CS Epilogue

James took a seat on his favorite park bench near the lake. He'd gotten into the habit of coming to the lake every day to watch the sunset. It was always so bright and so vivid here, and so peaceful. It was the one place he could truly relax, let the stress of the day and the sorrows of the past bleed off.

Or at least it was so before Henry and Lucy had come into his bar.

The odd thing is that as soon as Henry and Lucy appeared, the lake had stopped being a haven for him. If anything it had intensified this strange sense of restlessness he had. He couldn't shake the feeling that he desperately needed to do something, that someone needed him.

He'd felt a strange immediate connection to the pair the first time he saw them. It was like meeting up with a long lost loved one after a long separation. It was ridiculous, of course. They were complete strangers to him, but he couldn't talk himself out of the feeling and he found himself hoping they'd come in to see him again.

Well, at least James had believed he wanted to see them again. When they actually came back…well that meeting was an unqualified disaster. There'd been a very definite intensity about Henry that evening, as though he were running out of time or patience. He'd barely offered the usual pleasantries before he started in on his tale.

His utterly impossible tale about a savior and true love and magic and him being, of all ridiculous people, Captain Hook.

James had listened politely…until Henry mentioned Emma. "I know you think she's dead, James," Henry said "But she's not. Emma is alive, just in a sleeping curse! She needs you! My mom needs you to remember and come save her."

The mention of his wife's name had been like a dagger to his heart. He doubted he'd ever heal from the wound her death caused him. The pain gradually, but surely turned to anger. How dare this stranger say such things?

"Look mate," James said with a thunderous frown, "I don't know what game you're playing at, but it stops now. My wife, my strong, beautiful Emma was killed in an accident, and I don't at all appreciate you using her name to get to me."

"But it's true, Grandpa!" Lucy said. "Grandma Emma is alive."

They'd continued on and on about a place called Storybrooke and a sleeping curse and True Love's Kiss, and finally he'd had enough. He'd all but thrown them out of his establishment and told them not to come back.

Henry had ushered his daughter out, but before he'd stepped through the door, he'd returned to the bar once more and placed a business card in front of James, telling him that if he ever changed his mind, if anything ever changed, to call him at any time of the day or night.

Now, a week later, he was still unsettled from the encounter.

An insistent chirping sound broke James from his reverie, and he looked up to see the swan and her cygnet swim up to the shore near him. She chirped again, ruffling her feathers and flapping her wings in irritation.

James smiled to himself and reached for the loaf of bread he'd brought with him, tearing off a bit and tossing it to the swan and her baby.

"So very insistent today, aren't you, Swan?" he said. It wasn't the most inventive name for the bird, but somehow it had just felt right.

Swan had been coming to meet him every day for as long as he'd come to this lake, usually bringing her baby, sometimes coming alone, but always more than ready for the food he provided her. He'd felt an odd kinship with the regal animal, something he couldn't explain. Somehow she'd made him feel less alone, she'd eased some of his grief.

But now, the sight of his swan didn't relax him or put him at ease. Now it increased his agitation, his odd feeling that he must do….something…or all would be lost.

James reached for another piece of bread to throw the swan, when suddenly a strange energy, like a rainbow tinged force field washed over him.

Wave after wave of memory hit him. Emma, Henry, Lucy, Storybrooke, Emma, the curse, EMMA!

Killian got to his feet, laughing as he looked over at the swan finally, finally realizing why he felt such a kinship with her. She was the perfect reminder of his wife.

Killian reached into his back pocket for his phone, pulling it out and dialing as fast as his fingers could fly. It was picked up after two rings.

"Hello?" Henry said.

"Henry, lad," he answered, "it's Killian. I remember! I remember everything."

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

They'd booked a flight back to the east coast the next morning, all six of them. They'd made quite a ragtag group, Killian had no doubt—he, the lad, his granddaughter, the Crocodile, Regina and Robin.

Killian had been overjoyed to see Robin, even more so when he learned he had the outlaw and the queen to thank for the return of his memories. But despite his joy at seeing the man who had become a mate in the small time they'd known each other, Killian was uneasy, on edge.

"Don't worry, Grandpa," Lucy had reassured, "they're okay. They're just under a sleeping curse. The darkness didn't hurt them."

