. But with what had happened recently…she wasn't at all sure.

Either way, she'd trekked around the whole town trying to find him, to no avail. He wasn't in Granny's, at the lake, at the docks…and no one seemed to have seen him since he left the sheriff station that morning.

Inwardly, she was starting to panic. What if he had left? Rumple's banishment had proven that leaving and retaining one's memories was possible…but would he do that? Leave without saying goodbye?

It was another question that Emma found herself unable to answer.

Upon looking around, Emma saw her parents and Regina huddled near the table, talking. They looked worried, and the lack of relief on their faces when they saw her enter let her know that it had nothing to do with her.

"Where's my son?" Regina's voice sounded an awful lot like the evil queen tone she'd used when Emma first came to Storybrooke, though this time it sent a twisting through her gut rather than any kind of hurt.

"Henry's missing?" Disbelief was etched into her voice and her eyes widened. She could easily forgive Regina's anger if it had to do with Henry. "I haven't seen him all day. Why didn't you call me?" Where would the boy have gone? And why? They weren't facing any villains that she knew of...not now, at least.

Regina's face fell. The woman had clearly hoped that Henry had simply been with Emma. "We've been trying to contact you all day! Where have you been?"

Emma swallowed hard. She'd been calling Hook so often, and focused only on finding the man…clearly she'd missed something even more important. "When was he last seen?"

"Well, he stayed with me last night, and then this morning…" Regina paused for a moment, swallowing uncomfortably. "We had a conversation about you and Hook. I told him you were only doing what you thought best, and he believed I was standing up for the pirate's imprisonment. He ran out. I assumed he would go somewhere to cool off, but I…haven't seen him since. And he hasn't answered his phone all day."

"That makes two of you," Mary Margaret muttered, gesturing to Emma.

Three of us, Emma thought, feeling another wave of pain wash through her. Her pirate and her son were missing. This wasn't something she felt anywhere near able to deal with. A strange feeling of despair began to wash over her, and though she knew they would figure this out - they always did - she wasn't sure she would like the end result.

A/N: Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think :)