As curses go, it was not the worst, to be sure. The solution was no more complicated than a kiss. Still, it was his loved ones who were suffering the effects. He'd feel a damn sight better when Emma was awake and back in his arms.

"You're sure that's all it is, Lucy?" he'd asked.

She'd nodded exuberantly. So like her father, this one was. "They're fine Grandpa. I was spending the night with Grandma and Eva when the curse struck."

Eva. Killian's heart turned over at the mention of his and Emma's daughter. With her blonde hair and her fire and courage, she was the very image of her mother, and Killian hadn't known it was possible to love another person as much as he loved his little girl. It had been like that from the first, from the moment nearly thirteen years past when Dr. Whale had placed her in his arms. She, her mother, Henry and Lucy were his very life.

And as long as any one of them were in trouble he couldn't rest until he did everything in his power to save them.

Killian had never been overly fond of flying in the metal monstrosities Swan referred to as "airplanes", but it was by far the fastest way to get to his family, so he'd manfully walked up the gangplank. (Henry had laughed at his use of the term, saying he didn't know what the hallway leading into the plane was called, but it most certainly wasn't a gangplank.)

The drive from the airport back to Storybrooke had felt interminable, but finally, finally they'd arrived back to the village Killian had long since seen as his home.

"So what now?" Regina asked, looking at the unnaturally still and silent main street of town. "Everyone's under a sleeping curse. Do we just…start kissing people?"

Henry shook his head. "Wouldn't work, mom," he said. "You have to be True Love for a True Love's Kiss to work. We need a way to save everyone all at once."

"Anyone have any ideas?" Rumple asked. "I for one would like to get home to Belle and Gideon."

Lucy stepped forward and took Killian's hand. "I think I know!" she said.

"Aye, little love?" Killian asked, stooping down until he was on eye level with his granddaughter. "And what solution have you come up with?"

"Grandma Emma is the savior, right?" Lucy said.

"Aye."

"So it's her job to save everyone," Lucy said. "I bet if we can wake her up, everyone else will wake up as well."

"And waking up Mrs. Jones should be no difficulty at all," Robin said, his arm coming around Regina's waist.

"Henry?" Killian asked, turning toward his step-son. "Would you like to kiss your mother awake?"

The man in question smiled but shook his head. "I think it's your turn to do the honors. You guys have been True Loves for years. I think it's about time you had a kiss to seal the deal."

Five minutes later the entire group walked up the porch stairs of the home Killian shared with his wife and daughter. Killian opened the front door and saw his wife lying peacefully in her favorite recliner, fast asleep, Eva curled up on the couch beside her.

Killian felt his heart turn over at the sight of his girls. He loved them so bloody much it was nearly an ache in his chest. They were everything, everything, to him. Killian made it to Emma's chair in five steps, quickly kneeling before her, raising his one good hand to cup her cheek.

She was so beautiful, even now after all these years. The fine lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth were the only indication that any time had passed at all.

"Emma," he said, voice gruff and not quite steady, "I love you to the depth of my being."

Leaning forward, he joined his lips to hers, and it was like coming home.

For a moment she remained still and unresponsive in his arms, but finally her lips moved under his, her hand came up to card through his hair, and the characteristic energy field of a True Love's Kiss emanated from them to cover the whole land.

"Killian," she said, breaking the kiss and smiling up at him, "I knew you'd come for us."

"Daddy?" Eva said from his side. "We've been waiting for you."

Killian laughed, crushing his daughter to him with a hug. There was yet an evil to destroy, a darkness to defeat once and for all, but for now, for this one perfect moment, all was right with his world.

The End!

Notes:

-And with that, "Under the Apple Tree" comes to a close! I primarily write for Captain Swan, so after I gave Regina and Robin their happy ending, I couldn't resist giving one to Captain Swan as well.

-Also, I had to give CS a TLK, because that's one relationship milestone they sadly never got in canon.

-Now that all of Storybrooke is awake again, and all the old True Love couples are united, they can present a united front against the darkness, save Scheherazade, and in general hero it up. However it happens, I've no doubt they will be successful, because that's what this big, crazy family does!